718 REPORT— 1901. 



The traveller finds the river banks from the coast to Moqui sparsely populated. 

 Moqui itself is very unhealthy, hut is indispensable as the principal port and depot 

 for goods into the interior, From here he starts on his inland journey, and travels 

 for six days through dreary and monotonous country to S. .Salvador, the ancient 

 capital of Kongo. 



Here there are ruins of ancient churches, and the main arch of the cathedral 

 is in a good state of preservation, the only monument of a great and glorious 

 past. There is a Portuguese Resident, two trading firms, and two missions. 



Three years ago the writer of this paper was requested to make a prospecting 

 journey into Zombo, and after traversing the country in several directions esta- 

 blished a mission station at Kibokolo, in the heart of Zombo. 



Travelling east from S. Salvador he ascended the plateau at Bangu, where the 

 Mbrizi River' falls into the valley, the Arthington Falls. The journey proceeded 

 eastward, and the source of the Mbrizi was noted. The Kwilu River also rises 

 on this plateau. Two days' journey takes him to the Lufunde Valley, the high, 

 precipitous rocks and waterfalls on both, sides of which are very picturesque. The 

 river Lufunde flows into the Mbrizi to tbe south-west. 



Climbing the hill on the eastern side the traveller is again on the plateau, and 

 Kibokolo is a populous district on the highland, .30,250 feet above the sea. 



The climate is much better on the plateau than in the swampy lowlands, and 

 the temperature is much lower, with a good annual fall of rain. 



The soil is sandy and the country naturally well drained, the most noticeable 

 feature being the abundance of water in sparkling and crystal streams and the 

 absence of swamps. Hence these highlands of Zombo are much healthier for 

 Europeans, and malarial fevei is not prevalent. 



The flora of the country atfords a splendid field for botanists. Many parts of 

 Portuguese Congo are sparsely populated, but Zombo is an exception, being very 

 thickly populated. 



When .slaTery and native wars and superstitions are done away with the 

 natives of Africa will rapidly increase in number, and the question of the native 

 races will be the most ditticult of African problems. 



The development of the country must be by the uplifting of the natives. New 

 needs and new tastes must be cultivated, so that the natives may be impelled tc 

 work for their living. 



Here Christian missions do great good in teaching the people and providing 

 them with vernacular literature, so that they are no longer satisfied with savage 

 life. Young men are trained as carpenters, stonemasons, and blacksmiths, and they 

 employ themselves in useful work. Thus the natives take their position as 

 responsible beings in the progress and development of their country. 



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBEll 13. 



The following' Papers were read :— 



1. The Effects of Vegetation in the Valley and Plains of the Clyde. 

 By G. F. Scott-Elliot, M.A., B.Sc, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. 



General characters of the valley in (1) the subalpine, (2) heather and peat, 

 (3) sheep pasture, and (4) arable^ districts ; (5) the Falls of Clyde or canyon, 

 (6) the valley below the falls, and (7) the flat alluvial plains about Renfrew. 



Erosion.— The e^ect of erosion on peat, bare arable land, and permanent pasture 

 is contrasted with a view to showing that the water retained in peaty soil, the 

 transpiration amounts of living plants, as well as the vegetable matter produced, 

 must so alter the character and amount of the erosion that no trustworthy estimate 

 can be formed if these factors are disregarded. 



Slopes or sides of the valley. — The successive stages in the formation of the 

 slope are traced in several instances, taken from the Falls of Clyde and the 



