Chap. XXIX. SOIL WELL ADAPTED FOE COTTON. 587 



During Dr. Livingstone's journey from Loanda on the West 

 Coast to Quillimane on the East Coast, no particular attention 

 was paid to the plant, because the question of cotton supply- 

 was then but little mooted. The statements made sub- 

 sequently in England embodied only the results of casual 

 observation, but they led to an official inquiry by the Por- 

 tuguese Government, and Dr. Welweitch, a botanist well 

 qualified from his general attainments and long residence in 

 Angola, conducted the investigation. Dr. Livingstone's im- 

 pressions as to the fitness of Angola for the growth of cotton 

 were abundantly borne out by this gentleman's report. 



Our late investigations prove that the former statements 

 as to the suitability of the climate and soil north of the 15° 

 or 16° of south latitude were very much within the truth. 

 In fact, the region indicated is preeminently a cotton-field ; 

 crops never running any danger of being cut off by frost. The 

 natives have paid a good deal of attention to the cultivation 

 of the plant, and find that the best requires renewal only 

 once in three years. 



No cotton-plants were observed in the middle of the country 

 during Dr. Livingstone's journey across Africa, but our atten- 

 tion had since been so carefully directed to the subject that 

 a single cotton-bush never escaped observation. We found 

 that not only was the plant well known to the people of 

 the interior, but that a variety not met with on either Coast 

 was under cultivation inland. Thus, for instance, the Bazi- 

 zulu living near the Kafue had a variety yielding cotton 

 of very fine quality and long staple, which can only be 

 described as of the Pernambuco kind; and at Sesheke the 

 stem of a tree of this species had attained a diameter of 

 eight inches, and was so tall that Dr. Kirk had to climb up 

 it for specimens as one would up an apple-tree. 



Two other varieties were found cultivated over large tracts 



