SCENERY OF ANGOLA. 875 



of from thirty to sixty miles inland. At this distance, a ridge or hilly range 

 runs along the whole length of Angola, forming the first elevation ; a second 

 elevation succeeds it at about an equal distance ; and a third, at perhaps twice 

 the distance again, lands us on the central high plateau of Africa. These 

 successive elevations inland are accompanied by very remarkable changes in 

 the character of the vegetation covering the surface of the country. For 

 about twenty-five miles from Ambriz, for example, the vegetation is princi- 

 pally composed of enormous Baobabs, Euphorbias, slender creepers, and short 

 tufty grasses. At Matuta the scene suddenly and magically changes ; the 

 Baobabs become fewer in number, the Euphorbias almost completely disap- 

 pear, and most of the creeping plants ; and a set of larger, shadier trees and 

 shrubs take their place, the grass becomes tall and broad-leaved, and one 

 seems to be travelling in an entirely new country. This character is pre- 

 served for another stretch of road till Quiballa is reached, about sixty miles 

 from the coast, where the rise in level is more marked ; and again the vegeta- 

 tion changes. Creepers of all kinds, attaining a gigantic size, almost mono- 

 polise the vegetation, clasping round immense trees, and covering them with 

 a mass of foliage and flower. •■ 



The change of vegetation is accompanied by difference of climate. The 

 rains are much more plentiful and constant towards the interior of the coun- 

 try, where the vegetation is densest ; on the coast the rains are generally de- 

 ficient, and some seasons entirely fail — this is especially the case south of 12° 

 Lat., several successive rainy seasons passing without a single drop of rain 

 falling. The total absence of horned cattle among the natives on the coast, 

 from the River Congo to south of the River Quanza, is a singular circumstance; 

 due as much to some influence of the climate, or irritant nature of the vegeta- 

 tion, as to the neglect of the natives to breed them. The natives south of the 

 Quanza beyond the Quissama country, as far as Mossamedes, breed large num- 

 bers of cattle — their principal wealth, in fact, consisting of their herds. 



No strikingly high mountain exists in Angola. The second and third 

 elevations contain some fine hill ranges, as at Bembe, Pungo Andongo, Caz- 

 engo, Mucellis, and Capangombe. To the south of Benguela, as far as Mos- 

 samedes flat-topped, or table hills, perfectly bare of vegetation, are a very 

 prominent feature, seen from the sea ; they are of basalt, and are about two 

 or three hundred feet in height, and are in many places the only remains left 

 of a higher level. In others, this higher level still exists for a considerable 

 extent, deeply cut by narrow gorges and ravines leading towards the sea, 

 with nearly perpendicular sides. 



The River Congo is a striking and well-marked line of division, in re- 

 spect of climate, fauna, natives, and customs, between Angola and the rest of 

 the West Coast. The Congo is very deep, and the current is always strong ; 

 even above Boma, about ninety miles distant from the sea, the river is a vast 



