TEE CONGO.
The Berlin if not the sole proprietary Power on the Lower
Conference. . Niger.
In order to make a consecutive narrative of the
principal events connected with the sittings, I append
a brief diary of the events which led to the final
act.*
November 19th.—Portugal declares its acceptance of
the principle of freedom of commerce.
Count de Launay declared his adhesion to the principles
of Free Trade and navigation.
The American Minister makes a speech in harmony
with the principles for which the Conference has been
invoked; is complimentary to the author, and informs
his colleagues that the author has been appointed
technical delegate for the United States.
. A Commission is to be appointed to consider the
boundaries and the extent of the territories in Western
Africa in which Free Trade is to he established.
The plenipotentiaries are entertained at dinner by
Count Hatzfeldt, Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
November 20th.—A Commission composed of the
plenipotentiaries and delegates considered the definition
of the Congo basin. There was a curious reluctance
to speak, as though there was some grand scheme of
State policy involved. Finally Mons. Banning briefly
stated that the Congo basin signified the area of land
drained by the river. Colonel Strauch acquiesced in
Mons. Banning’s remarks. I being next on the roll
of delegates was asked, arid replied at length (see
* See Appendix.
Appendix), arguing for a broad commercial delta The Berlin.
380 miles wide to a free commercial basin, that is,
from the mouth of the Loge river to 2° 30' S. Lat.,
and also suggested, quite unexpectedly to the members,
that it would be wise to extend the same liberty for
trade across Africa to within one degree from the sea-
coast from N. Lat. 5° to and inclusive of the lower
Zambezi. Mr. Anderson, of the English Foreign Office,
endorsed my remarks about the breadth of the free
outlet to the commercial basin of the Congo. Mons.
de Bloeme, on the part of Holland, also warmly supported
the. proposition. The Portuguese delegates proposed
to. narrow the outlet solely to the. river-mouth.
Dr. Ballay argued that the outlet to the commercial
basin should be restricted to the affluents flowing to
the Congo below Stanley Pool, which near the mouth
would be only twenty miles wide.
November 24th.-—The Commission finally accepts
the definition of the free littoral or debouchure of
the commercial basin as proposed by Mr. Anderson,
M. de Bloeme and myself, and. agreed that the same
freedom of commerce should be extended .east as
far as the Indian Ocean, with due reserve to the
rights of suzerainty now existing along the Oriental
coast.
Mons. de Bloeme delivered an interesting speech
respecting the Dutch commerce on the Congo, and
Herr Woerman gave evidence as to the character and
extent of the trade on the West Coast.
This evening I dined with Prince Bismarck. I am