Arnica, the Dark Continent, attracts more and more attention in Burope each year. It has been called the new world to the 19th century, and it is to our times what America was to our forefathers three hundred years ago. England, France, Germany aid Portugal have all considerable interests in Africa. Nhe first of these empires has a great stake in the north; has by the formation of the East African Company enlarged her sphere to the south of Abyssinia as far as the tracts of country of which the Victoria Nyanza may be taken as the limit; and in Cape Colony and the various other colonies of South Africa. The Government recently extended our influence to the Zambesi, and as a writer lately said this has given us nearly all we want in South Africa, except Delagoa Bay, which is a possession of Portugal, and the finest harbour on the East coast. On the same coast the Germans have established what is termed their "sphere of influence" in Zanzibar and the country contiguous, which was nominally under the protectorate of or claimed by the Sultan of that State. In a map which has been published in Professor Drummond's recent book on Africa the coast from Cape Guardafui southward for 14 degrees of latitude, is coloured to represent a German claim to ownership and it has been sometimes stated that Germany does lay claim to it, but this appears to be a mistake. It was nominally part of the territories claimed by the Sultan of Zanzibar, who had planted forts here and there in it. The Germans claim to have established their title to a small district about Witu, which is as a wedge in the country under British protection. In 1886 there took place what Mr. Oswald Crawford calls in the last number of the Nineteenth Century the most-remarkable diplomatic performance in history. "A friendly understanding" was come to by Great Britain, France and. Germany, with the assent of the Sultan of Zanzibar, by which it has come to pass that the whole political status of the Sultanate has been altered and defined. The Sultan " subsequently granted to British and German companies, concessions under which certain administrative functions are to be exercised for him by them, while each of the two European nations acquires for itself a separate sphere of exclusive influence over vast inland territories running back towards the far west, and in both cases reaching to the shores of Lake Victoria Nyanza." The district thus acquired by Germany is of immense extent, and according to Sir Richard Burton of prospects in the future. Britain's "sphere of influence" is smaller, but, Mr. Crawford says, is of still greater potential value for it includes within its limits Mombasa, except Delagoa Bay the only good harbour on the East African coast. Further, "it runs back to the sources of the Nile itself, with an unlimited power of extension towards the West, and it contains a great virgin ivory land, with regions. uns d in fertility in East Africa, inhabited by black men far more advanced in civilisation than the natives of the south and west. South of German Zanzibar is Portuguese Mozambique, a possession but skin deep, over which its owners only exercise a nominal authority, and which runs to our territory near Delagoa Bay.
On the west Coast, and north of Cay Colony the Germans have assumed the protectorate of twelve degrees of land, to the great amoy ance of the Cape Colouists. According to a writer in the Times, Germany acted towards us with great courtesy and consideration in this matter, and "it was not until we had emphatically repudiated all claim to or authority over the coast north of the Orange river that she took that part of South Africa under her protection and and sovereignty." That was in the days when Lord Derby, who in politics never said a foolish thing and rarely did a wise one, that implied action, was at the Colonial Office. And about the same time Lord Granville being Secretary for Foreign Affairs woul not take the opportunity of acquit ring, by purchase, Delagon Bay, for an insignificant sum. The result of the ignorance and indolence of these two men has been that Germany has the protectorate of a amount of territory the southern part of which borders on Cape Colony, while the whole fills up the space between the French protectorate about the Equator and 28° south. A correspondent of the Times has recently suggested that we should extend our protectorate over the whole Northeastern coast from the French boundary at Tujurra to Cape Guardafui, in order to prevent the settlement of some foreign power opposite to Aden. If this is done the whole Eastern and Western coasts of Africa will be in the possession of Great Britain, Germany, France and Portugal. The two first named powers will have also vast territories inland which are said to have great fertility and natural wealth. The writer in the Times advocates further acquisitions, such as the Eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, and other countries thereabouts and at Lake Nyassa; he says we may eventually extend our rule so that our Rees in South Africa may be inked some day to our spheres of "influence in Eastern Afnica and the Beyptian Soudan by a continuous band British dominion, "'Ihe day will come, let us hope, when the African Lakes Company will shake hands with the British East African Company on the northern shores of 'I yik and Emin Pasha will rule in England's name and in the interests of civilisa+ tion on the Albert Nyanza and the White Nile." On the West, great extensions of business and influence are possible in the Niger basin and the Guinea Coast, but in these parts some adjustments of territory with other Euro) powers will be necessary, Inthe North of Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean, it is probable that in a few years the Mahomedan powers will be. dis-assessed of their territories by Italy, ce and Spain, and a better civilisatio introduced. The strong impulse to colonisation in Germany, for the increase of commerce and political influence in France and Italy, and the extension of her trade in every direction where it is likely to be profitable which is a necessity to Britain's existence promise to transform large districts of Africa from unknown and savage countries into civilised and quiet trading communities. The appeal which Cardinal Lavigerie lately made to Great Britain, to aid in suppressing the African slave trade, will help on and hasten the development of the country, It enlisted the sympathies and touched the imaginations of the people, and ashe is sure to be followed by other workers in the same cause, the attention of many will be kept directed to Africa as a country of great possibilities for immigrants, and for merchants, And as the same influences will be at work in other European nations, the enlightenment of the "Dark Continent, and the abolition of the horrid cruelties which have so long endured in it, may be nearer at hand than any one would have ventured to predict only a few years ago.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.