Chap. XX. RUINS— THE FORT. 405 



venient for the transport of the products of the rich districts of 

 Cassange, Pungo Andongo, Ambaca, Cambambe, Golimgo Alto, 

 Cazengo, Muchima, and Calumbo ; in a word, the whole of Angola 

 and independent tribes adjacent to tins kingdom. 



The Portuguese merchants generally look to foreign enter- 

 prise ; and to their own Government, for the means by which 

 this amelioration might be effected ; but, as I always stated to 

 them when conversing on the subject, foreign capitalists would 

 never run the risk, unless they saw the Angolese doing something 

 for themselves, and the laws so altered that the subjects of other 

 nations should enjoy the same privileges in the country with 

 themselves. The Government of Portugal has indeed shown a 

 wise and liberal policy by its permission for the alienation of 

 the crown lands in Angola ; but the law giving it effect is so 

 fenced round with limitations, and so deluged with verbiage, 

 that to plain people it seems anything but a straightforward 

 licence to foreigners to become bond fide landholders and culti- 

 vators of the soil. At present the tolls paid on the different lines 

 of road for ferries and bridges, are equal to the interest of large 

 sums of money, though but a small amount has been expended in 

 making available roads. 



There are two churches and a hospital in ruins at Massangano ; 

 and the remains of two convents are pointed out, one of which is 

 said to have been an establishment of black Benedictines, which, 

 if successful, considering the materials the brethren had to work 

 on, must have been a laborious undertaking. There is neither 

 priest nor schoolmaster in the town, but I was pleased to observe 

 a number of children taught by one of the inhabitants. The 

 cultivated lands attached to all these conventual establishments 

 in Angola, are now rented by the Government of Loanda, and 

 thither the bishop lately removed all the gold and silver vessels 

 belonging to them. 



The fort of Massangano is small, but in good repair : it contains 

 some very ancient guns, winch were loaded from the breech, and 

 must have been formidable weapons in their time. The natives 

 of this country entertain a remarkable dread of great guns, and 

 this tends much to the permanence of the Portuguese authority. 

 They dread a cannon greatly, though the carriage be so rotten 



