The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central AfricaWack, Henry Wellington
History
The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central Africa
Wack, Henry Wellington
Belgium -- Colonies -- Africa -- Administration; Congo (Democratic Republic) -- History -- To 1908
trust you may find room to insert the same in your literary column.
If you have an agent here, we could, perhaps, tell him of some
of the marvellous revelations in this book, but which we could
not put on paper.” On the 8th of December Commandant Liebrechts
wrote to him: “I have received your letter of the 24th ulto., in
which you inform me that you have agreed with Captain Guy Burrows
for the publication of a work on the Congo State, and you offer
me the rights of publication in Belgium. Before replying to your
proposition I wish to see the manuscript or a proof of the book.”
On the 9th Messrs. Everett & Co. wrote: “We are in receipt of
your letter of the 8th inst., for which we have to thank you, and
we much regret that we are unable to comply with your request in
sending you the MSS. of this book, as we are under a contract
with the author not to part with the MSS. under any consideration
whatever. We should, however, be happy to send you the title and
contents so as to give you some idea of the nature and scope of
the book, and we should also be willing to show the MSS. to any
of your accredited agents in London (by appointment). The MSS.,
signed documents, and photographs are of such vital importance
that we should not care to put them through the post, for fear of
loss. We understand that the author, Captain Burrows, was lately a
District Commissioner for the Congo Free State, and is a Chevalier
of the Order of the Lion of Belgium.” In consequence of their
offer to show those documents to anybody who was sent over, Mr.
Bigwood came over to this country, and he saw Messrs. Everett. He
met them and had a conversation with them, and then there was shown
to him the document of which this is a copy, called “The Curse of
Central Africa.” It was the same document as had already been sent
to the _Independance Belge_. At the end of chapter xxv., the very
last chapter, there is this: “A Belgian’s treatment of a native
chief—more bestial than human—goes unpunished.” That was afterwards
applied to Captain De Keyser. Then comes a list of illustrations.
At the end there is a list of Belgian officers and officials who,
the author alleged, are responsible for the atrocities mentioned in
this book; and a series of names included the name of Captain De
Keyser.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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