The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1883.

Kumara Times, Issue 2071, 19 April 1883, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1883.

Affairs in the Congo country, West Africa, to assume a threatening aspect; in fact, our cablegrams to-day j state that a conflict is really expected between Stanley's exploring party and the French party under De Brazza. It was on or about the 20th of March last that De Brazza started from France on another expedition to (he Congo Rivs r. and it may be inferred that the nevv.s yesterday that a French, war ship had captured port Negro Loango, on the West African Coast, after severe fighting with the natives, has reference to De Brazza's arrival at the capital town of Loango. The news to-day of the despatch of three Portuguese men-of-war to St. Paul de Loanda, the capital of the southern territory of Augola (which is divided from Loango by the Congo River), implies that commercial difficulties have arisen in the . Congo country in which English interests are involved, for it will be remembered that in the British House of Commons on the 4th of the present month a motion was adopted setting forth " that no treaty should be concluded with Portugal unless the same guaranteed that

England should have commercial freedom on the Congo River, and perfect freedom in her action towards the civilization of the Central African tribes," or such, we suppose, as are located on the borders of that river. The Congo, in its most extensive application, comprehends the whole of the region lying along the south-western coast of Africa, and comprised in the four kingdoms or districts of Loango, Congo Proper, Angola, and Benguela, extending from 0° 44' to 15° 40' south latitude. The country is, as may bo already inferred, under Portuguese rule.