54. 
Exploring the Rovuma River for a route to Lake Nyassa he 
speaks of the dangers from the natives :—“ On the lower part no 
trade exists; the people are robbers who sport men’s heads on 
poles when they can get them. They would have done the same 
with us but found that we could give them more than they cared 
for. Some of their arrows went near us, and four musket balls 
passed through one of the boat’s sails, but when two of their 
number fell to our first shots they made off and never troubled us 
more, nor had we a chance of giving them a better lesson. We 
stood a great deal of nonsense from them in the first place, even 
allowing them to fire at us without returning it, but when it came 
to 20 yards practice it was rather too dangerous. Confined to our 
boats among such people, I have made almost no collection.”’ 
His descriptions of the vegetation on the banks of the Zambesi 
are graphic and instructive. Writing to Sir William Hooker in 
February 1860, he says —‘‘I hope you will receive the entire 
collection made on the bank of the Zambesi between the sea and 
Tette, and also that on the river Shire and among the Manganja 
hills to the north extending as far as S. Lat. 14° 25’. This country 
offers considerable diversity of climate and position. That of the 
sea coast is damp, abounding in trees of the Mangrove and 
vicennia and others inhabiting the soft mud of tropical coasts, at 
the distance of a few miles up the mouths of the river, these become 
replaced by a more varied forest of Pandanus and Bdrringtonia 
while there are many open spots covered with a dwarf variety of 
the Hyphaene and the Date Palm, with a large bush, a species of 
Strychnos, whose fruit. is acid, the pulp in which the seeds are 
imbedded being quite wholesome although the seeds themselves 
are apt to cause pain and vomiting. There is another fruit tree of. 
the order Clusiaceae EES, called ‘ Motsami” which grows 
both at the sea coast and i 
* The coast vegetation ine only about 10 miles up the 
river; there the mud banks disappear, their place being taken by 
sand, and instead of the forest we find extensive grass lands. 
The Delta may be said to reach as far as Mazaro where the 
river, which flows to the town of Quilimane, is given off, it is 
not a branch of the Zambesi, as it is only when in high flood that 
the water of the Zambesi passes through it; during the greater- 
part of the year it is quite dry. The Portuguese say that in 
former times they could pass by it at all seasons, if so there 
has been a great change taking place.’ 
“These delta lands are low and feverish, but we have hal 
observed fevers such as are described on the rivers of the West 
Coast of Africa, and when seized and taken early they have been 
easily removed. Quinine seems to us to be of no service in 
preventing, although it is most useful in curing these fevers.” 
“This large extent of land from Quilimane to the Kongone 
on the coast and islands as far as Mazaro is well suited for cotton, 
sugar-cane and rice; wheat is grown, but of inferior quality. 
Cotton once introduced propagates itself and when not burned. 
