THE CONGO.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1329, 5 January 1912, Page 5

THE CONGO.

THE CEDED TERRITORIES., ■ ' The character of tho' Congo ■ regibis ceded by France to Germany is described as follows by the "Times":— Tho triangle with its base on. tho.coast comprises about 35,000 square kilometrc.i of territory. It is'inhabited, with' a density of population of,about six to the square kilometre, by fetish-worshipping tribes who are warlike but given, to trading. The territory has hardly bcon occupied by France except .in.tho,portion re presenting tlio eastern-section of the triangle—roughly, tho portion east of the river Irindo. There- aro no telegraph lines, railways, or other ' adjuncts "of civilisation. The concession'". of , the N'Goko Sanga Company is situated in this territory. But tho monopoly Of the company lias been turned to such small account that tho territories' liavo been chiefly exploited by traders/belonging ,to tho South Cameroon;, Company. It is oven stated that a large section .of the Middle French Congo, up to 00 miles from tho German frontier, was in 1907 already overrun by German officials as well as traders. .'" In tho norlion of the . ceded territory south of Wesso and of Mongunibo, representing some 80,000 to 100.000 square kilometres, there are very lew ants. These' regions are niostly swamps. Sleeping rickness prevails on the upper Sanga and has greatly diminished. _ the number of the inhabitants. Somo bridges have been built and medical stations established by tho French, but the total valuo of thesa works is not more than ,CB,OOO. The territory north of latitude 2 degrees North coincides vrtih the concessions of the Sanga-Übangi Company. Twothirds of its capital is French and tho rest Belgian. The third section of the ceded territory reaching to tho southern sitlo of the "Duck's Bonk" has a superficies of from SO.OOO to 120,000 square Iciloiuetres. .. Its character south of latitude 7 degree; North is approximately the same as that of the district which luis just been described. North of that parallel tho country is Sudanese in character,with bare plateaux alternating with brushwood. In tho southern section tho rubber forests are .in tho hands' of the Ccinpagnio Colonialo du Coiigo Francais, «nd the Uame Nana Companies, whose capital is foreign. Their monopoly ruiis till IiMO. North of latitude 7 degrees millet and cotton aro grown and cattle aro raised. '■ ' ' . . ' ; : - ■

The total extent, of the territory, cdod to Germany is estimated at from 180,(100 to 250,000 square kilometres. The wide margin of this estiinate indicates Mint tlin work of delimitation will not foe, wry easy. , Tho black population is estimated at from 1,000,000 to 1,200,000. The revenue is about .£48,000, derived from, the capitation tax, while the compnuics wlii;h hold concessions pay dues to the 'amount of from .CM,OOO to .£32,000 a year. Tlio total tvado in imports and exports is about .£IOO,OOO to .£480,000. .

Prisoners in the Montgomery City Gaol, Chicago, are now permitted to go out liud fish all day. ' " ' ■■• • • ■ \