March 26, 1886.] 



SCIEXCE. 



275 



THE EUROPEAN COLONIES AND THEIR 

 TRADE. 



The large commerce between Great Britain and 

 her colonies has, especially within the last ten or 

 fifteen years, attracted the attention of the other 

 European countries. They have watched with 

 covetous eyes its steady increase and the rapid 

 growth of the English mercantile marine, and 

 have studied the policy which has either made the 

 colonies of England self-supporting, or, where 

 the expenses exceeded the revenues, pay tribute 

 to London bankers in the form of interest at high 

 rates on colonial loans. 



Attempting to follow England's example, France 

 and Germany have founded colonies, hoping to 

 realize from them large commercial returns. In- 

 stead of this, the commerce with the colonies 

 they have established has been very limited, 

 and the outlays involved have imposed a heavy 

 burden upon the home treasury. Even Algiers, 

 the most prosperous of the colonies established 

 by France, has been a constant and increasing 

 expense. The attempt to establish a French col- 

 ony in Madagascar has been abandoned, while 

 that in Tonquin has only been maintained by the 

 constant presence of a large army. The war 

 with China, in which France became involved 

 through the attempt to establish this colony, has 

 caused a great drain on France, both of men and 

 money ; and, even at the present time, there is 

 such a constant turmoil in northern Tonquin, that 

 further demands of credit and fresh drafts of 

 soldiers must constantly be made. This state of 

 affairs will probably cause the overthrow of the 

 ministry, if not of the republic ; and the ministry 

 have sought to avert their fate by sending M. 

 Bert, a former minister of instruction, as gov- 

 ernor, with full power in civil and military 

 matters. It is asserted, and the facts seem to 

 corroborate the statement, that the expense of 

 maintaining the colonies of France, including the 

 support of the required armies, largely exceeds 

 the total value of the commerce, including both 

 imports and exports ; that the death-rate is in 

 excess of the births : and that the French popu- 

 lation is only maintained by draining France of 

 her most enterprising citizens. These facts have 

 become so overwhelming, that a party has re- 

 cently been formed in France, advocating the 

 abandonment of all her foreign possessions. 



Germany recently took possession of an exten- 



sive territory on the south-western coast of Africa ; 

 but a rainless climate and a barren soil have proved 

 insurmountable obstacles even to German thrift. 

 Another German colony has been established on 

 the east coast, w^est of Zanzibar, between the sec- 

 ond and fifth degrees of north latitude, extending 

 westerly into the interior. Several large rivers 

 flow through this territory, rising in the moun- 

 tain-range which separates the ocean from Lake 

 Tanganyika. In the upland country the climate 

 is probably healthy, and the soil rich. The Ger- 

 mans have also a small colony at Cameroon, on 

 the west coast, under the equator ; but here the 

 natives have opposed the settlers, and their prog- 

 ress consequently has been slow. Of the com- 

 merce of German colonies, however, nothing is 

 known, as no official returns have been pub- 

 lished. 



Italy has recently established a colony at Mas- 

 sowah, upon the Red Sea, with the result, thus 

 far, of an increased deficit in the treasury. The 

 Netherlands retains a part of its possessions in 

 Asia ; Spain and Portugal, a portion of the 

 immense territory they formerly held in Africa 

 and in America ; and Denmark, her hold upon 

 Greenland, Iceland, and three islands in the West 

 Indies. The cost of maintaining these domains 

 exceeds the revenue ; but the deficit is small, and 

 fully compensated by the commercial advantages 

 derived from them. Belgium and Austria, on 

 the other hand, have no foreign possessions. 

 The Kongo Free States, which had then origin 

 in Belgium, are a private enterprise of King Leo- 

 pold II., and have been supported from his private 

 purse. The cost of their maintenance has hitherto 

 been very heavy, and must continue to increase, 

 until the railroad around the falls between Vivi 

 and Stanley Pool is constructed, allowing of the 

 creation of trade with central Africa, and the 

 consequent tax levies to defray the expenses of 

 the undertaking. 



Russia can hardly be said to have any colonies. 

 The vast regions in Asia which have been settled 

 by her people, willingly or unwillingly, should be 

 looked upon as but natural expansions of her 

 dominions ; and little is known, either of their 

 cost to the state, or the extent of their commerce. 



Austro-Hungary alone, of the European coun- 

 tries, remains to be considered, and that kingdom 

 is little more than a^congery of colonies. Eleven 

 different languages are spoken within its borders, 

 and the people of this heterogeneous empire have 



