246 
CARRIERS. 
8' 30" S., long. 15 3 2' E.) The whole district is extremely 
boautiful. The hills are all bedecked with trees of various 
hues of foliage, and among thorn towers the graceful palm, 
which yields the oil of commorco for making our soaps and 
the intoxicating toddy. 
Wo were most kindly rocoivod by the commandant, 
Lieutenant Antonio Canto o Castro, a young gentleman 
whose wholo subsequent conduct will over make mo re- 
gard him with great affection. Like overy othor person 
of intelligence whom I had mot, ho lamonted deeply the 
neglect with which this fine country had been treated. 
This district contained, by the last census, 26,000 hearths 
or fires; and, if to each hearth wo reckon four souls, wo 
havo a population of 104,000. The number of carro- 
gadores (carriers) who may bo ordered out at the pleasure 
of Government to convey merchandise to the coast is in 
this district alono about 6000 ; yet thcro is no good road 
in existence. This system of compulsory carriage of mor- 
chandiso was adopted in consoquonco of tho increase in 
numbers and activity of our cruisers which took plaeo in 
1845. Each trader who wont, provious to that year, into 
tho interior, in tho pursuit of his calling, proceeded on the 
plan of purchasing ivory and becs’-wax, and a sufficient 
number of slaves to carry these commodities. Tho whole 
wore intondod for exportation as soon as tho trador roachod 
tho coast. But when tho more stringent measures of 1845 
came into operation, and rendered the exportation of slaves 
almost impossible, thoro being no roads proper for tho em- 
ployment of wheel-conveyances, this now systom of com- 
pulsory carriage of ivory and bees’-wax to tho coast was 
resorted to by tho Government of Loanda. A trador who 
requires two or throe hundred carriers to convey his mer- 
chandise to tho coast now applies to tho general Govern- 
ment for aid. An order is sent to tho commandant of a 
district to furnish tho number requirod. Each hoad-man 
of tho villages to whom tho order is transmitted most fur- 
nish from five to twenty or thirty men, according to the 
