We turn to the question of duties. Import duties he could not levy, because of the prohibition of the West' African Conference. How were the wicked Arab slave-traders to be fought? The King tried to the withdrawal of this prohibition bat without result. He therefore imposed an export duty of £80 per ton on ivory, and £20 yer ton on rubber. This is free trade in necordance with the doctrine of " Richard Cobden and John Bright," hose names he hal attached to his manifesto of 1884, for Manchester consumption.
Foreigners were to be guaranteed the free exercise of their religi Yet missionaries are debarred. fro entering the Domaine ta Couronne, and are subjected to of persecution for ymblishing dotal of misgovernment of the State.
The rights of navigation, commerce and industry assured to. th of all nations secret decree was issued in 1891 exhorting the officials to "take urgent and ecesary measures to secure for the it tions, promnlyated by the Governor General through his District Commissioners, forbidding, the natives to sell ivory European merchants, and threatening, the latter with prosecution if they chased these articles.
The m naturally protested, and the King in reply announced that everything in the country belonged to the State, and the natives were tenants of its propert Thus by a stroke of the pen he prohibit ed forei ign merchants from dealing in the principal products of the country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.