352 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS IN 1890. 



their nominal territory and bringing it within 

 actual knowledge and control by surveys and 

 treaties with native tribes. The British East 

 Africa Company is reported to have made a 

 treaty with Mwanga, through one of its agents, 

 who advanced with a caravan of 600 men, that 

 places the whole of Uganda under its control. 

 Mwanga's throne had been usurped by Karema, 

 an ally of the Arabs, but was regained with Brit- 

 L-h assistance. 



On the part of Germany, Dr. Oscar Baumann's 

 journey has had good results in surveys of Usam- 

 bara. Emin Pasha has returned to his old 



rund. He was reported to have been recalled 

 Baron Wissmann, while pushing on to Wad- 

 elai, lest there might be some violation of recent 

 treaty obligations. But later dispatches are to 

 the effect that Emin is to be governor of the 

 western portion of German East Africa, includ- 

 ing the lake territory, and Herr von Soden gov- 

 ernor of the remainder, while Baron Wissmann 

 will retire or be sent to settle affairs in West 

 Africa. 



The protectorate of Italy on the eastern coast 

 has been somewhat extended ; its colony on the 

 Red Sea has received the official name Erythrea. 



Differences have arisen in regard to the' rights 

 of England and Portugal in southeastern Af- 

 rica. Dispatches in December reported that a 

 Portuguese force had seized Mutacas Kraal at 

 Manica, and hauling down the British flag had 

 replaced it with the flag of Portugal, a move 

 which was disowned by the Portuguese Govern- 

 ment. 



The French, notwithstanding their troubles 

 with the natives, have extended their claims in 

 the west, as will be seen from the report of Capt. 

 Binger's expedition given below. 



The Congo State also shares in the general ad- 

 ditions of territory, if report be correct, since by 

 a decree of June 10, 1890, it receives a new dis- 

 trict, Koango Oriental, comprising the region 

 east from the Koango to the Sankuru-Lubilash, 

 that is, all of Lunda. This seems to conflict 

 with the claims of Portugal, as Major Cavalho 

 made a treaty in 1887 with the ruler of Lunda, 

 and the claims on Lunda have been regarded as 

 still unsettled. The great need of the State at 

 present seems to be facilities for communica- 

 tion. In order to overcome the obstacles to 

 travel between the coast and the interior pre- 

 sented by the cataracts of the Congo, the Bel- 

 gians propose a road on the left bank from Ma- 

 tadi to Leopoldville. The French meanwhile 

 are considering a road along the valley of the 

 Kouilu-Niadi and the Djue which flows* into the 

 Congo near Brazzaville, as the best route from 

 the coast. It offers difficulties, however, in the 

 heights over which it leads, the altitude of the 

 water-shed being estimated at 600 metres, and 

 these difficulties may lead to a postponement of 

 the undertaking, or possibly, to the uniting of 

 the two enterprises in the Congo road. 



An exploration of the northern Lomami made 

 by M. Janssen, Governor-General of the Congo 

 State, shows that it is navigable up to 4 27' 

 south latitude, thus presenting an easier and 

 quicker route to this great trade region than 

 that by way of Stanley Falls. The governor es- 

 tablished a station at Bana Kamba, under lati- 

 tude 4, from which point connection will be 



made with Le Marinel's station on the San- 

 kuru. 



Expeditions for the opening of the interior of 

 the Cameroons district have been undertaken by 

 both the Germans and the French. The former, 

 under Lieut. Morgen, have opened a way from 

 Jeundo station to the coast along the Sannaga. 

 The latter, under J. Cholet, administrator of 

 Brazzaville, explored the Sannaga to 2 50' north 

 latitude and 14 east longitude, (from P.), and 

 its tributary, the N'Goko, as far as 3 30' north 

 latitude and 12 30' east longitude, concluding 

 many protective treaties along the route in the 

 French interest. The Sannaga is described as a 

 stream 1,200 to 1.800 metres in breadth, flowing 

 into the Congo through several arms. The Mis- 

 sougo, flowing into it on its lower course is said 

 to connect with the Ubangi. Its upper course 

 is formed by the Masa and the N'Goko. Cholet's 

 little steamer, the " Ballay," could not ascend the 

 Masa, which though more than a kilometre in 

 breadth, is obstructed by numerous islands, but 

 the N'Goko was ascended until the low water 

 and the rapids prevented farther progress. 



A new examination of the upper course of the 

 Mongala was made in April and May by M. 

 Hodister, agent of the Society of the Upper 

 Congo at Bangala. In two former voyages, from 

 September to November, 1889, M. Hodister found 

 that the Mongala extends much farther toward 

 the north than appeared from the reports of Ba- 

 ert's journey in 1886, and has its source not far 

 from the middle course of the Welle-Makua. It 

 is formed by the rivers Ibaasa, Ebola, and Monai, 

 the last a larger stream than the others : in its 

 upper course it is called the Dua. Coming from 

 the east it broadens in two places to lake-like 

 basins. On his later trip, M. Hodister left his 

 steamer at Libako and followed the Dua to the 

 little lake Ababula, and then spent six days ex- 

 amining the Ebola. Both flow through thick 

 forests. 



From a report of Dr. Zintgraff's latest expe- 

 dition in the interior of the Cameroons, which 

 occupied the whole of 1889, we take the follow- 

 ing: 



It was not until New Year's Day, 1889, when Dr. 

 Zintgraff appeared again among them [the _ people of 

 Banjang, whose territory begins about 50 miles north- 

 east of Barambi station on'Elephant lake, and who 

 had shown on former occasions a disposition to resist 

 any attempted march through their lands], at the head 

 of a caravan of '200 armed porters, and overcame their 

 resistance after a sanguinary conflict, that the route to 

 the northeast was opened ; then a march of several 

 days through dense virgin forest brought the expedi- 

 tion to the steep slopes of the West African table- 

 land, where the open grass land begins. Their three 

 months' stay with the powerful chief Karega, of the 

 Bali tribe, who has at his disposal upward of 2,000 

 warriors, was a compulsory one, inasmuch as the 

 crafty chief by friendly advances desired to make his 

 country a kind of Capua for the porters of the expe- 

 dition, hoping by this means to get them to desert 

 the traveler on his projected march up the country. 

 But this piece of trickery failed, and the march was 

 resumed to the town of Batut, which numbers about 

 12,000 inhabitants. The chief of this place, Gualim, 

 had some time before the arrival of the expedition at- 

 tacked and killed several Haussa traders, who had 

 been staying with him for a considerable period. lie 

 endeavored to prepare a similar tate tor the expedi- 

 tion, but being too much of a coward to have recourse 

 to a regular open attack he set to work to ruin the ex- 



