The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1901-01-14
IN TROPICAL AFRICA.
Ehey Have Been increasing al an As
tonIshingly Rapid Rate In
Recent Years.

About ten years ago there were
less than 300 whitemen living in the
Congo Free State. There was scarce
ly merchant among them and only
a few missionaries. Most Of them
were employees of the government and
they were engaged in exploring the
new territory, in establishing and
differing stations and in training the
natives for service as soldiers, boat
hands and workmen The proportion
Of deaths among them was appalling
and, with very few exceptions, they
were obliged, every two Or three
years, to take long furloughs In more
healthful regions. says the New York
Sun.
The latest statistics with regard to
the whites living in the Congo Free
State show that about 1,7O0 are scat
tered all over the state. The exact
number on January / last year was
$50. One-sixth Of the entire number
live at Bona, the capital of the state,
so miles up the river, and large
part of them are in charge of or are
employed in the public offices. About
200 are living at Matadi, 80 miles up
the river. and most Of them are in the
transportation service, for Matadi is
the starting point of the railroad con-
Meeting with the Upper Congo and
here all freight is transshipped be-
tween the railroad and the European
steamers. There are nearly as many
white men at Stanley Pool as at
Bona, for Stanley Pool is the place
where freight is transshipped between
the railroad and the up-riyer steam-
ers; and here also are the ship yards,
where the steamers are put together
and repaired.
A large number of state, CONNER
cial and missionary stations are now
established on the upper river and on
its tributaries far north and south OF
the main stream. Thus over 700
whites .are now living on the upper
river system above Stanley Pool1aud
about 400 of them are really in Cen
trail Africa, for they live from 1000 to
nearly 1000 miles from the mouth of
the river just about one-halI of the
white personnel are Belgians and
nearly all the leading nations are rep
resented in the remainder.
The increase of whites in the
French Congo territory is also very
large. This large region is just north
of the Congo Free tie, and though
it is officially known as the French
Congo an important part. of it is trib-
utary to other streams flowing to the
Atlantic or to Lake Tchad. On jan
uary last 730 whites were living in
the French Congo, of whom five-sev-
enths were French. They are not SO
generally distributed through the
country as in the Congo State, for
commercial and missionary stations
are not yet widely distributed The
largest white population is at Brazza-
vile, at the head of the navigation on
the Ogowe river, several hundred
miles from the ocean. About one-sev-
enth of the white population are
women, which is a. larger proportion
than in the Congo State.
A small but steady stream of set
tiers is flowing from Germany to Ger
man Southwest Africa. The statistics
are not very recent. but in 1896 2.O25
whites were living there, of whom 945
were women and children. Fifteen
years ago there were very few whites
in that part of Africa. but it is now
forging ahead faster in its develop
ment than any other part of the Ger
man possessions.