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Royal Niger Company Treaty

The document contains a blank printed form treaty used by the Royal Niger Company in the 1880s to establish protectorates over communities in West Africa. The treaty required local chiefs to cede all territory and powers of governance to the Company in exchange for protection from other tribes. The chiefs also agreed not to have any interactions with outsiders except through the Company and to abide by Company rule while the Company agreed to respect local customs and pay compensation for land. The treaty was to be signed with marks by the chiefs and witnessed by others to show their consent.

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1K views2 pages

Royal Niger Company Treaty

The document contains a blank printed form treaty used by the Royal Niger Company in the 1880s to establish protectorates over communities in West Africa. The treaty required local chiefs to cede all territory and powers of governance to the Company in exchange for protection from other tribes. The chiefs also agreed not to have any interactions with outsiders except through the Company and to abide by Company rule while the Company agreed to respect local customs and pay compensation for land. The treaty was to be signed with marks by the chiefs and witnessed by others to show their consent.

Uploaded by

api-239816966
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ROYAL NIGER COMPANY

PRO FORMA TREATIES WITH


PROTECTORATE COMMUNITIES
in the 1880s
Below is the text of blank printed form chiefs were made to sign.
There were no more kings as the queen of England was now
their sovereign.
We, the undersigned Chiefs of . . . . . . . , with the view of bettering
the condition of our country and people, do this day cede to the Royal
Niger Company (Chartered and Limited), for ever, the whole of our
territory extending from ....................
We also give to the said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and
Limited) full power to settle all native disputes arising from any cause
whatever, and we pledge ourselves not to enter into any war with
other tribes without the sanction of the said Royal Niger Company
(Chartered and Limited).
We understand that the said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and
Limited) have full power to mine, farm, and build in any portion of
our country.
We bind ourselves not to have any intercourse [i.e., transactions or
communications] with any strangers or foreigners except through the
said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and Limited).
In consideration of the foregoing, the said Royal Niger Company
(Chartered and Limited) bind themselves not to interfere with any of
the native laws or customs of the country, consistently with the
maintenance of order and good government.

The said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and Limited) agree to pay
native owners of land a reasonable amount for any portion they may
require.
The said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and Limited) bind
themselves to protect the said Chiefs from the attacks of any
neighbouring aggressive tribes.
The said Royal Niger Company (Chartered and Limited) also agree to
pay the said Chiefs ..................... native value.
We, the undersigned witnesses, do hereby solemnly declare that the
..................... Chiefs whose names are placed opposite their respective
crosses have in our presence affixed their crosses of their own free
will and consent, and that the said ...................... has in our presence
affixed his signature.

Done in triplicate at ....................... this ..................day of


................. , 188. .
Declaration by Interpreter.
I, ...................... of .................. , do hereby solemnly declare that I
am well acquainted with the language of the ..........................
country, and that of the ........day of ......... , 188. , I truly and
faithfully explained the above Agreement to all the Chiefs present,
and that they understood its meaning.

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