Ocr.  I,  1896.] 
TFIE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
271 
mo  that  ho  was  much  astonished  to  note  tlio  largo 
proportion  of  Cp.ylon  tea  imported  this  year  by  Kiis- 
siau  firms  in  Moscow  wlio  insure  thi'ough  liini. — I 
remain,  etc.,  (Signed)  M.  itoeavun. 
SIR  II.  JOHNSTON  ON  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 
The  Report  by  Comnii.s.sioiier  Sir  H.  Johnston 
on  the  trade  and  general  comlition  of  theRritish 
Central  Africa  Frotectorate,  for  the  year  ending 
March  31st,  has  been  issued  as  a Farliainentary 
paper.  The  writer  e.stimates  the  population  of  the 
Procectorate  at  844,955,  compo.sed  of  259  Briti.sh 
subjects,  30  non-British  Europeans,  2G3  Indians, 
23  half  castes,  and  844,420  natives.  The  latter 
represents  a considerable  increase  over  former 
years  and  the  Commissioner  divides  them 
among  si.\  tribes.  He  reports  that  satisfactory  re- 
sults iiave  been  met  with  in  employing  natives 
of  India,  as  men  better  able  to  stand  the 
climate,  in  minor  capacities  where  in  ])re- 
vious  years  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  use 
more  highly  paid  Europeans ; and  he  wishes 
that  Indian  traders  who  are  not  satislied  with 
their  condition  in  the  Transvaal  and  Natal 
would  give  British  Central  Africa  a trial.  The 
year  1895-G  had  been  exceptionally  bad  for  health 
among  Europeans  and  Indians,  owing  to  an  epi- 
demic of  malarial  fever  whicli  had  ranged  as 
far  as  the  Zambesi  valley'.  Black-water  fever 
was  responsible  for  many  deaths,  and  no  other 
disease  was  so  serious  in  its  effects  on  the  Eu- 
ropean settlers.  But  Sir  H.  Jonston  tliinks  that 
when  a railway  is  constructed  from  t^iiibniane 
to  Blantyre  they  will  hoar  very  little  more  of 
the  unhealthiness  of  British  Central  Africa.  On 
this  general  subject  he  observes  : — 
“Undoubtedly  another  cause  of  ill-liealtlr  liere 
is  the  increasing  consumption  of  alcohol,  which 
is  too  obviously  prevailing  amongst  many  of 
the  more  recently  arrived  Europeans.  Tlie 
chief  bane  of  Britisli  Central  Africa  is  that 
accursed  spirit  whiskey.  Good  wholesome  wine 
and  light  lager  beer  do  no  one  any 
harm,  and  taken  in  moderation  probably  do 
good ; bub  whiskey  is  always  noxious,  and  in 
this  climate  consumed  daily  in  considerable 
quantities,  even  though  much  diluted  with  water, 
is  singulary  prejudical  to  health.  I concentrate 
all  my  abuse  on  this  one  form  of  spiritous 
liquor  because  scarcely  any  other  is  drunk  ex- 
cept in  small  medicinal  doses.  Brandy  is  im- 
ported, for  u.so  as  medicine,  bub  rum,  gin,  and 
other  spirits  are  scarcely  used  at  all.  It  is 
whiskey  which  is  at  the  bottom  of  much  of  our 
ill-health  ; it  is  whiskey  which  is  answerable 
for  many  of  our  deaths.  I do  not  mean  to  say 
that  a man  who  eschews  the  daily  use  of  whiskey 
or  any  other  spirit  thereby  enjoys  immunity 
from  malarial  fever  ; such  is  not  the  case,  as  I 
can  unfortunately  a.ssert  in  my  own  experience; 
but  what  I would  like  to  impress  on  those  who 
are  studying  African  questions  is  this— that  the 
man  who  does  eschew  the  drinking  of  si»irits  in 
Africa  is  generally  much  better  able  to  resist  the 
effects  of  malarial  poisoning,  and  re(;overs  very 
markedly  and  rapidly  from  often  severe 
attacks  of  malarial  fever,  whereas  the  individual 
who.se  system  is  permeated  with  alcohol  has  hardly 
a chance  when  attacked  by  severe  fever.  Rater- 
nal  legislation  is  generally  of  little  use,  but  if 
there  is  one  point  more  than  another  on  which 
I should  like  to  act  tyrannically,  on  behalf  of 
the  general  welfare,  it  would  be  the  total  ex- 
clusion from  tro]iical  Africa  of  any  form  of  spirit, 
but  a little  good  brandy,  which  should  only  be 
jinported  by  ipialilied  medical  men  for  the  use 
of  their  patients.  I certainly  would  not  exclude 
wine  or  beer,  though  I think  stout  and  the 
heavier  English  beers  are  nnwholesome.  The 
moderate  use  of  good  wine  of  all  kinds  and  of 
lager  beer  is  distinctly  beneficial  to  health.” 
Upon  the  subject  of  trade,  the  Report  speaks 
most  favourably  : — 
“Trade  in  British  Central  Africa  has  markedly 
improved  during  1895  and  the  lirst  quarter  of  1896. 
The  total  trade  of  the  Protectorate  during  the  year 
1895-9G,  in  imports,  amounted  to  82,760/ in  value, 
The  imports  during  the  preceding  year  (1894-95) 
amounted  to  a total  of  73,667/.,  independently  of 
the  goods  imported  by  the  administration  (which 
were  about  the  same  value  as  those  brought  into 
the  country  in  the  year  now  passed).  There  has 
thus  been  a slight  apparent  decrease  in  imports, 
though,  as  before  explained,  this  is  actually 
converted  into  an  increase,  if  the  approximate 
sum  of  10,000/.  in  s]>ecie  be  added.  The  diminu- 
tion of  imports  has  been  under  the  following 
heads; — Alcohol,  hardware,  soft  goods,  and 
machinery.  The  total  value  of  the  exports  from 
the  British  Central  Africa  Protectorate  during  the 
year  ended  March  31,  1895,  amounted  to  9703/. 
Consequently,  there  has  been  an  increa.se  in  ex- 
ports during  the  year  just  ended  of  about  9965/. 
The  chief  increase  in  exports  has  taken 
place  in  ivory,  of  which  nearly  9000/.  worth 
more  was  exported  in  1895-96  than  in  1894-95. 
In  coffee,  the  increase  in  export  has  been  about 3200/. 
in  value.  The  export  of  rubber,  oil  seeds,  beans, 
and  wax  has  markedly  increased  during  the  year 
just  ended  ; while  on  the  other  hand,  the  out- 
put of  strophantus  drug  has  greatly  diniinishe<l. 
Coffee  i)lanting  is  likely  to  be  our  main  staple 
of  tra<le.  Batisfactory  e.xpriments  have  been  made 
in  the  cultivation  of  cotton  on  some  of  Mr.Sharrer’s 
estates.  (Mr.  W.  Thiselton  Dyer,  of  Kew,  re- 
))orts  that  cotton  equal  in  ([uality  to 'the  .sample 
sent  -would  be  worth  in  the  English  market 
about  dpi.  per  lb.,  or  39/.  to  40/  a ton.  To- 
bacco is  being  grown  Avith  increasing  success  by 
tbe  lirm  of  Buchanan  Brothers.  Tea  is  being 
introduced  by  some  Ceylon  planters  into  the  Mlanje 
district.  It  is  already  grown  to  a small  extent 
by  Buchanan  Brothers.  Qirite  recently  an  English 
firm  have  given  their  attention  to  the  valuable 
fibres  produced  in  British  Central  Africa  by  three 
species  of  liliaceous  plants  of  the  genus  Sanscvicra, 
viz.: — sulcata,  S.  cylhulvica,  and  S.  gnvieensis. 
The  Sanscvicra  grows  in  great  quantities  on  all  the 
barren,  stony  ground  of  the  Protectorate,  at  low 
levels,  cs])ecially  on  the  rocky  islands  in  Lake 
Nyasa.  A machine  has  been  invented  which 
is  able  to  turn  out  enormous  quantities  of  libre 
from  this  plant  in  a very  short  sjtace  of  time,  .and 
it  would  seem  as  if  the  b.iri'en  ground  of  the  I’ro- 
tcctoratc  would  pro\a;  1 ' iie  of  almost  equal  value 
to  the  rich  coffee  ))ro. hieing  tracts,  .since  this  fibre 
is  worth  nearly  4i)l.  per  ton.  Moreover,  the  Sanse- 
vicra  is  of  mo-.t  e rsy  propogation,  requires  little  or 
no  attention,  and  in  three  years  from  the  time  of 
planting  is  ready  to  reduce  to  fibre.  It  is  a 
cnrions-looking-  ]>l,ant,  with  long,  narrow,  thick, 
ami  lleshy  leaves,  rvliich  hatter  can  he  cut  in  pieces 
amt  e.asily  rooted.  Besides  the  Sanscvicra  there 
.are  nnmerons  trees  .and  plants  which  jiroduce  fibre 
of  more  or  less  value.  Another  product  Avhich  I 
hope  will  be  greatly  developed  in  the  future  is 
imlia-rubbei-,  which  is  iiroduced  from  three  species 
of  Landol))Iila,  one  or  more  species  of  Ficus,  and 
by  a shrub  recently  discovered  .and  nametl 
Tahcrnmno)itana  clegans.  Limestone  of  excellent 
(|uality  Ims  been  found  in  many  parts  of  the 
Protectorate  where  it  w.as  not  jireviously  known 
to  exist,  and  the  Administration  has  undet- 
