My thanks are due to the Editors of _The Times_, _The Manchester Guardian_, _The Nation_, _The Daily Chronicle_, _The Daily News and Leader_, and the _Contemporary Review_ for permission to use material which has already appeared in their columns. To Mr. Hamel Smith, the Editor of _Tropical Life_, the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Messrs. John Holt, F. A. Swanzy and Elder Dempster, for the information and help they have so kindly supplied to me, and also to my wife for the assistance rendered to me in the preparation of the manuscript. _October, 1912._ TO MY DEVOTED COMPANION WHO HAS SO PATIENTLY BORNE THE HARDSHIPS OF TRAVEL AND THE LONG STRAIN OF OUR LABOURS FOR THE NATIVE RACES THESE PAGES ARE DEDICATED CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION BY THE EARL OF CROMER v AUTHOR’S PREFACE xxiii FOREWORD xxxiii PART I I. THE AFRICAN “PORTER” 3 II. THE PADDLER AND HIS CANOE 10 III. THE AFRICAN FOREST 17 IV. A MEDLEY OF CUSTOMS 23 (_a_) CICATRIZATION 26 (_b_) PERSONAL ADORNMENT 31 (_c_) THE ANGEL OF DEATH 36 (_d_) PEACE AND ARBITRATION 40 V. THE NATIVE AS A MONEY MAKER 45 VI. THE AFRICAN WOMAN 52 PART II CIVILIZATION AND THE AFRICAN I. THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN 75 II. LIGHTENING THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN 81 III. GOVERNMENTS AND COMMERCE 87 IV. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC 98 V. THE EDUCATED NATIVE 106 VI. JUSTICE AND THE AFRICAN 116 VII. RACE PREJUDICE 122 PART III I. LABOUR—SUPPLY AND DEMAND 131 II. LAND AND ITS RELATION TO LABOUR 157 III. PORTUGUESE SLAVERY 168 IV. THE FUTURE OF BELGIAN CONGO 203 PART IV MORAL AND MATERIAL PROGRESS I. THE PRODUCTS OF THE OIL PALM 225 II. THE PRODUCTION OF RUBBER 235 III. THE PRODUCTION OF COCOA 246 IV. THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS 265 PART V I. THE MAP OF AFRICA RE-ARRANGED 293 INDEX 305 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS