THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 245, 17 October 1888, Page 4

THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA.

The "New York World," commenting on the extension of British territory ia Africa j said:— '* An addition has been made to Queen Victoria's dominions of territory almost as large as half of Europe. The Niger country has very quietly been declared British territory, and it will be looked after in future by the Royal Trading Niger Corn-pany--a sorb of East India Company. Where is this expansion of the British Empire to stop, and what will be the ultimate result of this insatiable greed for land by John Bull ?:' Within a few weeks of these remarks beine made the Cape " Argus !) recorded still further annexation, or what is equivalent to the same thing, a suzerainty or 'protectorate over what is perhaps the last portion of the vast continent of Africa which is suitable for European occupation. Our old friend, Sir Hercules Robinson, was tha High Commissioner who completed this, which is described as a magnificent stroke of Imperial policy. Sir Hercules caused the native ruler of Matabeleland to sign a treaty binding himself never to sell or alienate the whole or any part of his property without the previous knowledge and sanction of Her Majesty's High Commissioner for South Africa. The chief of this land, whose name is Sobengala, rules over three peoples, the Amandebeie, the Mashuna and the Mallakalaka. His territory is bounded by the Zambesi in the north and tho Transvaal in the south.

According to tho Cape paper, the effect of this agreement is succinctly this, the native chief letains all his sovereign powers. He preserves and extends the trade routes, and Matateleland is one of the richest gold countries in the world. It is a high, healthy plateau, and will some day be a great country. It will be the last field open to European trade, for this New British Protectorate is bounded on the west by an impassable desert, on the north by a fever country, to the east by the same. The further advance of British or European power, therefore, is limited by this territory to the west, north and cast.

It would, appear that in the present scramble for Africa by the European Powers, the native rulers are quite cognisant of the fact thab sooner or later they must become absorbed by either one or the other, unless their position is clearly defined. With the example of British administration in Egypt and India, and elsewhere, those of, them who have sufficient intelligence see that British rule is a blessing and not a curse, and the territorial chiefs are now hastening to secure the beneficent protection of the British flag before their interests should be threatened by Germany, France or Italy. The chief of Amatongaland made a similar treaty with Britain a very shorb time ago, and as these chiefs are permitted to retain all their sovereign power, acknowledging however the British sovereign power as >paramounfc, the effect iB to add these dominions to the British Empire just as much as though they were peaceably annexed or token by conquest. British rule means peace, pros pei'ity,'and freedom from negro slavery; this the natives of South and Central Africa have no\y learnt, hence their

anxiety to place themselves under the protection of Britain rather than of any other Power. ~ .. . „„. The policy of accepting all this evei increasing responsibility will be looked upon as wise or foolish according to the political instincts of each individual. The Liberal party at Home has always been strongly opposed to any enlargement of the Empire or any increase of her duties and responsibilities, but the force of circumstances has overcome their political theories. We gave an extract not long since from the speech of the Hon. J. Chamberiain, in which he stated thab as a Minio.er of the Crown and a colleague of Mr Gladstone's, he held that their duty was to curtail ruther bhan extend the boundaries of the Empire ; but ho allowed thab years had brought him more wisdom, and bhab this nation' would not be true to itself, to its past history, and its manifest destiny if it declined to receive overtures from those native rulers who voluntarily come to place themselves under its protection. The following facts, showing when we acquired our possessions in Africa, and the steady, ever-increasing ratio in which we acQuired them, will prove interesting :—We I took possession of Cape Colony in 1795 ; Natal, 1843; Lagos, 1861; Cold Coast, 1872; Port St. John, 1884; Walfish Bay, 1354; Perabuland, 1885; Pondoland and Bechuanaland, 1886 ; . Transvaal, Fingoland, Basutoland, Transkei, St. John's Territory, Grigualand east and west, and Nigerland, 1387 : aud Amatongaland and Matabeleland, 1888.