Missions in Central Africa.
Until the Missionary Explorations of Dr. Livingstone had given us the
knowledge of the interior of Africa, nothing could be done towards the
evangelisation of its teeming populations; all effort was confined to
the coast. The Church Missionary Society were carrying on their work at
Mombasa, commenced in 1844 by Dr. Krapf, and after the early decease of
Bishop Mackenzie, of the Universities Mission, Zanzibar became the seat
of the Bishop of Central Africa.
The whole burden of the work rested on Dr. Livingstone’s shoulders.
For him the end of the geographical feat was the commencement of
missionary enterprise; misunderstood by most people, he endeavoured,
single-handed, to solve those geographical problems which must be
mastered before Christian missions could be commenced on practical and
comprehensive lines.
The salient points were ascertained, while his marvellous journeys
drew attention to the peoples and their needs. He went to open the door
to Central Africa, he flung it open wide, and when the news of the
Doctor’s death reached this country, it was felt to be a call to the
Christian Church for a new and worthier effort for the evangelisation
of the Dark Continent. From that time commenced that development of
Missionary Enterprise which is now steadily and surely overcoming the
difficulties which kept Africa so long secret; and already we are
not far from the time when chains of Mission Stations will cross the
continent.
The first to move was the Free Church of Scotland, followed at once
by the Established Church. In May, 1875, the first party started to
ascend the Zambesi, and by way of the Shire to reach the Lake Nyassa.
They took with them in pieces a steam launch, the Ilala; putting her
together at the Kongone mouth of the Zambesi, they ascended as far
as the Murchison Cataract on the Shire River. There the steamer was
again taken to pieces, transported, in 700 loads, past the cataracts,
reconstructed, and in October they steamed into the Lake Nyassa; a
week later the foundation of the Livingstonia Settlement commenced.
There are now several stations on the lake, school-work is being
energetically carried on, the New Testament has been printed this
year in Chinyanga by Dr. Laws, and everything is full of promise.
[Illustration: MAP OF MISSIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA.
C.M.S. Church Missionary Society.
L.M.S. London Missionary Society.
Univ. M. Universities Mission.
Sc. M. Established Church of Scotland.
Sc. M.(Fr.Ch.) Free Church of Scotland.
U.Meth. United Methodist Mission.
B.M.S. Baptist Missionary Society.
A.B.M.U. American Baptist Missionary Union.
U.P. United Presbyterian.
A.P. American Presbyterian Mission.
A.E.M. American Episcopal Mission.
]
The Established Church of Scotland has its mission at Blantyre, near
to the Murchison Cataracts; and lately the Universities Mission has
undertaken work at Chitesi’s, on the eastern shore of the Lake Nyassa;
they have also a steamer.
Beside these societies, the African Lakes Company has been formed for
commercial purposes, seeking to develope the resources of the country
and the industry of the natives, and while carrying on trade on a sound
business basis, to do so on Christian principles.
To-day they are prepared to book passengers and goods from this country
as far as the northern end of Lake Nyassa, from which point the
‘Stevenson Road’ is in process of construction, to the southern end of
Tanganika. This work has been delayed in consequence of the death of
Mr. Stewart, the engineer in charge; and at the end of last July, we
learnt, with regret, that Mr. McEwen, who went to take his place, has
also succumbed to the climate. It is to be hoped that before long some
Society will be able to undertake mission work on the head waters of
the Congo, reaching Lake Bangweolo by way of Lake Nyassa, and so on to
the Luapula and the Lualaba.
A letter from Mr. H. M. Stanley, which appeared in the _Daily
Telegraph_ of Nov. 15, 1875, giving an account of his visit to Mtesa,
the powerful king of Uganda, on the northern shore of Lake Victoria
Nyanza, spoke of Mtesa’s earnest desire that Christian teachers should
be sent to his country. A few days later, an anonymous friend offered
£5000 to the Church Missionary Society, towards the establishment of
a Mission on the Victoria Lake. A similar offer of £5000 followed a
day or two after. The offers were accepted, and in the middle of the
following year the pioneer party of the Mission reached Zanzibar. A
line of stations has now been established between the coast and Rubaga,
the capital of Uganda, at Mamboia, Mpwapwa, Uyui, and Msalala. Although
the missionaries have experienced much difficulty from the first,
and since Mtesa’s death a fierce persecution has raged, still the
Mission has steadily advanced; some eighty natives have been baptized,
including one of Mtesa’s daughters. Schools and translation work have
had a good influence, and the blood of the martyrs at Uganda, as
elsewhere, is proving ‘the seed of the Church.’
[Illustration: BAYNESTON, ON THE CONGO.]
The old Mission at Mombasa, Kisultini, and Frere Town, is still being
carried on, and is extending its operations into the interior. It
is hoped that soon a shorter route to the lake may be opened up from
Mombasa, by way of Mount Kenia, on the lines of Mr. Thomson’s recent
journey.
The Universities Mission has its headquarters at Zanzibar, whence its
operations are carried on on the mainland opposite, in the district
behind Mombasa, and on Lake Nyassa.
The United Methodist Free Church has also a mission in the interior,
behind Mombasa.
In 1877 the London Missionary Society, aided by the generous gift of
£5000, by Mr. Robert Arthington of Leeds, undertook mission work on
Lake Tanganika. They now occupy Urambo in Unyanyembe, and Uguha, on the
western shore of the lake; also Liendwe at the south-western end, where
they have been constructing their steamer the Good Tidings, which has
been conveyed to that point by the African Lakes Company. The steamer
has been launched, and by last advices she was waiting for some heavy
parts of her machinery, which were delayed on the road.
The Arabs have so harassed the districts round the lake, that mission
work is very difficult and trying; but when the steamer is complete, a
station will be built at the south-eastern corner of the lake, which
will be the terminus of the Stevenson Road. In the meanwhile, progress
with the language is being made.
Thus, in spite of toil and difficulty, privations and losses, the
continent is been attacked from the east coast, and in less than ten
years the best strategic points have been occupied.
Neither has there been any crowding of several missions on one spot.
The field is large, and each of the great societies is far apart from
the other, but so arranged that between them the best points and most
practicable lines have been taken.
The same policy is being carried out on the south-west coast. The
Baptist Missionary Society have been established in the Cameroons
district since 1845; and four hundred miles further to the south, the
American (North) Presbyterian Church carries on the mission founded
in 1842 at the Gaboon. Neither of these missions have been able to
make much progress into the interior, and each has been lately brought
almost to a standstill by the harsh and arbitrary action of European
Governments.
Three years ago, the French Governor of the Gaboon made a law that
there should be no instruction in the native language. Everything
was to be on the lines of the French normal schools; other harassing
restrictions were made, calculated to close the Protestant schools,
and the utmost has been done to drive out the American missionaries,
and indeed all foreigners (traders, etc., other than French). The
schools have been closed; but otherwise the foreigners have not been
driven away. All are hoping for a better, more reasonable policy.
In 1885 the German Government, in quest of unannexed lands on the
African coast, took possession of the Cameroons. Their shameful
treatment of the Baptist missionaries is fresh in the memory of all,
and need not be recounted; suffice it to say that the policy of the
French in the Gaboon has been followed, with greater determination and
energy. Feeling that it was impossible to Germanise their new colony so
long as the English missionaries were present who had reclaimed it from
savagery, they have determined to drive them away, and the mission will
have to be abandoned at an early date. This arbitrary action on the
part of civilised governments renders hopeless any attempt to reach the
Congo Basin from the west coast by any route other than the great river
itself, which, happily, has now been declared open and unrestricted to
missionaries and traders.
Before giving particulars of the two missions on the Congo, it will
be best to note the other missions along the coast. In 1885, Bishop
Taylor, of the American Episcopal Methodist Church, started with a
party of twenty missionaries, intending to enter the continent by way
of Loanda and the Kwanza river, to establish a chain of stations as
far as Nyangwe, on the line of Pogge and Wissmann’s recent journey.
At Nyangwe they hope to meet with a like party starting from the
east coast--a grand idea, and by no means impracticable. Many of the
missionaries are accompanied by their wives and families, and there is
an idea that after a station is built it can become self-supporting.
We have reason to fear that the hardships of the pioneer work will
lessen this brave band, and prove specially trying to the women and
children; but the self-supporting idea could only be entertained by
those ignorant of African life and circumstances. This will be a
matter of painful experience; but as the mission comes face to face
with the difficulties and realities, we may expect that more practical
lines will be adopted, and that, with the necessary reinforcements
and supports, their grand scheme will be carried out. Such a party as
twenty missionaries, with wives and families, must be very unwieldy and
difficult to provide for, arriving, as they did, on the coast without
any previous experience or friends.
We would not criticise, but only suggest that, in these days, when so
much information about Africa may be obtained, it is well for those who
contemplate founding new missions to use every precaution to minimise
risk and difficulties.
A few months ago, a Faith-healing Mission, a party of four men, sent by
Mr. Simpson’s church in New York, started for the Congo. They held this
same notion of self-support, and of being able to establish mission
work far into the interior with a small sum of money. I saw the leader
of the party, gave him the fullest information, and more advice than
was agreeable. They reached the Congo, and, ignoring medicine, the
leader died in a week or two, the rest were obliged to abandon their
principles, and the mail of May brought a message from them that they
wish they had followed my advice. They had come to the end of their
means, differences of judgment had arisen; without money enough to
return home, they were hoping to get some employment on the coast, and
thus to earn sufficient to return. Such a story needs no comment, but
certainly ought to be known.
The next point occupied along the coast is Benguela, whence the
missionaries of the American Board had extended their operations as far
as Bihe (Ovihe). The intrigues of Portuguese traders resulted in their
being driven away from Bihe and Bailunda, and nearly all the party
returned home. We hope, however, to hear shortly that the work, which
commenced with so much promise, has been resumed, and that the southern
districts of the Congo Basin may be evangelised by that agency.
Further south we find the Rhenish Missionary Society in Namaqualand;
but there we are beyond the limits of the Congo Basin.
So the various societies are attacking the continent from the west
coast at points about four hundred miles apart. Roman Catholic Missions
have been established in the Gaboon territory, also at Loango, Landana,
on the Congo as far as Stanley Pool, in the Portuguese possessions
south of the Congo, and on the Cunene River.
On the east coast they are at Zanzibar and Bagamoyo; also on the
Victoria, Nyanza, and Tanganika lakes, and on the Zambesi River.
[Illustration: THE PLYMOUTH AFLOAT.]