Description: 1895 Map of the Eastern Congo Basin showing the tracks of 10 explorers WE SELL ONLY ORIGINAL ANTIQUE MAPS - NOT REPRODUCTIONS Title: Map of Part of the South Eastern Congo-Basin Showing Recent Exploration Description: A rare 1895 Royal Geographic Society map of the southeastern Congo River Basin - the first detailed map to compile over twenty years’ exploration along the courses of the Sankuru, Lomami and Lualaba rivers. This period culminated in the Congo Arab War, a conflict pitting the Belgian proxy government against a coalition of Arab slavers attempting to wrest control of the Congo Free State. On the MapThe rivers are drawn in sharp detail, showing myriad tributaries, rapids and sketching in roughly the surrounding topography. Better detail is given for villages, settlements and tribal areas. Of paramount interest are the tracks of ten separate European explorers who, between 1870 and 1894, undertook expeditions along these rivers. These routes are printed in red, differentiated from one another by pattern, and are keyed to a list. These start with the famous Livingstone expedition to find the source of the Congo, and end with the 1892-94 military expedition of Baron Dhanis, under whom served the author of the map and the article associated with it. The Congo Arab War This part of the Congo Free State was in the 1890s the scene of the Congo Arab War, largely a proxy war between tribes allied with the Belgian Congo Free State, and those allied with a coalition of Arab Slavers under Tippu Tib and his son, Sefu bin Hamid. The war, which was positioned as an effort to eradicate the Arab slave trade in the region, resulted in the consolidation of Belgian power over the remote quarters of the Congo Free State. The main source of new information to the map, Captain Sidney Langford Hinde, was a medical officer and naturalist serving with the Belgian Force Publique during the war, the events of which he describes in a 1895 article in The Geographical Journal entitled ‘Three Years’ Travel in the Congo Free State.’ (The present map was produced to accompany the article.) The article - and consequently the map - chronicles the Dhanis expedition’s progress through country inhabited by cannibal tribes, villages destroyed by marauding slavers, fording treacherous rapids, and the eventual defeat of the Arab forces at Nyangwe on the shore of the Lualaba River, one of the uppermost tributaries of the Congo. The war appears to have largely hinged on the defection from the Arab to the European camp of the tribal leader and former slaver Ngongo Lutete, whose stronghold of N’Gandu is shown on the map on the Lomami River. Sources The map was compiled from various current sources by Bernard Vernon Darbishire on behalf of the Royal Geographic Society, including manuscript maps provided by Hinde. The article notes:With the work of the older explorers, whose routes are laid down on the map, has been incorporated material supplied by captain Hinde, in the shape of sketch-maps made by himself and other officials of the Congo State… … The courses of the Lukunga and Lualaba from Mbuli’s to Lukuna are from Captain Hinde’s compass-survey, with additions from the survey made by Mr. Mohun (‘Mouvement Geographique,'1894, p. 84). The course of the Lualaba below Lukuna is from Dr. Lenz’s survey. Thus, the map compiles a broad array of extremely up-to-date reports coming to the attention of the Royal Geographic Society membership, resulting in a sharply detailed map of a region otherwise virtually unknown to Europeans barely more than a decade before, and which to this day remains poorly mapped. Effective OccupationThe 1884-85 Berlin Conference adopted the Doctrine of Effective Occupation as a baseline for establishing and maintaining colonial claims. According to this doctrine, colonial powers needed to prove 'effective occupation.' This means they needed to establish the existence of treaties with local powers, show that their flags were being flown, or have active forts in the region. The doctrine led to increased European military and economic activity in Africa as individual powers sought to bolster their 'effective occupation' claims. While this, in part, led to the advancement of infrastructure in Africa, including the construction of modern facilities such as hospitals and railroads, it also led to more intensive direct ownership of colonial lands by Europeans and the exploitation of indigenous peoples. Publication History and CensusThere is no record of this map appearing on the market. OCLC shows only three separate copies of this map in institutional collections. Size: Printed area measures 12 inches high by 20.75 inches wide. Condition: Fine condition. Folds visible but no wear or loss. Shipping: Shipping rates are not negotiable. Items are shipped within three business days of receiving payment. We are happy to consolidate shipping where possible. The following shipping options are available: 1. FedEx Overnight (45 USD). USA Only. Signature Required. 2. FedEx Ground or Home Delivery (15 USD). USA Only. 1 - 10 days. If your address is a P.O. Box and cannot ship FedEx we will ship USPS Priority and, while we ship promptly, recent postal personnel cutbacks mean that delivery may take time. Signature Required. 3. FedEx International or DHL International EXPRESS (45 USD). 4. We can use your FedEx Account. Customs: International buyers are responsible for paying duty and taxes on delivery. DHL or FedEx will contact the buyer by telephone to arrange tax payment if it is levied. Duty varies by country and we cannot predict the amount you will be charged. Some countries are duty free, others are not. Typically, a customs duty and/or VAT tax will be assessed on all parcels to continental Europe. Sometimes duty or tax is due in China, but is seems very random. Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan have never assessed duty on a map we shipped. Maps shipped to the UK should be duty free as educational materials, but from time to time duty of 5% is assessed incorrectly by the UK customs agents. Insurance: All shipments are insured privately against loss and damage. All of our shipments require a signature for insurance purposes. If you have any questions please feel free to email us through eBay. Other ServicesConservation Framing: Geographicus recommends basic conservation framing services for any antique paper. We do not offer this service. Antique Map Restoration: Geographicus can repair and restore your antique map. Services include deacidification cleaning flattening and backing. BEWARE anyone attempting to contact you, from a different eBay account, claiming to represent Geographicus Antique Maps. My eBay handle is GeographicusMaps. If you are contacted by email by someone offering you my items, please call me directly to be certain you are not dealing with a con artist. "
Price: 935 USD
Location: Brooklyn, New York
End Time: 2024-10-28T14:17:31.000Z
Shipping Cost: 15 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Return policy details:
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
