Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/553

 NIGER TERRITORIES 209

amounting to 700?. ; but the educational establishments are stated to be still insuflicient for the needs of the Protectorate.

Total revenue, 1897-98, 153,181/.; customs revenue, 145,440?. ; expendi- ture, 121,900?. ; balance, 47,900? , several departmental orders being un- executed at the end of the year.

Fully nineteen-twentieths of the extensive trade is in the hands of British merchants. Imports 1896-97, 655,977?.; 1897-98, 639,698?.; exports, 1896-97, 785,605?. ; 1897-98, 750,223?. Of the imports in 1897-98, 504,802?. in value came from the United Kingdom ; of the exports, the value of 497,589?. went to the United Kingdom. The chief products exported are palm oil, palm kernels, india-rubber, ivory, ebony, camwood, indigo, gums, barwood, hides, and a little cacao ; and the imports consist of cloth, calico, hardware, spirits, tobacco, gunpowder, guns, rice, bread, salt, pickled meat, matchets, soap, pottery, and fancy articles. The leading trade stations in the Oil Rivers District are Old Calabar (Duke Town and Creek Town), Qua Eboe, Opobo (town) and Azumini, Ohumbela, Ogogo, Essene, &c. (interior Opobo) ; New Calabar — including Degama, Bakana, Buguma, Okrika, &c. — Bonny, Brass, Warri, Benin, Sapele. At the ports of the Protectorate in the year 1897-98 there entered 342 vessels of 488,952 tons, and cleared 340 of 485,890 tons.

There is as yet no uniform currency within the Protectorate, barter, brass rods and copper wires, cowries, an imported Manila currency, and a small cash currency being employed by different classes or in different districts ; and a uniform system of weights and measures does not exist.

The majority of the merchants trading in the Protectorate amalgamated in 1889 into the African Association, Limited, of Liverpool, with a nominal capital of 2,000,000?., with power to increase as far as 5,000,000?. The subscribed caj)ital is stated as 425,000?.

Imperial Commissioner and Consiil-General, SirR. D. R. Moor, K. C. M.G Deputy Gommissioiur^ dbc — Major H. L. Gallwey, C.M.G., D.S.O.

NIGER TERRITORIES.!

These are governed by the Royal Niger Company, under a charter issued on July 10, 1886. Its capital of a little over 1,000,000?. is fully subscribed, and it has powers to increase indefinitely. Its foundation dates from 1882, when it was formed under the name of The National African Company, Limited, with the object of obtaining these regions for Great Britain. This was eff"ected in 1884-86 by means of about 300 treaties with native States and tribes, including the territories of Sokoto and Borgu. Since then 200 further treaties have been made, completely filling up the gaps.

According to the Anglo-French Agreement of August 5, 1890, the limit between the British and French spheres on the Niger is a line from Say, on

1 Arrangements are in progress for the transference of the Niger Territories from the Royal Niger Company to the Government, to be administered under the Colonial Office. There will be a new delimitation between the Territories and the Protectorate. The name will be changed probably to that of the " British 8udan." The first administrator under the Colonial Office will probably be Colonel F. D. Lugard, C.B., D.S.O., who is at present organising a West African Military Force which will be entirely under the regulation of the Government of the Territory. When the new agreement with France is ratified, it will deprive the Niger Territories of about l.'>0,000 square miles of their area, which will be reduced to 350,000 square Juiles. It is expected that the transft'r^lice will ha completetl
 * )efQr§ the ^\y\ of the present Sesfiion of Parliaw^pt,