322 



BAHIA DAS VACAS. 



[1829. 



in front of the anchorage stands the fort of St. Philip, mounting thirty- 

 six guns ; to the westward of it, at the edge of the beach, is a small 

 five-gun battery, and north of Fort St. Philip is a battery of eighteen 

 guns. All these fortifications, however, are so much out of order, that 

 were a ten-gun brig to open her fire upon the town for ten minutes, the 

 inhabitants would fly without firing a gun. 



No good water can be obtained here, except in the rainy season ; at 

 all other times it is extremely brackish, and very unwholesome. Neither 

 can it be procured, such as it is, without considerable labour and diffi- 

 culty ; the fatigue of rolling the casks one-third of a mile, and then 

 bailing the water out of wells. Provisions, however, and refreshments 

 of almost every kind are readily obtained. Bullocks, sheep, goats, 

 hogs, poultry, fruit, and vegetables may be had in any quantities, and 

 at very moderate prices. You may also, at almost any time of the 

 year, find a ready market here for a quantity of domestic goods, at a 

 liberal price ; and purchase in exchange hides of different kinds, ivory, 

 ostrich feathers, and gold-dust. The bay affords excellent fishing with 

 a seine, and very fine sport with a hook and line. 



This bay is sometimes called Cow's Bay (Bahia das Vacas), on 

 account of the vast number of sea-cows which used to frequent it in 

 former times. The chief value of these animals is their ivory tusks, 

 which, being harder than those of the elephant, and not so liable to 

 turn yellow, are much more esteemed by dentists. Their hides 

 are also valuable for harness leather, and the skins of the young ones 

 make very handsome coverings for trunks. 



The land in the bottom of the bay is double, high, ragged, and prin- 

 cipally barren near the shore ; but the valley immediately back of the 

 town is rich in soil, and exceedingly fertile, yielding an abundance of 

 fruit of different kinds, and of an excellent quality. A great quantity 

 of corn and beans is raised near the Bay of Cows, and the inhabitants 

 rear cattle of the best kind in great numbers. They also gather a 

 kind of odoriferous wood called kakongo, which is held in high esti- 

 mation. Mines of copper are said to exist in the vicinity of the bay, 

 and the mountains are supposed to contain silver. The mountainous 

 districts swarm with wild beasts of various kinds. 



Most travellers agree in pronouncing the climate of Benguela ex- 

 tremely insalubrious to strangers ; but this, in my opinion, is greatly 

 owing to their not paying proper attention to diet and regimen. The 

 late visitation of the cholera has taught the world a useful lesson on 

 this subject ; and we now know by experience that the great secret of 

 preserving health is " moderation in all things ;" temperance in eating, 

 clothing, and exercise, as well as in drinking; abstinence from ex- 

 cesses of all kinds. By acting on this principle, every climate will be 

 found comparatively salubrious, and its atmosphere may be inhaled 

 with impunity. Far be it from me to invade the province of the 

 medical faculty ; but it is my deliberate opinion, founded on careful 

 observation, and confirmed by experience, that more diseases are 

 caused by bad water than by bad air ; and I would advise all stran- 

 gers who visit this particular part of the African coast, to be very 

 cautious of drinking the water, unless it be procured at a considerable 



