"I am the most opposed to these dreams of settlements. ... I am convinced that these are companies that can only lead to setbacks of all kinds. ... I'm telling you this to explain my extreme coldness on the subject."

"I am dragged in spite of myself in this damn Africa business; a toy which, it is true, will hurt no one; which excites geographers, but which will make people laugh here."

"Everything you say about Tonkin. is very fair, this one is a dangerous toy."

"The King decreases his alms. All of this. All the money saved goes to Africa. What will it be like when you have conquered Tonkin?"

"Van Praet and Devaux were not concerned with the Congo. They both expressed a desire to be kept out of the "African adventure." For Mr. Van Praet, laden with years and involved for half a century in the history of the dynasty, this abstention was natural. As for his nephew, he had not concealed from the King, with his usual frankness, the disappointments and the dangers he faced. The prevailing opinion at court was that the founding of a colony was beyond the strength of the Sovereign of a small country and that he would encompass his private fortune, without being able to create anything lasting. ... He (Leopold II) did not try to overcome Mr. Devaux's disbelief and did without his services."