Catalog Record
Illustrations, map. Illustrations include views of Lagos, Fernando Po, the mission at Gabon, and Saint-Paul of Loanda; portraits of men from Dahomey and Gabon, Assini and Pahouin men, Fan men and women, Commi women, the pilot Joseph and Bulu men, the children's orchestra at the Gabon mission; and chiefs of six tribes, all showing clothing, hairstyles, etc.; a conference at Agagogo on the Fernando Vaz River; and sculpted ivory from Angola (pp. 294-295).. The author, commanding the Zénobie, traveled the West African coast from Morocco to Cape Town, scouting possibilities for expansion of French commercial interests. The article appears in 31 parts in three separate volumes of Tour du Monde. This article covers parts 22-31. Previous parts appear in 1,1872, and 2, 1873. Fleuriot de Langle's report continues with details of European commercial interests on Africa's west coast, from Dahomey to Cape Town, describing treaties, local tribal interdependencies and alliances upon which French trade depends, the effects of trade on the social organization of some tribes, and the commodities sought. The author mentions plans to gain access to the upper Niger by gaining control of central Sudan. Beyond that, he describes the coastal settlements large and small and sketches the history of European exploration of major rivers (the Niger, Muni, Gabon, Fernand Vaz, Ogooué, Congo, and Coanza), naming ships and their captains and also other explorers. He also mentions the contributions of European and American missionaries in education and agriculture. A close observer of local cultures, he notes many and focuses on several: the domain of King Bahadou (Dahomey), of King Denis (Gabon), and King Pepel (the Niger delta) and offers interesting details of religious belief and initiations. For example, on the banks of the Congo live priests who can make corpses move automatically (perhaps through knowledge of magnetism, for magnetic ore is found in the region). The use of women as beasts of burden and as common currency in inter tribal negotiations is widespread.