Remarks oil Delagoa Bay. 141 



Inyack, and crossed the Mapoota, as it is now called, which 

 was then the Beligare, and reached English River. The then 

 King of Ofoomo dealt subtilely with them and persuaded them 

 to give up their arms, when he stripped them naked and turned 

 them away, to the number of about a hundred. Of these about 

 ten reached India to relate the loss of upwards of two hundred 

 of their companions. The descendants of this very people now 

 groan under a most vicious yoke from the countryman of the 

 people they so treated. Mattall is a large state now in a dread- 

 ful state from the effects of the Vaterah invasion ; it is bounded 

 on the South, by Dundas River; on the West, by the petty 

 states on the borders of the King George, and by Moambo ; 

 on the East, by the Mofoomo, Manleote, Mamalong, and 

 Maghof. This state, which was populous and rich, is now 

 a waste, and the inhabitants are suffering from famine and 

 poverty. 



There cannot, however, in all these states, including those on 

 the King George's River, be fewer than a hundred thousand 

 inhabitants. The same people originally inhabited the whole 

 course of the King George, and the shores of the bay as far 

 as (ape Corientes to Inhamban, which may include a hundred 

 thousand more. The products of these countries are as various 

 as can well be imagined ; and the soil is rich and capable of 

 any sort of culture. The sugar cane, Indian corn, pines, and 

 pumpkins, with numerous other tropical plants are indigenous, 

 and it has many fruits peculiar to itself. Its rivers produce 

 hippopotami, fish, and alligators in abundance, and also valu- 

 able stones, and, probably, gold. The bay has fish of various 

 kinds, besides the whale and seal. Rice, maize, millet, and 

 various other useful farinae, are in plenty in the neighbourhood; 

 but arc frequently laid waste by elephants, elks, and hippopo- 

 tami. The Portuguese shew not the shadow of pretension to 

 interference with any of these tribes, and, indeed, have great 

 dread of them. The commerce between all these people is 

 similar, lhat is beads, brass, and cottons, for elephant's teeth, 

 ambergris, rhinoceros' horns, and hippopotami tusks ; they also 

 barter their cattle, poultry, pigs, goats, and grain; as also the 

 skins of wild animals. 



Of birds, the most remarkable are severals species of beautiful 

 pelicans and storks, but the wild water fowl are in great plenty, 

 For the whole country has large lakes of water which never dry, 

 and cover very much ground during, and some time after, the 

 rains. The climate of the countries round Delagoa Bay is 

 sometimes reprcscsented as very unhealthy, and we have suf- 

 fered very severely from a fever which would appear, at first 

 view, to he its plague; but, judging it more fairly than by a 

 first view, we havq.no idea that it is more unhealthy than other 

 tropical countries which are uncleared and uncultivated. The 

 land is generally of a moderate elevation, and the soil light and 



