Background activities on the eve of the German annexation.

1.1.        Background activities on the eve of the German annexation.

European Explorers

The British and the Germans explored the Western Coast of Cameroon, while the French explored the Southern Coast of Cameroon. Their activities influenced the scramble for Cameroon because.

• They discovered cheap Raw Materials such as Ivory, spices, rubber, palm oil and kernels needed by European industries.
• They discovered suitable markets for European products
• They discovered strategic sites such as the Naval Bases in Douala, Victoria, Kribi.
• They discovered transport routes for the movement of people and goods.
• They discovered suitable environment for European settlement especially along the slopes of Mountain Cameroon, the Coast etc.
• They discovered variety of food crops especially fruits, vegetable needed to feed the growing European population.

European Missionaries

The London Baptist Missionary society was the first to fully establish in Cameroon. Joseph Merrick set up the first station in Bimbia in 1884, called the Jubilee Mission. Alfred Saker established another Mission Station in Douala in 1845, called the Bethel Mission. Other Missionaries included Jackson Fuller Thomas Lewis, and Hurton Johnson etc. the activities of the Missionaries contributed to the scramble for the annexation of Cameroon in many ways:

• They founded Victoria in 1858. After the expulsion of the Baptist from Fernando Po in 1858, Alfred Saker led the other Baptist missionaries and negotiated with king Williams Of Bimbia, and bought a piece of land off the Ambas Bay coast, and founded Victoria in August 1858, named after the Queen of England, which included the English government to show interest in the annexation of Cameron and later other powers.
• The London Baptist society influence the Native rulers to write letters requesting the British annexation.
• The missionaries wrote letters to the British government appealing for annexation, in order to gain enough protection.
• They preached and softened the minds of the natives to welcome British annexation.
• they imposed English culture on the natives such as language; names etc. which influenced the natives to develop interest in British annexation.
• They promoted agriculture and trade with the British, which improved their living standards and influenced them to welcome the British.
• They sent favorable reports to the British government that the slopes of Mount Cameroon could be used in growing all European vegetables; the economic potentials in Cameroon such as raw materials, markets etc., that the climatic conditions were favorable to European life etc. which encouraged the scramble for annexation of Cameroon.
• Acted as translators and interpreters such as JJ Fuller between Consul Hewett and the Douala rulers for better preservation of peace.

European Traders

By 1868, the Cameroon coast was dominated by British traders. The main British trading firms were john Holt and Company, Ambas Bay Trading Company, R & w kings. They were later joined by Germans firms such as the Carl Woremann, and the Jantzen and Thormalen Firms. The British and German traders competed seriously along the Western Coast of Cameroon.

German trade surpassed British trade because.

• firstly, German goods were cheaper.
• secondly the Germans gave more credit facilities.
• Thirdly, the Germans were more friendly to the Natives Unlike the British traders who were very snobbish.
• fourthly the Germans had and made use of more trading agents.
• fifthly the Germans had factories all over the coast were better organized.
• sixthly the Germans were buying some of the British business closing down thus diverting trade towards the Germans.
• seventhly the Germans did not demand a lot of security in the trust system like British.

The British however did not border about the decline of their trade because

• firstly, they had discovered gold in south Africa.
• Secondly, they were more interested in east Africa.
• Thirdly they feared the high cost of suppressing trade conflicts with the natives.
• Fourthly the reluctance of British traders to finance protection pf British trade.
• Fifthly the British were ignorant of the economic potentials in the interior of the territory.

The French established trading stations on the southern coast of Cameroon, in Grand Batanga, Malimba, and Campo. They signed treaties with king Pass All of Malimba and king Williams of Grand Batanga.

The European traders made the following contributions to the scramble and annexation.

• They appealed to their home governments to annex Cameroon.
• They mounted pressure on the local chiefs to write letters requesting annexation.
• They provide gifts and bribes to induce the local rulers into accepting annexation.
• They provided financial assistance to assist annexation.
• They held meetings with the local chiefs on the issue of annexation.
• They signed trade treaties with the local chiefs.
• The German traders framed the terms of annexation.
• The German traders signed the treaty of annexation with the Douala rulers.

The Native Rulers

The Native Kings especially Bell and Akwa in the Western Coast as well as Pass All of Malimba and William of Grand Batanga contributed towards the scramble and annexation.

• They appealed to the Europeans for annexation. The Douala rulers such as Bell, Akwa, and Lock Priso etc. requested the British annexation, while King Pass All of Malimba and King Williams of Grand Batanga were more interested in the French annexation
• They acted as intermediaries between the Natives and the Europeans.
• They acted as trading agents and became heavily indebted hence had to accept annexation.
• They accepted bribes from the Europeans for annexation.
• They signed trade agreements such as the treaties the French agent Godin signed with King Pass All of Malimba and King Williams of Grand Batanga which influenced the British and the German scramble over the territory.
• The Native Douala rulers led by king Akwa prepared the terms of annexation in the king’s memorandum with the Germans, on July 12 1884.
• The Duala rulers and the German traders signed the Germano – Duala Treaty on July 12 1884