1870.] THE FUTURE OF AFRICA. 81 



The education of the world is a terrible one, and it has 

 come down with relentless rigour on Africa from the most 

 remote times ! What the African will become after this 

 awfully hard lesson is learned, is among the future deve- 

 lopments of Providence. When He, who is higher than the 

 highest, accomplishes His purposes, this will be a wonderful 

 country, and again something like what it was of old, when 

 Zerah and Tirhaka flourished, and were great. 



The soil of Manyuema is clayey and remarkably fertile, 

 the maize sown in it rushes up to seed, and everything is 

 in rank profusion if only it be kept clear of weeds, but the 

 Bambarre people are indifferent cultivators, planting maize, 

 bananas and plantains, and ground-nuts only — no dura, a 

 little cassava, no pennisetum, meleza, pumpkins, melons, 

 or nyumbo, though they all flourish in other districts: a 

 few sweet potatoes appear, but elsewhere all these native 

 grains and roots are abundant and cheap. No one Avould 

 choose this as a residence, except for the sake of Moene- 

 kuss. Oil is very dear, while at Lualaba a gallon may be 

 got for a single string of beads, and beans, ground-nuts, 

 cassava, maize, plantains in rank profusion. The Balegga, 

 like the Bambarre people, trust chiefly to plantains and 

 ground-nuts ; to play with parrots is their great amusement. 



13th November. — The men sent over to Lohombo, about 

 thirty miles off, got two and a half loads of dura for a 

 small goat, but the people were unwilling to trade. " If we 

 encourage Arabs to trade, they will come and kill us with 

 their guns," so they said, and it is true : the slaves are over- 

 bearing, and when this is resented, then slaughter ensues. 

 I got some sweet plantains and a little oil, which is useful 

 in cooking, and with salt, passes for butter on bread, but all 

 were unwilling to trade. Monangoi was over near Lohombo, 

 and heard of a large trading party coming, and not far off; 

 this may be Syde and Dugumbe, but reports are often 

 false. When Katomba's men were on the late foray, they 



VOL. If. G 



