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213.
Tropical Africa and the' Prei Graue
Interest in tropical Africa tended to be centred in
a few commercial and humanitarian pressure groups. There
won not much development of wider public opinion on
expansion in this region.
In West Africa commercial interests were predominant;
-18i9,
here trade preceded the flag. In the Niger Delta and Vigor
Valley, companies based in tianchentcr, Liverpool and
Glasgow, had been trading in palm oil for many yehrs.
From 1879, Sir George Goldie'n United Africa Company
dominated the trade; it obtained a charter in 1896 giving
it a monopoly of the trade and administrative rights$ and
under the title of the Royal Z+iger Company it proceeded to
buy, up competing French firms.
(2)
It was diplomatic
preacure in the form of French threats in the Uigcr basin
which finally decided the British Government to opt for
annexation in West Africa.
In the name way there was considerable trade carried
on between Britain and the Congo, mainly by
ý1} K. O. Dike, Trade and Polition in the Virer De1tn1
Oxford 1956, p. 20.
(2) J. E. Flint, Sir Geor *#, Gnldie r+nd thn riakjnc* of ttirerin.
London 1960.
(1 }