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AFRICA
- STORY
Thus by the close of the 19 th century the political period under review that it passed through the various partition of Africa had practically been completed. There stages which led up to its becoming a French colony. Ihe remained still for settlement various questions of ^ first step was the placing of the foreign relations of the frontier, as between Great Britain, Egypt, and /fl island under French control, which was effected by the Abyssinia in North-East Africa, and between 1900, treaty of 17th December 1885, followmg the Franco- France and Morocco in the north-western corner Malagasy war that had broken out m 1883. In 18 of the continent. The limits of Barotseland to the west Great Britain and Germany recognized a French protec- had to be determined by Great Britain and Poituga , torate over the island, but the Hova government declined and much delimitation work had still to be done. But to acquiesce in this view, and in May 1895 France sent in its broad outlines the partition of Africa was begun an expedition to enforce her claims. The capital was and ended in the short space of a quarter of a century. occupied on 1st October in the same year, when Queen Much labour is necessary before the actual area of the Ranavalona signed a convention recognizing the french continent and its subdivisions can be accurately c eter protectorate. In January 1896 the island was declared a mined, but in the following table the figures are at least French possession, and on 6th August was declared to be approximately correct, and may be taken to represent the a French colony. In February 1897 the last vestige of political situation in Africa, from the European standancient rule was swept away by the deportation of thequeen. point, at the opening of the 20th century. It is peihaps Although the “Brussels Act” of 1890 did not affect the well to add that in fact large areas of the spheres assigned actual territorial partition of Africa, it had a direct bearing to different European Powers are still under native rulers on the manner in which the Powers discharged who have in no way admitted the title of their European ^Brussels the obligations which they assumed in acquiring overlords. Act of African territory, and must therefore be bneny 1890. referred to here. The British Government had Position in 1900. Square Miles. for long borne the greater part of the burden of combating the slave trade on the east coast of Africa and in the Indian British— 277,151 Cape Colony . Ocean, but the changed conditions which resulted from 29,434 Natal and Zululand . 10,293 the appearance of other European Powers in Africa induced Basutoland 386,200 Lord Salisbury, then foreign secretary, to address, m the Bechuanaland . 119,139 autumn of 1888, an invitation to the King of the Belgians Transvaal Colony 48,326 Orange River Colony to take the initiative in inviting a conference of the Powers 600,000 Rhodesia 42,217 at Brussels to concert measures for “ the gradual suppresBritish Central Africa Protectorate . sion of the slave trade on the continent of Africa, and the 670,000 British East Africa and Uganda _ „_ 1 immediate closing of all the external markets which it still Protectorates (including Nile basin to 10 JN. J 68,000 Somaliland supplies.” The conference assembled in November 188J, 310,000 Northern Nigeria and on the 2nd July 1890 a “General Act” was signed 21.500 Southern Nigeria 20.500 subject to the ratification of the various Governments Lagos and Yoruba 74.500 represented, ratification taking place subsequent y at Gold Coast (and hinterland) 33,100 Sierra Leone different dates, and in the case of France with certain 3,550 Gambia . reservations. The General Act began with a declaration of . 2,713,910 the means which the Powers were of opinion might be most Total British Africa effectually adopted for “putting an end to the crimes and devastations engendered by the traffic in African slaves, French— 184,474 Algeria Proper . 123.500 protecting effectively the aboriginal populations of Africa, Algerian Sahara 51,000 ' and ensuring for that vast continent the benefits of peace Tunis 182,000 Senegal . and civilization.” It proceeded to lay down certain rules 92,000 Guinea and regulations of a practical character on the lines sug119.500 Ivory Coast 59,000 gested. The Act covers a wide field, and includes no less Dahomey . 183,000 than a hundred separate articles. It established a zone Sudan Military Districts 550,000 “between the 20th parallel of north latitude and the Congo and Gabun 126,000 Bagirmi, Wadai, Kanem 22nd parallel of south latitude, and extending westward 1,892,000 Sahara, including Tibesti 14,000 to the Atlantic Ocean and eastward to the Indian Ocean Somaliland 228.500 and its dependencies, comprising the islands adjacent to Madagascar the coast as far as 100 nautical miles from the shore,^ 3,804,974 Total French Africa within which the importation of firearms and ammunition was forbidden except in certain specified cases, and German— 385,000 within which also the Powers undertook either to prohibit East Africa 322,450 South-West Africa altogether the importation and manufacture of spirituous 191,130 Cameroon liquors, or to impose duties not below an agreed-on mini34,800 Togoland . mum. An elaborate series of rules were framed for the 933,380 prevention of the transit of slaves by sea, the conditions Total German Africa on which European Powers were to grant to natives the 88,500 right to fly the flag of the protecting Power, and regulat- Italian— Eritrea 100,000 ing the procedure connected with the right of search on Somaliland vessels flying a foreign flag. The Brussels Act was in 188,500 Total Italian Africa . effect a joint declaration by the signatory Powers of their joint and several responsibility towards the African native, Portuguese— 4,394 and notwithstanding the fact that many of its articles Guinea 484,730 Angola have proved difficult, if not impossible, of enforcement, 301,000 East Africa the solemn engagement taken by Europe in the face of the 790,124 world has undoubtedly exercised a material influence on Total Portuguese Africa the action of several of the Powers.
