87 
176,000,000 occupied areas not yet reached by the trader. As 
to the means of communication, so as to make the markets 
accessible, there were gigantic rivers, which presented consider- 
able lengths available for navigation. The introduction of 
railways at the points of obstruction would be necessary. The 
Congo was navigable from its mouth for a distance of 110 miles ; 
by the construction of 250 miles of railway, as far as Stanley 
Pool, access would be obtained to 1,060 miles of the Congo, and 
still higher up there was a further navigable length of 1,100 
miles. This vast river had a basin of 1,300,000 square miles, 
with a population of 40,000,000. It was a mile wide, 1,700 miles 
by river from the sea, and at its mouth it was seven miles broad, 
with a depth of 1,312 feet. The lakes formed natural highways 
for commerce, and the Congo gave 30,000 square miles of lakes. 
Concerning the requirements of the people Mr. Grant al- 
luded to Mr. Stanley’s statements before the Manchester Chamber 
of Commerce. Though they would admit that England’s man- 
ufactures would be highly acceptable to the swarthy customers 
in these climes ; yet the main question for inquiry was, What 
had Africa to offer us in return? To this question Mr. Stanley 
replied by stating that the lands of Equatorial Africa were of 
“matchless fertility ;” there were infinite spaces fit for thrifty 
and industrious colonists. The Congo district would yield ivory, 
palm-oil, gums, rubber, orchilla-weed, dye-stuffs. Other parts 
of Africa produced rice, cotton, grain, coffee. Along a length of 
280 miles at the mouth of the Congo there was trade done now 
to the value of £2,800,000 a year. 
Mr. Grant asked if Stanley’s oft-repeated rose-coloured 
statements as to the value of Africa to European trade, were 
corroborated by the researches of other modern travellers. The 
difficulties presented by the character of the natives, and the 
question of their readiness to become amenable to civilizing 
influences were briefly examined; and Mr. Grant concluded by 
expressing his gratification that the proposed Anglo-Portuguese 
treaty had broken down; and trusted that absolute freedom of 
_nayigation and commerce would be secured for the splendid 
waterway afforded by the Congo. 
L 
Mr. William Lancaster, Junr., thought Mr. Stanley’s state- 
ments were too highly coloured. In opposition to them he 
quoted the opinion of Mr. Joseph Thompson, who was sent out 
by the Geographical Society. His evidence on the mineral 
resources of the country was valuable on account of his attain- 
ments as a geologist. He found that minerals did not exist to 
any great amount in Central Africa; and ivory was becoming 
_ 80 scarce that the trade in that article was almost extinguished. 
Mr. Lancaster also laid stress on the serious river difficulties on 
_ account of the numerous cataracts, the arduous and costly nature 
\ 
