THE RIVERS CASAI AND QUANGO. 451 
is paid from Loando to Lisbon, and thence again 
to London. As the same expenses are incurred 
on English manufactures, a British merchant 
carrying goods direct, to and from England, 
and dealing in Loando in a liberal spirit, would 
probably establish a lucrative trade. 
" In connection with this subject, I may be 
allowed to call your attention to the rivers Casai 
and Quango. These are reported by intelligent 
natives, who profess knowledge of the country, 
and are believed by Portuguese traders, to join 
somewhere North of Cassange, and form the 
Congo or Zaire of Captain Tuckey. The direc- 
tions in which I saw those rivers flowing, 
appear to favour the idea. The Casai, accord- 
ing to the report of Matiamvo's people, whom 
we met, flows E. N". E., even beyond the resi- 
dence of their Chief, and as that is a mouth, or 
300 miles from the ford, if it really makes a 
large bend round to the ET. W. after that, we 
can form an idea of the great importance of the 
attempts of Commander Bedingfield and others, 
to establish commerce on the Congo. It is 
scarcely possible to estimate the ultimate effect, 
which success in this most laudable effort would 
produce. These rivers drain such a vast extent 
of populous slave-producing territory, that they 
assume features of peculiar interest. The influ- 
ence of the English squadron on the coast, is 
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