1919] Osborn, The Congo Expedition xvii 



opening up to civilization the interior of the "Dark Continent" and 

 from the outset liberally encouraged scientific investigation. The Congo 

 Section of the Brussels Exhibition of 1897 displayed the results of the 

 work accomplished during the previous twenty years, and its collections 

 formed the nucleus of the present Congo Museum at Tervueren, near 

 Brussels, which therefore became the center of research in this field. 



By 1914 the principal scientific achievements had been published in 

 quarto form in the famous series of the " Annales du Musee du Congo," 

 comprising by that time fifty-four parts, with about 4600 pages of 

 text and 660 plates. Geology, zoology, botany, and ethnology are all 

 well represented, and the excellence of most of the contributions, in 

 both substance and illustration, is a fitting witness to the high standard 

 set. In addition to these official reports, a literature of almost equal 

 importance, although scattered in various journals, developed through 

 the efforts of Belgian scientific societies and of the leaders in the coloniza- 

 tion movement. Foremost among the Belgian contributors were G. 

 Boulenger, J. Cornet, Ph. Dautzenberg, E. De Wildeman, L. Dollo, 

 Th. Durand, J. Fraipont, Ch. Kerremans, Aug. Lameere, Em. Laurent, 

 H. Schouteden, and C. Van Overbergh. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE CONGO EXPEDITION OF THE 

 AMERICAN MUSEUM 



For many years the late President Morris K. Jesup had entertained 

 the hope that an expedition from the American Museum might be sent 

 to the Congo. Early in 1907, preliminary plans had been discussed with 

 the Secretary General of the Congo Free State, Charles Liebrechts, the 

 negotiations being carried on through the Consul General of the Congo 

 Free State in Baltimore, James Gustavus Whiteley, and the Belgian 

 Consul in New York, Pierre Mali, who was a personal friend of President 

 Jesup. In May 1907, the Director of the Museum, Hermon Carey 

 Bumpus, went to Brussels to confer with the Belgian authorities. King 

 Leopold II generously gave his patronage to the project and graciously 

 presented to the American Museum an ethnological collection from the 

 Congo which now forms an important part of the African exhibits of the 

 Museum. 



The plan was taken up again by Henry Fairfield Osborn on assuming 

 the Presidency of the American Museum, and late in the autumn of 

 1908, a Special Committee on the Congo Expedition was appointed, 

 consisting of Messrs. John B. Trevor, Chairman, Hermon C. Bumpus, 



