36 
A Trip to Calumbo. 
A steep descent over water-rolled pebbles showed 
the old bank; the other side, far and blue, 
gave a goodly breadth of five miles; then we 
plunged into the green selvage of the modern 
stream, following muddy paths where the inunda¬ 
tion had extended last June. Here tobacco, or- 
chilla, and indigo in the higher, and sugar-cane, 
rice, and ricinus on the lower lands flourish to per¬ 
fection. The Angolan orchilla was first sent to 
Lisbon by Sr. F. R. Batalha: it is a moss, like 
the tillandsia of the Southern United States, and 
I afterwards recognized it in the island of Anno- 
bom. Passing Pembe and other outlying hamlets, 
after nine hours of burning sun, we entered Ca¬ 
lumbo Town, and were hospitably lodged by the 
Portuguese Commandant. We had followed the 
highway, as a line for the intended railway had 
not yet been marked out, and the distance mea¬ 
sured 33,393 metres (= 2075 English miles). 
Calumbo is now a poor place, with a few dilapi¬ 
dated stone houses in a mass of wattle and daub 
huts, surrounded by large “ arimos.” The whole 
“ Districto da Barra do Calumbo” contains only 444 
hearths. A little stone pier, which Loanda wants, 
projects into the stream; the lime was formerly 
procured from shells, but in 1761 calcareous stone 
was found near the Dande stream. The sightliest 
part is the vegetation, glorious ceibas ( bombax ) 
used for dug-outs; baobabs, tamarinds which sup- 
