VISITS TO CAZEMBE. 549 



Several expeditions went to the north as far as to 

 Cazembe, and Dr. Lacerda, himself Commandant of Tete, 

 went to that chief's residence. Unfortunately he was 

 cnt off while there, and his papers, taken possession of 

 by a Jesuit who accompanied him, were lost to the world. 

 This Jesuit probably intended to act fairly and have them 

 published ; but soon after his return he was called away 

 by death himself, and the papers were lost sight of. Dr. 

 Lacerda had a strong desire to open up communication 

 with Angola, which would have been of importance then, 

 as affording a speedier mode of communication with 

 Portugal than by the way of the Cape ; but since the 

 opening of the overland passage to India, a quicker transit 

 is effected from Eastern Africa to Lisbon by way of the 

 Red Sea. Besides Lacerda, Cazembe was visited by 

 Peirara, who gave a glowing account of that chief's power, 

 which none of my inquiries have confirmed. The people 

 of Matiamvo stated to me that Cazembe was a vassal of 

 their chief ; and, from all the native visitors whom I have 

 seen, he appears to be exactly like Shinte and Katema, 

 only a little more powerful. The term " Kmperor," which 

 has been applied to him, seems totally inappropriate. 

 The statement of Peirara that twenty negroes were 

 slaughtered in a day, was not confirmed by any one else, 

 though numbers may have been killed on some particular 

 occasion during the time of his visit, for we find through- 

 out all the country north of 20 , which I consider to be 

 real negro, the custom of slaughtering victims to accom- 

 pany the departed soul of a chief, and human sacrifices are 

 occasionally offered, and certain parts of the bodies are 

 used as charms. It is on account of the existence of such 

 rites, with the similarity of the language, and the fact 

 that the names of rivers are repeated again and again from 

 north to south through all that region, that I consider 

 them to have been originally one family. The last 

 expedition to Cazembe was somewhat of the same nature 

 as the others, and failed in establishing a commerce, 

 because the people of Cazembe, who had come to Tete 

 to invite the Portuguese to visit them, had not been allowed 

 to trade with whom they might. As it had not been free- 

 trade there, Cazembe did not see why it should be free- 

 trade at his town ; he accordingly would not allow his 

 people to furnish the party with food except at his price ; 

 and the expedition, being half-starved in consequence, 



