MOSAMBIQUE. 
75 
good with respect to the civilians, who go out to the Colony from 
Europe. 
It may be easily conceived how inadequate such a promiscuous 
population must be to the improvement, or even defence of the 
Settlement. As to the neighbouring tribes before described, which 
acknowledge the Portuguese jurisdiction, it may be doubted 
whether they add more to its safety or its danger. In fact, as the 
Portuguese themselves confess, it is only on the ignorance of 
their enemies that they rely for security, and upon this no great 
dependance is to be placed, for the Arab traders, whom I met 
with at Mocha, seemed to me pretty intimately acquainted with 
the true state of aiFairs at Mosambique, and one of them^ named 
Hadjee Salee, even declared ' ■ it was so miserably weak that, with 
a hundred stout Arabian soldiers, he would dispossess the Portu- 
guese of the Colony." I tried to convince him that the situation of 
things would be very different under the new governor ; but he 
shook his head and persisted in his opinion, observing that it 
was too far gone to be reclaimed." 
The external connections of this colony were unfortunately at 
this time as discouraging as its internal relations. The war with 
France had been already productive of the most disastrous con- 
sequences. In 1808, a French privateer took possession of one 
of the adjacent islands, at the season when the coasting vessels come 
up from Quilimanci and Sofala, and captured almost every Por- 
tuguese boat employed in the trade, which proved a serious loss 
in a country where wood is scarce, and where the industry 
requisite to remedy such a disaster is wanting. This kind of war- 
fare would probably have been continued during subsequent years 
