This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com AffairsofWestAfrica EdmundDeneMorel FROM THE DEQJLJEST OF FRANCIS B. HAYES (Class of 1839) A fund of $10.000 the income of which if used "For the purchase of books for the Library" AFFAIRS OF WEST AFRICA ! ON FISHING BENT— SOUTHERN NIGERIA RS OF AFRICA AFFAIRS OF WEST AFRICA ! 1 i i AFFAIRS OF WEST AFRICA BY EDMUND D. MOREL (E. D. M.) MEMBER OF THE WEST AFRICAN SECTION OF THE LIVERPOOL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN 1902 (All rights reserved) TO MY WIFE PREFACE Whatever its defects — and, no doubt, they are many and various — the Author claims for this volume that it is, at least, an honest attempt to deal with the problems, racial, political and commercial, yearly increasing in magnitude, connected with the administration of Western Africa by Great Britain and by the other Powers of Western Europe which participated in the scramble for African territory. As such it is respectfully submitted to the thinking Public. The Author considers it advisable to state that he has no commercial interests in West Africa, and is, therefore, uninfluenced by considerations of a personal nature, in emphasising the importance of the part played by the merchant on the West African stage. He also deems it right to say that the West African Section of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is neither responsible nor answer able for the opinions expressed herein. The Author hereby acknowledges the courtesy of the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, the Editor-Proprietor of West Africa, the Editor of the Contemporary Review, and the Editorial Committee of the Journal of the African Society, in permitting the incor poration of certain matter contributed by himself, from viii PREFACE time to time, to those publications. His sincere thanks are due to Major Ronald Ross, F.R.C.S., F.R.S., C.B., for the chapter which that distinguished scientist has specially written at the Author's request. To other kind friends and acquaintances who have good-humouredly submitted to cross-examination, and have allowed themselves to be victimised by the Author's importunities generally, grateful appreciation is due, and is thankfully acknowledged. Hawarden, 1902. CONTENTS CHAr. FACB Foreword — Mary K1ngsley xiii PART I I. F1ve Years of Br1t1sh Trade w1th Western Afr1ca 1 II. The Old and the New 7 III. The Real and the Ideal 11 IV. Some Necessary Reforms 20 PART II.— NIGERIA V. The D1scovery of Northern N1ger1a 35 VI. The D1 scovery of Northern N1ger1a — (cont.) . 43 VII. The Hausas and the1r Empor1um .... 52 VIII. The Hausas and the1r Empor1um — (cont.) ... 59 IX. The Nat1onal Industry of Southern N1ger1a . 74 X. The Adm1n1strat1on of Northern N1ger1a . 83 XI. The F1nances of N1oer1a 89 XII. Mohammedans, Slave-ra1d1ng and Domest1c Serv1 tude 94 XIII. The Pr1nc1pal Products of N1ger1a .... no XIV. Rubber-collect1ng 1n N1ger1a 119 XV. The Fulan1 1n N1ger1a 125 XVI. The Fulan1 1n West Afr1can H1story . .130 XVII. Or1g1n of the Fulan1 136 X CONTENTS PART III CHAP. I'AGE XVIII. San1tary Affa1rs 1n West Afr1ca .... 153 By Major Ronald Ross, C.B. XIX. Land Tenure and Labour 1n West Afr1ca . 170 XX. A Cotton Industry for West Afr1ca . 188 XXI. The Mahogany Trade 201 XXII. Islam 1n West Afr1ca 208 XXIII. Islam 1n West Afr1ca — (cont.) 224 PART IV.— THE FRENCH IN WEST AFRICA XXIV. Anglo-French Relat1ons 1n West Afr1ca . 238 XXV. Ten Years of French Act1on 1n West Afr1ca . 249 XXVI. The Commerc1al and F1nanc1al Cond1t1on of the French Possess1ons .... 265 XXVII. French and Br1t1sh Management 1n West Afr1ca 276 PART V.— MONOPOLY IN WEST AFRICA XXVIII. The Concess1ons Reg1me 1n French Congo . 285 XXIX. Internat1onal Interests and Monopoly . 297 [XXX. The H1story of the Congo State .... 312 XXXI. The Doma1ne Pr1ve 327 XXXII. The "Trade" of the Congo State . 343 APPENDIX S1erra Leone (Expend1ture, Loans, Exports, &c.) . 355 ^Gold Coast (Expend1ture, Loans, Exports, &c.) . 356 Lagos (Expend1ture, Loans, Exports, &c.) .... 359 Dahomey (Comparat1ve Table of Dut1es) .... 360 The Dahomey Ra1lway 362 French Gu1nea Ra1lway 364 West Afr1can Mahogany Trade 365 ^ The Gold Coast M1n1ng Industry 367 Br1t1sh Possess1ons 1n West Afr1ca (Populat1on and Area) 370 The Rab1nek Case 371 Index 373 ILLUSTRATIONS On Fishing Bent, Southern Nigeria FrontispUa Facing page ...A Pure-bred Kano Man (Hausa) 54 "A Hausa from Yola 56 Hausa Loom and Spool ... 62 Hausas Drilling 68 Making Palm-oil 74 Duke-Town, Old Calabar, Southern Nigeria 76 Filling Palm-oil Barrels, Southern Nigeria 78 A Palm-kernel Market in Southern Nigeria 80 A Mohammedan Chief and his Standard- Bearer .... 100 Mandingo Muslims 106 A Baobab — The Giant of West African Flora .116 Washing Rubber 122 Fulani Sword • 126 .:Pure-bred Fulani Girl, Adamawa 128 Fulani Chief, Futa-Jallon 130 Half-caste Fulani Girl, Futa-fallon 134 . Low-caste Fulani, Western Sudan 136 Pure-bred Fulani Girl, Futa-fallon 140 Fulani House, Futa-fallon 142 Fulani Cattle-pen 146 A Half-caste Fulani Girl and a Susu 148 The Idle Native! Market Scene in West Africa . .176 West African "Young Hopefuls" 180 An Ibo Family Group, Southern Nigeria 186 Travelling on the Niger in the Dry Season 196 xii ILLUSTRATIONS Facing page i Felling a Mahogany-tree 203 j Squaring the Tree 203 1 Dragging the Squared Log. through the Bush .... 204 i Sapelli, Southern Nigeria's principal Timber Port .... 204 , A S11su Mallam 218 . Fulani Mallam 228 * Susit Chief and Staff 278 i Ashanti Field Force at Cape Coast en route for Kumasi 280 , Return of Ashanti Field Force 282 The Victim of a Rubber Raid 334 MAPS • Northern Part of Africa 38 , Northern Nigeria 84 Sketch Map showing Harbour Improvement Scheme, Ivory Coast page 273 Photographs marked thus * are reproduced from " Adamawa " by kind permission of Mr. Ernst Vohsen (Dietrich Xeimer). The author is indebted (through the kindness of a friend) to Dr. Afaclaud, of the French Guinea Administration, for several of the photographs here reproduced. FOREWORD MARY KINGSLEY " Mary Kingsley — the heir and sustainer of a great name, one of the ablest of that remarkable band of wandering writers, men and women, who are the eyes and ears of our nascent Empire, who are bringing home to England, that weary Titan, her tasks, her faults, her problems — Mary Kingsley has gone from us." — Mrs. Humphry Ward. Those who had the honour of knowing Mary Kingsley, and corresponding with her on West African affairs, who have studied her writings and her speeches, who realise all that this " good woman with a gigantic intellect " might have done for the Empire in West Africa had she lived, can with difficulty reconcile themselves to the inscrutable decree of Providence which robbed us of her presence. One of her greatest admirers to whom I was expressing the other clay much the same feeling, expressed a different view. " Miss Kingsley's work was done " — he said in effect — " she was the pioneer, she showed the way. That was her allotted task : the fruit of her labours will come in due season." It may be so. Indeed, when we think of what Mary Kingsley accomplished in the few short years which she devoted to West Africa, the thought arises whether there is not an element of unconscious selfishness in the desire that she might have been spared. The nature of the work she had undertaken, the intense fervour with which she devoted her self body and soul to preaching the morals it was given her to inculcate, the utter brain weariness which at times she was fain to admit — no mortal being could have endured for very long so perpetual a mental and physical strain. It was xiv FOREWORD a passing heavy load for a weak woman of indifferent health to bear, and in death Mary Kingsley has perhaps achieved a greater triumph, a success more striking and profound, than living on she would have attained. Death has had the effect of rapidly fertilising the seeds she sowed, and from her ashes have sprung forces gathering daily in power which, united in a common aim, are taking up her burden and carrying it along the path she pointed out, assured that every year will bring fresh helpers, be the obstacles ever so great. La verite esi en marche, and although the spirit of the hour is not precisely favourable to that patient investigation of West African problems which affords the only guarantee of political and administrative success, the phase is but a fleeting one, and when the present fashionable policy of force and hurry is found by practical tests to be even more sterile in useful results than the apathy which preceded it, the main truths Mary Kingsley taught will appeal to thinking men with an eloquence all the greater for having been temporarily obscured. On the personal aspect of Mary Kingsley's character one would fain dwell at length. Few women, I believe, have inspired all sorts and conditions of men with so intense a respect, so wondering an admiration. Few women are able, as Mary Kingsley was able, to draw forth, by the magic of her earnest personality, the best in a man. She was so un assuming, so unaffected, such a womanly woman in every sense of the word, that it appeared almost incredible she should have grasped the essentialities of West African politics with such comprehensiveness and scientific perception ; mastered, as no one had done before — in the sense, at any rate, of being able to impart the knowledge to the world — the intricacies of native custom and native law, or have affronted the physical perils she made so light of.