THE FORT. 379 



Cazengo, Muchima, and Calumbo ; in a word, the whole 

 of Angola and independent tribes adjacent to this kingdom. 



The Portuguese merchants generally look to foreign 

 enterprise, and to their own Government, for the means 

 by which this amelioration might be effected ; but, as I 

 always stated to them, when conversing on the subject, 

 foreign capitalists would never run the risk, unless they 

 saw the Angolese doing something for themselves, and the 

 laws so altered that the subjects of other nations should 

 enjoy the same privileges in the country with themselves. 

 The Government of Portugal has indeed shown a wise and 

 liberal policy by its permission for the alienation of the 

 crown lands in Angola ; but the law giving it effect is so 

 fenced round with limitations, and so deluged with ver- 

 biage, that to plain people it seems anything but a straight- 

 forward licence to foreigners to become bond fide land- 

 holders and cultivators of the soil. At present the tolls 

 paid on the different lines of road for ferries and bridges, 

 are equal to the interest of large sums of money, though 

 but a small amount has been expended in making available 

 roads. 



There are two churches and a hospital in ruins at 

 Massangano ; and the remains of two convents are 

 pointed out, one of which is said to have been an establish- 

 ment of black Benedictines, which, if successful, consider- 

 ing the materials the brethren had to work on, must 

 have been a laborious undertaking. There is neither 

 priest nor schoolmaster in the town, but I was pleased to 

 observe a number of children taught by one of the in- 

 habitants. The cultivated lands attached to all these 

 conventual establishments in Angola, are now rented by 

 the Government of Loanda, and thither the bishop lately 

 removed all the gold and silver vessels belonging to 

 them. 



The fort of Massangano is small, but in good repair ; it 

 contains some very ancient guns, which were loaded from 

 the breech, and must have been formidable weapons in 

 their time. The natives of this country entertain a remark- 

 able dread of great guns, and this tends much to the 

 permanence of the Portuguese authority. They dread a 

 cannon greatly, though the carriage be so rotten that it 

 would fall to pieces at the first shot ; the fort of Pungo 

 Andongo is kept securely by cannon perched on cross 

 sticks alone I 



