| Level | Fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | MI |
| Title | Matacong Island (West Africa) Papers |
| Extent | 4 boxes |
| Date | 1825-1901 |
| Thumbnail (Click this image to open a larger image) | 
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| Description | Matacong Island is a small island about 4.5 square miles in area, just off the coast of the Republic of Guinea, situated to the north of Sierra Leone, West Africa. It is also known as Matakong Island and has been spelt Matagong. Both Britain and France have at times claimed ‘ownership’ of the Island of Matacong, and many of the documents in this archive relate to the dispute over rights on the island.
This collection is made up of two separate acquisitions of papers. The first set, references MI/1-MI/239 comprises incoming papers 1844-1901 relating to Matacong Island from various departments of the UK Government to 'Norris and Sons, solicitors of Liverpool', and 'Taylor, Laughland and Company, Glasgow, African merchants' and to other companies; letters on behalf of the Marquess of Salisbury; correspondence with officials in Sierra Leone; and other correspondence.
The second set, references MI/240-MI/308 comprises copies and originals of outgoing letters and documents, apparently from the files of 'Norris and Sons, solicitors of Liverpool', or 'Taylor, Laughland and Company, Glasgow, African merchants'. They include letters and a memorial to the authorities in Sierra Leone, 1891; copies of Foreign Office letters, 1892-1894; papers relating to the lease of Matacong Island, 1891; property document relating to the various cessions of Matacong Island, 1825-1894; and other papers.
Whilst most of the documents are in English, there are a few documents in French and Arabic. The Mandingo language (also now known as Mandinka) is mentioned. |
| Notes | The first set of papers in this archive had former reference numbers 1955/v, MSS 2/v/5, and Mat. Items have also been referenced as Matacong.
The image of the water-colour painting of Matacong on this catalogue entry at Fonds level is referenced MI/239. |
| Access Conditions | Access to all registered researchers |
| Copyright | Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |
| Language | English |
| French |
| Arabic |
| Finding Aids | A catalogue of this collection is available on the online archive catalogue. Click on the Finding Number to display the summary contents list of the catalogue and to view the full catalogue. A paper copy is also available for consultation in the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections. |
| Document | MI.pdf |
| Access Status | Open |
| Acquisition | The first set of papers was purchased by the University of Birmingham Library in December 1969. The second set of papers was purchased in December 1991. The deposits were from separate sources. |