ram /oo \ ♦ \J THE «' n t ,, .€>>•* .‘•6 CONGO MISSION. you v- BY i- REV. EV F. MERRIAM THIRD EDITION. BOSTON : AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION, TREMONT TEMPLE. 1884 . MAP OF CENTRAL AFRICA. THE CONGO MISSION. I. THE COUNTRY. CENTRAL AFRICA has been compared to an inverted saucer. It is a high plateau of from two to four thousand feet elevation, surrounded by an elevated ridge, from which the land slopes rap¬ idly away to the north and south, and on the east and west to the sea. The edge of this plateau at the north is between four and eight degrees north latitude ; on the south it reaches nearly to Cape Colony; while on the east and west it is seldom more than one or two hundred miles from the sea. In consequence of this peculiar formation of the country, the navigation of all the rivers draining Central Africa is interrupted by cataracts in their lower courses. Says Mr. Keith Johnston, “ It is owing mainly to this physical cause that the African continent has remained for so many centuries a sealed book to the civilized world. On the other hand, it must be observed, that, when these outer barriers have been passed, the great interior of the land in its most productive regions possesses a network of vast rivers and lakes, unsurpassed in extent by those of any country in the world, by means of which the resources of Central Africa may in future be thoroughly developed.” THE CONGO VALLEY far exceeds any other portion of Central Africa in the extent of country which may be reached by its navi¬ gable streams, the variety and abundance of its products, and the number and character of its peoples. It includes practically the whole country from three degrees north latitude to twelve degrees south of the equator, and from the west coast to about thirty-two degrees east longitude, or two-thirds the way across the continent. Leaving out the great Desert of Sahara, this territory is about one- third of the inhabited portions of Africa, and is estimated to con¬ tain more than 2,500,000 square miles, or considerably more than the whole United States, excluding Alaska. The Congo River is navigable for vessels of five thousand tons to Vivi, one hundred 4 THE CONGO MISSION. and ten miles from its mouth. Then come the Livingstone Falls, thirty-two in number, and one hundred and eighty-five miles in length. From Stanley Pool, at the head of these falls, the Congo is navigable for vessels of light draught to Stanley Falls, one thou¬ sand miles; and it is estimated that branches of the river furnish a navigable way of four thousand miles more. THE PRODUCTS of the Congo Valley, owing to the fertility of the land, the location in the tropics, and the elevation above the sea, are exceedingly rich and varied. Much of the country is now covered with a dense forest, which may furnish the world with an indefinite supply of ornamental and useful woods. The ground, when cultivated, yields freely all the products of a tropical clime, with many of those usually grown only in the temperate zones. The extent of the mineral wealth of the country is wholly unknown at present, but the herds of elephants roaming its forests must be the chief supply of the ivory trade in the future. Mr. Stanley, in his great voyage down the Congo, saw immense stores of ivory lying in the native villages, unvalued on account of the difficulties of transportation. The trade of the Congo Valley with England already amounts to six million dollars per year, and its commerce will have a vast and rapid increase as soon as better facilities of communication are provided. Mr. Keith Johnston says, “The greater portion seems to be densely peopled with numerous tribes, and to possess inexhaustible natural resources.” THE CLIMATE. —Africa is the warmest continent of the globe ; and the Congo Valley, lying under and near the equator, might be expected to be the hottest part of Africa, but such is not the case. As it is nowhere less than twelve hundred feet above the sea, after passing the Livingstone Falls, the climate is more moderate even under the equator than many parts of the coast of Africa to the north or south; and, as a place of residence, the valley in the inte¬ rior is to be preferred to any portions of Africa near the sea, except perhaps in the extreme south. As to the healthfulness of the country, Mr. Stanley says that “ apart from a little risk of fever, when passing up the mouth of the river, there is no reason why white men should not enjoy as good health in the Congo Valley as in England.” All the deaths among his own men he attributes to gross imprudence, and, above all, to reckless exposure in the sun, and the incautious use of alcoholic drinks. Mr. H. H. Johnston, a recent traveller on the river, calls the Lower Congo not unhealthful for a tropical coast, and says, “ Beyond Stanley Pool I can only THE CONGO MISSION. 5 call the temperature delightful. It ranges at such a place as Msuata, for instance, from 87° in the shade at noon to 6o° at two in the morning; and this in the rainy or hot season. The highest temperature I have ever observed at Vivi was 98° in the shade, on a very hot day. It is quite possible to walk about all through the midst of the day, and not feel the heat disagreeable, provided you wear a helmet, and carry an umbrella.” It is now seen that the loss of so many missionaries as have already died on the Congo has been due chiefly to exposure and over-exertion. As the con¬ ditions of living in the Congo country are becoming better under¬ stood, there is no doubt the security to life and health will be greater. THE PEOPLE. — Stanford gives a list of six hundred and eighty- three tribes in Africa, speaking different dialects ; but many of these tribes are of the same race. In the north the chief race is the Berber; in the Soudan, the Foulahs; in the south are found the Kafirs and the Hottentots ; while the vast regions of Central Africa, from six degrees north of the equator to Cape Colony, and from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean, are peopled by variations of the great Bantu race. All the people of equatorial Africa, therefore, speak cognate dialects of what is really one great language, or family of languages, of which Mr. R. N. Cust reckons one hun¬ dred and sixty-eight dialects. The Suaheli of the east coast, Mr. Stanley found, could be understood on the lower Congo. Is it not possible that one written language may serve for these millions of people? Mr. H. Grattan Guinness has prepared a grammar and dictionary of the Congo language, and finds it rich in words and inflections, and admirably adapted to literary purposes. The character of the people in the Congo Valley varies much with different tribes and locations : some are warlike, some are peace¬ ful ; a few are cannibals ; and some tribes, like the Basongi encoun¬ tered by Lieuts. Pogge and Wissmann, are agricultural, and have attained a degree of civilization of their own kind. All the tribes of the Congo, as far as noticed, are intelligent, brave, and well- developed physically. In religion they are pagans, pure and simple, and offer the most favorable field for the introduction of Christianity. The population of the Congo Valley is estimated at forty-nine millions, or nearly that of the United States. Who can predict what these swarming millions, in their fertile and beautiful country, may become when brought into the blessed light of the gospel of Christ? ON THE UPPER CONGO RIVER. THE CO EGO MISSION. 7 II. THE LIVINGSTONE INLAND MISSION. Mr. Henry M. Stanley reached Boma, near the mouth of the Congo, Aug. 7, 1877, nine hundred and ninty-nine days after leaving Zanzibar, on the east coast. In a few months after the tidings of his long and perilous journey “ through the Dark Conti¬ nent ” reached England, the Lord stirred the hearts of a few of his servants to attempt the evangelization of the immense regions now for the first time opened to the knowledge of the civilized world. They were Messrs. J. and R. Cory, and the Rev. A. Tilly, of Cardiff; James Irvine, Esq., Liverpool; the Right Hon. Lord Polworth ; T. Coates, Esq., Paisley; John Houghton, Esq., Liver¬ pool ; W. T. Berger, Esq., Cannes; Mr. and Mrs. Grattan Guin¬ ness, London. Rev. A. Tilly of Cardiff was the first secretary of the misson. These friends banded together, and acted as the council of the mission until Oct. 8, 1880, when the responsible management was given into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Guinness; the others continuing to act as council of conference. The first two missionaries of the Livingstone Inland Mission sailed from Liverpool for the Congo in January, 1878, and reached Banana, a small settlement at the mouth of the river, at the end of February. In June, two more followed ; and “ Cardiff station,” named for the place where the enterprise had its origin, was estab¬ lished a few miles below the Yellala Falls. Palaballa, on the south side of the river, was soon afterward selected as the second station; and here Mr. James Telford died, and was buried in the first Christian grave on the Congo. In 1879 three male mission¬ aries were sent out, — one accompanied by his wife,—and also the wife of one already on the field. A third station was established at Banza Mantika. In 1880 five missionaries, with the wives of two, went to the Congo ; and a fourth station was founded at Matanddi Minkanda, opposite Vivi, and the fifth, forty or fifty miles beyond Banza Mantika, at Bemba in Manyanga. In 1881 seven missionaries were sent to the Congo ; and two died, Mr. Adam McCall, the leader of the mission, and Mrs. Mary Richards, the first female missionary to the Congo. She reached Africa in April, 1880, and died at Banza Mantika, Nov. 13. 1881. Twenty-two missionaries had now been sent out : four had died, three had been recalled as unsuited to the service, and three had returned to England to recruit their health, leaving twelve still on the field. In this year (1881) an iron house, a special gift 8 TIIE CONGO MISSION. to the mission, was sent out to be erected at Banana, at the mouth of the river; and also the steam-launch “ Livingstone,” intended for the navigation of the Lower Congo. The expenses of the mission this year were nearly twenty thousand dollars. In De¬ cember, 1881, and January, 1882, three missionaries made a jour¬ ney to Stanley Pool from Bemba station on the north of the river. A station was established in March, 1882, at Mukimbungu, on the south side of the river, nearly opposite the old station at Bemba in Manyanga, which was abandoned, as it was decided to be more advantageous to establish the route from the coast to Stanley Pool by the south side of the river. In August another station was planted, at Lttkungu; and July 31 the first two converts of the mission were baptized by Mr. Guinness in London, where the young men had been taken to assist in reducing the language to a written form. The third station founded in this busy year was at Mukimvika, on the south side of the mouth of the Congo, which was done for the purpose of reaching the coast tribes of that region. Banana was abandoned for health reasons. In Febru¬ ary, 1883, a site for a station was secured at Leopoldville, Stanley Pool; and thus the chain of stations, seven in number, completed from the coast to the head of Livingstone Falls. May 29 the stern paddle-wheel steamer “ Henry Reed,” intended for the navigation of the Upper Congo, was launched in London, and shipped via Rotterdam in November. The vessel was so con¬ structed as to be taken in pieces, and packed in five hundred small man-loads, for transportation from the coast to the Pool. She is seventy-one feet long, ten feet beam, and three feet deep, with light draught. In September, 1883, the mission-staff consisted of twenty-one members, — sixteen men and five women, — of whom five were in England on furlough. Early in 1884 Dr. Sims, of the Leopoldville station, made a journey to Bolobo , two hundred and twenty miles above Stanley Pool, and established a station there. The river is here four miles wide, and shallow in places. The district is very populous, the villages succeeding each other on the bank of the river almost without a break. The Bolobo station is situated on a bluff rising directly from the river. The country in the vicinity is a low table¬ land. The whole of the hull of the “ Henry Reed ” had reached Stanley Pool early in April, 1884 ; and it was hoped that it would soon be afloat on the Pool, from which there is open to it a stretch of navigable water four or five thousand miles in length, in the THE CONGO MISSION. 9 most fertile country on the globe, and inhabited by nearly fifty millions of human beings. Up to the present time fifty missionary agents, male and fe¬ male, have been sent to the Congo, of whom ten have died, and others left the service. The present staff consists of twenty-six missionaries, of whom three are now in England. The Congo language has been reduced to writing, a grammar and dictionary published, several hopeful converts gained, and seven stations established, extending more than five hundred miles into the inte¬ rior. The whole expense of the mission to the present time has been about a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This work was offered to the American Baptist Missionary Union in May, 1883 ; was accepted by the Society and Board of Managers at the Annual Meetings in Detroit, Mich., May 23 and 24, 1884, and by the Executive Committee, after a full conference with Mr. and Mrs. Guinness, Sept. 9, 1884. The formal transfer will be accom¬ plished before Jan. 1, 1885. Although its English friends will con¬ tinue to take a substantial interest in it, this great work will then look to the Baptists of the United States for its support and the means for farther progress. III. STATIONS AND MISSIONARIES. 1. MUKIMVIKA, ESTABLISHED 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. White. Miss Mary E. Cole. This station is on the south side of the mouth of the Congo, which is here seven and one-half miles wide. It is opposite Banana, which was formerly occupied as a station, but abandoned because not favorable to health. The house, of wood and iron, is on high ground, dry and healthy. The station is held for the purpose of reaching the Congo people on the south of the river, near the sea. They listen well to the gospel, in audiences of from forty to one hundred and fifty and more. There is a school for children connected with the station. 2. PALABALLA, 1878. Mr. Thomas S. Picton. Mrs. Henry Craven. Miss Spearing. Francis Walker, ) native Robert Walker, > assistants. I MAP OF THE LOWER CONGO THE CONGO MISSION. n This is the oldest station at present occupied by the mission, and the second established. Being the headquarters of the trans¬ port service, and a supply depot for the up-river stations, it is also at present the largest on the list. It is one hundred and ten miles from the mouth of the river, and twelve miles back from the south bank, on an elevated plain, which makes it cooler than a station on the river. There are eleven houses and outhouses in the station, and two acres of land planted with plantain-trees, sweet-potatoes, maize, beans, etc. Palaballa contains the first Christian church and the first Christian grave on the Congo. The natives assemble in good numbers to hear the gospel, and Miss Spearing has a school which is making fair progress. 3. BANZA MANTIKA, 1879. Mr. Henry Richards. Mr. Charles H. Harvey. Mr. Arthur V. Liley. This station is forty miles beyond Palaballa, and consists of seven buildings on three acres of land, which easily produce an abundant supply of plantains, maize, and sweet-potatoes, which in this, as in nearly all the stations, will furnish a large part of the food needed by the missionaries and their helpers and pupils. Mr. H. H. Johnston thinks that all of the necessities of life, in the line of food, may be raised in the stations; so that only luxuries need be imported from Europe and America. The natives are reached by preaching in the villages in the vicinity. 4. MUKIMBUNGU, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clark. Mr. P. Frederickson. Mr. N. Westlind. •Miss Skakle. This station consists of eight houses on three acres of land, and is finely situated on the brow of a hill, with an extended view of the river. It is forty miles from Banza Mantika. Markets are held near this station once in four days ; which call together large numbers of the natives, and afford fine opportunities for reaching them with the gospel. There is a school for children in the station. 5. LUKUNGU, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Ingham. Mr. John McKittrick. Miss Emily Harris. 12 THE CONGO MISSION. This station is twenty-nine miles from Mukimbungu, and has five houses, and two acres of land. A school has already been started, but the chief work of the station hitherto has been in the carrier service. It is not expected to be so in the future. 6. LEOPOLDVILLE, NTAMO, 1883. Dr. A. Sims. Mr. A. Billington. Mr. K. J. Petterson. Mr. Glenesk. Leopoldville is the English name given by Mr.. Stanley to the station of the International African Association at Stanley Pool; and Ntamo is the native name of the place at which the station, that of the English Baptist Mission, and of the Livingstone In¬ land Mission, is situated. Stanley Pool is a widening of the Congo River at the head of Livingstone Falls, about twenty-five miles long by sixteen broad, and is the starting-point for the navigation of the long reaches of the Upper Congo. The station is situated just at the foot of the Pool, on the south side, where the river nar¬ rows before entering upon its tremendous passage through the mountain range, where it descends more than eleven hundred feet in one hundred and eighty miles. The people about Stanley Pool differ in tribe and dialect from those lower down the river, and Dr. Sims is engaged in reducing their language to writing. He has collected about one thousand words each of the Bateke and Biansi languages, and is making good progress in them. The tongues of these people are called Kiteke and Kiansi; the Congo dialects inflecting by the first sylla¬ ble, instead of the last as in many languages. It is supposed that the steamer “ Henry Reed ” is now launched on Stanley Pool, and ready for her errands of mercy and life to the benighted pagans of Central Africa. Says Mr. H. H. Johnston : — “ Leopoldville, situated at the western entrance to Stanley Pool, is destined to be the great city of Central Africa. From its shores there are, according to Stanley’s calculation, 4,520 miles o> free navigation north and south and east, into the heart of Africa. It will one day be the terminus of a railway from the coast, and the starting point of a river journey half across Africa. The ivory, copper, and iron ; the spices, the wax, and the gums of the in¬ terior, — will meet in its marts the costumes of London and Paris, and products of the manufactures of the Old World.” (p. 164.) THE CONGO MISSION. T 3 7. BOLOBO, 1884. Lieut. Theodore H. Hoste. Mr. C. B. Banks. Mr. James B. Eddie. Dr. Sims secured the ground for a station -at this place early in the present year. It is two hundred and twenty miles above Stanley Pool, in the midst of a densely populated country. The station is on a bluff rising directly from the river. IV. REMARKS. The advantages of the Congo Mission are : — 1. A COUNTRY of vast extent, and one of the richest and most fertile in the world. While it would be saying too much to claim :hat the Congo Valley is as favorable to health as England or the United States, it is the most healthful of the regions of Central Africa, and probably more favorable to the residence of white men than either Burma or India. The Congo gives the shortest and best access to Central Africa from the great commercial countries of Europe and America, and it is believed that the metropolis of the future civilized and enlightened Africa will be on the navigable waters of the Congo. These great commercial prospects promise an easy access to the Congo mission, and safety and protection in the prosecution of its work. 2. A PEOPLE of vigor and intelligence. The farther travellers have gone into the interior, the finer the people become. In the great bend south of the Congo, Lieuts. Pogge and Wissmann found a people, agricultural in their pursuits, peaceful in disposi¬ tion, having acquired much skill in working metals, and with towns laid out in regular plans, one of which is fifteen miles long. The people of the .Congo Valley are as yet in pure paganism. Their religion is simple fetichism. Mohammedanism is making rapid strides in Africa, and has already run over all the Soudan country, but has not reached the Congo Valley to any considerable extent. How great an advantage it is to be able to prosecute a mission among a people without a systematic and organized religious system may be seen from the relative progress of Christianity in Burma among the Burmans, who are Buddhists, and of whom only about twelve hundred are now Christians; and among the Karens, who are simple spirit-worshippers, and of whom about twenty-four thousand are in Christian ■ churches. Another striking illustration of this advantage' is seen in the missions to the Pacific islands, where, in some cases, whole populations of large islands have LEOPOLDVILLE STATION (NTAMO), STANLEY POOL. THE CONGO MISSION. l 5 yielded to the gospel; and, on the other hand, in the missions to Mohammedans, from whom there are less than two hundred con¬ verts in all the world to-day, after so many years of labor. The conquest of Africa lies between Mohammedanism and Christianity ; and in the Congo mission, American Baptists have one of the best positions from which to go forward and win the heart of Africa for Christ. 3. THE WORK IS READY. —At the very beginning it was an¬ nounced that the aim of the Livingstone Inland Mission was to reach the millions of the interior. All the work hitherto done has been simply preparatory. Other missions on the east and on the west coasts have the same aim, and have also expended many thousands of dollars to gain but a foothold in the great interior. This work of preparation, costly in treasure and precious lives, has been done in the Congo mission; and the heart of the conti¬ nent lies open before us. In regard to the Congo mission, it can truly be said of American Baptists, “ Other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors.” We have but to take the work all ready to our hands, and go forward to the assured victorv. J FINALLY. — It is the firm conviction of many who have made a special study of the world, with reference to missionary work, that all things being considered, country and climate, races and religion, the Congo Valley affords the grandest opportunity for fresh missionary enterprise which the world has to offer to-day. More than'this. Looking the whole world over, seeing the evan¬ gelized portions, it is certain that the opening for new missionary work in the Congo Valley is the grandest which can ever be offered to the Christians of the world. The Congo Valley once occupied * by Christian missions, the world has not left so vast and needy a territory, so rich and fair a country, such vigorous and increasing peoples. It has been predicted, and not without a show of reason, that the African is to be the race of the future. Without doubt Africa is to see a great and splendid development in the near future. The fairest regions of this goodly heritage are open be¬ fore the Congo mission. Shall we go up and possess the land? THE STEAMER “HENRY REED,” UPPER CONGO.