March 1907.] 



157 



Edible Products. 



readily understood, perhaps, when it is explained that Chinde receives the entire 

 trade of the extensive Zambezi valley, and, similarly, all the articles of import 

 received, not only from Zambezi, but from the vast countries to the north and west> 

 are shipped from Chinde. It will, therefore, be seen that the amount of ground- 

 nuts exported from the two places is very large. Moreover, there has been 

 established at Quilimane during the past year an extensive soap and oil manufactory, 

 which possess certain profitable monopolies for the manufacture of those two 

 articles in the province and elsewhere. As these goods are manufactured entirely 

 from ground-nuts and other locally produced oil seeds, it follows that a considerable 

 quantity is used in this way. If we were in a position to add to the quantity of 

 of ground-nuts actually exported from Quilimane and Chinde the number of tons 

 used locally in the soap and oil manufactory, the amount of this produce collected in 

 the district, with that shipped from the Zambezi, would doubtless reach an astouud- 

 ing total. On the table which follows it will be noted that the increase in the exports 

 of ground-nuts, in -1898 is considerable, and this is more remarkable when it is 

 understood that the natives in the northern portion of the province have often 

 great difficulty in reaching the coast with their produce by reason of the terror 

 inspired by the raaraudiug tribes by which the country is infested. I am informed 

 that a large quantity both of rubber aud ground-nuts is annually lost to commerce, 

 the natives being surprised in the act of conveying it to the coast and put to flight, 

 while the result of their labours for, it may be, many months is left rotting on 

 the ground. 



"As I have previously endeavoured to explain, the ground-nuts are collected 

 entirely without supervision, and in quite a haphazard way, and sold to the exporter 

 on the coast. From what I have been enabled to glean very few find their way to 

 the United Kingdom, the bulk going to Hamburg aud Rotterdam, whilst a certain 

 quantity are despatched to Marseilles." 



Return of Ground-nuts exported from below-mentioned Ports in 1897 and 1898. 



Ports. 





1897. 









1898. 

























Tons. 



Value. 





Tons. 





Value. 









£. 



s. 



d, 







s. 



d. 



Ibo... 



55 



742 



10 







85 



1,147 



10 







Mozambique 



2,065 



27,877 



10 







5,190 



70,065 











Quilimane ... 



2,470 



33,345 











6,397 



86,359 



10 







Chinde (approximate)... 



2,000 



27,000 











4,500 



60,750 











Total ... 



6,590 



88,965 











16,172 



218,322 













Total 



Export during 1897 ... 



6,590 



88,965 













Increase during 



1898 





9,582 



129,357 











Like the Indian trade, that of the Argentine Repulic, never very large has 

 fallen since 1891 ; a table of the importations of Europe thence may be seen in 

 Semler's Tropische Agricultur (ed. 2, II,, p. 461). 



Lastly, a word about China. China, as stated above, an early home of 

 Arachis in Asia, still grows large quantities, especially in the Yangtze-Kiang valley. 

 Chief of all as a port of shipment, not only of nuts, but of oil, is Chinkiang at the 

 mouth of this river, and a large proportion of the exports find its way to Hongkong 



