The Treaty of Cession of the Congo Free State was
published in Brussels on Thursday. It is a voluminous statement, and we do not feel justified in commenting on it till we have something more before us than brief summaries. The statement contains a report by the Belgian delegates who were appointed to study the affairs of the Congo and the conditions of transfer. As regards the important question of the Crown Domain, the Treaty professes to make the Domain subject to the sovereignty of Belgium in all respects. This ought to mean that there will be no distinction between what has hitherto been the King's private property and the rest of the Congo territories. In June, 1907, the King issued a decree placing the administration of the Crown Domain in the hands of six persons responsible to him. We must wait to see whether this cynical expedient for evading the wishes of humane Belgians has been rendered inoperative.
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