232 HISTORY OF THE PROTECTORATE TERRITORIES 



disaccord between Catholics and rrotestaiits and the prowling enmity of 

 the expelled Muhammadans caused a lai-ge party of influential Baganda to 

 desire the establishment of some kind of European Protectorate. The 

 French missionaries of Cardinal Lavigerie's mission were opposed to the 

 idea of a British Protectorate. They would (not unnaturally, seeing they 

 were Frenchmen) have preferred in some way to obtain PVench protection 

 for Uganda, in the ho})e that France meant eventually to work her way 

 from P'rench Congo round the north of the Congo Free State to Uganda 

 (a dream not so im])Ossible when one remembers the actual achievements 

 of Marchand eiglit years later). Failing a P'rench Protectorate, they wouhl 

 have preferred to \h^ undci- (icrnian political control, some of these Catholic 

 priests being of (ierman or Alsatian nationality. 



Mwanga really did not want any Enropean ovcrlordship at all. He had, 

 however, sent to .Mr. .hickson a vague request for help, which reached the 

 former in Kavirondo at tlie end of 1880. Mr. .lack.son replied, offering to 

 come if Mwanga would place his country under tiie company's protection. 

 Mwanga shilly-shallied, however, and Jackson went off to jNIount Elgon. 

 "Whilst he was absent Dr. Karl Peters (a (xerman traveller who had got 

 up an exi)edition to go in search of Emin Pasha, but who was really bent 

 on political advent ures, and was a free lance) marched into Jackson's camp 

 in Kavirondo, was mistaken by Jack.son's servants for an Englishman, and 

 therefore handed tlie letters wiiich were awaiting Jackson's return. 

 Dr. Peters having ojiened and read these, determined to go himself to 

 Uganda and .<teal a march on Jackson, ho])ing in this way to forestall 

 P>ngland in Uganda. ^Meantime the (h'cisive struggle between the 

 Christians and Muhammadans in Uganda had taken place near Mengo, 

 and the young ^luhammadan king, Kalema, was completely defeated, and 

 fled. Mwanga reinstated himself at ]\Iengo in time to receive Karl Peters, 

 wdio, with the aid of the French priests, drew up a treaty which procured 

 for Germany a Protectorate over Uganda. This treaty, of course, was 

 disavowed by the (ierman (iovernment, and had no political effect. ]\Ir. 

 Jackson arrived in I'ganda in the early part of 1890, and although he 

 was not successful in concluding a treaty for the company with the king, 

 he left Mr. Gedge in Uganda with a number of armed men who might 

 be looked upon as a help to Mwanga in repelling the Muhammadans, 

 and an intimation to any unscrupulous person * that Uganda was already 

 in the purview of the British. 



Soon after arrived Captain (now Sir Frederick) Lugard as the accredited 



* By " unscrupulous" I do not imply blame on any attemjit by a German to .secure 

 a German Protectorate over Uganda — an enterprise quite as defensible as the similar 

 attempts of Englishmen. I only mean to animadvert on such conduct as the opening 

 and reading another man's correspondence. 



