All of present-day Cameroon and parts of…

All of present-day Cameroon and parts of several of its neighbors become a German colony, Kamerun, beginning on July 5, 1884.

The first German trading post in the Duala area (present day Douala) on the Kamerun River delta (present day Wouri River delta) had been established in 1868 by the Hamburg trading company C. Woermann.

The firm’s agent in Gabon, Johannes Thormählen, had expanded activities to the Kamerun River delta.

In 1874, together with the Woermann agent in Liberia, Wilhelm Jantzen, the two merchants had founded their own company, Jantzen & Thormählen here.

Both of these West Africa houses have expanded into shipping with their own sailing ships and steamers and inaugurated scheduled passenger and freight service between Hamburg, Germany and Duala.

These companies and others have purchased extensive acreage from local chiefs and begun systematic plantation operations, including bananas.

By 1884, Adolph Woermann, representing all West African companies as their spokesman, had petitioned the imperial foreign office for "protection" by the German Empire.

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck seeks to utilize the traders on site in governing the region via "chartered companies".

However, in response to Bismarck’s proposal, the companies had withdrawn their petition.

At the core of the commercial interests is pursuit of profitable trading activities under the protection of the Reich, but these entities ware determined to stay away from political engagements.

Eventually Bismarck yielded to the Woermann position and instructed the admiralty to dispatch a gunboat.

As a show of German interest, the small gunboat SMS Möwe arrives in West Africa.