426 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFEICA. 



to be protected, by a British register : only five had on board 

 a European captain or sailing master, the rest being com- 

 manded and officered by Arabs and Indians. Their cargoes 

 from India and the Eastern regions are rice, sugar, piece goods, 

 planking, pepper, and pilgrims; from Persia, dates, tobacco, 

 and raw silk ; and from the Mozambique, ivory, gold dust, and 

 similar costly articles. These imports in 1856 are valued at 

 160,000/. The exports for the year, consisting of a little coffee 

 and spice for purchase of imports, amounts, per returns, to 

 120,000/. In addition to these square-rigged ships, the number 

 of country vessels, open boats, buggalows, and others, from the 

 Persian Gulf and the Indian Coasts, amount to 900, importing 

 550,000/., and exporting about 400,000/. I may remark, that 

 to all these sums at least one-third should be added, as specula- 

 tion abounds, and books are kept by triple entry in the Holy 

 Land. 



" The next port in importance to Jeddah is Hoclaydah, where 

 vessels touch on their way northward, land piece and other goods, 

 and call on the return passage to fill with coffee. As the head- 

 quarters of the Yemen Pashalik, it has reduced Mocha, formerly 

 the great coffee mart, to insignificance, and the vicinity of Aden, 

 a free port, has drawn off much of the stream of trade from both 

 these ancient emporia. On the African Coast of the Red Sea, 

 Sawakin, opposite Jeddah, is a mere slave mart, and Masawwah, 

 opposite Hodaydah, still trades in pearls, gold dust, ivory, and 

 mules. 



" But if the value of the Bed Sea traffic calls, in the present 

 posture of events, for increased means of protection, the Slave- 

 trade has equal claims to our attention. At Aden energetic 

 efforts have been made to suppress it. It is, however, still 

 carried on by country boats from Sawakin, Tajurrah, Zayla, 

 and the Somali Coast ; —a single cargo sometimes consisting of 

 200 head gathered from the interior, and exported to Jeddah 

 and the small ports lying north and south of it. The trade is, 

 I believe, principally in the hands of Arab merchants at Jeddah 

 and Hodaydah, and resident foreigners, principally Indian 

 Moslems, who claim our protection in case of disturbances, and 

 consequently carry on a thriving business. Our present Squad- 

 ron in the Bed Sea consisting of only two sailing vessels, the 

 country boats in the African ports have only to wait till they 

 see the ship pass up or down, and then knowing the passage — 

 a matter of a day — to be clear, to lodge the slaves at their desti- 

 nation. During the past year, this trade was much injured by 

 the revolt of the Arabs against the Turks, and the constant 

 presence of the ' Elphinstone? whose reported object was to 



