THE ZAMBEZIA COMPANY 87 



be said for it, however, there is one thing upon 

 which this town and district are to be most cordially 

 congratulated, namely the high character of the 

 officials and functionaries by whom their destinies 

 are guided. Seldom in my fairly wide knowledge 

 of Portuguese East Africa have I found myself 

 among such a consistently cordial, entertaining, 

 and capable governing body. His Excellency 

 Governor Bettencourt has long been known and 

 esteemed by all classes for his unvarying courtesy 

 and kindness, his great personal tact, and that ready 

 approachableness which is the unmistakable sign of 

 a first-class official ; but added to all this I found 

 myself conversing with a student, a thinker, a man 

 with a firm grasp of the situation and its needs. 

 I do not remember that any portion of our con- 

 versation was uninstructive — certainly none was 

 uninteresting. To the Director of the Zambezi 

 Company, Captain A. de Portugal Durao, I have 

 already made some allusion. Here we have energy, 

 activity, and thoroughness personified. To a fine 

 service record Captain Durao adds great business 

 capacity, and that sympathetic manner which has 

 already provided him with numbers of friends. 

 The Zambezia Company is fortunate in possessing 

 an official of his rare personality at the head of its 

 important affairs in Africa. 



