430 APPENDIX. 



as far as its junction with the Quilimane river, called ' Boca do Rio,' by 

 my computation between 70 and 80 miles from the entrance. The 

 influence of the tides is felt about 25 or 30 miles up the river. Above 

 that, the stream, in the dry season, runs from 1§ to 2 \ miles an hour, 

 but in the 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 cul- 

 tivated, 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 Caff res, 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 Maruni. Here the country is more populous 

 and better cultivated, the natives a finer race, and the huts larger and 

 better constructed. Maruru belongs to Sehor Aseve'do, 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 Senor Ferrao ; close by is the 

 canal (Mutu) 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 40 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 1 

 saw, the entrance rise of the river must be very nearly 30 feet, and 

 the volume of water discharged by it (the Zambesi) enormous. 



" Above Maruru the country begins to become more hilly, and the 

 high mountains of Boruru are in sight ; the first view of these is ob- 

 tained below Nyangue, and they must be of considerable height, as from 

 this- they are distant above 40 miles. They are reported to contain greAt 



