THE COPAL TRADE. 



279 



to Zanzibar from the northern limits of Makdishu 

 and Brava to Kilwa and Cape Delgado — by rough 

 computation 800 miles. It extends, here three 

 hours' march, there two to three days, into the 

 interior. On the mainland it costs half-price of 

 what is paid upon the Island, and the indolent 

 Wasawahili of the villaores cannot be induced to 

 dig whilst a handful of grain remains in the bin. 

 I found it impossible to ' trace the position and 

 circumstances of the extinct forests, of which 

 copal constitutes the principal remains :' such an 

 investigation would have entailed at least two 

 months' voyaging along, and dwelling upon, the 

 fever-haunted seaboard. 



I was also obliged to leave to the late secretary 

 of the Bombay Geographical Society the task of 

 remedying the host of evils that at present beset 

 copal-digging. The first is the Commercial 

 treat V of 1839, by whose tenth article H. H. the 

 Sayyid engages ' not to permit the establishment 

 of any monopoly or exclusive privilege of sale 

 within his dominions, except in the articles of 

 ivory and gum copal on that part of the East 

 Coast of Africa, from the port of Tangate, situ- 

 ated in about degrees of S. latitude, to the 

 port of Quiloa, lying in about 7 degrees south of 

 the equator.' The U. S. Commercial treaty of 



