The British explorers were the first to undertake the exploration of Cameroon. They were three of them namely;
- Clappenton
- Denham
- Walter Owdney
The British and the German explored the western coast of Cameroon while the French explored the Southern coast of Cameroon. Their activities influenced the scramble for Cameroon.
- They discovered fertile land for plantation.
- They discovered suitable market for European products.
- The discover strategic sites such as naval bases in Douala, Victoria and Kribi.
- They discovered transport routes for the movement of people and goods.
- They discovered cheap raw materials such as rubber, timber, cocoa, palm oil etc.
- They discovered suitable environment for European settlement.
The London Baptist missionary society was the first to fully establish in Cameroon. Joseph Merrick set up the first station in Bimbia in 1844. Alfred Saker established another mission station in 1885. There were other missionary like Jackson Fuller, Thomas Lewis and Hurton Johnson between 1862 and 1872, Alfred Saker translated he Bible into Douala language. These missionaries thought in English and some of them were free slave from West Indies who thought in the Pidgin language or Creole. This marked the beginning of pidgin language along the coast.