French on the Niger.

Manawatu Herald, 19 May 1898, Page 2

French on the Niger.

By reference to the cablegrams published elsewhere it will be seen that the straight-out talk of Mr Joseph Chamberlain has been styled by a French paper as " cold-blooded violence," but whether it was hot or cold another cablegram shows that the words used have had some effect as the French have evacuated Kiahi, a town on the western side of the Niger. As so much depends on the position of the French on the Niger, i resembling, as an English editor I puts it, to the French calmly occupying the Isle of Wight, we will endeavour to explain the lay of the country as clearly as is possible without the aid of a map. In the Gulf of Guinea is the settlement of Lagos, the western boundary of whioh is determined for over 200 miles due north, from which point it is understood it runs to a town called Say on the river Niger, being almost in a direct line with the determined boundary but some 490 miles inland from the coast. The river Niger runs from Say to its mouth at Akasa in the Bhape of a badly formed B. If the Bhape of this letter is kept in mind the des cription frill be easy. The airtight

stroke of the letter represents the boundary of Lagos from the Bea to Say and the top and right hand side of the letter represents the Niger, whilst the bottom is roughly the coast line. All the land on the right of the letter is managed by the Royal Niger Company and the greater portion is the Hausa States from which a good fighting force is recruited. The upper loop of the letter B is the disputed territory, and in whioh the French have lately established 14 military posts in spite of the expostulations of Great Britain. The post Kishi from which the French have just retired is the most southern one in that portion, and may be described as being just on the cross stroke of the letter. We have therefore no assurance that though the French have moved a littte that they will quietly move right off this disputed country, and it does not look as though they would, as knowing the great ad van* tage of water carriage into the interior, and.it must be remembered that the Nigar runs an immense distance to the west into acknowledged French territory, they have desired to have the control of one side of the river as far south as they dared. To make a start in th; upper loop of the letter B they have seven posts and will stick to them a-) long as they can. We may just add that from the port of Lagos, say close to the bottom of the letter B going in a diagonal manner to the intersection of the swell of ib» right of that letter, upon the map to a town on the Niger called Ral>b&, a railway is in course of c-m-tmction through Lagos, aud which will give quick communication for troop', by saving something close on 400 miles of river tran.-'por*. This may be a reason for th:.- French moving first from a point so easily reached.