Stanley's journey across the Dark Continent was destined to be
the starting-point of an entirely new development of the African
problem. Even while Stanley was on his journey a conference had been
assembled at Brussels by King Leopold, in which an international
committee was formed representing all the nations of Europe, nominally
for the exploration of Africa, but, as it turned out, really for
its partition among the European powers. Within fifteen years of
the assembly of the conference the interior of Africa had been
parcelled out, mainly among the five powers, England, France, Germany,
Portugal, and Belgium. As in the case of America, geographical
discovery was soon followed by political division.

[Illustration: EXPLORATION AND PARTITION OF AFRICA.]

The process began by the carving out of a state covering the whole
of the newly-discovered Congo, nominally independent, but really
forming a colony of Belgium, King Leopold supplying the funds for
that purpose. Mr. Stanley was despatched in 1879 to establish stations
along the lower course of the river, but, to his surprise, he found
that he had been anticipated by M. de Brazza, a Portuguese in the
service of France, who had been despatched on a secret mission to
anticipate the King of the Belgians in seizing the important river
mouth. At the same time Portugal put in claims for possession of
the Congo mouth, and it became clear that international rivalries
would interfere with the foundation of any state on the Congo unless
some definite international arrangement was arrived at. Almost
about the same time, in 1880, Germany began to enter the field
as a colonising power in Africa. In South-West Africa and in the
Cameroons, and somewhat later in Zanzibar, claims were set up on
behalf of Germany by Prince Bismarck which conflicted with English
interests in those districts, and under his presidency a Congress
was held at Berlin in the winter of 1884-85 to determine the rules
of the claims by which Africa could be partitioned. The old historic
claims of Portugal to the coast of Africa, on which she had established
stations both on the west and eastern side, were swept away by the
principle that only effective occupation could furnish a claim of
sovereignty. This great principle will rule henceforth the whole
course of African history; in other words, the good old Border
rule--

"That they should take who have the power.
And they should keep who can."

Almost imm