ApKil 1, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGaiCULTDRIST, 



7n 



Many of its merchauts have migrated across the Portuguese 

 bouuilary to Kiusambo, where, perhaps, the lauding is the 

 most dangerous on all the South-west Ooast, in order to 

 escape the duties imposed by the Portuguese custom-house. 

 Though these duties are much fairer aud lighter than at 

 Loauda or other Angolan ports, they are much complained 

 of by traders ; still in Ambriz, at least, there is some excuse 

 for them, as the Portuguese have spent considerable sums 

 in order to construct a pier, and render the landing of 

 goods both safe and easy. Going south from Ambriz, we 

 must travel by sea for a distauce of thirty miles to reach 

 the settlements on the River Dande. The intervening 

 district between the Dande and Ambriz has never been 

 conquered by the Portuguese, and stiU remains impossible 

 to Europeans. A force of twenty armed policemen would 

 suffice to clear the road, but although Portugal can dream 

 of military expeditions to the Congo, she cannot afford 

 a few soliUers to connect Loanda and Ambriz by land. 



The estates in the fertile valley of the Uande are magni- 

 ficent properties, growing immense quantities of sugar-cane, 

 bananas, pine-apples, and oranges. The climate is good, 

 and the scenery beautiful. Horses are successfully bred 

 here, aud supplied to the colony of Angola. 



Continuing southwards from the Daude, we pass the 

 great Kiver Bengo, and soon afterwards, if the jom-ney is 

 by sea, arrive at the fine bay of Loanda. 



» * * 



The trade of Loanda is greatly in the hands of a well- 

 known English firm, who also manage the navigation of 

 the Quanza. 



The Quanza has been termed by many writers " the gem 

 of Angola," aud with reason, for this navigable river offers 

 a great highway to the rich regions of the interior. The 

 Quanza ri.ses not far from the source of the Ku-neue, 

 that other great great river of the Portuguese Lower Guinea, 

 in Lat. 14 = S., and flows south and then westward to 

 the sea, which it enters a little to the south of the 

 Loanda, 



It is navigable by river steamers of some burthen for 

 over 200 miles from its mouth, and at this extreme.sf 

 point, just below the last falls, Dondo, an important com- 

 mercial town, is placed. The old capital of the Quanza 

 was Cambambe, founded by the Portuguese in the 16th 

 century. Its ruins are still remaining, and lie about ten 

 miles distant from the present site of Dondo. This latter 

 place is extremely hot, and eertainly unhealthy ; whereas 

 Oambarabe was placed on the breezy heights, and was 

 infinitely more salubrious. However, Cambambe was aban- 

 doned for the present capital on account of the ilifliculties 

 of navigation that prejudiced the older city. Dondo can 

 with ease l>e reached by steamers, but to ascend the river 

 higher, to Cambambe, is difficult, and full of risk. As the 

 point at which the commerce of the interior is focussed 

 and concentrated in its relations with the coast, Dondo is 

 a great emporium of Central African trade, and attracts 

 to its markets the products of the far interior, of the 

 Rivers Quango and Kassai, both of them huge affluents 

 of the Congo (the Kassai being Stanley's Mobindu or 

 Ikelemba) , and all the outward trade of the Muata Yanvo's 

 Empire. In fact, one may say, without exaggeration, that 

 the trade of the Upper Quanza has relations with 

 Nyangwe and the East Ooast. 



» « » 



South of the Quanza river, as far as the 12th degree 

 of latitude, the Portuguese rule is confined to the strip 

 of coast. The interior, where the powerful tribes of Kis- 

 samas, Libollos, and Ba-iluudo have their territories, is 

 quite independent of Portugal, although on all but the 

 careful German maps it is coloured Portuguese. Between 

 the Quanza and Benguella, there are, however, several 

 important places on the coast, such as Novo Kedondo, and 

 Catumbela. This is the most wonderful country for wild 

 animals. Benguella itself is quite an cntj-cput for the supply 

 of wild birds aud beasts to divers Zoological-gardens and 

 to dealers. Every homeward-bound steamer is laden with 

 monkeys, parrots, cage birds of all descriptions, and occasion- 

 ally even a lion or leopard may be seen. 



Benguella is an important place, especially as regards 

 trade. I have spoken of Dondo, on the Quanza, having 

 re^atious with the far interior. How much more Benguella, 

 whose merchants range all over Central Africa, encounter 

 their countrymen from the Bast Coast on the Upper 



Zambezi, and even penetrate to the copper country of 

 Katanga and Lake Bangweolo, whence rises the Congo. 

 The rule of the Portuguese extends nearly 500 miles inland 

 from Benguella, and their political influence even further. 

 From Benguella, now, there is a road to the mountain 

 ranges of the interior, where a healthful and bracing 

 climate is to be found, and where the scenery is of great 

 beauty. 



Benguella itself is said to be unhealthy. It has, at any 

 rate, a bad reputation, although its sanitary condition has 

 certainly improved since the surrounding marshes were 

 drained. 



Benguella, like Ambriz, Loanda, and Mossamedes, is 

 the capital of a separate district, and has a governor and 

 administration of its own. Between Benguella and MossA- 

 medes there is scarcely any place of importance. The 

 coast becomes increasingly barren, and astiumes an absolutely 

 desert character. 



Mossamedes is the most flourishing town, perhaps, in 

 all Portuguese Africa. It is situated in a tract of absolute 

 desert, with a fine deep hay in front of the town. 

 » » « 



On the map, this part of Africa seems anything but 

 devoid of water, and it appears incredible that the district 

 of Mossamedes should be what it really is, a great offshoot 

 of the Kalahari desert; but the fact is, that the three 

 principal rivers of this province, the Giraiil, the Bero, aud 

 the Croque, are but occasional torrents, flowing for about 

 two months in the year, when the heavy rains of January 

 and February drain off the distant Serra de Chella. During 

 the other months, the body of the river dries up, the 

 water sinks some feet below the sandy bed, and only 

 occa.sional great lagoons retain a portion of the flood which 

 at one time covered acres of level plain. It is in these 

 great river beds that lies the richness of the country. 

 Their splendid soil can be made to grow cotton of superior 

 quality, sugar-cane, maize, castor oil, oranges, limes, and 

 vegetables of every description. But in most places, es- 

 pecially in the valley of the Croene, cotton is lord of all, 

 and fetches such high prices, on account of its quality, 

 that scarcely an inch of ground is spared to anything else. 

 Forty miles south of Moss;\medes there are several rich 

 plantations on the River Croque, which are at present 

 the farthest extension of Portuguese colonisation to the 

 southward, except the fort and settlement at Humbi, on 

 the Cunene. As this latter place was one of the furthest 

 limits of Portuguese possession, I was anxious to visit it, 

 and accordingly joined Lord Mayo's hunting party which 

 was journeying in that direction. We travelled at first 

 due west from Mossamedes, crossed a desert tract of 40 

 miles in width, and then arrived at the first spurs of the 

 Chella mountains. This range, which lies at a varying 

 distance of 70 to 100 miles from the coast, is part of the 

 mountain barrier or girdle which encircles the interior 

 plateau of Tropical Africa. Some of the Chella peaks 

 ri.se to 8,000 or 9,000 feet in height, while the forest 

 scenery on their slopes is of unparalleled beauty. When 

 the mountain chain is crossed, you arrive on the other 

 side at an elevated plateau, some three thousand feet above 

 the sea, eminently healthy, and possessing a delightful 

 climate. Here there are several important picturesque set- 

 tlements and garrison towns, such as Ilullla and <JuiIlengues, 

 and here, too, are settled a colony of Tranwaal Boers. 

 This new and important element has lately been introduced 

 into the somewhat sluggish province of Mossftmedes. The 

 Boers that "trekked" away north from the Transvaal, as 

 far back as 1874, after undergoing, thanks to their own 

 obstinacy and ignorance, trials far more tcirible and in- 

 credible than those of the boasted pilgrim.ages of antiquity, 

 began gradually to apjjroach the banks of the Ouncn^ in 

 the year 1S80. Here they halted for some time, and had 

 many squabbles with the natives, from their overbearing 

 behaviour aud unscrupulous dishonesty, and on one or two 

 occa.sions their enraged opponents nearly cut them to pieces. 

 lu the meantime, some of the less iguoraut among them 

 were negotiating with the Portugueses Government for 

 permission to cross the Cunen(5, and settle in the fertile 

 lands bevond. Xn answer was some time in arriving. It 

 needed a' little consideration before the Angolan authorities 

 could agree to the entry into their sleepy peaceful lands 

 of these quarrolsome, tmbuleut. though energetic people. 



