Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/461

TfiE EAST AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 876 Thk British East African Company. This association, founded for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the iiiternutional treaties awarding to England the region between the territory of the German East African Society and Somali Land, was virtually constituted a sovereign {)ower under the suzerainty of Great Britain by the issue of royal letters patent in the month of May, 1888. The extent of the territory over which the new state claims jurisdiction has not yet been accurately defined. But, roughly speak- ing, it stretches along the coast from the neighbourhood of Mombaz northwards to the Tana estuary, and thence westwards in the direction of Lake Albert Nyanza. Within this wide range are included the present iHdei)endent native states of Uganda and Unyoro, which, it is assumed, will ultimately accept the British pro- tectorate. Here arc some of the finest lands in the whole of Central Africa, and many parts of the coimtry are thickly inhabited by industrious populations accus- tomed to an organised government. Around the eastern and northern shores of Victoria Nyanza, which are comprised within this domain, there is a more or less settled population of probably over twelve millions, while numerous tribal com- munities are also grouped round the other great central lukes. England had long exercised an informal protectorate over the sultanate of Zanzibar and adjacent lands. But when that protectorate was practically sur- rendered to Germany by the convention of October 29th, 1886, far-seeing politicians felt that it would be unwise to leave to other nations the entire control of the trade routes between the coast of Zanzibar and the great equatorial lake regions. It was also considered that, Central Africa being the chief hunting-ground of the slave-dealers, if a strong administration could once be established in this region an effective check would be put upon the nefarious trade in human fiesh. Actuated by these motives, Mr. D. Mackinnon, of the British India Company, in conjunction with a number of influential persons long identified with philan- thropic work in England and abroad, conceived the idea of founding an East African Association, which should be empowered to perform higher functions than those of a mere trading company. The Sultan of Zanzibar was appealed to in the first instance, and readily induced to make liberal concessions, giving the society control over the seaboard north of the German company's domain, with special privileges constituting it practically an independent state. Included in the concessions are several small islands along the coast, amongst which is the important island of Pemba, hitherto forming an integral part of the Sultan's dominions. But these concessions would be of little practical use without the recognition of the European powers, and especially of Great Britain. For the purpose of securing this recognition representations were made to the British Government early in the year 1888, with the result that a royal charter was granted to the association, authorizing it to assume the administration of the region above roughly outlined. The British East African Company thus stands in the same rela-