330 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



chakos, and probably Mr. Watt and his wife in 

 Ukambane, and one at Kikuyu — that is to say, 

 six along the route. The number of Europeans 

 in Uganda itself may be thirty or forty — that is 

 to say, a population of thirty-six to forty-six 

 Europeans to a line of 657 miles in length. 



The third course, the German line, is 496 miles 

 long, and probably may be taken as equivalent in 

 difficulty to the Tzavo to Kikuyu section of the 

 Mombasa railway. 



Cost 

 Miles. per mile. Total. 



Tanga-Nyanza 496 £3,276 £1,624,896 



It is, therefore, slightly, though only slightly, 

 more expensive than the African Lakes Koute. 



The prospects of the Mombasa line may be 

 summed up as follows : — 



The first 10 miles or coast district is fertile, pro- 

 ducing cocoanut-palms, possibly cloves, and very 

 likely other valuable plants suitable for plantation. 

 It has considerable forests, and there is a certain 

 amount of rubber. The native population is large, 

 and there are a few Europeans, though the climate 

 cannot be called healthy. 



In the next stretch of 240 miles there is nothing 

 of any value so far as one can now tell, and perhaps 

 as little prospect of anything as one could find 

 anywhere in Africa. 



The next stretch of 417 miles is one of great 



