Life on the CongoBentley, W. Holman (William Holman)
History
Life on the Congo
Bentley, W. Holman (William Holman)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Congo River -- Description and travel; Missions -- Africa, Central
The length of navigable waterway accessible from Stanley Pool has
already been proved to be more than 5,000 miles; and there are several
important rivers which flow into the Congo, still to be traced to their
ultimate points, besides tributaries of which we know nothing, save
that their volumes promise long navigable channels into the interior.
These unvisited waterways at a very moderate estimate will add another
1,000 or 1,500 miles to that wonderful system of natural canals which
is destined to prove such an important factor in the civilization
of this portion of Central Africa. So important are the facilities
afforded by the Congo water system that, notwithstanding the increased
distance involved, Mr. Stanley has taken advantage of them in making
his attempt to relieve Emin Pasha, who is encamped at Wadelai on the
Upper Nile; and if the proposed railway for connecting the Upper with
the Lower Congo does but become an accomplished fact, these waterways
will be the usual routes for communicating with the Central Soudan,
Lakes Albert, Muata Nzige, and Tanganika, as well as with Nyangwe and
the empire of the Muata Yamvo.
The political event of importance which has transpired on the western
boundary has been the delimitation of the frontier between the
French territory and that of the Congo Free State, extending between
to sea-coast and Manyanga, and also the bringing of the dividing
line between the two from 17° East longitude to the right bank of
the Mobangi. These disputed boundaries were matters with grave
possibilities in their wake till the signing of the treaty settled the
questions involved and removed all uneasiness. On the eastern side the
loss of Stanley Falls Station and its occupation by the Arabs was for
some time the source of great anxiety, but a treaty has been entered
into with the principal Arab chief, and if its stipulations are but
observed (and it will be to the interest of the Arabs to observe them),
the result will by no means be so disastrous as was feared.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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