334 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



merits will require stations on the lake. Coffee, 

 wheat and rice, and oil-palms grow well however. 

 The climate is bad. 



The 50 miles from Tanganyika to the Kagera is 

 densely peopled, and possesses forests as well as a 

 rich cattle country. Probably it is healthy and 

 very fertile. 



The 250 miles along the Kagera to the Victoria 

 Nyanza lies through a fairly healthy country, quite 

 untried by Europeans. Most of the valley consists 

 of rich alluvial soil. 



So far as one can judge, more than half the 

 German line is similar to the Maungu desert, 

 though it is near Kilimanjaro, and there are, 

 apparently, numerous small hills generally similar 

 to the Teita hills in our territory. 



The rest is probably like the Masai highlands, 

 but not quite so valuable. 



Thus the — 



Miles. 



Mombasa railway opens up 657 



German railway opens up ... • • • 496 

 African Lakes Eoute opens up ... 1,660 



It is obvious, from this fact only, that the 

 African Lakes Koute can compete with the Ger- 

 man line, whereas the Mombasa line cannot 

 possibly do so. 



Moreover, the foregoing brief summary of the 

 prospects of the different countries shows that 

 there are most decided prospects of dividends, 



