416 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



who offered a large sum for a few tons, in the vain hope of 

 stimulating the exploitation of this valuable article. The 

 specimens were not, however, cast in moulds as by the South 

 American Indians ; they were full of water, and even fouler 

 than those brought from Madagascar. To develop the trade 

 European supervision would be absolutely necessary during the 

 season for tapping the trees. 



A tree growing upon the coast and common in Madagascar 

 produces, when an incision has been made in the bark, a juice 

 inspissating to the consistency of soft soap, and much resembling 

 the Indian " kokam." This (i kanya " is eaten by Arabs and 

 Africans, with the idea that it " moistens the body : " in cases 

 of stiff joints, swellings of the extremities, and contractions of 

 the sinews, it is melted over the fire and is rubbed into the 

 skin for a fortnight or three weeks. 



The produce and the value of the coco and areca palms have 

 already been noted. Orchella-weed (Rocilla fucifbrmis ?) a 

 lichen most valuable in dyeing, is found, according to the late 

 Lieut-Colonel Hamerton, growing on trees and rocks through- 

 out the maritime regions. The important growths of the in- 

 terior are the frankincense and bdellium, the coffee and nutmeg 

 — which, however, are still in a wild state — the tamarind, and 

 the sisam or black wood. The largest planks are made of the 

 mtimbati (African teak?) and the mvule ; they are now ex- 

 ported from the coast to the island, where they have almost died 

 out. As the art of sawing is unknown, a fine large tree is in- 

 variably sacrificed for a single board. It was the opinion of the 

 late Lieut.-Colonel Hamerton that a saw-mill at the mouth of 

 the Pangani River would, if sanctioned by the local govern- 

 ment, be highly remunerative. 



Cowries, called by the Arabs kaure, in Kisawahili khete, 

 and in the interior simbi, are collected from various places in 

 the coast-region between Ras Hafun and the Mozambique. 

 This trade is in the hands of Moslem hucksters ; the Banyan 

 who has no objection to the valuable ivory or hippopo- 

 tamus-tooth, finds his religion averse to the vile spoils of the 

 Cypra3a. Cowries are purchased on the mainland by a curious 

 specimen of the " round-trade ; " money is not taken, so the 

 article is sold measure for measure of holcus grain. From 

 Zanzibar the cowrie takes tw r o directions. As it forms the cur- 

 rency of the regions north of the " Land of the Moon," and is 

 occasionally demanded as an ornament in Unyamwezi, the 

 return African porters, whose labour costs them nothing, often 

 partly load themselves with the article ; the Arab, on the other 



