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Schuvers motives (II) What precisely did Schuver envisage with this idea of crossing East Africa to the Indian Ocean? Commercial motives may have played a part at this point. After all, the Suez Canal had been opened in 1869, and thereafter the future of trade between Europe, the Red Sea states, and British India appeared very promising. Schuver's notebooks from his African travels showed his interest in the means of livelihood, agriculture, and industry in different parts of the region, and in existing trade routes. We must also remember that Schuver maintained contact with one Eduard van Hamersveldt, working for the Voormalige Handelsvereeniging (Former Trading Association) in Luanda. [30] Schuver may also have had other business connections. At all events, he speculated that a Dutch commercial agency in Khartoum with a modest investment in trading goods might offer considerable profits. This agency would import gum, senna pods (a medicinal plant), ivory, and other products, destined for the Dutch, Belgian and Rhineland market. [31] Schuver gave detailed descriptions of the the markets in both Khartoum and Sennar. [32] It is most likely that Schuver had more than one reason for embarking on his expedition: his taste for adventure, his longing for fame, and above all the hope of gathering practical information, including economic data. | |
