The Story of the Congo Free State Social, Political, and Economic Aspects of the Belgian System of Government in Central Africa ' By Henry Wellington Wack, F.R.G.S. (Member of the New York Bar) With 125 Illustrations and Maps G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Zbc Ivtiickerbochcr preee 1905 Copyright, 1905 BY HENRY WELLINGTON WACK Vbe fintclierbocltec press, Ttew ^orh ^1 Wlls PREFACE AS a student of Mid-African affairs for the past seven years, and a close observer of the rapid progress toward complete civilisation now- being made in that part of the world, I have felt it my duty to lay before m}^ countrymen the true and complete story of the conception, formation, and development of the Congo Free State. At a period of such bitter controversy concerning the government of the Congo Free State as the present, it is necessary that I should explain the cir- cumstances under which I add this volume to the literature of that subject. During a residence of several years in the United Kingdom, I could not fail to observe the growth there of an organised campaign against the Congo Free State. That a small section of the British public, interested in the rubber trade, should by subtle means seek to delude or should even succeed in deluding, the great British nation so completely as to obtain general credence for its stories of cruelty and oppression alleged against King Leopold's government failed to move me. It was not my concern, while enjoying the hospitality of England, to criticise the way in which her religious organisa- tions were being used to further the selfish aims of a 3J4.G97 iv Preface small clique of Liverpool merchants. But when, within the past year, I perceived that the campaign of calumny against the Congo Free State was being extended to the United States, I could not longer regard the phenomenon with a merely passive in- terest. It occurred to me that my knowledge of Mid-African affairs might enable me to place before the American people a complete statement of the actual facts of the Congo Free State, and that my self-imposed task could not fail to be of value at a time when interested partisans were endeavouring to deceive them. Having obtained an introduction to the King of the Belgians, I informed his Majesty that I believed the American people would much esteem the true history of the affairs of the Congo written by an American, and that if his Majesty would grant me access to the archives of the Administration of the Congo Free State in Brussels, and leave me free to write the story of his enterprise in my own way, absolutely without interference or suggestion from any of his ministers or himself, I would undertake the task on my own account. His Majesty, having considered my credentials and the nature of my introduction, in due course in- formed me that all the documents in the Congo Administration Office were open to my inspection. His Majesty added that he had no fear but that the American people, when informed of the truth about the Congo, would appreciate, as he did, that the Congolese civilisation movement is the greatest colonising success in the history of the world. I Preface v was admitted into the offices of the Congo Adminis- tration and spent many weeks there searching for, translating, and copying documents. Those which had already been translated into English, I adopted in the form in which I found them. When I left Brussels, I again indicated to his Majesty's ministers, and to his Majesty himself, that I should write the story in my own way. I brought away many boxes of memoranda and documents and at once began to work upon The Story of the Congo Free State. I have not submitted the manuscript or proofs to any per- son connected, either directly or indirectly, with his Majesty, with the Congo Free State, or with the Belgian Government, neither have I in any way communicated with his Majesty in reference to what I have written. For all I know, his Majesty may entirely disapprove of this history. I should, of course, regret exceedingly to learn that I had dis- pleased the royal host who had extended to me the hospitality of his country during a long and inter- esting visit. But as I am under no obligation what- ever to the Congo officials, nor to his Majesty, and as my original intention of writing an independent history of the Congo was made quite clear to both, I regard myself as absolved from blame should the King of the Belgians disapprove of the straight- forward story here presented. That this story is true, I have satisfied myself in every particular. It is the story of a great colonis- ing undertaking founded upon modern social science. It can hardly fail to interest the reader who ad- mires the courage and daring which small countries vi Preface sometimes display in extending their borders and establishing new markets. Should this book in any way assist my country- men in thinking out the underlying motives in the campaign against the Congo, and bring them to a knowledge of the real issues at stake, my labour will be sufficiently rewarded. I take this opportunity to acknowledge my obli- gation to the works of Messrs. Stanley, Descamps, Boulger, Johnston, Cattier, and Wauters, and to all who have kindly assisted me with information. H. W. W. New York, January 2, 1905. CONTENTS I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X XI. XII. XIII. ► XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. KXIII.— Preface . ..... Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation -Stanley AND King Leopold II. 's Concep TiON of the Congo Free State . Founding of the Congo Free State •Early Belgian Expeditions The Waterways of the Congo The State and International Law . Horrors of the Arab Slave Trade . The Berlin Conference . The Economic Regime of the Berlin Act ...... An Appeal to Belgium to Suppress the Slave Trade .... The Second Brussels Conference . The Congo Bequeathed to Belgium Tribes of the Congo State The Congo Public Force . Belgian Campaigns, against the Arabs Belgian Campaigns against the Arabs — (Concluded) .... The Suppression of Slavery . Frontiers and Diplomatic Settlements The Bahr-el-Ghazal and the Nile . Mutinies of the Batetela Tribe Displacement of the Population The State's Administration : . Department of Justice . Native Chieftaincies The Postal, Telegraph, and Telephone Service ...... vii PAGE v I 14 23 31 42 64 83 92 104 126 134 145 151 164 177 197 206 211 216 223 228 231 239 243 /' viii Contents PAGE 264 274 298 308 366 XXIV. — Navigation, Railways, Roads . . 248 XXV.— Science, Agriculture, Civilising Meas- ures ..... XXVI.-^Trade, Revenue, and Taxes . XXVII. — Missions and Schools XXVIII. — State Lands and Concessions XXIX. — The Nemesis of Libel XXX. — The Congo Campaign in England XXXI. — The Congo Campaign in America XXXII. — Testimony of Travellers and Thinkers 397 XXXIII. — Testimony of Travellers and Thinkers —(Continued) . . . . .411 XXXIV. — Testimony of Travellers and Thinkers — (Continued) . . . . .418 XXXV. — Testimony of Travellers and Thinkers — (Concluded) . . . . .424 XXXVI. — The Attitude of Europe and the United States ....... 446 XXXVII. — Summary, Retrospect, and Prophecy . 472 APPENDIX The Treaty of Vivi, 13th June, 1880 . . . .487 The Treaty of Many anga, 12th August, 1882 . , 488 The Treaty of Leopold ville, 29th April, 1883 . . 489 The Treaty of Stephanieville, undated . . . 490 Table of other Treaties, Districts ceded, and Stations established by the International Association of the Congo . . . . . . . . 491 Report from the Committee on Foreign Relations to the Senate of the United States, March 26, 1884 (Sena- tor John T. Morgan, of Alabama), recommending the recognition of the International African Asso- ciation as a friendly Government, M^ith citations from the history of the American colonies . . 49 2 An essay on "The Free Navigation of the Congo." by Sir Travers Twiss, taken from the Revue de Droit International, 1883 . . . . . .502 Contents ix PAGB An argument by Professor Arntz, citing numerous authorities, on the question, Can Savage Tribes cede their territory to Private Persons with the Sovereign Rights appertaining thereto . . .516 For Treaty between the International Association of the Congo and the United States, see Chapter IV. The General Act of the Berlin Conference . . . 530 Declaration of the General Act of the Brussels Confer- ence, July 2, 1890 ...... 552 Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States and the Congo Free State, Jan- uary 24, 1891 553 Protocol in which the United States ratifies the General Act of the Brussels Conference, February 2, 1892 . 559 Dispatch from his Britannic Majesty's Minister at Brussels enclosing: A Decree by the Sovereign of the Congo Free State providing Settlements for native children orphaned or abandoned, July 12, 1890 .... 561 A Decree instituting a local Commission of Europeans for the Protection of Natives, September 18, 1896 . 562 Official letter of instruction thereon from the Secre- tary of State to the Governor-General at Boma, in the Congo Free State, October I, 1896 . . . 563 Letter of Governor-General Wahis to the Reverend George Grenfell (British), of the Baptist Missionary Society at Bolobo, transmitting Decree, December 26, 1896 ........ 565 Circular to all District Commissioners, lleads of Zones and of Posts with regard to barbarous customs prevaihng among the native tribes, February 27, 1897 566 Letter from the Reverend George Grenfell to the Governor-General, July 13, 1897 . . . . 568 Co-ordinated text of various instructions respecting relations between state officials and natives . -569 Report of first meeting of Commission for Protection of Natives, May 17, 1897 57i X Contents PAGE A Decree appointing additional members upon the Commission for the Protection of Natives, March 23. 1901 572 The British Dispatch to European Powers calling at- tention to charges alleged against the Congo Free State, and inviting consideration thereof. August 8, 1903 573 Letter from Sir Constantine Phipps, his Britannic Majesty's Minister at Brussels, transmitting text of the Note and its enclosures addressed by the Congo Government to the Powers parties to the Act of Berlin, replying to the British Dispatch of August 8, 1903 577 Rejoinder of the Congo Government to the Report, dated December 11, 1903, of Mr. Roger Casement, his Britannic Majesty's Consul at Boma, wherein, amongst others, charges of maltreatment of natives are made. March 12, 1904 ..... 590 Memorandum on the part of the Congo Government regretting that the British Foreign Office did not deem it necessary to communicate to it previous Consular Reports, the names of persons accused and generally such specific information as would enable the Congo Government to prosecute of- fenders, etc., together with the remarks of the Secretary-General of the Congo Free State upon the debates in the British Parliament as to par- titioning that State between the Powers whose possessions surround it. May 14, 1904 . . 610 Features of the Land System in the African Colonies of Germany, Great Britain, France, and Portugal . 612 Concessionaires, Firms, and Trading Companies in the Congo Free State . . . . . . .616 Officials of the Congo Free State . . . . .617 Index .......... 619 ERRATA Illustration, page 92, read Basoko for Baneko. Illustration, page 130, read Turumbus for Barumbus. Illustration, page 216, read Commissary-General. Illustration, page 226, read House for Mission, LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE His Majesty Leopold II., King of the Belgians . Frontispiece (From a painting by Jef Leempoels.) Native Huts Built of Leaves (Aruwimi) ... 4 8 12 14 18 26 Elephant Farm on the Bomokandi Basongolo Chiefs (Lokandu) ..... House of Governor-General, Boma The Congo at Lokandu ...... View of the Port of Leopoldville (Stanley Pool) Making a Road (175 kilometres) for Automobiles (Kwango) ....... A Saddle Ox, Kassai ...... European Travelling in the Uelle District Native Employees of the State Waiting for Rations at Bomr ........ SS. Leopoldville Bound for Boma .... Departure of Commissioner-General Halfeyt, on Board SS. Stanley, Stanleyville, 1899 .... Departure of SS. Goodwill from Upoto Bridge, 80 Metres (Kwilu) ..... State Pilot Barge, Banana ..... Taking Merchandise to the SS. Leopoldville State Post at Yankomi, near Basoko, Surrounded by Palisade (Aruwimi) ..... Europeans at Stanleyville, 1902 Post-Office, Boma ...... Native Boys, Boma ...... 30 34 34 40 42 46 SO 58 58 66 72 78 80 82 xii List of Illustrations PACING PAGB Group of Yie-Yie Women (Uelle) .... Types of Bearers (North Bank of Cataracts) Native Potters at Work (Aruwimi) Making Manioc Flour, Baneko (Aruwimi) Native Musicians at Lusambo (Lualaba-Kassai) Market, near Boma ...... Government Park, Boma, 1904 .... Students of the State Technical School, New Antwerp (Bangala) ....... Hospital, Boma ....... Bridge Made of Cement, Boma .... Types of Barumbus (Stanley Falls) Government Wagons ...... House of Vice-Governor-General, Stanleyville Postmaster's House, Suruango, 1904 A Street in Coquilhatville, 1896 (Equateur) . Camp on Line of Cataracts Railroad, Songololo Return from the Hunt at Bumba (Bangala) . Baluba Chiefs ....... The Governor's House, Ponthierville (Upper Congo) European Houses at Coquilhatville (Equateur) Specimens of Hair-dressing among Women of the Sango Tribe, Banzyville (Ubanghi) .... Cicatrised Batetela Woman (Lualaba-Kassai) Funeral at Bumba (Bangala) .... Women Beating Rice, Uelle ..... Tribunal at Boma. Sentencing a Native to Death for Cannibalism Committed in the Upper Congo . Batetela Women (Lualaba-Kassai) Kassai Women Returning from Market African Belles. Hair-dressing of Sango Women at Banzy- ville, 1894 (Ubanghi) . . . . . .160 List of Illustrations xiii FACING PAGE Bangala Women ........ 162 Bakusu Chiefs, Stanleyville . . . . . .162 Group of Warriors, Djabbir ...... 164 Coffins for Native Chiefs, Wangata, 1897 (Equateur) . 164 Native Making Butter at his Home in Botandana (Kivu) 166 A Bangala Chief, with his Harem . . . .166 Native Canoes, Lower Congo . . . . .170 Fishermen, Uvvia . . . . . .170 Uelle Chief and his Wives, Van Kerckhovenville . .172 Port of Leopoldville. Natives at Work . . .172 Tailors' School, New Antwerp (Bangala) . . -174 Steam Saw-Mill, Boma . . . . . . .176 Camp of Bangalas, Stanleyville . . . . .178 Types of Lokeles, Jafungas (Oriental Province) . . i8o Review of Troops by Governor-General at New Antwerp 184 Soldiers' Mess, Suruango, 1903 (Uelle) . . . .189 Soldiers' Wives, Bumba . . . . . .186 The White Man's Cemetery, Stanleyville . . .188 Hospital, New Antwerp . . . . . .188 An Avenue at Boma ....... 190 Office of Secretary-General, Boma . . . .192 Post-Office on River Bank, Boma . . . .192 Bishop's Palace, Mission of Our Lady of M'Pala (Tan- ganyika) 196 Office of Director of Transport, Boma . . . .196 Cattle, Luvungy (Kivu) ...... 200 Various Mounts, Lusambo (Lualaba-Kassai) . . . 200 Grand Hotel, Boma ....... 203 Native Ploughing in Botanical Garden at Ealer (Equa- teur) ......... 206 The Old Covered Market at Boma . . . .210 xiv List of Illustrations FACING PAGE Commissariat of the District of Banana, 1893 . .212 King Nekuku and his Suite at Boma . . . .214 Regiment of Commissioner-General Halfeyt, Stanleyville 216 State Officials at Ponthierville . . . , .220 Saddle Ox, Lusambo (Lualaba-Kassai) . . .220 Bird's-eye View of the Station at Basoko, 1893 . . 222 Dutch Mission, Banana . . . . . .226 Bishop's Palace at Baudouinville (Oriental Province) . 228 Children of the Settlement School, Boma . . . 234 In the State Printing Office at Boma. Natives Laying-on and Taking-off ....... 238 Natives Working Sewing Machines at Kisantu . .242 Children of the Settlement Drilling at New Antwerp, 1896 (Bangala) ....... 246 Zappo-Zapp Musicians, Luluabourg . . . .250 Band of Government Technical School, Boma . .256 Coffee Plantation at Yalicombe (Oriental Province) . 258 Shelling Coffee, Stanleyville . . . . . .270 Making Baskets for Transportation of Rubber (Kassai) . 272 Collecting Rubber in Forest of Lusambo (Lualaba- Kassai) ......... 280 Church and Rectory, Matadi . . . . .286 Native Carpenters at Work, Mission of New Antwerp, 1897 294 Orphans Praying at St. Truden (Kassai) . . .302 Children of the Settlement School at Boma Praying . 308 Mission of the White Fathers, Tanganyika . . .314 The Mission, Moanda . . . . . . .320 Missionary Necropolis, Luluabourg . , . .328 Franciscan Sisters at the Mission of St. Gabriel of the Falls (Oriental Province) ..... 336 Native Christians of the Village of Our Lady of Lourdes, near the Mission of Luluabourg, 1897 • • • 344 List of Illustrations xv PACING PAGE Drying Rubber in the Forest (Kassai) . . . .348 Mission Children at New Antwerp A Beautiful Spot in Mayumbe .... Interior of Cathedral, Baudouinville (Tanganyika) Sisters of New Antwerp Teaching Natives to Weave Building a Bridge for the Cataracts Railroad, 1897 Christian Child, New Antwerp (Bangala) Fetich-Idol, Lower Congo ..... Coffee-Drying Grounds, Coquilhatville (Equateur) Bakusu Woman (Lualaba-Kassai) Village near Coquilhatville, A Native Attempt to Copy the European Style ..... Melting Latex of Rubber in Forest of Lusambo (Lusambo Kassai) ........ Soldiers' Mess at Coquilhatville (Equateur) Public Library, Matadi ..... The Station at Bumba ...... Convent of Franciscans of St. Gabriel of the Falls (Oriental Province) ..... Prison, with Carpenter's Shop, at New Antwerp (Ban gala) Native Planter's House, near Stanley Falls Mission of New Antwerp (Bangala) The Sultan Djabbir Father Kisouru of the New Antwerp Mission (Bangala) MAPS. 358 366 374 374 382 390 390 398 398 406 412 420 420 426 434 446 446 460 482 482 Outline Map of Africa . i Map of Central Africa ...... At end Outline Map of Africa THE STORY OF THE CONGO FREE STATE CHAPTER I GENESIS OF MID-AFRICAN CIVILISATION THE decline and fall of great empires has ever been a fascinating subject of study, congenial alike to students of widely diverse opinions and pursuits; yet it must be clear to all that in human interest the breaking up of an em- pire is as nothing when compared with its ^^ Embryo, founding. The reason is, probably, that so little is known of the origin of great national com- munities. The United States is almost alone among nations in respect that its growth, from its inception to its mature ultimate triumph, has been watched by keenly observant eyes, and every particular of its perilous progress carefully recorded. But when the future historian, with comprehensive appreciation im- possible in a contemporary, reviews the events of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, one fact will stand well out before him, a unique and very potent fact, fraught with vast possibilities for the 2 Story of the Congo Free State future — none other than the founding, by the wisdom of a kingly philanthropist, of a humanitarian, civilis- ing, free political state in the very heart of savage and cannibalistic Africa. Consider for a moment how the great Congo Free State has been evolved out of a group of warring tribes (in part cannibal), and inquire what manner of man is Leopold II., King of the Belgians, alone re- sponsible for this wondrous transformation ; and who even now, when weight of years and record of achieve- ment might well entitle him to repose, works on bravely, through good and through ill report, for the prosperity and happiness of the twenty-odd million Africans who acknowledge him for their Sovereign. Thirty -six years ago, when the present Sovereign of the Congo Free State succeeded his father as King of the Belgians, and became known to the world as Leopold II., Africa was generally referred to as the "Dark Continent." At that period, and for long after, even the most optimistic of statesmen failed to perceive in those vast regions any promising out- let for the congested populations of the Old World, or possible markets for their manufactures. Dia- monds, small in quantity and of indifferent quality, had, it is true, been discovered in the southernmost part of that continent, in a region already appro- priated by the British. Gold, also, was thought to exist there, but not in paying quantities; while the deadliness of the African climate to Europeans, in all save a few favoured sections, was an universally accepted article of faith. Foremost among the small band of thinkers who Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation 3 totally dissented from this view was Leopold II., King of the Belgians. A young man of extraordinarily fine physique, an accomplished linguist, widely read and travelled, and holding advanced liberal views in all matters pertaining to statecraft and social science. King Leopold had early the prescience to perceive in Africa the means to uplift some twenty or more millions of the Negro race from debased savagery to peaceful civilisation, and af the same time and by the same means — the latter a neces- sarily accompanying incident of the former — found a colony for the surplus population of the small State of which he is King; Belgium being then, as now, the most densely populated of European coun- tries, its people almost entirely dependent on the sale abroad of the products of their industry. Bold and original ideas rarely find much favour when first presented to the world. The bulk of man- kind is conservative; it thinks of yesterday, is op- pressed by the troubles of to-day, and lets to-morrow take care of itself. At first, where King Leopold's ideas for the regeneration of Africa attracted any attention at all, they were regarded with bland smiles as Utopian visions, more creditable to the heart than to the head of the princely visionary. But true genius, though it may be hampered and delayed in its onward march, is not to be extin- guished either by active opposition or cold indiffer- ence. Of such calibre is King Leopold, or there would to-day be no Congo Free State, nor what some past-masters in the obscuration of the obvious are sometimes pleased to call "the Congo Question." 4 Story of the Congo Free State So long ago as i860, King Leopold, then Duke of Brabant, in a speech delivered before the Belgian Senate, said : " I claim for Belgium her share s ntence^*^*^ ^^ ^^^ sea," — apparently a plain and colour- less utterance, but really the expression of a vital interest for his country, for which no market spells extinction, and no political power but on Bel- gian soil means no market for Belgian goods. In i860 the attention of mankind was just beginning to turn to Africa. Two years before. Sir Richard Bur- ton and Captain Speke had startled geographers by discovering Lake Tanganyika, a revelation to be soon afterwards eclipsed by the further discovery of the sources of the Nile and Lake Victoria, by Speke and Grant. About the same time Sir Samuel Baker, then in the service of the Khedive of Egypt, discovered Lake Albert. The travellers whose fortune it was to make these important discoveries had been preceded by the intrepid Dr. Livingstone, whose marvellous energies on behalf of civilisation and Christianity were, however, chiefly confined to the Zambesi Valley until the year 1866, when he first entered the Congo region and further enhanced his already great repu- tation by discovering the lakes Moero and Bangweolo. Then came the discovery of Livingstone — Choice. ^ himself so long lost to his anxious country- men — by Henry M. Stanley. That was in 187 1, when the armed hosts of France and Germany were engaged in a death struggle, and led Mr. Glad- stone to remark: The eyes of all the world are bent toward the bloody battle- Genesis of Mid- African Civilisation 5 fields of France; but I prefer to regard those almost im- penetrable African wilds where a small band of men, whose numbers may be counted on the fingers of one hand, add year by year to our knowledge of those little-known regions, carrying with them the blessings of civilisation and of truth, heralding the extinction of what for so many ages has been the world's curse — slavery." Gladstone was right. To all civilised peoples, but specially to men of Anglo-Saxon speech — English- men, who had given lavishly of their millions to free the slaves held in their colonies ; Americans, who had poured out their blood like water in a similar cause — the accounts given by explorers and missionaries of the horrors of the slave trade, rampant in Central Africa, were as the smell of powder to the war-horse. Only a few people are interested in geography as a science. A vastly greater number are affected by a widening of the area for trade. But the effectual suppression of slavery is a question that comes home to everybody. No one can stand aside, indifferent to it. The ghastly horrors of the murderous raids made by the remorseless Arab slave-traders upon defenceless Central African villages, so graphically described by travellers, thrilled the civilised world. No effort was needed now to direct public attention to Africa. Africa loomed large in men's minds; and the question of slavery, fondly thought to be for ever laid at rest by the tremendous conflict in America in the early sixties, again became a vital problem. Of the numerous activities which distinguish the character of Leopold II., philanthropy has the 6 Story of the Congo Free State greater force. Much that is quite incontrovertible might be urged in support of this statement; but ... ' this is neither the place nor time to ar- King ^ Leopold's gue that matter. Suffice it to say here ^^}^ that upon no one did the revelations as to the methods of capture and subsequent treatment of Central African slaves make a deeper impression than upon King Leopold. As a life- long student of Africa, and a geographer of rare attainments, in personal touch with all the au- thorities on the subject, his information was as accurate and complete as it was possible for it to be. Though the great European governments had compelled the Khedive of Egypt to exert himself to the utmost to repress slave -trading on the Upper Nile, and the complaisant Egyptian ruler had ap- pointed first one Englishman and then another (Sir Samuel Baker and Charles Gordon, the latter being the ill-fated General of that name) to admin- ister the government of the Soudan, and some good resulted, it was well known to King Leopold that south of the Equator to the Zambesi the slave trade continued to be prosecuted as vigorously as it had ever been in the remote past. How might the evil be stamped out? Or, if such a consummation were too much to hope for within the immediate future, how best might the evil be checked? In consider- ing these questions, King Leopold very rightly con- cluded that the more thorough the knowledge of Central Africa possessed by Europeans the greater the possibility of success in their efforts to ameliorate the awful misery of its people. Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation 7 Imbued with these views, King Leopold in 1876 called the attention of the principal geographical so- cieties throughout the world to the conditions then prevailing in Central Africa, and invited all ex- pert geographers of international reputation to con- fer in Brussels. The circular letter of King Leopold convening this Conference, though perfectly explicit in its terms, has, in light of subsequent events, been so distorted to serve personal interests, that no excuse is necessary for reproducing its exact words : In almost every country [wrote King Leopold], a lively in- terest is taken in the geographical discoveries recently made in Central Africa. The English, the Americans, the Germans, the Italians, and the French have taken part in their different degrees in this generous movement. These expeditions are the response to an idea eminently civilising and Christian: to abolish slavery in Africa, to pierce the darkness that still envelops that part of the world, while recognising the re- sources which appear immense — ^in a word, to pour into it the treasures of civilisation : such is the object of this modern crusade. Hitherto the efforts made have been without ac- cord, and this has given rise to the opinion, held especially in England, that those who pursue a common object should confer together to regulate their march, to establish some landmarks, to delimit the regions to be explored, so that no enterprise may be done twice over. I have recently ascer- tained in England that the principal members of the Geo- graphical Society of London are very willing to meet at Brussels the Presidents of the Geographical Societies of the Continent, and those other persons who, by their travels, studies, philanthropic tastes, and charitable instincts, are the most closely identified with the efforts to introduce civil- isation into Africa. This reunion will give rise to a sort of conference, the object of which would be to discuss in common 8 Story of the Congo Free State the actual situation in Africa, to establish the results at- tained, to define those which have to be attained. In cordially accepting King Leopold's invitation, the six great nations of Europe selected their most distinguished geographers and travellers to Conference, represent them. Great Britain sent five delegates, all men of distinction in African affairs, Germany sent four, France three, Austria two, Russia one, and Italy one. Belgium had eleven representatives, among them the accom- plished Baron Lambermont. The Conference, which lasted three days, was convened in the royal palace at Brussels on September 12, 1876. It was opened by King Leopold in person. The speech made by his Majesty on that occasion follows so naturally his invitation to the assembled gentlemen that it might almost be mistaken for a continuation of that document. The reason for quoting the former now applies to the following exact translation of the King's speech: "Gentlemen," said his Majesty, "permit me to thank you warmly for the amiable promptness with which you have been kind enough to come here at my invitation. Besides the satisfaction that I shall have in hearing you discuss here the problems in the solution of which we are interested, I experience the liveliest sense of pleasure in meeting the distinguished men whose works and valorous efforts on behalf of civilisation I have followed for many years. "The subject which brings us together to-day is one that deserves in the highest degree to engage m a Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation 9 the attention of the friends of hiimanity. To open to civihsation the only part of the globe where it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness en- shrouding entire populations, that is, if I may ven- ture to say so, a crusade worthy of this century of progress; and I am happy to discover how much public sentiment is in favour of its accomplishment. The current is with us. "Gentlemen, among those who have most closely studied Africa, a good many have been led to think that there w^ould be advantage to the common ob- ject they pursue if they could be brought together for the purpose of conference with the object of regu- lating the march, combining the efforts, deriving some profit from all circumstances, and from all resources, and finally, in order to avoid doing the same work twice over. "It has appeared to me that Belgium, a central and a neutral state, would be a spot well chosen for such a reimion, and it is this view which has em- boldened me to call you all here, to my home, for the little Conference that I have the great satisfaction of opening to-day. Is it necessary for me to say to you that in inviting you I have not been guided by egotistic views? No, gentlemen; if Belgium is small, she is happy and satisfied with her lot. I have no other ambition but to serve her well. But I will not go so far as to declare that I should be insensible to the honour which would result for my country if an important forward movement in a question which will mark our epoch should be dated from Brussels. I should be happy that Brussels lo Story of the Congo Free State should become in some way the headquarters of this civilising movement. "I have, then, allowed myself to believe that it would be convenient to you to come together to discuss and to specify, with the authority belonging to you, the means to be employed in order to plant definitely the standard of civilisation on the soil of Central Africa, to agree as to what should be done to interest the public in your noble enterprise, and to induce it to support you with its money. For, gen- tlemen, in works of this kind it is the concurrence of the greater number that makes success ; it is the sympathy of the masses which it is necessary to solicit, and to know how to obtain. "With what resources should we not, in fact, be endowed if every one for whom a franc is little or nothing consented to throw it into the coffers de- stined for the suppression of the slave trade in the interior of Africa! "Great progress has been already accomplished; the unknown has been attacked from many sides; and if those here present, who have enriched science with such important discoveries, would describe for us the principal points, their exposition would afford us all a powerful encouragement. "Among the questions which have still to be ex- amined have been cited : " I. The precise designation of the basis of opera- tion to be acquired on the coast of Zanzibar, and near the mouth of the Congo, either by conventions with the chiefs, or by purchase or leases from private persons. Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation 1 1 "2. Designation of the routes to be opened in their order towards the interior, and of the stations — hospitable, scientific, and pacifying — to be organ- ised, as the means of abohshing slavery, of estab- lishing concord among the chiefs, of procuring for them just and distinguished judges, etc. " 3 . The creation — the work being well defined — of an International and Central Committee, and of National Committees to prosecute the execution, each in what will directly concern it, by placing the object before the public of all countries, and b}^ making an appeal to the charitable that no good cause has ever addressed in vain. "Such are, gentlemen, the different points which seem to merit your attention. If there are others, they will appear in the course of your discussions, and you w411 not fail to throw light on them. "M}^ desire is to serve, as you shall point out to me, the great cause for which you have already done so much. I place myself at your disposal for this purpose, and offer you a cordial welcome." The object of the Conference, thus clearly out- lined by the King, was loyally adhered to by the delegates, their discussions being strictl}^ confined to geography and philanthropy, nothing political or personal obtrtiding itself upon their deliberations. At the close of its three days' session the Conference submitted to King Leopold the following declaration upon its labours: In order to attain the object of the International Con- ference of Brussels — that is to say, to explore scientifically 12 Story of the Congo Free State the unknown parts of Africa, to facilitate the opening of the routes which shall enable civilisation to penetrate into the interior of the African Continent, to discover the means for the suppression of the slave trade among the Negro race in Africa — ^it is necessary : (i) To organise on a common international plan the ex- ploration of the unknown parts of Africa, by limiting the re- gions to be explored — on the east and on the west by the two oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic, on the south by the basin of the Zambesi, on the north by the frontiers of the new Egyptian territory and the independent Soudan. The most appropriate mode of effecting this exploration will be the employment of a sufficient number of detached travellers, starting from different bases of operation. (2) To establish, as bases for these operations, a certain number of scientific and hospitable stations both on the coasts and in the interior of Africa — for example, at Bagamoyo and Loanda, as well as at Ujiji, Nyangwe, and other points al- ready known, which it would be necessary to connect by intermediate stations. In accordance with the recommendation contained in this declaration of the Brussels Geographical Con- The Out- ference, " The International Association for come of the the Exploration and Civilisation of Central Conference, ^j^^^ " ^^g formed, consisting of an In- ternational Commission sitting in Brussels, assisted by dependent National Committees in each country. The executive power of the International Association was vested in an Executive Committee, of which King Leopold was appointed President. When the British Government selected Sir Bartle Frere for the Governorship of the Cape, it became necessary for him to resign his position as a member of the Execu- tive Committee, the vacancy thus created being filled Genesis of Mid-African Civilisation 13 by an American, General Sanford, for many years United States Minister at Brussels. The idea of an International Association for the Exploration and Civilisation of Central Africa, to which the Brussels Geographical Conference had given birth, at once began to grow, and flourished amazingly. Not only were influential committees formed in those countries which had sent delegates to the Conference, but in other countries as well, the United States among them. To show how keen general interest in the civilisa- tion of Central Africa had now become, it is only necessary to cite a few instances of the powerful sup- port given to the National Committees. In Spain, the King; in Austria, the Archduke Rudolph, heir to the Austrian throne; in Holland, Prince Henry of the Netherlands ; in Belgium, the Count of Flanders, brother of the King; all became Presidents of their respective National Committees. Philanthropists, men of science, all who were in any way interested in the world's progress towards better things, accorded ungrudging support to the work set in motion by King Leopold. The civilisation of Central Africa had now begun in earnest. CHAPTER II. STANLEY, AND KING LEOPOLD IL'S CONCEPTION OF THE CONGO FREE STATE IN every case the National Committees of the In- ternational Association for the Exploration and Civilisation of Central Africa displayed extraor- dinary activity ; but, as was to be expected, their rate of progress was measured by the Belgian Belgian Committee, which met, for the first time. Enterprise. on the 6th of November, 1876, in Brussels, just six weeks after the close of the Brussels Geo- graphical Conference which had decreed its exist- ence. As was fitting in the circumstances, King Leopold was present at the meeting, and delivered upon that occasion a speech which may be regarded as an amplification of his Majesty's previous pro- nouncements on the situation, now in some measure become political, in Central Africa. ' ' Gentlemen, ' ' said King Leopold, ' ' the slave trade, which still exists over a large part of the African Continent, is a plague-spot that every friend of civilisation would desire to see disappear. "The horrors of that traffic, the thousands of vic- tims massacred each year through the slave trade, the still greater number of perfectly innocent beings who, brutally reduced to captivity, are condemned en 14 o > o Conception of the Congo Free State 15 masse to forced labour in perpetuity, have deeply moved all those who have even partially studied this deplorable situation, and concerting, in a word, for the founding of an International Association to put an end to an odious traffic which makes our epoch blush, and to tear aside the veil of darkness which still enshrouds Central Africa. The discoveries due to daring explorers permit us to say from this day that it is one of the most beautiful and the richest countries created by God. "The Conference of Brussels has nominated an Executive Committee to carry into execution its declaration and resolutions. "The Conference has wished, in order to place itself in closer relationship with the public, whose sympathy will constitute our force, to found, in each State, National Committees. These Committees, after delegating two members from each of them to form part of the International Committee, will popu- larise in their respective countries the adopted programme. "The work has already obtained in France and Belgium important subscriptions, which make us in- debted to the donors. These acts of charity, so honourable to those who have rendered them, stimu- late our zeal in the mission we have undertaken. Our first task should be to touch the hearts of the masses, and, while increasing our numbers, to gather in a fraternal union, little onerous for each member but powerful and fruitful by the accumulation of individual efforts and their results. "The International Association does not pretend 1 6 Story of the Congo Free State to reserve for itself all the good that could or ought to be done in Africa. It ought, especially at the commencement, to forbid itself a too extensive pro- gramme. Sustained by public sympathy, we hold the conviction that, if we accomplish the opening of the routes, if we succeed in establishing stations along the routes followed by the slave merchants, this odious traffic will be wiped out, and that these routes and these stations, while serving as fulcrums for travellers, will powerfully contribute towards the evangelisation of the blacks, and towards the in- troduction among them of commerce and modem industry. "We boldly affirm that all those who desire the enfranchisement of the black races are interested in our success. "The Belgian Committee, emanating from the International Committee, and its representative in Belgium, will exert every means to procure for the work the greatest number of adherents. It will as- sist my countrymen to prove once more that Bel- gium is not only a hospitable soil, but that she is also a generous nation, among whom the cause of hu- manity finds as many champions as she has citizens. "I discharge a very agreeable duty in thanking this assembly, and in warmly congratulating it for having imposed on itself a task the accomplishment of which will gain for our country another brilliant page in the annals of charity and progress." We have here, in his Majesty's own words, a very lucid and reiterated exposition of King Leopold's main object in concerning himself with Central African Conception of the Congo Free State 1 7 affairs — the suppression of the slave trade, with con- sequent moral and material advancement of its peoples. But let it not be lost sight of that, subsidi- ary to this lofty mission. King Leopold has never disavowed — nay, his Majesty had more than once expressly declared it — his desire to find in Africa new markets for Belgian manufactures, and a wide field for the surplus population of overcrowded little Belgium, where his people might live and where their peculiar genius in the arts and sciences might flourish unfettered by alien laws. The experience of recent travellers, and particu- larly of Livingstone and Stanley, had demonstrated the truth of what had hitherto always been disbelieved, viz., that it was possible for the ^!^ ^^*®/ ' ' ^ Disproved. white man to live and maintain his health in Central Africa. This fact alone was of vast im- portance ; but when was added to it proof that the country was fertile, with immense natural sources of wealth, needing only the brain and hand of civilised man to tap them, a prosperous future for the country was assured. England, France, and Portugal, but notably England, had already claimed large sections of Africa for their own, and Italy and Germany — especially Germany — were feverishly anxious to fol- low suit. But it is doubtful if among all the students of the African problem— and they numbered among them the ablest of every nation — there was at this period another man with prescience to foresee, as we now know King Leopold must have foreseen, the illimitable possibilities of Central Africa. Indeed it is tolerably certain that had the great nations realised 1 8 Story of the Congo Free State the potential value of this region, their cupidity would never have permitted them to allow its sovereignty to become vested in any single individual with claim to it based upon anything except irresistible material force. King Leopold's claim, as we have already partly seen, and as will presently be fully demon- strated, had for its foundation a long-cherished and active philanthropic interest in the welfare of its natives, chiefly in the form of the suppression of slavery; the expenditure, out of his Majesty's private purse, of large sums of money for exploration, estab- lishment of route stations, etc. ; and generally for calling the attention of the civilised world to a little - known and less-cared-for region commonly thought to be worthless. Bacon asserts, in his Advancement of Learning, that "States are great engines moving slowly," and from the beginning of the world until long past the English philosopher's time, the axiom was true; but we of the twentieth century inhabit a world as unlike the world that Bacon lived in as modem New York is unlike the city that Washington Irving described under that name. The teeming millions of Europe are ever more and more perplexed by the problem of how to live, and not a day passes but the cruel competition of life waxes fiercer and hotter. New lands, new markets, must be found — the social pres- sure in the older nations demands it as a prime necessity. Therefore comes it that States are no longer "engines moving slowly." On the contrary, they move very rapidly; and as all the fat lands of the earth have already been appropriated, future FlWr Conception of the Congo Free State 19 trouble seems not improbable. John Bull, early in the field, worked hard painting the map red, and now it is not possible to get far away from one or other of his frontiers. The British colossus has many imitators; but these started in the game late, when most of the prizes had been won. No sooner was it perceived that the Congo region of Central Africa is a valuable possession, than France set up her flag on the Congo, at universal Brazzaville. The Portuguese, rummaging Land in their musty archives for traces of their unger. past glory, set up a claim to the Congo River be- cause one of her navigators had discovered the mouth of it five hundred years ago. Germany, too, now exhibited her desire for huge territorities in East Africa, and did not betray any marked scrupulousness as to whose rights were invaded in obtaining them. With such neighbours pressing closely upon him, it was no more than natural that King Leopold should cast about him how best he might preserve inviolate the great country to which he had so lavishly devoted his time and money; and he finally conceived the idea of a Congo Free State, with himself as its Sovereign ruler. With- out some such clear recognition of Congo terri- tory, and of his own personal rights in respect of it, it was abundantly clear that the first would be filched and the second ignored. For King Leopold to proclaim himself Sovereign ruler of the Congo region was, of course, not sufficient. It would be necessary to secure the assent to that course of all the great Powers interested. 20 Story of the Congo Free State It was a momentous time. While the French were estabUshing themselves on Stanley Pool, Stanley the man was working in the interests of King Leopold, travelling through the Congo country, buying land here and there, establishing stations, and making treaties in the King's name with native chiefs. The French regarded Stanley's proceedings with jealous distrust, and in France the question was raised whether the International Association for the Exploration and Civilisation of Central Africa ought to be permitted to exercise sovereign rights. That history furnished examples of corporate bodies exer- cising sovereign authority was acknowledged, but there was a large party in France which insistently asserted that no such right pertained to the Inter- national Association. The situation was very complicated. If King Leopold recognised the preposterous claim of Portu- gal over the mouth of the Congo River, the entire region in which he was interested would be with- out a free way to the sea, a fatal bar to its proper development. To deal with Portugal in this matter, even sup- posing her alleged right to be well founded, would have presented no insuperable difficulty; poor na- tions like poor individuals being ever open to sell their commodities at something more than their market value. But just at this juncture an unex- pected act on the part of Great Britain added enor- mously to the difficulty. Lord Granville, at that time British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, after having refused to recognise any right by Conception of the Congo Free State 21 Portugal over the mouth of the Congo, in return for concessions granted by Portugal to Britain else- where, now recognised those claims in an extended form. This Anglo -Portuguese Convention, made on the 26th of February, 1884, had it been carried out, would have killed at one blow the International Association for the Exploration and Civilisation of Central Africa, and all King Leopold's cherished dreams would have evaporated like mists before the sim. But the good work done by King Leopold was not fated to be so ignominiously extinguished. France and Germany combined to denounce the joj^n g^^ Convention ; and even with the British pub- Compiais- lic it was very unpopular, as hard things ^^** being said of it in the British Parliament and press as any uttered in Belgium. King Leopold appealed to the British Government to suspend the ratifica- tion of the Convention, urging the despatch of a British mission to the West Coast to examine the validity of the treaties made between his Majesty's representatives and native chiefs in that part of the Congo country which the Convention proposed to acknowledge as Portuguese territory. The Brit- ish Government granted the King's request, and despatched General Sir Frederic Goldsmid to the Congo. The result was a complete triumph for King Leopold, General Goldsmid reporting to his Govern- ment that the treaties were in perfect order and that the allegations of the Portuguese were baseless. That was the end of the Anglo -Portuguese Convention. 22 Story of the Congo Free State Though the Anglo -Portuguese Convention was dead, and nothing remained to fear from it, the incident served to emphasise the great and growing necessity for endowing the Congo region with a clearer and more definite political status than it yet possessed. There were not wanting other, and hap- pier, incidents pointing the same moral. On April 2 2, 1884, the United States officially recognised the flag of the International Association as that of a friendly Government, in which course it was soon after followed by France, though the latter country made it a condition of its acknowledgment that the Association would never alienate any of its territory without France having the right of pre-emption . Ger- many, entering upon joint action with France for the first time since the war of 1870, concurred in recog- nising the International Association as an independ- ent and friendly State ; and on the very day that she gave her adherence to it, she invited, through Prince Bismarck, all the Powers interested in the future of Africa to confer in Berlin with the object of regu- lating African affairs. The invitation was accepted by fourteen nations, whose representatives met under circumstances to be presently described, and gave reality to the grand idea, conceived long before by Henry Morton Stanley and Leopold II., King of the Belgians, of a Congo Free State. CHAPTER III FOUNDING OF THE CONGO FREE STATE ON the 15th day of November, 1884, the In- ternational Conference, convened by Prince Bismarck to regulate what that statesman termed "the African question," held its first meeting. It took place in Berlin, Prince Bismarck jj^g qj.^^^ presiding. In briefly outlining the object Nations of the Conference, the distinguished presi- Agree, dent exhibited in no small degree that condensa- tion and lucidity for which his utterances were re- markable. The Imperial Government [said Prince Bismarck] has been guided by the conviction that all the Governments invited here share the desire to associate the natives of Africa with civilisation, by opening up the interior of that continent to commerce, by furnishing the natives with the means of in- struction, by encouraging missions and enterprises so that useful knowledge may be disseminated, and by paving the way to the suppression of slavery, and especially of the slave trade among the blacks, the gradual abolition of which was declared to be, as far back as the Vienna Congress in 18 14, the sacred duty of all the Powers. The interest which all the civilised nations take in the material development of Africa assures their co-operation in the task of regulating the com- mercial relations with that part of the world. The course followed for a number of years in the relations of the Western Powers with the countries of Eastern Asia having up to this 23 24 Story of the Congo Free State moment given the best results by restraining commercial rivalry within the limits of legitimate competition, the Gov- ernment of His Majesty the German Emperor has considered it possible to recommend to the Powers to apply to Africa, in the form appropriate to that continent, the same regimen, founded on the equality of the rights and the solidarity of the interests of all the commercial nations." Proceeding, Prince Bismarck declared that the main object of the Conference was the opening up to all the world of Central Africa. He rejoiced that France was in perfect accord with Germany in this matter. The first thing to be considered in this matter was, he thought, how best to establish free- dom of trade at the mouth and in the basin of the Congo. On that subject the German Government had formulated a plan, drawn as a declaration, de- signed to assure freedom of trade in that region, with equal rights for all nations, — monopolies and preferential duties for none. Prince Bismarck was followed by the British re- presentative, Sir Edward Malet. No other Power in the world, said Sir Edward, had done so much on behalf of the objects that the German Government affected to have at heart as Great Britain; and he went on to point out that the warm support of his country and Government might be relied upon for proposals which had always formed part of their policy. He hoped that the attention of the Confer- ence would not be devoted entirely to commerce, and that the welfare of native races would receive attention. Freedom of trade should be restricted to legitimate articles of trade, or the natives would lose more than they gained. He apprehended that the Founding of the Congo Free State 25 chief difficulty of the Conference would be, not to secure its unanimous adherence to general principles, but to provide means for carrying those principles into effect. It was certainly desirable to establish the validity of effective new occupations on the coasts of Africa. The Portuguese representative claimed for his country the honour of having introduced the ele- ments of civilisation into Africa, and saw in an increase of commerce in that part of the world the assurance of peace and respect for the rights of humanity. The American representative contented himself by calling attention to the part his country had taken in the opening of Central Africa, and re- ferred with pride to the achievements of Stanley, congratulating his countrymen on being first to re- cognise the good work accomplished by that great philanthropist, the King of the Belgians. The prac- tical business, however, of the sitting, was the ques- tion, "What territories constitute the basin of the Congo and its affluents ?" This being a matter less easily disposed of, it was referred to a Commission of eight experts selected by the eight Powers chiefly interested in its solution. The Commission of eight reported to the Confer- ence at its third sitting as follows: The Basin of the Congo is delimited by the crests of the contiguous basins, to wit, the basins in particular of the Niari, the Ogowe, the Schari, and the Nile, on the north; by the Lake Tanganyika, on the east ; by the crests of the basins of the Zambesi and the Loge, on the south. It comprises consequently all the territories drained by the Congo and its 26 Story of the Congo Free State affluents, including Lake Tanganyika and its eastern tribu- taries. This report seems as explicit as it well could be, and after much discussion and some slight modifi- cations it was adopted. Baron Lambermont (Bel- gium) presented a report upon the best means of safeguarding the welfare of the native races, treating with remarkable ability of slavery, the importation of alcohol into the Congo country, and other dangers that threaten uncivilised races at their first contact with civilisation. Count Van der Straeten Ponthoz (Belgium) spoke even more vigorously to the same effect, and between them these two Belgian subjects of King Leopold showed themselves more solicitous for the welfare of the Congo native than the repre- sentative of any other nationality present. The International Conference held its tenth and last sitting on the 26th of February, 1885. As on the occasion of its first sitting, Prince Bismarck pre- sided. The drafting of the final act of the Confer- ence was ably performed by Baron LambeiTQont. The representatives of the Powers assembled at Ber- lin signed conventions with the International Asso- ciation, acknowledging it as a friendly and sovereign State whose flag — a golden five-pointed star on a blue banner — they agreed henceforth to recognise. I am sure I am the interpreter [said the President in an- nouncing the existence of these treaties to the Conference] of the unanimous sentiment of the Conference in saluting as a happy event the communication made to us on the subject of the almost completely unanimous recognition of the Interna- tional Association of the Congo. All of us here render justice Founding of the Congo Free State 27 to the lofty object of the work to which His Majesty the King of the Belgians has attached his name ; we all know the efforts and the sacrifices by means of which he has brought it to the point where it is to-day; we all entertain the wish that the most complete success may crown an enterprise that must so usefully promote the views which have directed the Confer- ence." Thus the great Bismarck. Sir Edward Malet (Great Britain) said: The part which Queen Victoria's Government has taken in the recognition of the flag of the Association as that of a friendly Government warrants me in expressing the satisfac- tion with which we regard the constitution of this new State, due to the initiative of His Majesty the King of the Belgians. During long years the King, dominated by a purely philan- thropic idea, has spared nothing, neither personal effort nor pecuniary sacrifice, which could contribute to the realisation of his object. Yet the world at large regarded these efforts with an eyfe of almost complete indifference. Here and there his Majesty attracted some sympathy, but it was somehow rather the sympathy of condolence than that of encourage- ment. People said that the enterprise was beyond his re- sources, that it was too great for him to achieve success. We now see that the King was right, and that the idea he pursued was not Utopian. He has brought it to a happy conclusion, not without difficulties, but the very difficulties have made the success all the more striking. While rendering to his Majesty this homage by recognising all the difficulties that he has surmounted, we salute the new-born State with the greatest cordiality, and we express the sincere desire to see it flourish and grow under his aegis. Baron de Courcel (France) said: "The new State owes its origin to the generous aspirations and the enlightened initiation of a prince surrounded by the 28 Story of the Congo Free State respect of Europe." Other members of the Confer- ence were as warm as the representatives of Great Britain and France in their eulogy of the great work achieved by King Leopold, and their opinions of his Majesty's life-work were admirably summed up by Prince Bismarck in his speech closing the Confer- ence, in the course of which he referred to the con- solidation of the Congo Free State as a "precious service to the cause of humanity," Central Africa had now become in all essential respects a State. It had been recognised as such by the United States on April 22, 1884, seven months before the opening, and ten months before the close, of the Berlin Conference, but now its geo- graphical limits were defined, its political status fixed, its neutrality assured. The large part played by Leopold, King of the Belgians, in its creation had received full and complete acknowledgment from the foremost geographers and statesmen of the world, who had united in lauding the King, not only for his wonderful achievement, but for the high humanitar- ian motive stimulating his Majesty through all the years of its difficult accomplishment. But let no one suppose that it followed, as a neces- sary consequence of all this, that the future govern- ment of Central Africa was to be as plain Ahead ^^ Sailing in smooth water. A new State had been created, it is true, and it had had as its sponsors the great Powers of the world, who had recognised Leopold IL, King of the Belgians, as its Sovereign ruler. But it is beyond the ability of States, just as it is beyond the ability of indivi- Founding of the Congo Free State 29 duals, to exist without money, and to be entrusted with the government of a territory nearly a million square miles in extent — about a fifth the size of Europe, or a third of the United States — inhabited by twenty millions or so of semi-barbarous tribes, was no light task. The ' ' African Exploration Fund ' ' of the Geographical Society of London contribu- ted ;^2 5o, and the Belgian Committee collected among their countrymen 500,000 francs — a gener- ous gift, but utterly inadequate for such a colossal task as the civilisation of Central Africa. Belgians, as a people, were in no degree liable for the expense of the philanthropic colonial enterprise entered upon by Leopold, their King, as an individual. The magnitude of that expense will be apparent to anybody who gives the subject a moment's thought. The payment of explorers, — men of the first rank in intellectual attainment, such as Stanley, — the cost of their equipment (stores, carriers, lake steamers, etc.), the carving out of routes, establishment of stations, purchases of land from native chiefs, conciliatory gifts, and so forth, had seriously depleted the large private fortune of King Leopold. Though all civilised countries were more or less interested in the opening up of Central Africa, less than twenty thousand dollars was subscribed out- side Belgium for that object. It had, therefore, some years before the Berlin Conference, become necessary to raise money for the continuation of the work. On November 25, 1878, the Comite d' Etudes du Haut-Congo was formed in Brussels, with King Leopold as honorary president and Colonel Strauch 30 Story of the Congo Free State as president. The Comite was really a company, and it had a capital of a million francs. Thanks no less to its wise direction than to its sufficient capital, the operations of the Comite were attended with so much success that it soon usurped the place of the International i^rican Association as principal agent of the civilising crusade undertaken by King Leopold. The work of the Comite was consolidated and greatly accelerated by the General Act of the Berlin Confer- ence, assuring the Sovereignty of the Congo State to King Leopold, it being no more than natural that Belgians should have increased confidence in a State secure under the rule of their own King, and be dis- posed to invest their money therein more freely than when the form of its government was matter of doubt. Though much still remained to be done, the Congo Free State had now been founded, and that fact of itself was sufficient to inspire confidence everywhere, but particularly among the Belgian people, whose King was its founder. CHAPTER IV EARLY BELGIAN EXPEDITIONS HAVING narrated the principal political circum- stances which eventuated in the founding of the Congo Free State, it now becomes neces- sary to revert to an earlier period, and sketch briefly the various Belgian expeditions to whose Cartography labours are so largely owing our knowledge and of the geography of Central Africa, the ^^^^'^'^*^°°- suppression of the slave trade there, and the estab- lishment of civilising and humanitarian government by Belgians. It is hardly necessary to say that so great an enterprise was not possible of achievement without loss of life, and much personal sacrifice and suffering; that many men of high intellectual power and in- domitable courage fell by the way, martyrs to