May t, 1894.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
745 
"IBEA"-OR BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 
We have been favoured with a copy of tho 
Handbook prepared in the Intelligence Division, 
War « ffic% 1893, of " British East Afriaa inoiuding 
Zanzibar, Uganda and the territory of the Imperial 
British East Africa Company." This ee ma a very 
comprehensive stat-^ment of territory ; but the first 
thing to remember is that the region di&oussecl 
in this Handbook, eituated on each side of the 
equator and east ol the Congo State including the 
great Lake count; y (Lukes Victoria, Albert and 
Albert Edward) ha3 nothing to do with the region 
known as ""British Central Africa or that of 
" British South Africa." The former of these two 
lies to the iSonth of German Kast A'rica in tho 
neighbourhood of Lakes Nyasaa an'l Tunganyika ; 
while British Sjuth Aftioa is defioi ely markod 
off by the great river Z .mb di, all tarritory Sjuth 
of it being properly " South Afrioa." It 1=, of 
course, the auibitiou of Mr. Cooil Bbodos not 
only to extend British Govetoment aud oivilisatioi 
right up to the Zambesi, but gradually to estftbliah 
n bond of union bstweeu all the Britieb African 
States, and as the first connecting link to run 
tho telegraph wire (now in process of conatruotion) 
right up the country until Capetown is able to 
communicate direct with Cairo as well as all 
intermediate etatione. Again, while allowing tho 
Germans a very large block of territory, South of 
Lake Viotorja and Eastward of Tanganyika, tho 
British have been careful to maintain their rights 
to a future line ol wnterway which by means of 
lakes and rivers may extend with very little 
interruption from South Afrioa to Egypt. 
But leaving out of view all these grand projects 
and the vast development aa well as latest re- 
sources appertaining to " Soulh " and " Central " 
Afriaa, we would direct our readers' attention 
solely to " British East Afrioa " or " Ibea " as 
it has been happily termed, as treated of in the 
Handbook now before us. This work is accom- 
panied by two valuable maps, in one of which we 
have the Southern— or explored — portion of the 
territory ou a pretty considerable scale from the 
Coast up. to the Lakes and the borders of the 
Oongo Stats, while subsidiary sections are devoted 
to the islands of " Zanzibar and Femba," to 
" Mombasa " island and ports with the routes 
starting inland, and a third to a skeleton map of 
North-east Afrioa showing tho relation. of this 
vast Briiidh territory with its estimated area of 
700,000 square miles (equal to thirty " Ceylons "!) 
to the rest of the Continent northward to the Gulf of 
Aden and Red Sea. Most of this— the country of 
the Gallaa and Somali — is marked as within the 
" Italian Sphere ''; but on the ooaBt immediately 
opposite Aden lies " a British Proteotorate " 
covering the Somalis bordering the Gulf of Aden. 
North of this and of the region one day to be 
•ivilized and governed by Italians, comes Abyssinia 
— the habitat of tho coffee plant, Cqif'ea Arabica, 
a great deal of which is said to grow wild in 
the Gallat^ country and right up to the borders, 
it not within tho territory of Ibea. On further 
reference to tho outside regions, tho " British 
Sphere'' from "Ibea" proper is entered aa 
running along the Nile— West of the Gallas and 
Abysainia — for an indefinite distance ; while to 
the Weat comes the great Oongo State which, 
though Domioally indopendent under the Belgian 
King, is praotioally under Pritish influonoo. 
The eecuad Map aooompanying the Handbook in 
one Hhowing the prujooted route of tho "Alombasa- 
Tiotoria Lake Railway" with tho dilierent "Sur- 
veyed Routes, " as surveyed in 1892 by Capt. J. 
B. Maodonald, b.e., Capt, J. W. Priogle, r.|;, 
Lieut. P. G. Twining, r.e., Lieut. H. A. Austin, 
B.E. and Sorgt. F. H. Thomas, m.w.d., India. A 
long list of proposed stations with distances from 
Mombasa is shown, with the nature of the country 
aJi:ioent to the railway, heights of mountains, 
situaticj of lakes, t%0. Tho total length of the 
line is given at 657 miles, the diatanoe from 
Mombasa of Victoria Station on the right bank 
of the river Nzira where it debouohoB into Berkeley 
Bay on the North-east coast of Lake Victoria 
Nyanza, in reality an inland sea situated 3,820 
feet above sea-level. When, and how, this truly 
imparial line of railway will be made, it is at 
preaent ioipossible to say ; but there is little 
reason to doubt that the next deoade will witness 
ils completion whether through a subsidy granted 
to the (.hurlerod Company, or as a State line, 
the admiuistration of "Ibea" being taken over by 
Lord Rosebery's Government. 
There is a vast portion of " Ibea" whioh has yet 
to bo explored, c:pecis)ly towards the North; but 
the great ppouliurity ot the oouatry is the rapid 
rise from the East Coast until plateaux at an 
altitude of 3,000, and eventually 6,000 feet are 
reached in whioh the climate on each aide of 
the equator approximates very much, by all 
acflountp, to what we are accustomed in Ceylon, 
although the rainfall seems to bo considerably 
loss. Rising out of the plateaux, we find enormous 
detaohed mountain masses — notably Mount Kili- 
manjara (on the German borders) and 300 miles 
North, Mount Eeaia, each over 18,000 feet. Farther 
North, there are mountain ranges running from 
10,000 to 14,000 feet, while West ol the Lske 
there are two or three detaohed mountains 
rising to a height almost equal to those already 
named. It would occupy too much space (a 
enumerate the many rivera and minor lakes or to 
sketch other intereating physical features of the 
country. What will be more profitable for our 
readers — or for those of them who desire to become 
acquainted with " Ibea " — will be to run over the 
several diatriot^ or divisions of the country begin- 
ning with the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba 
next taking the cost of mainland ; the explored 
region from the cost as far as Lake Victoria — 
with its several districts, aotne suitable for planting 
operations — EiCtara or the region between the Great 
Lakes ; and haally, the little known Northern 
region. Wo need not linger long over Zanzibar 
with its area of 640 square miles, population of 
250,000, undulating hills rising to 440 feet, annual 
rainfall of about 60 inches and temperature very 
similar to that of Colombo ranging from 77° to 90° 
with a mean of 80 degrees, the hottest time being 
from January to March. Zanzibar has crops of 
ita own in cloves (Pemba being a great clove 
garden), coconuts and vegetables ; but its chief 
importance is as an entrepot (or the products of 
" Ibea " brought down by caravans and across the 
strait in dhowa. These include ivory, ebony, hides, 
rubber and minor articles, the total valve being 
given at i?l, 300,000 in 1892. Of course, the import 
trade is correspondingly important, in Manohester 
goods, hardware, &o. We are enlightened in 
learning that a dozen steamers dear each week 
besides the visits ot British and German men-of- 
war. The island of Pemba is 40 miles North of 
Zanzibar and covora 3^0 square milec, being 
surrounded by coral rcefa. The olovo treo ia the 
most important product, the export being valued 
at C12O,(j00 a year. 
Coast Disthict— and CsNrn". DiaxBicTs 
UP ro Lake Victobia Nxanza. 
The teaboaidof "Ibea" extanda for 400 milea fac- 
ing the Indian Goean from the mouth of Iba (iver 
