The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-02-26
IN THE H~INTERLAND.
WEALTH OF WEST AFRICA THAT
FRANCE AND ENGLAND ARE AFTER.

Countries Are Engaged In a struggle
For Conquest Which May Call For Ar
filtration to Prevent a War.
James PiInock, African merchant of
Liverpool, who was one of the original
promoters of the Royal Niger company
and director for many years, i'll the
course of an interview with a represent
ative of The Daily Mail, said: 81 went
out to west Africa 40 years g and Wis
tied almost every port and place in hat
region, including the Niger, many
times, and my business has been with
west Africa ever since. In 1870 / built
a steamer, called the Rio Formoso, spe-
cially for service on the river Niger, and
with her | explored and opened up, for
the first time i'll history, the river For
cados. This river fowsinto the Atlantic
and is Il of the entrances to the Niger.
"The Importance of this great river
Niger and the hinterland is well known
to those who are engaged in the African
trade, but we can only expect it will
slowly dawn on the mind of the British
public. | am convinced, however, the
more they look into it the more impor.
tant they will see it is to the interests of
British trade not to lose any of it.
Fifteen years ago there were four
firms trading on the Niger. They were
the West African company. the Central
African Trading company land with
this latter Taubman Bros. -one of them
now Sir Taubman Goldie-were con-
nected), Miller Bros. and myself. We
all four firms Joined and called ourselves
the United African company, which
was subsequently changed to the Ma
tional African company and after that
again to the Royal Niger company.
"The position today" continued Mr..
Pinnock, would be better understood
if a good map could be put before the
public of the whole hinterland of our
west African colonies. Such a thing I'M
fortunately does not exist at present.
The strict geography of the country is
only understood by "a very few. Our
knowledge Of the hinterland, however,
has increased immensely during the past
few years, and to instance one partiou-
larly large territory l would point out
that the French flag is already flying at
innumerable towns and stations extend
ing from 4 degrees east longitude to 2
degrees west longitude and from about
6 degrees north latitude Tin the neigh
borhood of Porto Novo and the Daho-
mey country to the town of Say on the
Niger, which is between ID degrees and
IA degrees north. The English flag is to
be found to the east of Porto Novo, and
extending inland to the neighborhood
of Nikki now occupied by the French)
to various degrees of latitude wherein
are found the three British possessions
and protectOrates of Lagos, the Niger
Coast ~protectorate and the Royal Niger
company.
sit is from the interior, however,
that the future great wealth of Africa
will be dcriv ed, and if all this is allow
ed to fall into the lap of France she
will be possessed of all empire second
only if not equal in the future to the
whole of our Indian empire.
"See what South Africa has already
developed into, and as far only as min
erals are concerned. The soil of Africa
has not yet been barely scratched. The
population Of this part of Africa, with
the advent Of railways, stoppage of the
slave trade, cessation Of internal tribal
warfare, will increase i'll equal ratio to
that of the most favored parts of the
southern states of America mean as
Gov ~, +ln ,-1@;,1,no -, 1f 4Lo ,,,.o
population is concerned.
1.-THE development of this hinterland
will, in my opinion, exceed all the
dreams of the most enthusiastic coloni-
al party i'll France. Both France and
England have sacrificed many mel and
much money i'll the race to grasp this
priceless treasure, and the difficulty of
apportioning it will, l believe, be so
great that it is more than probable, to
avert extremes, it will have to be re-
ferred to some other nation, or council
of nations, to arbitrate N as the mat
ter is far too weighty for easy or speedy
settlement.
"As evidence of the activity of the
French l may point to the railway from
Senegal to the upper Niger. This is
being pushed forward with a further
vote of /, 600, 900 francs from the Caisse
DIES Depots ct CONSIDERATIONS, thus cut
ting and heading off all our possessions
from Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold
Coast and Lagos down to the river
Niger.
"a very great deal, if not the whole
of the trouble ON the Niger" added Mr..
Pinnock, would never have arisen but
for the obnoxious charter given to the
Royal Niger company. By reason of
this charter every trader, white and
black, British or otherwise, is entirely
excluded from the country. Had the
river and adjacent country been thrown
open to free and legitimate trade, as all
merchants have been clamoring so long
for, backed up by the chambers of com
merce of Liverpool and Manchester, all
the places i'll question would have long
since been full Of British subjects, white
and colored. Trade would have devel-
,oped a ~thousandfold, and the French
would never have gone near il. Lon.
don Mail.
This One Especially.