The San Francisco call., 1897-11-27
IN THE LAGOS HINTERLAND

lack OF knowledge of the physical con-
formation OF the country beh.n or the
"hinterland," prevented any definite de-
limitation thereof. Ohjy general agree
ment was made in regard 10 ''hlnterland'
extension, and the settlement o. definite
boundary lines was left t. special agree
ment between the nations whose claims
adjoined. South OF the equator the lines
between the holdings of the several
nations and also of the Congo Free State
have been long since settled, as have been
most of those 20 tho ncrth, including the
lateral boundaries running back for some
distance firm the coast between the
British, French and German possessions
on the Lower Niger and the Guinea coast,
rs well rs Liberia and the old Spanish
and Portuguese holdings further north.
The right OF possession TO the vast rich
country lying in the great bend of the
Niger and between that stream aud Lake
Tchad is, however, YET unsettled. France
and England assert claims that overlap
each other by thousands Of square miles.
In 1890, by treaty between the two
parties, provision was made for limiting
the southern extension OF the Algeria
hiEterland by line extending from the
town Of Sav on the Made Niger across
The exact course OF the line was lett for
future de- ermina ton, and The claims now
made by the respective parties al are al
wide and increasing variance, though no
collision mas as vet occurred between
them on this side of the river.
On the other side, the dispute has for
some time been quite serious. and was the
occasion OF the meeting lately IN ParlS o;
commissioners of the two nations for the
purpose OF amicabie settlement, which,
however, has nOt been reached.
Claiming 1t as properly belonging TO
the Senegal hinterIand, the French have
gradually rushed in from that direction
ana taken possession of the country south /
OF the n ger as lar down as line drawn !
from BouSsa on the Niger River south
west 10 Carnotville, near SakI, on the !
eastern border of Dahomey. This j. a |
| large extension of what they claimed 1t !
the time the treaty Of 1890, though the |
matter vas not subject of the treaty. |
~ the conclusion thereof the French /
Government semrofficially announced /
'hrough lis organs and by the pu blicaliOD /
OF pal eIs that tie western ex, ension of |
the senegal hlnterand would be limited /
by lire drawn south from Say to Carnot-
vile.
This declaration OF claim limits the
English nave quoted against the French,
at the same ime asserting their own
right 20 the extension of the Lapos hinter-
land as lar 10 the north and west as n line
uraNh from Gay west and down 10 meet
the western boundary OF Ashantee. en-
tirely inciosing lhe Yuman, TogoIand
ana French Dahomev, as the French had
inclosed and shut off from the Niger coun-
try Sierra Leone, Gambia and the Portu-
guese country on the west coast, by taking
and hold1nE pos esson oi the territories
between Senegal and The Kong country.
The French have established fortified
posts al most of the important places
throughout the territory, whiie the Eng
lish have coulented themselves with n
few exploring expeditions such as Colonel
Lugard made to n XXI ami Lain a
couple OF years ago. and TO making some
informal trea!ies with the rulers of those
places and others in the Borgu country.