APPENDIX I. 



411 



the Arab merchants gain but little beyond a livelihood in plenty 

 and dignity by their expeditions to the interior. An invest- 

 ment of 1,000 dollars rarely yields more than 70 farasilah (2450 

 lbs.) Assuming the high price of Zanzibar at an average of 50 

 dollars per farasilah, the stock would be worth 3500 dollars — a 

 net profit of 1050 dollars. Against this, however, must be set 

 off the price of porterage and rations — equal to at least five 

 dollars per frasilah — the enormous interest upon the capital, the 

 wastage of outfit, and the risk of loss, which, upon the whole, is 

 excessive. Though time, toil, and sickness, not being matters 

 of money, are rarely taken into consideration by the Eastern 

 man, they must be set down on the loss side of the account. 

 It is therefore plain that commercial operations on such a scale 

 can be remunerative only to a poor people, and that they 

 can be rendered lucrative to capitalists only by an extension 

 and a development which, depending solely upon improved 

 conveyance, must be brought about by the energy of Euro- 

 peans. For long centuries past and for centuries to come the 

 Semite and the Hamite have been and will be contented with 

 human labour. The first thought which suggests itself to the 

 sons of Japhet is a tramroad from the coast to the Lake regions. 



The subject of ivory as sold at Zanzibar is as complicated as 

 that of sugar in Great Britain or of cotton in America. A de- 

 tailed treatise would here be out of place, but the following no- 

 tices may serve to convey an idea of the trade. 



The merchants at Zanzibar recognise in ivory, the produce of 

 these regions, three several qualities. The best, a white, soft, 

 and large variety, with small (< bamboo," is that from the Bana- 

 dir, Brava, Makdishu, and Marka. A somewhat inferior kind, 

 on account of its hardness, is brought from the countries of 

 Chaga, Umasai, and Nguru. The W amasai often spoil their 

 tusks by cutting them, for the facility of transport ; and, like the 

 people of Nguru and other tribes, they stain the exterior by 

 sticking the tooth in the sooty rafters of their chimney less huts, 

 with the idea that so treated it will not crack or split in the sun. 

 This red colour, erroneously attributed at Zanzibar to the use 

 of ghee, is removed by the people with blood, or cowdung mixed 

 with water. Of these varieties the smaller tusks fetch from 40 

 to 50 dollars ; when they attain a length of 6 feet, the price 

 would be 12/. ; and some choice specimens 7^ feet long fetch 60/. 

 A lot of 47 tusks was seen to fetch 1500/. ; the average weight 

 of each was 95 lbs., 80 being considered moderate, and from 70 

 to 75 lbs. poor. 



The second quality is that imported from the regions about 



