February i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
<>59 
A NEW PLANTING REGION :— THE SMALL 
ISLANDS BETWEEN MADAGASCAR AND 
ZANZIBAR. 
I1Y A TRAVELLER LATELY RETURNED. 
Tlie only drawback to the cultivation of the island 
of Nossi-be lias been the uncertainty of being able 
to send produce out, of the country, and the lougth of 
time which bis necessarily elapsed before its valu- could 
be realized. As to climate, I believe it is fairly healthy. 
Fever, of course, is met with, but the French officials 
living in Hell-ville told ms that, when troops were 
quartered there, I he health of the men was excel- 
lent. Of animal life thero is but little in the is- 
land, a small black lemur being the only known 
mammal. Snakes are very plentiful, but I believe 
not poisonous. The lizard family abound, from the 
gigantic iguanas to little green members of the g»nus 
no bigger than a man's linger; and the quaint chameleon 
may often be seen assuming all the colours of the 
rainbow. Birds are tolerably numerous ; and guinea- 
fowl, quail, and wild duck give sportsmen a good 
excuse for a walk. All round the coast fish abound, 
and the natives, being expert fishermen, a constant 
daily supply can be counied on. The bonito is ihe 
most common ; but eels, shrimps, and crabs are 
also abundant, and in one part of the island 
a small but very delicate oyster is found. There 
is a small Arab town on the opposite side of 
the harbour to Hell-ville, and several good sized 
native villages scattered over the island, the 
chief of which are Ambauonrou and Audavak'ii- 
tonkoQ. The total native population is estimated at 
about 12,000, and consists chiefly of Sahalavaa 
and the mixed races of the Comoro isles. Without 
saying that Nossi-be is an island which will prove 
an El Dorado to white settlers, 1 believe it is a 
place where an energetic man with a very small 
capital would in eight or ten years be sure of ac- 
quiring a considerable fortune. It must be borne in 
mind too, that it is only one island out of many, 
all equally suited to the cultivation of tropical aod 
sub-tropical produce. 
Of the history or' the island but little is known 
previous to the year 1810. In that year M. de 
Holl, the Governor of Bourbon, being, anxious to 
obtain a naval station on or close to the coast of 
Madagascar, sent a Freuch naval officer to No. j si-he 
to report on the adaptability of that island for the 
purpose. At this time the islaud was ruled by a 
Sahalava Queen, by name Ratsiomika, who had been 
driven from Madagascar by the. Hawas. Not content with 
having driven her from her country, the Hawas 
were constantly making raids on her fillowera at 
Noaai-be, aud on the arrival of M. de Hell's envoy 
she at once implor d the protection of France. This 
was granted and the following year a treaty was 
made by which she ceded Nossi-be aud the adjacent 
island of Nossi cNunb i to hei protectors. Nos«i-eomba, 
which lies a little to the north-east of Nossi-be, 
contains no white settlers, though the Freuch Com- 
mandant has a pleasant summer residence on one of 
its hills. Then' is a good-sized native villago on the 
west *ido of tlie island, called Ampajowina. All that 
hits been said of Nossi-be would apply equally to 
Nossi-cmba ; BO 1 think wi I again t ike ship ami 
I ungine that we have left Hell-ville far behind, and 
KM entering the harbour of Mayotte 
ThiH island, or rather group of islands, for the 
name is used to signify some seven or eight, which 
are now Pienoh territory, is one of the latest 
acquisition of the Ki ■ ■■!> I ; .pn 1 ■! n-. I \ ar it ■ 
gted in hi" 44' and 13 •">' south latitude and 42° 40" 
and 42" 4S" east longitude. Heie three small is- 
lands, Zaondri, Panansi, Bona, foruj, with the largo 
island of Mayotte, a magnificent land locked har- 
bour, completely sheltered from southern or easterly 
winds. The seat of Government is the little island of 
Zaondri, where all the official buildings are placed. 
On the large island there are a few planters who are 
doing well with sugar, and I noticed some paddy- 
fields which gave, promise of a good crop. There is 
only one " vanillerie " tit present, but that has shewn 
itself a very mine of wealth, and no doubt this 
industry will _;row very raphlly. Coffee is grown on 
these, plantations, and has been sold at Bourbon 
at the highest market rates. Unlike Nosoi-be, 
Mayotte possesses no very extensive forest lands, 
though it is fairly well timbered. The ground, too, 
as a rule, lies much lower, being nowhere more than 
2,000 feet above the sea level. Beautiful little s' reams, 
however, run in every direction through the valley, 
and any lover of a quiet picturesque scene would be 
enchanted with the views obtained, from different 
points of the island, of the deep blue sea literally 
studded with islets and the charming tropical vegeta- 
tion in the foreground. The large islaud contains 
about 32,000 hectares according to the French survey, 
and there are six or seven small islands lying close 
by, which have not yet been surveye 1. Of this 32,000 
hectares not more than G 000 are under cultivation. 
Here, then, there is plenty of room for more settlement 
and every chance of making money. Sago, spices, cloves, 
tapioca, and cocoa could all be grown here, and with 
the uew communications now to be opened up, these 
islands will be within, easier reach of the European 
market than the Straits Settlements and Java, which at 
present, mainly supply these products. The flora aud 
fauna of this group are almost identical with those of 
Nossi-bo and Nossi-comba ; the only different trees I 
noticed being the paupau, the custard apple, aud tiie 
Bauhirea purpurea. The history of Mayotte, like that 
of most ot these elands, is buried in obscurity. It ap- 
parently belonged to an iudepeudent Sultan as lately as 
1835, and afterwards to have fallen iuto the hands of 
Ablullah Sultan of Johanna. This Abdullah seems to 
have conceived the idea of conquering all the islands 
belonigng to, or lying near, the Comoro group ; for after 
having captured Mayotte, ho set sail tlie following year 
with a large fleet of dhows to attack the neighbouring 
Sultau of Mohilla. His fleet, however, was driven ashore 
at the lat er p'ace, aud he was cuptured, thrown into 
prison, and starved to death. A quarrel between 
his sun and his brother, as to the succession, brought 
about a sta'e of civil war, aud a Malagash refugee of 
the nameof Souli assumed the sovereignty of Mayotte, 
and in the year 1S42 handed it over to France. Since 
the French took possession, there has been no native 
trouble, and the present Sultan of Johanna is quite con- 
tent to remain lord of his own small isle. Mayotte will 
be the terminus of the br inch line of steamers at pre- 
aant ; but as we havr got so far, we will t?ke a look at 
Johanna, Comoro, and Mohilla, before retracing our steps. 
Johanna is situated about ninety roihs to the west of 
Mayotte, aud 1- of very remarkald- formation, being 
little more than a long backbone of mountains rising in 
places abruptly from the sea. The harbour, on which 
the town of Johanna is situated, is not a good 
one, being very open to the north. Tbo town itself 
ia pi -luri .-que. walled all round, and with a fort pcr- 
obed on .1 projecting rock almost overhanging it. Tho 
population here is almost exclusively Arab, and S*a- 
bjlli is the language commonly spokou. Tlnro are, 
however, a good many sl.ivi s who have beeu brought 
over fioin the Afr'eau coast and also from the neigh- 
bouring islands. There are only two white men living 
■ nth' island, an Knglinhman and an Amurieau, and they 
liv oq opposite sides of the island. Both are eugiged 
in sugar growing, aud both aic doing well 'iho 
Crop eras almost ready to cut when I saw it, and tho.se 
who huvu only scou tho came iu Mauritius would 
