June 10, 1878: Belgian King Agrees to Pay Stanley for Congo Expedition

King Leopold II of Belgium agrees to pay British adventurer Henry Morton Stanley to lead an expeditionary force to the Congo. Under the terms of their five-year contract, Stanley will return to the Congo as an employee of the king. He will receive a stipend of 25,000 francs a year for time spent in Europe and 50,000 a year for time spent in Africa. Once he has reached the navigable portion of the river, Stanley will assemble a steamboat and work his way into the interior, setting up trading posts along the way. [Hochschild, 1999, pp. 61, 63]