CONGO, FREE STATE OF THE. 



189 



The returns of the exports of foreign mer- 

 chandise show an increase in the shipments of 

 coffee from 26,152,679 pounds, valued at $2,- 

 731,311, to 33,335,146 pounds, valued at $3,- 

 334,048 ; a decline in the transit trade in tea 

 from 7,603,966 to 5,730,591 pounds, or in value 

 from $1,322,853 to $911,801; a falling off in 

 timber, rice, in rails, in other iron manufact- 

 ures, in Sisal grass and similar textile mate- 

 rials, and in various manufactured products, 

 with an increase in some finished manufact- 

 ures and in lead, tobacco, wool and woolen 

 manufactures, silk manufactures, etc. The 

 trade with Canada has suffered from the gen- 

 eral depression and from the continued effects 

 of the Canadian tariff. The Pacific and over- 

 land trade in Asiatic products has also de- 

 clined. But the returns indicate an improv- 

 ing trade, to some extent, with Mexico and 

 certain other parts of Spanish America. 



CONGO, FREE STATE OF THE. The conclusions 

 of the Berlin Conference, embodied in a gener- 

 al act, left King Leopold and the International 

 Association free to organize an independent 

 state for the exercise of the sovereignty over 

 the Congo region which Europe and America 

 conceded to the Association. The territory 

 awarded to the Association by the Conference 



has an extent of 1,100,000 square miles. The 

 population is computed by Mr. Stanley, who 

 found the river-banks between the cataracts 

 and Stanley Falls inhabited by from 800,000 to 

 900,000 souls, to be about 40,000,000. 



Results of the African Conference. The confer- 

 ence of powers interested in Africa, which met 

 on the invitation of the German in conjunc- 

 tion with the French Government, assembled 

 in Berlin Nov. 15, 1884, and separated Feb. 

 26, 1885. The powers represented by pleni- 

 potentiaries were Germany, Austria- Hungary, 

 Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United States 

 of America, France, Great Britain, Italy, the 

 Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and 

 Norway, and Turkey. The purposes of the 

 Conference were to introduce freedom of com- 

 merce into the basin and the embouchures of 

 the Congo, to extend to the Congo and the Ni- 

 ger the principles of freedom of navigation 

 adopted in relation to various international 

 rivers at the Vienna Congress, and to decide 

 upon the formalities to be observed by the 

 powers in taking possession of new territory 

 on the coasts of Africa. The decisions of the 

 Conference were embodied in an acte generate. 

 On the motion of the Italian representative, 

 who was seconded by Mr. Kasson, representing 



