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Stanley Archives' Treasures
At the King’s Service
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N° 658: Letter in French [with translation in English] from Leopold II to HMS, instructions, on Lieutenant Van de Velde's return to Europe, forbidding Stanley to have his letters published, Copyright © King Baudouin Foundation Collection / Royal Museum for Central Africa |
Stanley’s Trans-African Expedition drew the attention of Belgium’s King Leopold II. He was convinced that his recently created country needed a colony to establish, and secure an international position. Yet, his Ministers and the Belgian Parliament were reluctant. The British government rejected Stanley’s efforts to tap the Congo’s presumed riches and after lengthy negotiations, he signed a contract to work on behalf of the Comité d’Etudes du Haut-Congo, which soon became Leopold’s Association Internationale du Congo.
In 1879, Stanley set off for the Congo Basin with instructions to establish stations along the course of the river. Concurrently, the French through the efforts of expeditions led by the Italian-born Count Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza were actively seeking to implant their flag across the same region. The two men first met at Ngoma on 7 November 1880, which turned competing imperial interests into a man-versus-man rivalry.
Letters from King Leopold to Stanley and vice versa provide useful and insightful knowledge about both their relationship and ideas of the Congo’s future, which differed substantially. Although the Stanley Archives include letters in French, the Association Internationale du Congo had them translated into English.
Part of the letter displayed shows the King urging Stanley to build stations and roads more quickly. The letter also reveals how closely both the King and the Association attempted to control Stanley, as he was requested to keep his letters unpublished. Clearly, King Leopold feared that Stanley’s writing might be used to enhance the policies and interests from other European powers, in particular Great Britain, France, and Portugal.
