The times., 1899-09-25
THE COMMERCE. OF AFRICA.
Some Facts PROMULGATED my the
Trrnsury Bureau OF sfnffstir-.

Treasury Bureau OF sfnffstics.
Commercial Africa In IsSs- is the title
of a publication Just prepared By the
Treasury Bureau OK Statistics. 1t shows
present commercial conditions In africa.
and Incidentally the political divisions as
they now exist and il accompanied by
map showing the boundary lines Of the
various colonies. protectorates, spheres OF
influence, and independent States of this
great continent whose map has so rapidly
changed during the past few years. a
table accompanying the monograph SHOWS
the imports and exports into and from
each or the divisions. The imports amount
IN round numbers 10 S400. 600. .900 and the
exports TO $3.50. 900. GEO. while OF the inn
ports. $4,000. 600 is furnished By the
United States, and of the exports. 49,
Veo.000 is sent to the United States.
OF course the large proportion OF the
commercial business OF Africa Is transact
cd through the British colonies their
share being Sf31.000. 900 of the imports
and $l32. 00o .000 OF the exports Next in
importance IN the import and export trade
IS the South African Republic or Trans
vaal. which is attracting so much atten-
ton at the present moment, its imports
amounting to S104. 600 600. and its exports
$4,000. 600. the chief exports being gold
and other minerals. French Africa i'm
ports goods valued at over $40, GOO 200 and
exports nearly an equal quantity: Turk
ish Africa, principally Egypt. imports S54.-
100000 and exports S62. .000. 600, while Por-
tuguese Africa, whose ports on the east
ern coast are adjacent to the gold and dia-
mond fields. is also the scene Of CONNER
eiai activity. the importations being S12.-
100000. and the expectations nearly S7,000.-
9OO
Much additional information has recently
been brought TO the surface regarding
Africa through the opportunities which are
now offered for access 10 the interior.
Physically. the African continent Is In
many respects unique. Five thousand miles
in extreme length, and over 1000 in
breadth, its area IS greater than that OF
any other continent except ASIA the latest
estimates being 1I,S74. 600 square miles Its
coast formation is peculiar in the absence
OF deep indentations, bays. OF harhors. and
the small number Of waterways which offer
entrance to the interior The fact that the
greater part of the interior is an elevated
tabieland extending on all sides 10 within
short distance OF the coast renders ac-
cess 20 the interior by the few large streams
difficult. At the point where the rfveys ya5s
from the elevated plateau OF the interior
TO the l0wlands of the coast the falls o.
rapids which there exist prevent navigation
and as result travel TO the interior in
Africa by water developed more slowly than
IN any other continent. Indeed. il was not
until the explorations OF Livingston. Stan
ley. Speke, and others developed the true
conditions and made known the fact that
vast rayigable water stretches were to be
found in the interior that il occurred to
man 10 transport steam vessels around these
falls and put them afoat in the waterways
OF the Interior. When these conditions
were clearly established, however modern
ingenuity and energy soon found a means
OF transporting steamers in small pieces
upon the backs Of men through the forests
around the falls and rapids for scores and
even hundreds of miles, and putting them
together, set aaoat the steamers which
penetrate thousands of miles into the in
terror, and develop facts never before
known and which could not have been de-
velopsd by land exploration in tropical
climates and jungles for many generations.