1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Cameroon

​CAMEROON^[1] (Ger. Kamerun), a German protectorate in WestAfrica, bounded W. by the Atlantic, N.W. by British Nigeria,N. by Lake Chad, E. and S. by French Congo, save for a shortdistance on the south where it is conterminous with the SpanishMuni river settlement.

Boundaries and Area.—The sea frontier extends from the Riodel Rey, just where the great bend of the coast-line east to southbegins, forming the Bight of Biafra, to the Campo river, a distanceof 200 m. The north-western boundary, laid down in anagreement between Germany and Great Britain on the 15th ofNovember 1893, runs from the mouth of the Rio del Rey to the“rapids” of the Cross river in 8° 48′ E. Thence it is continuedin a north-east line towards Yola, as far as the confines of thattown. The boundary is then deflected south so as to leaveYola in British territory, turning north again to cross the Benueriver at a spot 3 m. west of where the Faro joins the Benue.From this point the frontier goes north-east to the border ofLake Chad, 35 m. east of the meridian of the town of Kuka.The southern shores of Lake Chad for a distance of some 40 m.belong to the protectorate. The south and east boundarieswere laid down by agreements between Germany and France onthe 24th of December 1885, the 15th of March 1894 and the18th of April 1908. The south boundary runs in a fairly directline from the mouth of the Campo river to the river Dscha (orNgoko), which it follows to its confluence with the Sanga. Theeastern boundary runs from the Sanga irregularly north to 10° N.,where it approaches the British frontier at Yola, so that at itsnarrowest part the protectorate is little more than 50 m. across.From 10° N. the frontier turns eastwards tothe Logone, thence going north-east to theShari river, which it follows to Lake Chad.The protectorate has an area of about 190,000sq. m. Estimated population (1908) 3,500,000,of whom 1128 were whites.

Origin of the Name.—The name Camarões wasfirst given by the Portuguese discoverers ofthe 15th and 16th centuries to a large bay orestuary, lying south-east of a great mountainclose to the sea, met with after passing theNiger delta. This estuary they called the Riodos Camarões (the river of Prawns), from theabundance of the crustacea found therein.The name Camarões was also used to designatethe neighbouring mountains. The Englishusage until nearly the end of the 19th centurywas to confine the term “the Cameroons” tothe mountain range, and to speak of theestuary as the Cameroons river. Locally it wasoften called “the Bay.” On their acquisitionof the country in 1884 the Germans extendedthe use of the name in its Teutonic form—Kamerun—to the whole protectorate.

Physical Features.—Cameroon forms thenorth-west corner of the great Central Africanplateau. This becomes evident in its easternsection, where are wide-spreading plains, whichfarther west assume an undulating character,and gradually merge into a picturesque mountainrange. This range, running from northto south, is flanked by a parallel and lowerrange in the west, with a wide valley between.In the north-west the Upper Guinea mountainssend their eastern spurs across the boundary,and from a volcanic rift, which runs south-westto north-east, the Cameroon peak towersup, its summit 13,370 ft. high. This mountain,whose south-western base is washed by theAtlantic, is the highest point on the westernside of Africa, and it alone of the great mountainsof the continent lies close to the coast.From any vantage point, but especially fromthe sea, it presents a magnificent spectacle,while some 30 m. westward rises Clarence peak, the culminatingpoint of Fernando Po. With an area, on an isolated base, of700 to 800 sq. m., Cameroon mountain has but two distinctpeaks, Great Cameroon and Little Cameroon (5820 ft.), whichis from foot to top covered with dense forest. The nativedesignation of the highest peak is Mongo-ma-Loba, or theMountain of Thunder, and the whole upper region is usuallycalled Mongo-mo-Ndemi, or the Mountain of Greatness. On theprincipal summit there are a group of craters. In 1909 themountain was in eruption and huge streams of lava wereejected. Inland the Chebchi and Mandara mountains indicatethe direction and extent of the rift.

The mountains of the plateau sweep grandly round to the ​east on reaching the eighth degree of N. lat. Here they giverise to a number of small rivers, which collect in the rift andform the Benue, the great eastern affluent of the Niger. Thispart of the protectorate is known as Adamawa (q.v.). Farthernorth, beyond the Mandara mountains, the country, here partof the ancient sultanate of Bornu, slopes to the shores of LakeChad, and has a general level of 800 to 1000 ft. The greater partof Cameroon is thus a mountainous country, with, on the coast,a strip of low land. In the south this is very narrow; it widens towardsthe north save where the Cameroon peak reaches to the sea.

At the foot of the Cameroon peak a number of estuaries cutdeep bays which form excellent harbours. The small riverswhich empty into them can be ascended for some miles by steamlaunches. The principal estuary, which is over 20 m. wide, iscalled, as already noted, the Cameroon river or bay. The termriver is more particularly confined to a ramification of the estuarywhich receives the waters of the Mungo river (a considerablestream which flows south from the Cameroon mountains), theWuri, a river coming from the north-east, and various smallerrivers. Under the shadow of Cameroon peak lies the bay ofAmbas, with the islands of Ndami (Ambas) and Mondola. Itforms a tolerable harbour, capable of receiving large vessels.

Traversing the central portion of the country is a large riverknown in its upper course as the Lom, and in its lower as theSanaga, which enters the ocean just to the south of the Cameroonestuary. Both the Lom and the Nyong (a more southerlystream) rise in the central plateau, from which they descend insplendid cascades, breaking through the parallel coast range inrapids, which indicate the extent of their navigability. TheLokunja and Kribi are smaller rivers with courses parallel toand south of the Nyong. In the south-east of the colony thestreams—of which the chief are the Dscha and Bumba—aretributaries of the Sanga, itself an affluent of the Congo (q.v.).About 100 m. of the right bank of the Sanga, from the confluenceof the Dscha upwards, are in German territory. In the norththe country drains into Lake Chad through the Logone andShari (q.v.). Including the headwaters of the Benue the colonyhas four distinct river-systems, one connecting with the Niger,another with the Congo, and a third with Lake Chad, the fourthbeing the rivers which run direct to the sea. The Niger andShari systems communicate, with, at high water, but one obstructionto navigation. The connecting link is a marshy lake namedTuburi. From it issues the Kebbi (Mao Kebi) a tributary ofthe Benue, and through it flows a tributary of the Logone, thechief affluent of the Shari. The one obstruction in the waterwayis a fall of 165 ft. in the Kebbi.

Geology.—The oldest rocks, forming the greater mass of thehinterland, are gneisses, schists and granites of Archaean age.Along the Benue river a sandstone (Benue sandstone) forms thebanks to 14° E. Cretaceous rocks occur around the basaltplatform of the Cameroon mountain and generally along thecoastal belt. Basalt and tuff, probably of Tertiary age, formthe great mass of the Cameroon mountain, also the island ofFernando Po. Extensive areas in the interior, more especiallytowards Lake Chad, are covered with black earth of alluvial orlacustrine origin.

Climate.—The country lies wholly within the tropics and hasa characteristic tropical climate. In the interior four seasonscan be distinguished; a comparatively dry and a wet one alternating.July to October are the coldest months, and also bringmost rain, but there is hardly a month without rain. On thecoast the temperature is high all the year round, but on theplateau it is cooler. Malarial fever is frequent, and even theAfricans, especially those coming from other countries, suffer fromit. The middle zone of the Cameroon mountain has, however, atemperate climate and affords excellent sites for sanatoria.

Flora and Fauna.—The southern part of the low coast ischiefly grass land, while the river mouths and arms of the baysare lined with mangroves. The mountainous region is coveredwith primeval forest, in which timber and valuable woods forcabinet-making are plentiful. Most important are the Elaeisguineensis, Sterculia acuminata and the wild coffee tree. OnCameroon peak the forest ascends to 8000 ft.; above it is grassland. Towards the east the forest gradually grows thinner,assumes a park-like appearance, and finally disappears, widegrass uplands taking its place. The country north of the Benueis rich and well cultivated. Cotton and rubber are found inconsiderable quantities, and fields of maize, corn, rice and sugarcanebear witness to the fertility of the soil.

Animals are plentiful, including the great pachyderms andcarnivora. The latter prey on the various kinds of antelopeswhich swarm on the grass lands. Two kinds of buffaloes arefound in the forests, which are the home of the gorilla andchimpanzee. Large rodents, like the porcupine and cane rat,are numerous. Of birds there are 316 species, and several ofvenomous snakes.

Inhabitants.—The north of Cameroon is inhabited by Fula(q.v.) and Hausa (q.v.) and allied tribes, the south by Bantu-speakingraces. The Fula came from the north and north-east,gradually driving the Bantu-negroes before them. They broughthorses and horned cattle, unknown in these regions until then,and they founded well-organized states, like that of Adamawa,now divided between Cameroon and the British protectorateof Nigeria. In the vicinity of the rivers Benue, Faro and Kebbi,the people, who are good agriculturists, raise cereals and othercrops, while on the plateaus stock-raising forms the chief pursuitof the inhabitants. In this northern region villages are builtin the Sudanese zeriba style, surrounded with thorn fences;more important places are enclosed by a well-built wall andstrongly fortified. Of martial disposition, the people oftenwaged war with their neighbours, and also amongst themselvesuntil the pacification of the hinterland by Germany at thebeginning of the 20th century.

The Bantu-negroes inhabit the country south of about 7° N.Chief among the tribes are the Dualla (q.v.), the Ba-kwiri (q.v.),the Ba-Long, the Ba-Farami, the Wuri, the Abo and the Ba-Kundu.They build square houses, are active traders and areruled by independent chiefs, having no political cohesion.Among the Dualla a curious system of drum signals is noteworthy.In the coast towns are numbers of Krumen, who,however, rarely settle permanently in the country. The Fula,as also most of the Hausa, are Moslems, the other tribes arepagans. Missionary societies, both Protestant and RomanCatholic, are represented in the colony, and their schools arewell attended, as are the schools belonging to the government.In all the schools German is taught, but pidgin-English is largelyspoken at the coast towns.

Chief Towns.—Duala, the chief town in the protectorate, issituated on the Cameroon estuary at the mouth of the Wuririver in 4° 2′ N. 9° 42′ E. It consists of various trading stationsand native towns close to one another on the south bank of theriver and known, before the German occupation, as Cameroon,Bell town, Akwa town, &c. Hickory, on the north side of thestream and the starting point of the railway to the interior, isalso part of Duala, which has a total population of 22,000, includingabout 170 Europeans. Duala is the headquarters of themerchants and missionaries. The principal streets are wideand tree lined, the sanitation is good. The government officesare placed in a fine park in which are statues of Gustav Nachtigaland others. The port is provided with a floating dock. Theseat of government is Buea, a post 3000 ft. above the sea on theslopes of the Cameroon mountain. Victoria is a flourishingtown in Ambas Bay, founded by the British Baptist missionariesexpelled from Fernando Po in 1858 (see below). Batanga andCampo are trading stations in the southern portion of the colony.On the route from Duala to Lake Chad is the large commercialtown of Ngaundere, inhabited chiefly by Hausas and occupiedby the Germans in 1901. Another large town is Garua on theBenue river. Farther north and within 30 m. of Lake Chad isDikwa (Dikoa), in Bornu, the town chosen by Rabah (q.v.) as hiscapital after his conquest of Bornu. Gulfei on the lower Shariand Kusseri on the Logone are also towns of some note. Ngokois a trading station on the Dscha, in the south-east of the protectorate,near the confluence of that river with the Sanga.

​Products and Industry.—Cameroon is rich in natural products,one of the most important being the oil-palm. Cocoa cultivationwas introduced by the Germans and proved remarkably successful.Rubber is collected from the Landolphia and variousspecies of Ficus. Palm-oil, palm kernels, cocoa, copal, copra,Calabar beans, kola-nuts and ivory are the principal exports.There are several kinds of finely-grained wood, amongst whicha very dark ebony is specially remarkable. Cotton, indigo andvarious fibres of plants deserve notice. The natives grow severalkinds of bananas, yams and batatas, maize, pea-nuts, sugar-cane,sorghum and pepper. Minerals have not been found in payingquantities. Iron is smelted by the natives, who, especiallyamongst the Hausas, are very clever smiths, and manufacturefine lances and arrow heads, knives and swords, and also hoes.Dikwa is the centre of an important trade of which the chiefarticles are coffee, sugar, velvet, silk and weapons, as well as goldand silver objects brought by caravans from Tripoli. Thenatives round the Cameroon estuary are clever carvers of wood,and make highly ornamental figure heads for their canoes, whichalso sometimes show very fine workmanship. In the interiorthe people use the wild-growing cotton and fibres of plants tomanufacture coarse drapery and plait-work. Plantationsfounded by German industry are fairly successful. Largereserves are set apart for the natives by government whenmarking off the land granted to plantation companies. Thebest-known of these companies, the Süd-Kamerun, holds aconcession over a large tract of country by the Sanga river,exporting its rubber, ivory and other produce via the Congo.The principal imports are cotton goods, spirits, building material,firearms, hardware and salt. The annual value of the externaltrade in the period 1900–1905 averaged about £800,000. In 1907the value of the trade had increased to £1,700,000. Some 70%of the import and export trade was with Germany, the remainderbeing almost entirely with Great Britain. The percentage of thetrade with Germany was increasing, that with Britain decreasing.

Communications.—There is regular steamship communicationwith Europe by German and British boats. On the rivers whichrun into the Cameroon estuary small steam launches ply. Theprotectorate belongs to the Postal Union, and is connected by cablewith the British telegraph station at Bonny in the Niger delta.

An imperial guarantee of interest was obtained in 1905 forthe construction of a railway from Hickory to Bayong, a place100 m. to the north, the district traversed being fertile andpopulous. From Victoria a line runs to Soppo (22 m.) nearBuea and is continued thence northward. Another line, sanctionedin 1908, runs S.E. from Duala to the upper waters of theNyong. In the neighbourhood of government stations excellentroads have been built. The chief towns in the coast region areconnected by telegraph and telephone.

Government Revenue, &c.—The administration is under thedirection of a governor appointed by and responsible to theimperial authorities. The governor is assisted by a chancellorand other officials and an advisory council whose members aremerchants resident in the protectorate. Decrees having theforce of law are issued by the imperial chancellor on the adviceof the governor. In Adamawa and German Bornu are variousMahommedan sultanates controlled by residents stationed atGarua and Kusseri. Revenue is raised chiefly by customs dueson spirits and tobacco and a general 10% ad valorem duty onmost goods. A poll tax is imposed on the natives. The localrevenue (£131,000 in 1905) is supplemented by an imperial grant,the protectorate in the first twenty-one years of its existencenever having raised sufficient revenue to meet its expenditure,which in 1905 exceeded £230,000. Order is maintained by anative force officered by Germans.

History.—Cameroon and the neighbouring coast were discoveredby the Portuguese navigator, Fernando Po, towards theclose of the 15th century. They were formerly regarded as withinthe Oil Rivers district, sometimes spoken of as the Oil Coast.Trading settlements were established by Europeans as early asthe 17th century. The trade was confined to the coast, theDualla and other tribes being recognized intermediaries betweenthe coast “factories” and the tribes in the interior, whitherthey allowed no strange trader to proceed. They took a quantityof goods on trust, visited the tribes in the forest, and barteredfor ivory, rubber and other produce. This method of trade,called the trust system, worked well, but when the country cameunder the administration of Germany, the system broke down,as inland traders were allowed to visit the coast. Before thishappened the “kings” of the chief trading stations—Akwa andBell—were wealthy merchant princes. From the beginninguntil near the end of the 19th century they were very largelyunder British influence. In 1837 the king of Bimbia, a districton the mainland on the north of the estuary, made over a largepart of the country round the bay to Great Britain. In 1845, atwhich time there was a flourishing trade in slaves betweenCameroon and America, the Baptist Missionary Society madeits first settlement on the mainland of Africa, Alfred Saker(1814–1880) obtaining from the Akwa family the site for amission station. In 1848 another mission station was establishedat Bimbia, the king agreeing to abolish human sacrificesat the funerals of his great men. Into the Camerooncountry Saker and his colleagues introduced the elementsof civilization, and with the help of British men-of-warthe oversea slave trade was finally stopped (c. 1875). Thestruggles between the Bell (Mbeli) and Akwa families were alsolargely composed. In 1858, on the expulsion of the Baptistsfrom Fernando Po (q.v.), Saker founded at Ambas Bay a colonyof the freed negroes who then left the island, the settlementbeing known as Victoria. Two years after this event the firstGerman factory was established in the estuary by Messrs Woermannof Hamburg. In 1870 the station at Bimbia was given upby the missionaries, but that at Akwa town continued to flourish,the Dualla showing themselves eager to acquire education, whileSaker reduced their language to writing. He left Cameroon in1876, the year before George Grenfell, afterwards famous forhis work on the Congo, came to the country, where he remainedthree years. Like the earlier missionaries he explored theadjacent districts, discovering the Sanaga in its lower course.Although British influence was powerful and the British consulfor the Oil Rivers during this period exercised considerableauthority over the native chiefs, requests made by them—inparticular by the Dualla chiefs in 1882—for annexation by GreatBritain, were refused or neglected, with the result that whenGermany started on her quest to pick up unappropriated partsof the African coast she was enabled to secure Cameroon. Atreaty with King Bell was negotiated by Dr Gustav Nachtigal,the signature of the king and the other chiefs being obtained atmidnight on the 15th of July 1884. Five days later Mr E. H.Hewett, British consul, arrived with a mission to annex thecountry to Great Britain.^[2] Though too late to secure King Bell’sterritory, Mr Hewett concluded treaties with all the neighbouringchiefs, but the British government decided to recognize theGerman claim not only to Bell town, but to the whole Cameroonregion. Some of the tribes, disappointed at not being taken overby Great Britain, refused to acknowledge German sovereignty.Their villages were bombarded and they were reduced to submission.The settlement of the English Baptists at Victoria,Ambas Bay, was at first excluded from the German protectorate,but in March 1887 an arrangement was made by which, whilethe private rights of the missionaries were maintained, thesovereignty of the settlement passed to Germany. The BaptistSociety thereafter made over its missions, both at Ambas Bayand in the estuary, to the Basel Society.

The extension of German influence in the interior was graduallyaccomplished, though not without considerable bloodshed. Thatpart of Adamawa recognized as outside the British frontier wasoccupied in 1901 after somewhat severe fighting. In 1902 theimperial troops first penetrated into that part of Bornu reservedto Germany by agreements with Great Britain and France.They found the country in the military occupation of France.The French officers, who stated that their presence was due to ​the measures rendered necessary by the ravages of Rabah and his sons, withdrew their troops into French territory. The shores of Lake Chad were first reached by a German military force on the 2nd of May 1902. In 1904 and again in 1905 there were native risings in various parts of the protectorate. These disturbances were followed, early in 1906, by the recall of the governor, Herr von Puttkamer, who was called upon to answer charges of maladministration. He was succeeded in 1907 by Dr T. Seitz. Collisions on the southern border of the protectorate between French and German troops led in 1905–1906 to an accurate survey of the south and east frontier regions and to a new convention (1908) whereby for the straight lines marking the frontier in former agreements natural features were largely substituted. Germany gained a better outlet to the Sanga river.

The ascent of the Cameroon mountain was first attempted by Joseph Merrick of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1847; but it was not till 1861 that the summit was gained, when the ascent was made by Sir Richard Burton, Gustav Mann, a noted botanist, and Señor Calvo. The starting-point was Babundi, a place on the seashore west of the mountain. From the south-east the summit was reached by Mary Kingsley in 1895.