132 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XLII. 
they could never rely upon the Turks, who might 
easily cut off all supplies of foreign merchandise, it 
was greatly to their their interest to keep open to them- 
selves that large river which passed a short distance to 
the south of their dominions, and which would enable 
them to supply themselves with every kind of European 
manufacture at a much cheaper rate than they were 
able to obtain them by the northern route. He did not 
hesitate to throw the whole blame upon the former 
sultans ; but those poor men, when they possessed the 
dominion of the Kwana tribe, probably had no idea 
that the river which ran through their territory 
joined the sea ; and even if they had, the relation 
between Islam and Christianity at that period was of so 
hostile a character, that, for the very reason that this 
stream might open to the Christians a more easy 
access to their country, they shunned any nearer con- 
nection with it as dangerous. However, under the pre- 
sent entirely altered state of affairs, there is no ques- 
tion that an energetic native chief, basing his power 
on a supply of European merchandise, as facilitated 
by the river Benuwe, might easily dominate a great 
part of Central Africa; but energy is just the very 
thing these people are wanting in. 
From this point of our discourse there was an 
easy transition to that of the abolition of slavery ; 
and here my late lamented friend Mr. Overweg 
made a most eloquent speech on this important 
question. The vizier could not bring forward any other 
