is a most interesting and valuable production, upon which he hopes the Government will act. He believes that the adoption of the recommendations of the Commission will bring about a beginning of better things both for the native and the colonist. Another correspondent strongly criticizes the idea of cutting down the size of the native reserves; many of them, he says, are hardly large enough as it is, and there is a tendency to deprive the natives of their land and sell it to Europeans in order to induce the native to become a labourer or a tenant. The native should not be forced to come out of his reserves to work for Europeans, especially as the rate of pay is only four or five rupees a month. Little by little, our correspondent writes, the natives are being allowed to become landless and detribalized. Rather they should be encouraged to work in their own reserves; they are not idle, for nearly all the exports from East Africa are native grown.

This seems to be borne out by some of the witnesses. One of them points out as a reason for not reducing the reserves that the Government must look forward to the time when the present reserves would not be large enough for the increasing population. Another witness who opposes interference with the reserves stated that various tribes had very definite rights to certain areas, while the Provincial Commissioner for Nyanza province stated that he considered such a proposal a highly immoral one, which would cause a tremendous amount of discontent. The evidence of the District Commissioner at Nairobi was of similar purport. A large number of the witnesses, however, spoke in favour of cutting down the reserves on the ground that the natives would then have to go out and work for the settlers. Many of the witnesses, official and unofficial, spoke of the present system as being practically one of forced labour.

German Society for the Protection of Matives. THE German Congo League at its Committee of December 5 resolved upon its dissolution, in the face of the better conditions prevailing in the Congo, In its place is to be founded a German Society for the protection of natives, which regards as its sphere the kindred work of the protection and the uplifting of all undeveloped races, and, before all, the native peoples in German Protectorates. These aims should be followed up by regular reports in the organ of the Society (Der Koloniale Rundschau) upon the conditions of life and the progress of the natives, and upon the dangers which threaten their better condition and their development, through the influence of public opinion, through the daily press being in favour of an upright native policy, and by the publication of pamphlets, also by paving the way for a good understanding of and an adjustment of interests between the ruling white race and the natives.

The Presidency of the new Society is undertaken by Herr Chr. von Bornhaupt, Berlin, and the Vice-Chairmanship by the Director of Missions, A. W. Schreiber, Bremen. Consul A. D. Ernst Vohsen, Berlin, is Treasurer, and Professor D. Westermann, Berlin, Secretary.

The Committee of our Society has communicated its good wishes to the newly constituted body in Berlin, and has received a reply expressing their satisfaction at the prospect of co-operation with the British Society, it being one of their aims to seek connexion with similar bodies in other countries.

The Deutsche Kolonialzeitung, commenting in a recent number on the formation of the new Society, writes:—

"The total number of our coloured subjects amounts to twelve millions.

"To remove the injuries which the excrescences of modern civilization have inflicted on these primitive peoples, of weak resistance, both bodily and mentally, and to combat diseases which rage in their midst, is the aim of the Society. Though the natives doubtless have much for which to thank European civilization, yet a strong plea presents itself for the necessity of protecting and promoting the welfare of coloured peoples."

Mational Free Church Council.

RESOLUTION AS TO NATIVE RACES.

At the recent meetings of the Free Church Council held at Norwich, a strong resolution dealing with native race questions was formally moved by the President, the Rev. H. Luke Wiseman, and seconded by the Rev. J. H. Harris, Organizing Secretary of our Society. The resolution was in the following terms :

"That this Congress of the National Federation of Free Churches desires to place on record its appreciation of the measures recently adopted by His Majesty's Government for the protection of native races from cruelty and oppression.

"This Congress expresses its profound admiration and appreciation of the vigorous instructions issued by Sir Edward Grey to His Majesty's Consuls throughout the world, in which they are called upon to report 'the existence of labour conditions amounting to virtual slavery or entailing the ill-treatment of coloured labourers.'

"This Congress welcomes the intimation that His Majesty's Government has under consideration the consolidation and amendment of the laws of slave-owning and slave-trading in such a manner as to make them applicable to modern conditions, and greatly hopes that time may be provided for the passage of the proposed legislation.

This Congress also welcomes the appointment of a high official with four consular assistants to watch native labour conditions in West Africa, and trusts that this step taken by His Majesty's Government will secure an early emancipation of the thousands of slaves in Portuguese West Africa.

'Finally, this Congress, being of the opinion that the expenditure involved in taking these measures will be regarded by the nation as a legitimate national charge, calls upon the Free Churches to give every support to His Majesty's Government in its determination to maintain the tradition of Great Britain as the defender of the weaker races of the world."

Mr. Harris, in seconding the resolution, said that native races throughout the world owed to Sir Edward Grey a deep debt of gratitude for the efforts made by him during recent months to improve their conditions of labour in tropical regions. With characteristic foresight Britain's Foreign Secretary had been quietly laying foundations both of policy and administration which, supported by an alert public opinion, could not fail to lift the heavy burden of injustice and cruelty which is to-day the unhappy lot of native labourers in the tropical regions of the African Continent, South and Central America, and the islands of the sea.

Referring to the arrest of Mr. Bowskill, Mr. Harris said that a year ago British public opinion was deeply stirred at the murder by the Portuguese of Mr. Douglas, a British missionary in East Africa; now Mr. Bowskill, another British missionary, is under arrest. The offence of both these brave men is identical, namely, that by their devotion and honesty they had earned the respect and trust of the oppressed Africans. When the distracted natives of San Salvador found their women being violated, their villages looted, their young men carried as slaves to the sugar and cocoa plantations, they turned in their distress to the British missionaries, and this is in the eyes of Republican Portugal a crime.

We have pledged ourselves to secure a thorough investigation into the cause of Mr. Bowskill's arrest and to demand the liberation of the slaves in Portuguese West Africa. To those who know anything of Portuguese administration this is a formidable task, but it is one in which we have a right to claim the co-operation of the whole Christian Church, and to suggest that once again the Free Churches should give a vigorous lead to the country.

Death of Sir W. Lee-Warner.

By the death on January 18 of Sir William Lee-Warner, at the age of sixtyseven, the Committee has lost a member who was keenly interested in the fight against slavery, and had been a supporter of the Society for some years, though he only joined the Committee about a year ago. Sir William, who retired from the Council of India in November, 1912, had a

distinguished career in India, and was well known as an author on educational and political subjects, besides holding important administrative posts. Sir W. Lee-Warner returned to this country for work at the India Office in 1895, and was appointed to the Council of the Secretary of State in 1902, where, as the writer in The Times tells us, he exercised great influence, and was consulted" whenever any specially knotty problem, foreign or political, required either consideration or settlement." The same authority states. that he was "trusted and admired by all four of the Secretaries of State, Unionist and Liberal, under whom he served," and in 1911 he received the special honour of the G.C.S.I.

Sir W. Lee-Warner spoke forcibly at the Society's Annual Meeting in 1905, and since he joined the Committee he took an active interest in the question of the Lushai Hills Boi Slavery in Assam.

Reviews.

IN FAR NEW GUINEA.

By HENRY NEWTON.1

In Far New Guinea is one of the most interesting accounts we have read of the island of New Guinea or Papua. Mr. Newton, the author, is a missionary of the most useful type; he is evidently as ready at brickmaking or repairing the broken engines of a steamer as at the performance of his spiritual duties. In this book there is a wealth of material dealing with the manners and customs of the Wedauan people of the island, whilst, at the same time, like all tropical books, the pen pictures of local scenery, climate and nature's abundance, prove of entrancing interest to the reader.

Mr. Newton utters a vigorous word or two of protest against the "lazy nigger"" theory:

The men are not lazy; they may not care for continuous hard work of any kind—except in their gardens, for long periods; they lose interest and need change except again in their garden work. They are wanting in sticking power, in application, and this is perhaps the great weakness in their characters. The reason for that would require too much speculation to discuss now; it may be that their lives are regulated by custom and tradition with no moral force, and so there is no result in moral strength; it may be the enervating effect of climate; it may be a result of both causes combined. As a matter of fact, in all that part of New Guinea of which I know anything, the heavy work is done by the men and, so far as physical exertion is concerned, it is the lighter work that is done by the women."

Perhaps it is the fairness of the picture In Far New Guinea that im

1 Seeley, Service & Co.

presses the reader most. The author faithfully depicts the evil habits and customs of the natives, the difficulties and failures of missionary effort, whilst even some of the shortcomings of his missionary brethren are frankly but kindly pointed out. There is more than one incident quoted which shows both the inherent qualities of the New Guinea natives and the loyalty and nobleness the missionaries have inspired. Amongst these captivating stories none is more striking than that told on page 39, of two mission boys in charge of a valuable mission launch :

'They had been running more than was expected, and the boy was probably too lavish with lubricating oil. At all events the supply gave out before they got back to Samarai, and it was necessary to anchor the launch. While she was at anchor a heavy blow came on when there were only two boys on board. One said, 'Let us jump for it, we can't hold on.' 'You can jump, I'll stop,' was the answer of the boy who was in charge, and he went down below to start the engine in the hope of keeping her off the shore. His mate jumped, and was washed ashore unconscious, dragged out by natives on the beach. The launch broke away and was dashed to pieces; the boy who would not desert his post was never seen again.”

66

BLACK IVORY AND WHITE.

By H. C. JACKSON.*

THE sub-title of this book, 'The Story of El Zubeir Pasha, Slaver and Sultan, as told by Himself," describes its contents, and its object is, in the author's words, "to put on record in English the strange adventures of a unique personality." The chief interest of Zubeir's life lies of course in his connexion with General Gordon, who in 1884, by what he described as a mystic feeling" in favour of Zubeir's being sent to the Sudan, proposed to appoint this man, admittedly an arch slave-dealer, as GovernorGeneral of the country. This proposal the Government of the day declined to entertain. The action which was taken at the time by the Anti-Slavery Society in protesting against the appointment of this powerful chief, whom General Gordon had himself described as having "devastated the whole country" and " committed the most fearful cruelties," and as being" alone responsible for the slave trade of the last ten years," has often been criticized, especially by Lord Cromer-himself a leading actor in the dramain his book Modern Egypt, and is condemned by the present writer, who considers that the public estimate of Zubeir has been far too much coloured by the fulminations of the Anti-Slavery Society."

The subject was fully dealt with in an article which appeared in the Anti-Slavery Reporter for August, 1908, † and need not be again discussed

* Oxford: B. H. Blackwell.

† Series 4, Vol. XXVIII, No. 4.