The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-02-23
IN THE HINTERLAND.
WEALTH or WEST AFRICA that
FRANCE Asb ENGLAND ARE AFTER

FRANCE AMI ENGLAND ARE AFTER
"a. rr,ae.uen n the Two European
Countries Are Engaged In Struggle
For Conquest which May Ca For Ar
bs;ratioz 70 Prevent a War.
James P;nnook. African merchant of
Liverpool, who was one Of the original
promoters Of the Royal Niger company
and director for many years, IN the
co-rse Of aa interview with 3 represent
alive of Tho Daily Mail. said: = went
out to west Africa 30 years ago and Wis
tied almost every poEs and place IN that
region. inclrding the Niger, many
times, and ny business has been with
west Africa ever since. In lS7e built
a steamer. called the Rio ForInoso. spe-
cially for service OF the river Niger. and
with her explored and opened up. Tor
the first time in history, the river For
cados. This river flows into the Atlantic
and is che OF the entrances to the Niger.
1.-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 Il VIII
slowly dawn On the mind Of the British
public. | am convinced, however, the
more they look into 1t the more impor-
tant they VIII 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 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, "wculd be better understood
if a GOOD map could be put before the
public Of the who'll hinterland Of our
west AFRICAN colonies. Srch thing un-
fortunately does not exist at present
The strict geography Of the country is
only understood by q very few. Our
knowledge Of the binterland, however,
has increased immensely during the past
few years, and to instance one particn-
larly large territory ] would point out
that the French flag is already flying at
innumerable towns and stations extend
ing from 4 degrees east longitude to
degrees west longitude and from about
G degrees north latitude Tin the neigh
borhood of Porto Novo and the Daho-
mey country 70 the town Of Say GA the
Niger, which is between I3 degrees and
Il degrees north The English flag is to
be found to the east Of Porto Novo, and
extending inland to the neighborhcod
of Nikki (now occupied by the freneh)
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.
"It is from the interior, however,
that the future great wealth of Africa
viii be derived, and if all this is allow
ed to fall into the laU Of France she
viii be possessed of Il empire second
Only if uCt 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 in equal ratio to
that of the most favored parts Of the
southern states of America mean as
far as the multiplication Of the negro
population is concerned.
''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
app0rlioning it viii, 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 on, as the mat
ter is far too weighty for easy or speedy
settlement
As evidence of the activity of the
French may point to the railway from
Senegal to the upper Niger. This is
being pushed forward with further
vote of ZOO, 900 francs from the Caisse
des Depots ct COnsignations, 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 10 free and legitimate trade, as all
merchants have bean clamoring 50 long
for, backed up by the chambers Of CON-
merce of Liverpool and Manchester. all
the places in question would have long
i.nce been full of British subjects, white
and colored Trade would have devel-
oped a thousandfold, and the French
would never have gone near it. Lon
don Mail