740 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Mrondo, Sekamanya, Jemba, Suna I., Chimbugwe, Katarega, 
Mffibe, Juko, Kaemba, Tibandeka, Udaula, Kagura, Chikurwe, 
Mawaanda, Msanje, Namgaba, Chabagu, Jungu, Wasaja, Kamanya, 
Suna II., Mtesa, Mwanga. 
I must now give a short sketch of Mtesa, the late king of Uganda. 
When I knew him he was about 45 years of age, a splendid man, 
some 6 feet high, well-formed and strongly built. He had an oval 
face, and his features were well cut. He had large mild eyes, but 
if roused by anger or mirth they were lit up by a dangerous fire. 
He had lost the pure Mhuma features through admixture of negro 
blood, but still retained enough characteristics of that tribe to pre- 
vent all doubt as to his origin. All his movements were very 
graceful ; his hands were slender, well-formed, and supple ; he was 
generally dressed in a simple white Arab kuftan. It is somewhat 
difficult to describe his character ; he was intensely proud, very 
egotistical, and until towards the end of his life he thought 
himself to be the greatest king on earth. In his youth, and in 
fact until 1878, there is no doubt that he was very cruel, but an 
illness from which he suffered certainly softened him. His chiefs 
often said to me — “ Ah, if Mtesa were well, there would be plenty of 
executions.” It has been said that he was extremely changeable 
and fickle, and to superficial observers he was so ; that is to say, 
as far as his intercourse with Europeans went. If, however, one 
looks a little deeper into his character one finds that his apparent 
vacillation was overruled by a fixed idea, which was to benefit his 
people, increase his own importance, and to get as much as possible 
out of the strangers who visited his court. This explains his being 
one day a friend to the Arabs, on another to the Protestants, and on 
a third to the Catholics. A new comer, especially if he had a 
large caravan, was always the favourite of the hour. It is easy 
enough for anyone to get into Uganda, but to get away again is no 
-easy task unless one is going for a fresh supply of goods. Mtesa 
liked Europeans and Arabs to be present at his court; it gave him 
prestige, and he also wished his people to learn as much as they 
could from the white man, for he well knew and appreciated their 
superior knowledge. In manner he was courteous and gentlemanly, 
and he could order anyone off to execution with a smile on his 
countenance. His mental capacity was of a very high order. He 
