Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-04-26
IN THE HINTERLAND.
WEALTH OF WEST AFRICA THAT
FRANCE AND ENGLAND ARE AFTER.

Sountries are Engaged In . Struggle
For Conquest Which May Call For Ar
bitration to Prevent q War.
James Pilnock, African merchant of
Liverpool, who was one Of the original
promoters of the Royal Niger company
and director for many years, in the
course Of an interview with a represent
alive Of The Daily Mail, said: 81 went
out to west Africa 40 years ago and Wis
tied almost every port and place in that
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 l explored and opened up, for
the first time in history, the river For
cadOs. This river flows into the Atlantic
and Is one 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. l 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 (and 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
tonal African company and after that
again to the Royal Niger company.
1.-The position today" continued Mr.
Plnnock, 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 IN
fortunately does not exist at present
The strict geography Of the country is
only understood by very few. Our
knowledge OF the hinterland, however
has increased immensely during the past
few years, and to instance one particu-
larly large territory would point out
that the French flag is already flying at
innumerable towns and stations extend.
| ing from degrees east longitude to
degrees west longitude and from about
degrees north latitude ir the neigh
borhood of Porto Novo and the Daho.
mey country to the town of Say on the
Niger, which is between 10 degrees and
Ii degrees north. The English flag is to
be found TO the east of Porto Novo, and
extending inland to the neighborhood
Of Nihki (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.
1t is from the interior, however,
| that the future great wealth of Africa
| Will be derived, and if all this is allow
ed to fall into the lap Of France she
will be possessed o. ar empire second
| only if not equal in the future to the
w IUiC VI OUE cillDlrc.
''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 in equal ratio to
that of the most favored parts of the
southern states of America-I mean as
far as the multiplication of the negro
| population is concerned.
1.-The development of this hinterland
will, in my opinion, exceed all the
dreams of the most enthusiastic coloni-
al party in France Both France and
England have sacrificed many men and
much money in the race to grasp this
priceless treasure, and the difficulty Of
apportioning it will, believe be SC
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 On, as the mat.
ter is far too weighty for easy or speedy
! settlement.
Gas evidence Of the activity of the
French may point to the railway from
Senegal to the upper Niger. This i:
being pushed forward with a further
vote of l, ZOO, 600 francs from the CaissC
des Depots ct CONSIDERATIONS, thus cut
ting and heading off all cur possession:
from Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Golt
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 bu
for the obnoxious charter given TO tbs
Royal Niger company. By reason Of
this charter every trader, white ant
black, British or otherwise, is entirely
excluded from the country. Had tn,
river and adjacent country been thrown
open to free and legitimate trade, as al
merchants have been clamoring so Ion.
for, backed up by the chambers of com
merce of Liverpool and Manchester, al
the places in question would have lon,
since been fall of British subjects, whit
and colored. Trade would have devel
oped thousandfold, and the French
would never have gone near it Lon
!. don Mail.
This One Especially.
From n Paris naDer we fake the fol