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THE  TROPICAL  AtJRfCULTU R1  ST. 
[August  i,  1892. 
STEADY  PROGRESS  IN  NYASSALAND 
COFFEE  PLANTING,  &c. 
Commissioner  H.  H.  Johnston’s  Proposed  New  Road- 
Iq  pleasant  contrast  with  the  unsatisfactory  state 
of  thiugs  in  British  East  Africa  is  the  steady  deve- 
lopment of  Nyassaland  under  Mr.  Commissioner  H. 
H.  JohnstoD.  The  “ disasters”  within  this  sphere 
of  which  we  have  recently  heard  were  very  larneu. 
table,  but  it  is  satisfactory  to  knov  that  they  have 
not  seriously  interfered  with  Mr.  JohnBton’s  work.  It 
should  be  recollected  that,  although  several  attempts 
have  been  made  to  unite  the  interests  of  the  African 
Lakes  Company  with  those  of  the  Chartered  South 
African  Company,  this  amalgamation  has  not  yet  been 
effected.  Consequently  the  sgeot  of  the  former  company 
in  Nyassaland  still  endeavours  to  maintain  a sort  of 
independence  from  the  rule  of  her  Britaunic  Majesty’s 
Commissioner,  and  is  apt  to  show  this  by  not  giving 
in  his  telegrams  a too  favourable  account  of  the 
Commissioner’s  proceedings.  The  telegrams  received 
from  this  qoar  er  should,  therefore,  always  be  received 
with  a certain  amount  of  discount. 
After  the  veritable  disaster  at  Mskangira’s  which 
involved  the  death  of  Captain  Maguire,  Mr.  JohuBton, 
having  put  other  matter  straight  as  far  as  he  could, 
wisely  decided  that  it  would  be  inadvisable  to  take 
any  lurther  measures  against  that  wily  chieftain  until 
the  rainy  season  was  over,  and  until  another  officer, 
to  replace  Captain  Maguire,  with  au  additional  iorce 
of  Sikhs,  had  arrived  from  India.  He  therefore 
returned  to  the  British  Residency  at  Z mba  along 
with  Captain  Kane,  who  had  come  up  to  assist  him 
from  the  gunboats  on  the  Zambesi,  and  left  Mr.  King 
in  charge  of  Fort  Johnston,  which  is  situated  at  the 
exit  of  the  Shire  from  the  lake,  just  opposite  Mponda’s, 
with  orders  not  to  do  anything  more  than  to  defend  t'ie 
fort  if  it  were  attacked.  The  fort,  it  may  ue  remarked, 
has  a dtep  ditch  and  a parapet  all  round  it,  and  is  per- 
fect!) impregnable  to  auy  native  forc«  when  held  by 
Europeans.  Unfortunately,  after  Mr.  Johnston’s  depar- 
ture a body  of  about  300  Augonis— a native  tribe,  who 
act  aa  our  allies— persuaded  Mr.  King  to  go  out  with 
them  to  battle,  and  attack  a hostile  chief  called  S-ra- 
pbi,  at  his  village  up  iu  the  hills,  some  three  days’ 
march  from  Fort  Johnston  Mr.  King,  who  was  accom- 
panied by  Dr.  Watson  and  Mr.  Inge,  quarter-ma  ter  iu 
the  navy,  led  a small  force  of  Sikhs  a d Z mzibaris, 
together  with  his  native  allies  the  Aneonis.  But  none 
of  the  white  men  knew  much  of  the  native  language 
•r  anything  about  fighting,  at  least  as  practised  in  the 
African  tush,  and,  as  might  have  been  eipected,  they 
made  a mess  of  it,  and  fell  into  au  ambush.  Mr. 
King  was  severely  and  Dr.  Watson  slightly  wounded. 
The  Angonis,  of  course,  ran  away,  leaving  the  Sikhs 
and  the  Zanzibaris,  headed  by  Dr.  Watson,  to  cover 
the  ret  eat.  This  they  managed  to  effect  with  the 
loss  of  two  of  the  Sikhs  and  the  baggage,  in  the 
confusion  a 7-pounder  gun,  which  was  taken  with  them, 
was  also  left  behind,  and  is  supposed  to  be  iu  the  pos- 
session of  Seraphi.  But  Seraphi,  being  of  a prudent 
disposition,  now  says  that  he  is  tired  of  fighting,  and 
wishes  to  mako  ptace.  He  has  been  told,  of  course, 
that,  as  evidence  of  his  good  disposition,  ho  must  first 
find  ami  send  back  the  7-pouuder  gum  It  is  also  said 
that  Makongira  has  disappeared  from  his  place  on  the 
east  side  of  the  lake,  in  consequence  of  having  been 
attacked  by  a hostile  tribe.  At  any  rate,  all  the 
stories  about  the  traffio  along  the  lake  being  closed 
are  absolutely  without  foundation,  and  the  route  is  per- 
fectly open.  Oapta'n  Sclater,  r.  e , _ Mr.  Johnston’s 
principal  assistant,  was  down  at  Chindi,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Zambesi,  when  the  fightiDg  took  plaef,  having 
been  sent  there  to  carry  on  some  negotiations  with  the 
Portuguese  authorities.  He  has  now  returned  to  the 
Shire  Highlands,  and  has  been  placed  in  command  of 
Fort  Johnston  until  the  new  captain  cf  the  Sikhs 
(hall  arrive  from  India.  Captain  Sclater  has  brought 
with  him  from  the  lower  river  a large  boat  which  was 
couveyed  by  one  hundred  natives  overland,  across  the 
portage  between  the  Upper  and  Lower  Shire.  This 
will  run  between  Mpindi,  the  port  of  Zomba,  and  the 
lake,  and  be  of  great  use  in  supply  iog  Fort  Johnston 
with  provisions,  which  are  very  short  in  that  district. 
As  regards  matters  in  the  Shire  Highlands  generally, 
they  seem  to  be  fairly  prosperous.  Large  quantities 
of  land  have  been  lately  taken  np  for  coffer-planting, 
which  is  likely  to  be  a very  profitable  business.  The 
brothers  BuchanaD,  who  are  the  pionee'8  of  this 
cultivation,  expect  a good  crop,  ai  d wi;l  send  home 
from  fifty  to  sixty  tons  this  year.  They  also  grow  and 
manufacture  sugar  and  tobacoo  for  local  consumption. 
Attempts  are  being  made  to  introduce  cotton  and 
india-rubber,  but  coffee  will  undoubtedly  be  the  great 
crop  of  the  country.  Ordinary  labour  is  cheap,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  obtain  it  regularly. 
One  of  Mr.  Johnston’s  first  proceedings  on  his 
arrival  in  Nyassaland  was  to  plan  a new  road  from 
Ghiromo,  od  the  Lower  Shir6,  through  the  middle 
of  the  Shire  Highlands,  direct  to  Zomba,  the  British 
Residency,  and  thence  to  Makandanji  at  the  south- 
eastern end  of  Lake  Nyasss.  This,  when  accom- 
plished, will  open  up  the  whole  oountry,  and  must 
ultimately  be  the  route  of  a railway  to  cooneot 
Nyassa  with  the  navigible  portion  of  the  Shire.  The 
first  portion  of  this  road  has  already  been  made  by 
Captain  Sclater  from  Ohiromo  as  far  as  Z^a,  on  the 
Ruo,  and  a further  portion  of  it  has  been  surveyed.  It 
will  also  have  the  great  advantage  of  opening  up  the 
Milangi  Hills,  at  the  sources  of  the  Ruo,  one  of  the 
finest  parts  of  the  country.  These  hills  are  stated 
to  rise  to  nearly  8,000  leet  above  the  sea-level,  and 
to  contain  maDy  beautiful  open  spaces  covered  with 
grass,  and  varied  by  clumps  of  forest  trees,  some  of 
which  are  of  large  size,  being  from  four  to  six 
feet  in  diameter.  A lot  of  land  has  becn  already 
taken  up  here,  and  it  is  proposed  to  build  a Govern- 
ment station  and  sanatorium,  for  which  an  appro- 
priate site  has  already  been  selected.  There  is  abundance 
of  excellent  water,  and  the  air  is  always  fresh  and 
invigoraing. 
Tie  great  obstruction  to  progress  in  Nyassaland, 
however,  is  the  irregularity  of  the  communication 
wi:h  Europe.  Settlers  will  not  go  where  they  cannot 
get  iheit  letters.  The  mails,'  which  are  sent  via 
Zinzibar,  go  so  far  straight  enough,  but  there  they 
stick  until  a chanoe  opportunity  preset  ts  itself  f a 
steamer  going  to  Quillimane  or  Chindi.  The  Post 
Office,  hs  Sir  James  Fergusson  explained  to  the  House 
of  Commons  a few  nights  ago,  “cannot  aff  -rd  ” the 
i xpensj  of  a regular  branch  mail  from  Zanzibar  to 
Ouiudi.  Considering  that  ihe  new  colony  i-  governed 
and  administered  by  the  Chartend  Company  absolutely 
without  expense  tn  the  British  Government,  this  Beem 
to  be  a little  stingy  ou  the  part  cf  the  Treasury; 
but  we  know  full  we  I that  it  is  not  the  only  iustauoe 
of  their  misplaced  economy.  On  the  other  baud,  the 
Government  has  sanctioned  the  constrotioi  * of  two 
guuboats  for  Nyassa,  and  the  Germans  are  s'at-d  to 
be  seudiug  up  a vessel  to  pitrol  their  portion  of  tho 
littoral  of  that  Uke;  so  teat  there  cm  be  no  doubt 
i h it  traffic  will  be  ou  the  increase,  betterpnstal  com- 
munication must  eveutoby  follow. — Pall  Mall  Gazette, 
Amateur's  Way  of  Rooting  Cuttings — A brief  note 
on  rooting  cuttings  in  an  ordinary  tumbler  with  a 
wad  of  cotton  batting  in  the  bottom,  appeared  in  an 
earlier  number  of  Popular  Gardening.  This  method 
proves  to  be  an  easy  and  convenient  one  for  the 
amateur  having  only  a few  cuttings  to  strike  at  a time, 
and  not  always  the  necessary  conveniences,  propa- 
gating bench,  sand,  etc.,  at  command.  During  April 
we  received  some  choice  tomato  plants  by  mail,  which 
were  all  broken  up,  so  that  only  a few  of  the  tips 
were  in  good  shape.  These  inserted  in  cctton  batt- 
ing in  a tumbler  in  same  way  as  geranium  and  coleus 
cuttings,  etc.,  are  placed  in  the  windows  of  the  sitting- 
room,  and  soon  emitted  healthy,  fibrous  roots,  although 
left  entirely  without  attention,  and  no  water  was 
applied  after  the  first  thorough  soaking  given  to  the 
cotton  batting.  The  plants  were  set  into  open  ground 
directly  after  taken  out  of  the  v tumbler,  and  are  now 
as  large  and  thrifty  plants  as  any  we  can  show  that 
were  grown  frond  seedlings.  It  is  wonderful  how  long 
cotton  batting  will  remain  moist  after  once  being  soak- 
ed full  of  water.  Undoubtedly  this  method  will  be 
found  useful  by  amateurs  in  many  ways.— Indian 
Agriculturist. 
