After Henry Stanley returned from his first trek through the Congo in 1879 he tried, with no success, to persuade the British government to sponsor a new colony in the region. After finding out that the British public had little interest in the region he was invited to Brussels and employed by King Leopold II to open up the Congo river to international trade and found a Free State for 'humanitarian' purposes under the king's International Association.
But what if Stanley could have gained the financial backing of a few wealthy individuals in London or even the Government itself? Could Britain retain this territory after the Berlin Conference of 1884/5?