sentences:  Chamberlain was dismayed to learn in 1897 that the French had expanded from Dahomey to Bussa, a town claimed by Goldie.Further French growth in the region would have isolated Lagos from territory in the hinterland, thereby limiting its economic growth.Chamberlain therefore argued that Britain should "even at the cost of war – to keep an adequate Hinterland for the Gold Coast, Lagos & the Niger Territories."