The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-09-08

inlch'ti Hoieiy ue-lBhcu lOf DflnBint
mahogany logs from the upper ASSUME
river to the coast, instead of permitting
y them 10 float to the coast as heretofore
This fact is cited as a type Of the in
u fiuences that will re-make Africa in
the next twenty-five years. Railroads
and electric lines, designed for pur-
poses Of pure commercialism, will in
evtably open the way for all that is
modern and energizing in the colonizng
I nations OF the world. The knell is
sounding for the Dark Continent, and
in its stead will appear a continent
whose readiness and capacity for de-
velopment are almost limitless.
Twenty-Five years ago the map of
Africa was mainly guess work. Large
spaces were set down as desert that
have since proved to be productive,
and the boundaries of the different III
terror territories were curved in sus-
picious beauty and regularity. The
Nile, Notwithstanding Speke's efforts
was still regarded as a mystery The
traveller who chose to let his magma
ton run riot regarding things he had
seen, either asleep or awake, would do
so with impunity; beyond which point
the yellow journals have scarcely pro-
crossed whenever they refer to Africa,
even now. The bravery and devotion
Of Livingstone were then new story
and Henry VI. Stanley had just started
for the expedition during whose course
he partially surveyed Lake Victoria
Nyanza and which ended in his reap
! pearance via. the Congo, to pen his |
great story of "Across the Dark Con
tinent." OF course partial exploration
bad preceded all this in many direc-
tons. In 1865, Dr. Barth crossed the
Great Desert and added to our know
ledge Of the Niger, only however to
leaye the impression that this vast
river of the west coast was feeder Of
the Nile. On this same river also,
Mungo Park in 1896 experienced a
number of dubious adventures and ex-
plored the river for 100 miles from its
mouth. This same region also and
much other of the African coast, was
known and traded with by the Phoe-
nicans Of Old whose beads are even
now dug up occasionally by the inhab-
itants OF the Guinea coast and used as
ornaments by native royalty. In the
South as early as 1862 the Dutch had
possession of the Cape Of Good Hope,
having themselves ousted the Portu-
gese and themselves being ousted by
the British. Yet after all is said re-
garding efforts made, territory sub
dued, and knowledge gained of Africa
prior to the middle Of the present cen
fury, it may be summed up safely as
trifiing and ineffective.
The present day map Of Africa is an {
altogether different thing. The regions
to the north and their control, remain
practically unchanged except, ofcourse, 4
Egypt That is English in all the i
elements that make for progress and {
quiet development, unthreatened by ]
southern foes. But South, East aud {
West the map has been re-made. Based
upon SANKEY'S explorations the vast
Congo Free State-that pet plan Of the
King of the Belgians-now stretches
from the Atlantic ocean to the great
lakes. On the south north
ward the Star of Empire has taken its
way till even the Transvaal, once
thought of by its founders as safe from
all disturbance and surprising, has {
already been left behind and Rhodesia {
stretches out the hand Of its rule to- {
ward the Zambesi and onward again I
o the equatorial lakes. On the east I
the territory has all been amicably di-
vided among the great European ma
tons, even though not yet settled. :
Now that the partition has been effect. :.
ed, the international race for CONNER r
cal development and political suprem- !.
acy has definitely started. If the Brit ]
sh are true to their genius and alive :
10 their opportunities, there can be but
little doubt as to the victor Miliiarism
in the north under General Kitchener
and cOmmerclaism in the south under =
Cecil Rhodes, have already given the \
British a control through the centre
IF the continent, from the Mediter-
.anean to the Antartic ocean with the
exception Of 700 miles belonging to D
ierman East Africa. The sale of
Italy's port of Erithrea on the Red Sea
ogether with the region called British
East Africa, almost surround Abys-
,inia with British influence. AT Della
goa Bay still owned by Portugal, the
British influence is supreme and thus
argely cuts of the Transyaal from
ocean communication. Then from the A
mouth Of the Niger to Cape Verde,
British influence is almost uninter-
upted.