160 THE REGION OF THE BARUlfi 



territory; and I have little doubt that when the 

 Baru^ is systematically prospected, an adequate 

 Land Department established, and administration 

 proceeds on somewhat broader lines than at present, 

 we shall hear more of this region, in which there 

 are, I consider, infinite possibilities of most im- 

 portant future development. 



Of course the paramount consideration in this 

 development is the preservation of the native as its 

 principal producing element, and, therefore, the 

 question of native rights is one of the utmost im- 

 portance. Doubtless in the present aspect of the 

 country, this difficulty is minimised by the smaU- 

 ness of the native population, which probably does 

 not exceed 80,000 souls ; but it may be, as time 

 goes on, many of the families which fled from 

 Coutinho's columns will return to their old haunts, 

 as they find peace and order continuing unbroken 

 there. 



Throughout Portuguese East Africa there is 

 nothing resembling our system of native reserves. 

 The negro comes and goes at will, and but Uttle 

 heed is paid to the localities he selects for his 

 native villages. Of course, as I have pointed out 

 elsewhere in these pages, the result of this is to 

 gradually deforest the more fertile regions, and, 

 by degrees, to restrict the (at present) sufficient 

 if decreasing annual rainfalls. In spite of this 

 tendency, however, which would doubtless be 

 exceedingly difficult to check, there can be no 

 doubt that for many generations to come these 

 periodical migrations are not destined to be fraught 

 with much inconvenience, so vast are the expanses 



