Chap. XXXII. QUILIMANE AND ZAMBESI. 667 



rains much stronger. The banks of the river, for the first 30 

 miles, are generally thickly clothed with trees, with occasional 

 open glades. There are many huts and villages on both sides, 

 and a great deal of cultivation. At one village, about 17 miles 

 up on the eastern bank, and distinguished by being surrounded 

 by an immense number of bananas and plantain-trees, a great 

 quantity of excellent peas are cultivated, also cabbages, tomatos, 

 onions, &c. Above this there are not many inhabitants on the 

 left or west bank, although it is much the finest country, being 

 higher, and abounding in cocoa-nut palms ; the eastern bank 

 being sandy and barren. The reason is, that some years back 

 the Landeens, or Caffres, ravaged all this country, killing the 

 men and taking the women as slaves, but they have never 

 crossed the river ; hence the natives are afraid to settle on the 

 west bank, and the Portuguese owners of the different " prasos " 

 have virtually lost them. The banks of the river continue 

 mostly sandy, with few trees, except some cocoa-nut palms, 

 until the southern end of the large plantation of Nyangue, 

 formed by the river about 20 miles from Maruru. Here the 

 country is more populous and better cultivated, the natives a 

 finer race, and the huts larger and better constructed. Maruru 

 belongs to Sefior Asevedo, of Quilimane, well known to all 

 English officers on the east coast for his hospitality. 



" The climate here is much cooler than nearer the sea, and 

 Asevedo has successfully cultivated most European as well as 

 tropical vegetables. The sugar-cane thrives, as also coffee and 

 cotton, and indigo is a weed. Cattle here are beautiful, and 

 some of them might show with credit in England. The natives 

 are intelligent, and under a good government this fine country 

 might become very valuable. Three miles from Maruru is 

 Mesan, a very pretty village among palm and mango trees. 

 There is here a good house belonging to a Sefior Ferrao ; close 

 by is the canal (Miitu) of communication between the Quilimane 

 and Zambesi rivers, which in the rainy season is navigable (?). 

 I visited it in the month of October, which is about the dryest 

 time of the year ; it was then a dry canal, about 30 or 10 yards 

 wide, overgrown with trees and grass, and, at the bottom, at 

 least 16 or 17 feet above the level of the Zambesi, which was 

 running beneath. In the rains, by the marks I saw, the entrance 



