Mission Work in West Africa.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7709, 11 January 1905, Page 4

Mission Work in West Africa.

In an {.interesting article entitled "Lost on the Cameroons Mountain," in the October Windsor Magazine, Sir U. H. Johnston writes : In 1880 I was her late Majesty's Yice-Consul in the Cameroons, a West African territory which had recently become a German possession. Readers are probably sufficiently well acquainted with the political geography of Africa to know that in 1884 Great Britain and Germany were engaged in a friendly rivalry for the political control over the Cameroons, and . that, ~as a temporary 'settlement, while Germany was allowed to establish a 'Protectorate over the grea'ter part of this region, Great Britain reserved to herself the right of annexing and administering the small territory lying between the western flanks of Mount Cameroons. and the sea coast known as Ambas Bay. This little colony of Ambas Bay had been originally founded by the English Baptist Missionary Society, which had first established itself in some force on the island of Fernando Po (a large island lying within sight of Ambas Bay) whilst that island was under the temporary administration of Great Britain. When the Spaniards, however, resumed their government of the island (which is still a Spanish possession), the Baptist Mission had to leave, owing to the opposition shown to its' work by the Roman Catholic missionaries at Fernando Po. The Spanish Government compensated the mission for its retirement ; and with the money 'thus obtained the Baptist Missionary Society bought from the natives the territory of Ambas Bay, which forms the nearest approach by water to the great extinct volcano of the Cameroons. From this territory of Ambas Bay the influence of the Baptist missionaries extended to the Comeroons River, ,■ and- in time a work was accomplished there which might rank- in value with the best of missionary efforts.