102 
[April, 1902.] 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
Vol. VIII. No. 88. 
The Curator of the Canadian Section of the Imperial Institute is prepared to 
furnish information about Canadian Trade and to supply names of importers, manufacturers, 
shippers, etc. 
The following trade enquiries have been received at the Canadian Section of the Imperial 
Institute, from the Curator of which Section further particulars may be obtained : — 
Home Enquiries. — A London firm wish to be placed in correspondence with Canadian 
saw mills which can supply packing-case shooks in quantity. 
A Liverpool firm ask for the names of the leading Canadian mining companies who use 
cyanide of potassium. 
An enquiry has been received from a firm of London merchants for the names of Canadian 
producers and shippers of high-grade feldspar. 
A firm of merchants wish to be placed in communication with Canadian manufacturers of 
doors and mouldings in quantity seeking an export outlet. They are in a position to 
contract for the output of one or more factories. 
A Liverpool firm desire the names of Canadian producers of black ash and basswood 
boards, also of birch chair seats. 
A London firm wish to hear from Canadian lumber manufacturers who can contract for 
regular supplies of basswood boards cut to lengths and glued together. 
An enquiry has been made for the names of Canadian manufacturers of excelsior. 
Canadian Enquiries. — A Canadian manufacturer of cutlery asks to be placed in com- 
munication with United Kingdom firms importing foreign-made cutlery, particularly 
for export trade, who might be prepared to deal in Canadian scissors, knives, etc. 
A Canadian manufacturer of flooring of various kinds invites correspondence from United 
Kingdom importers of same. 
A manufacturer’s agent, resident in Vancouver, British Columbia, wishes to secure the 
representation of a manufacturer of window and other glass. 
A New Brunswick manufacturer of hard-wood of various sorts, who can supply same 
cut strictly to patterns rough finished, wishes to establish a connection in the United 
Kingdom. 
A Canadian company dealing in grocers’ and druggists’ supplies, novelties, etc., is prepared 
to act as resident agent for United Kingdom manufacturers of these goods. 
A Montreal manufacturers' agent, who can furnish good references, seeks a fc\v agencies 
in groceries and provisions, etc. 
Foreign Enquiry. — A firm in Brussels (Belgium) desire names of Canadian shippers of 
feldspar of good quality. 
■ 
MAPS AND CHARTS.— RECORDS. 
[The entire collection of maps (with the exception of a few atlases and maps issued by private 
firms) consists of authoritative publications of the various government cartographical departments. 
Such as : the One-inch Ordnance Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, a complete set of Admiralty 
Charts, and a selection from the maps compiled in the Intelligence Division of the War Office; 
the monumental ,l Indian Atlas,” and a large number of the publications of the Surveyor-General’s 
Office, Calcutta ; the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Government Surveys of Victoria and 
New South Wales. In the arrangement of the collection, the geographical classification of the 
War Office Intelligence Department catalogue has, with some modifications, been followed.] 
ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTION OF MAPS DURING FEBRUARY, 1902. 
AFRICA. 
Egypt. I.D.W.O. 
Sudan Survey, No. 1489 : — Musha, Akobo. 
Transvaal. The Chartographic Company. 
Witwatersrand Goldfields, showing the controlling interests held by the various South 
African Companies, 1 inch to a mile. Presented by the Chartographic Company, 
West Africa. No. 1539 : — Nikki. 
Presented by the Director-Gesieral of Mobilization and Military Intelligence. 
Seychelles, 
Map of the Island of Mahe based on survey by Commander Balfour, 1890, and showing 
the principal landed properties as complied by S. B. Hobbs, Island Surveyor, 1900. 
Presented by the Government of Seychelles. 
- 
NORTHERN NIGERIA. 
In his report on Northern Nigeria for the period from January I, 1900 to April 1, 1901, 
Sir F. Lugard, the High Commissioner, after describing the location of the new headquarters 
near Wushihi, on the Kaduna river, deals as follows with tire question of railways : — 
“ So vast an area as Nigeria, comprising in all some 380,000 square miles (of which 
Northern Nigeria contains about 320,000), cannot be commercially developed except by 
railways. I do not here dwell on the political reasons which urge the construction of a railway 
in this vulnerable part of the Empire as a portion of the scheme of Imperial defence. By 
railway construction alone can we achieve the rapid concentration of troops and supplies 
which would supersede the necessity for a greatly increased local force (involving an immense 
and unremunerative expenditure) to guard our frontiers. Railways are also essential for 
purposes of internal administration, by facilitating communication. So vast a country 
cannot, it appears to me, be served by a single railway. 
“The Lagos railway has reached Ibadan, 123 miles from the coast, and only about 150 
miles of comparatively easy country now separate it from the Niger. It may be advisable to 
make a branch line from Ibadan to Sapele, where a good port is available (whereas it is 
calculated that it will cost nearly a million to remove the bar at Lagos), and the branch line 
would pass through a rich and populous country. In my view the question as to whether 
this branch line to Sapele should be made, or whether the port of Lagos should be improved, 
is a matter apart, to be decided by a comparison of cost and a balance of advantages, and it 
should not interfere with the forward progress of the line now that it has been completed as 
far as Ibadan, The line should be carried forward without delay to Illorin, and whether it 
should be taken thence to Jebba or to Egbaji, must be decided by surveys as soon as possible. 
The Lagos railway, extended eventually to Kano and Katsena, would develop the western 
territories, and assist in their defence from possible aggression in that direction. 
“ An eastern railway, from the fine port of Old Calabar, would have Lake Chad as its 
ultimate objective, and would protect the eastern frontiers. Whether or not these views 
recommend themselves, it is, I think, of great importance that a railway policy should be settled, 
for much can be done in the way of surveys and road making to prepare the way for a coming 
railway, and such a definite policy would be of the utmost use to local administrators in 
determining the lines of development and progress. I have strongly urged the great import- 
ance of at once deciding at what point the Lagos railway shall cross the Niger, looking, on 
the one hand, to the magnitude of the task in bridging the river, and, on the other hand, to 
the comparative feasibility of alternative routes (from the point at which the line crosses) to 
the north towards Kano. 
“ No time, I think, should be lost in making these surveys, and in obtaining the best 
expert opinion as to the bridging work, for on that decision will largely depend the policy 
in the Protectorate. It may also be borne in mind that once the point at which the railway 
will cross the river is decided, railway material can, if desired, be more cheaply brought to 
that point by steamers direct from England at high river, than it could be by rail from Lagos, 
even when the Lagos railway reaches the river. Construction northwards and southwards 
(to meet the Lagos line) can be simultaneously undertaken from that point, nor indeed is it 
necessary to delay the forward progress till the bridge (which will be necessary eventually) is 
constructed. In fact, so far as the development of Northern Nigeria is concerned, the need 
is for a railway from the Niger banks to Kano, and not for connection with Lagos. The 
Lagos railway will, beyond doubt, benefit Lagos, but since Northern Nigeria has the water- 
way of the Niger for the export of its produce, and since water carriage is cheaper than 
railage, it is not clear what benefit to its trade the Lagos railway will confer. Every yard, 
however, of a railway from the Niger to Kano would, by superseding the present caravan 
transport, tend greatly to promote the development of trade.” 
With regard to trade competition, Sir F. Lugard says that its absence on the Niger has 
often been remarked, but it is necessary to bear in mind the distinction between European 
competition (a) in the native markets, and ( b ) in the supply of necessaries to Government 
employees. As regards the former, the argument of those who hold that the policy of 
amalgamation of European interests in undeveloped countries is preferable to competition in 
the purchase of native produce deserves to be seriously considered. If fair dealing, enter- 
prise, and energy be assured, an amalgamation of European interests may prevent the undue 
enhancement of prices, and enable the amalgamated trading corporation to set aside capital 
for the extension and development, which else would be absorbed in the struggle of 
competition. While the wants of a native in a primitive state remain few, enhancement of 
prices no doubt decreases supply, for the producers, having acquired all the goods they need, 
will not exert themselves to tap to the full the resources of the land. For a similar reason 
it would have an adverse effect upon the supply of labour, and would put up the price of 
the labour market, and Government being the chief employer, whether for public works, 
soldiers or transport, would be the principal sufferer ; progress would become most costly, 
and the cost of administration greatly increased. Also, in spite of the clamour that the 
Niger should be thrown open to trade competition, Sir F. Lugard was unable, after enquiry, 
to discover any British firms who were willing to enter the field under the principles of free 
trade without bias or discrimination. The country is now open to them to reap the 
supposed benefits for which they have so long agitated, but none have come forward to 
introduce capital or competition, and, so far as could be ascertained, those traders who 
desired to enter Northern Nigeria have coalesced with the Niger Company, or are debarred, 
either by lack of capital or by pre-existing contracts, from becoming their rivals. 
The competition of the small native trader is also an important matter. Sir F. Lugard 
was not of opinion that in Northern Nigeria the small trader from the coast would be of 
any great use, while he is quite certain to give much trouble in his dealings with the natives, 
and by his fondness for litigation. Experience has shown that, as a matter of fact, he does 
not travel in the interior and open up markets, but is content to remain to the full as 
stationary as a European. The immigrant black trader is by no means a desirable person, 
but every effort should be made to encourage natives of the Protectorate to become small 
traders and collectors of local produce. 
SPONGE FISHING IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. 
An interesting report on the above subject has been transmitted to the State Department 
by the United States Consul at Beirut, Syria, from which we extract the following : — 
Sources of Supply. — Greek and Turkish sponges have been known to the trade 
for hundreds of years. Syria furnishes, perhaps, the best quality, and shipments are made 
from Tripoli and Latakia to Paris, London, Trieste, Hamburg, New York and the Piraeus. 
During the last fifteen years, however, the output has greatly diminished, owing to the 
introduction by Greeks, in the seventies, of diving apparatus, which proved ruinous alike to 
fishermen and fisheries. It is estimated that the annual exportation of Syrian sponges at 
present hardly exceeds §85,000 in value. In the adjoining territorial waters of Cyprus, 
sponge beds are being worked with varying success. Sponges were exported from that 
island in 1S98 to the amount of §10,425, and in 1S99 §28,835 worth were shipped. Egypt, 
Barbary, Crete, Rhodes, Samos, Calymnos and other islands of the Turkish and Greek 
archipelagoes also produce sponges for export. A large share of this trade was formerly in 
the hands of merchants, with headquarters in Smyrna and Trieste, but is now centred in 
London and the Piraeus. The United States annually buys sponges abroad to the amount of 
about §500,000, the principal shipments proceeding from Nassau (Bahama Islands), London 
and Pixeeus. The highest grades of sponges — the softest and finest in texture — are found 
principally in the Mediterranean. Some of the cheaper varieties are also found there, but 
none like those taken in Florida or Cuban waters. All through the Mediterranean, except 
the western half of the northern shore, three species of sponges prevail at a depth of 
2 to 100 fathoms, viz. : Euspongia officinalis, Ilippospongia equina and Euspongia zimocca. 
Methods of Collection. — In collecting the sponges four methods are employed — 
harpooning, primitive diving, dredging, and diving with special outfit. With harpoons, 
one of the chief difficulties is to see the bottom clearly through a troubled sea. To obviate 
this a wooden or zinc plate cone, like a water bucket, open at the top and with a glass 
bottom, is used. On looking through this water glass, which is partly submerged, the 
bottom of the sea may lie clearly studied, even at thirty fathoms, and the proper sponges 
picked out by the harpoonist. The primitive method of diving, with no other apparatus 
than a slab of stone as a sinker and a cord to communicate with the surface, is most 
popular in the Levant. On reaching the bottom the diver hastily snatches up as many 
good sponges as possible, and, after remaining under water from one to two minutes, 
tugs violently at the cord and is drawn to the surface. The sponges are collected in a 
net which the diver carries around his neck. 
At greater depths, particularly along the coasts of Asia Minor, dredging is employed 
usually in winter, when storms have torn up the seaweeds which cover the bottom. To 
these simpler operations was added, some twenty-five years ago, the “skafander,” or diving 
apparatus, which enables the diver in his submarine dress to spend an hour under water 
at a depth of from ten to fifteen fathoms. Experience has shown that the employment 
of the last two methods is a severe tax upon the sponge banks, as everything in sight — 
sponges large and small — is gathered. Germs and seeds also suffer greatly, and it takes 
years before a new crop matures. The fishermen who use the “skafander” are frequently 
stricken with palsy of the lower extremities, stricture, and other complaints. The abuses 
which so disastrously affect the Levantine sponge industry have prompted a Russian 
philanthropist, Professor Charles Flegel, to inaugurate a campaign for the abolition of 
diving apparatus in sponge fishing. Through his efforts, the authorities of Samos, Crete, 
and Cyprus have prohibited the use of the “skafander”; also the Governments of Italy 
and France, the latter acting in behalf of Tunis. The question is also being agitated in 
Egypt. It is said the matter will be taken up and discussed at the International Fisheries 
Congress, which is to be held in St. Petersburg in February and March. If the Turkish 
Government joins the crusade, the “skafander” will most likely have to go, and, in the 
absence of this “engine of destruction” a new era may dawn for sponge fishers and 
sponge fisheries in the Levant. 
As far as known, no steps of importance have been taken to protect the sponge beds in 
Turkish waters. A close season has been proposed, but has not been established by law- 
The Government collects from each boat using the harpoon or the primitive diving system 
319 piastres gold (§I4’03) a year. A skafander boat pays §I45'20 per season, and its 
operations are limited to eight months in the year, beginning April 1. From the drag-net 
boat a licence fee of §22 is exacted. 
Market. — At present only occasional shipments of Syrian sponges go direct to the 
Lfnited States. Considerable quantities, however, are bought in London and Piraeus. 
Along the Syrian littoral the demand of merchants, especially for white sponges, exceeds 
the supply, and prices naturally have an upward tendency. This, in connection with West 
Indian competition, hinders Lade with America. The introduction of antiseptic surgery 
has also decreased the urgent demand for the Turkish article. With the advent of regular, 
direct steamship facilities, however, it is likely that Syrian sponges will find a fairly 
responsive market in the United States. Importers are referred to Dr. Harris, United States 
consular agent, Tripoli, Syria. 
