Chap. XXI. OFFICIAL COXNIYANCE AT SLAVERY. 421 



had unwittingly revealed to us the real sentiments of the 

 big brother at Mosambique, his Excellency could not conceal 

 a little, perhaps excusable, chagrin, though he must have 

 known, that, living behind the scenes, we had never been 

 misled by his English palavers, and that we should have 

 rejoiced, had it been possible to have held him in higher 

 esteem- Some of the slaves, captured by his brother's agents, 

 are sent inland for ivory, and others kept on farms, whence 

 he and every one else know they will be shipped by means 

 of large canoes whenever an opportunity occurs. This inland 

 slave-trade feeds the foreign one ; and, if Portuguese legisla- 

 tion has any meaning, the whole thing is forbidden. If, as the 

 laws profess, they wish to get rid of slavery, no more slaves 

 can be made, unless the laws be only enacted to please the 

 English, and gratify the self-esteem of the legislators. 



The Portuguese Government is really famous for 

 passing good laws in Lisbon, and no less for allowing 

 those respecting slavery to remain a dead letter. It has 

 been decreed that slavery is to be abolished in this province 

 in 1878, and the Government slaves to be free in the year 

 1864. An officer told us that they were working the Govern- 

 ment slaves tremendously, making streets and tiles, in order 

 to get all the work they could out of them before they 

 were set free. 



Tette is very much improved since the present Governor 

 came into office. Two good roads or streets have been made, 

 which is something new for this country. The Governor him- 

 self is nearly walked off his feet looking after them. There are 

 some hundreds of black soldiers in the town, who are very 

 much better clothed, than a tithe of the number used to be in 

 former years. We were told, on what seemed good authority, 

 that Tette now costs the Home Government 3000?. a year, 

 and yields an annual revenue of 300?. The ivory-trade has 



