WhilestillatTetethesonofMonomotapapaidthecommandantavisit。
HeisnamedMozungo,or“WhiteMan“,hasanarrowtaperinghead,andprobablynoneoftheabilityorenergyhisfatherpossessed。
Hewasthefavoriteofhisfather,whohopedthathewouldoccupyhisplace。
Astrongparty,however,inthetribeplacedKatalosainthechieftainship,andthesonbecame,astheysay,achildofthismanThePortuguesehaverepeatedlyreceivedoffersofterritoryiftheywouldonlyattendtheintermentofthedepartedchiefwithtroops,fireoffmanyroundsofcartridgesoverthegrave,andthengiveeclattotheinstallmentofthenewchiefTheirpresencewouldprobablyinfluencetheelection,formanywouldvoteonthesideofpower,andacandidatemightfeelitworthwhiletograntagoodpieceofland,iftherebyhecouldsecurethechieftainshiptohimself。
WhenthePortuguesetraderswishtopassintothecountrybeyondKatalosa,theypresenthimwithaboutthirty-twoyardsofcalicoandsomeothergoods,andhethengivesthemleavetopassinwhateverdirectiontheychoosetogoTheymust,however,givecertainquantitiesofclothtoanumberofinferiorchiefsbeside,andtheyaresubjecttothegame-laws。
Theyhavethusabodyofexclusivetribesaroundthem,preventingdirectintercoursebetweenthemandthepopulationbeyond。
Itisstrangethat,whentheyhadthepower,theydidnotinsistonthefreenavigationoftheZambesiIcanonlyaccountforthisinthesamewayinwhichIaccountedforasimilarstateofthingsinthewestAllthetradershavebeeninthehandsofslaves,andhavewantedthatmoralcouragewhichafreeman,withfreeservantsonwhomhecandepend,usuallypossessesIftheEnglishhadbeenhere,theywouldhaveinsistedonthefreenavigationofthispathwayasanindispensableconditionoffriendshipThepresentsystemisaseriousdifficultyinthewayofdevelopingtheresourcesofthecountry,andmightprovefataltoanunarmedexpeditionIfthisdesirableandmostfertilefieldofenterpriseisevertobeopenedup,menmustproceedonadifferentplanfromthatwhichhasbeenfollowed,andIdonotapprehendtherewouldbemuchdifficultyincommencinganewsystem,ifthosewhoundertookitinsistedthatitisnotourcustomtopayforahighwaywhichhasnotbeenmadebymanThenativesthemselveswouldnotdenythattheriverisfreetothosewhodonottradeinslaves。
If,inadditiontoanopen,frankexplanation,asmallsubsidyweregiventotheparamountchief,thewillingconsentofallthesubordinateswouldsoonbesecured。
Onthe1stofAprilIwenttoseethesiteofaformerestablishmentoftheJesuits,calledMicombo,abouttenmilesS。EofTete。
LikealltheirsettlementsIhaveseen,bothjudgmentandtastehadbeenemployedintheselectionofthesiteAlittlestreamofmineralwaterhadbeencollectedinatankandconductedtotheirhouse,beforewhichwasalittlegardenforraisingvegetablesattimesoftheyearwhennorainfallsItisnowburiedinadeepshadygroveofmango-trees。
IwasaccompaniedbyCaptainNunes,whosegreat-grandfather,alsoacaptaininthetimeoftheMarquisofPombal,receivedsealedorders,tobeopenedonlyonacertaindayWhenthatdayarrived,hefoundthecommandtogowithhiscompany,seizealltheJesuitsofthisestablishment,andmarchthemasprisonerstothecoast。
Therichesofthefraternity,whichwereimmense,weretakenpossessionofbythestateLargequantitiesofgoldhadoftenbeensenttotheirsuperiorsatGoa,inclosedinimagesTheJesuitsheredonotseemtohavepossessedthesympathiesofthepeopleastheirbrethreninAngoladidTheywerekeentradersinivoryandgold-dust。
AllpraisetheirindustryWhatevertheydid,theydiditwithalltheirmight,andprobablytheirsuccessfullaborsinsecuringthechiefpartofthetradetothemselveshadexcitedtheenvyofthelaity。
Noneofthenativesherecanread;andthoughtheJesuitsaresaidtohavetranslatedsomeoftheprayersintothelanguageofthecountry,IwasunabletoobtainacopyTheonlyreligiousteachersnowinthispartofthecountryaretwogentlemenofcolor,nativesofGoa。
TheonewhoofficiatesatTete,namedPedroAntoniod’Araujo,isagraduateinDogmaticTheologyandMoralPhilosophy。
ThereisbutasingleschoolinTete,anditisattendedonlybythenativePortuguesechildren,whoaretaughttoreadandwrite。
TheblackpopulationistotallyuncaredforThesoldiersaremarchedeverySundaytohearmass,andbutfewothersattendchurch。
Duringtheperiodofmystay,akindoftheatricalrepresentationofourSavior’spassionandresurrectionwasperformed。
Theimagesandotherparaphernaliausedwereofgreatvalue,butthepresentrichesoftheChurcharenothingtowhatitoncepossessed。
Thecommandantisobligedtolockupallthegoldandsilverinthefortforsafety,thoughnotfromanyapprehensionofitsbeingstolenbythepeople,fortheyhaveadreadofsacrilege。
Thestateofreligionandeducationis,Iamsorrytosay,aslowasthatofcommerce;buttheEuropeanPortuguesevalueeducationhighly,andsendtheirchildrentoGoaandelsewhereforinstructioninthehigherbranchesThereisnotasinglebookseller’sshop,however,ineithereasternorwesternAfricaEvenLoanda,withits12,000or14,000souls,cannotboastofonestoreforthesaleoffoodforthemind。
Onthe2dtheZambesisuddenlyroseseveralfeetinheight。
Threesuchfloodsareexpectedannually,butthisyeartherewerefour。
Thislastwasaccompaniedbydiscoloration,andmusthavebeencausedbyanothergreatfallofraineastoftheridgeWehadobservedafloodofdiscoloredwaterwhenwereachedtheriverattheKafue;
itthenfelltwofeet,andfromsubsequentrainsagainrosesohighthatwewereobligedtoleaveitwhenoppositethehillPinkwe。
Aboutthe10thofMarchtheriverroseseveralfeetwithcomparativelyclearwater,anditcontinuedtoriseuntilthe21st,withbutveryslightdiscolorationThisgradualrisewasthegreatest,andwasprobablycausedbythewaterofinundationintheinterior。
Thesuddenrisewhichhappenedonthe2d,beingdeeplydiscolored,showedagaintheeffectofrainsatacomparativelyshortdistance。
Thefactoftheriverrisingthreeorfourtimesannually,andtheonefloodofinundationbeingmixedwiththeothers,mayaccountforthePortuguesenotrecognizingthephenomenonoftheperiodicalinundation,sowellknowninthecentralcountry。
Theindependentnativescultivatealittlecotton,butitisnotatallequal,eitherinquantityorquality,towhatwefoundinAngolaThepileisshort,anditclingstotheseedsomuchthattheyuseanironrollertodetachit。
Thesoil,however,isequaltotheproductionofanytropicalplantorfruit。
Thenativeshaveneverbeenencouragedtocultivatecottonforsale,norhasanynewvarietybeenintroducedWesawnopalm-oil-trees,theoilwhichisoccasionallyexportedbeingfromtheground-nut。
OneofthemerchantsofTetehadamilloftherudestconstructionforgrindingthisnut,whichwasdrivenbydonkeysItwastheonlyspecimenofamachineIcouldexhibittomymen。
Averysuperiorkindofsaladoilisobtainedfromtheseedsofcucumbers,andismuchusedinnativecookery。
Anoffer,saidtohavebeenmadebythe“Times“,havingexcitedattentioneveninthisdistantpart,IaskedthecommandantifheknewofanyplantfitfortheproductionofpaperHeprocuredspecimensofthefibroustissueofaspeciesofaloe,namedConge,andsomealsofromtherootofawilddate,and,lastly,ofaplantnamedBuaze,thefibresofwhich,thoughuselessforthemanufactureofpaper,areprobablyasuitablesubstituteforflaxIsubmittedasmallquantityofthesefibrestoMessrsPye,Brothers,ofLondon,whohaveinventedasuperiormodeforthepreparationofsuchtissuesforthemanufacturerTheymostpolitelyundertooktheexamination,andhavegivenafavorableopinionoftheBuaze,asmaybeseeninthenotebelow。*
*80LombardStreet,20thMarch,1857。
DearSir,WehavethepleasuretoreturnyouthespecimensoffibrousplantsfromtheZambesiRiver,onwhichyouweredesiroustoseetheeffectsofourtreatment;
wethereforeinclosetoyou,No1Buaze,inthestatereceivedfromyou。
1ADoaspreparedbyus。
1BThetowwhichhascomefromitinhackling。
No2Conge,asreceivedfromyou。
2ADoaspreparedbyus。
Withregardtoboththesefibres,wemuststatethattheVERYMINUTEQUANTITYofeachspecimenhaspreventedoursubjectingthemtoanythinglikethefulltreatmentofourprocess,andwecanthereforeonlygiveyouanAPPROXIMATEideaoftheirvalue。
TheBuazeevidentlypossessesaverystrongandfinefibre,assimilatingtoflaxinitscharacter,butwebelieve,whentreatedINQUANTITYbyourprocess,itwouldshowbothastrongerandfinerfibrethanflax;butbeingunabletoapplytherollingorpressingprocesseswithanyefficiencytosoverysmallaquantity,thegumsarenotyetsoperfectlyextractedastheywouldbe,northefibreopenedouttosofineaqualityasitwouldthenexhibit。
ThisisevenyetmorethecasewiththeConge,which,beingnaturallyaharshfibre,fullofgums,wantsexactlythatpowerfultreatmentwhichourprocessiscalculatedtogiveit,butwhichcannotbeappliedtosuchminiaturespecimensWedonotthereforeconsiderthisasmorethanhalftreated,itsfibreconsequentlyremainingyetharsh,andcoarse,andstiff,ascomparedwithwhatitwouldbeiftreatedINQUANTITY。
Judgingthatitwouldbesatisfactorytoyoutobeinpossessionofthebestpracticalopiniontobeobtainedonsuchasubject,wetookthelibertyofforwardingyourlittlespecimenstoMessrsMarshall,ofLeeds,whohavekindlyfavoreduswiththefollowingobservationsonthem:
“Wehaveexaminedthesamplesyousentusyesterday,andthinktheCongeoraloefibrewouldbeofnousetous,buttheBuazefibreappearstoresembleflax,andaspreparedbyyouwillbeequaltoflaxworth50Poundsor60Poundsperton,butwecouldhardlyspeakpositivelytothevalueunlesswehad1cwtor2cwttotryonourmachineryHowever,wethinktheresultispromising,andwehopefurtherinquirywillbemadeastotheprobablesupplyofthematerial。”
Weare,dearsir,yourveryobedientservants,Pye,Brothers。
TheRevDrLivingstone。
Arepresentationoftheplantisgivenintheannexedwoodcut,*
asahelptoitsidentificationIwasunabletoprocureeithertheflowersorfruit;but,asitisnotrecognizedatsightbythataccomplishedbotanistandeminenttraveler,DrJDHooker,itmaysafelybeconcludedthatitisquiteunknowntobotanists。
ItisstatedbythePortuguesetogrowinlargequantitiesintheMaravicountrynorthoftheZambesi,butitisnotcultivated,andtheonlyknownuseithasbeenputtoisinmakingthreadsonwhichthenativesstringtheirbeadsElsewherethesplittendonsofanimalsareemployedforthispurposeThisseemstobeofequalstrength,forafirmthreadofitfeelslikecatgutinthehand,andwouldrathercutthefingersthanbreak。
*Unfortunately,thiswoodcutcannotberepresentedinthisASCIItext,butbuaze,orbwazi,is`Securidacalongipedunculata’AL。,1997。
HavingwaitedamonthforthecommencementofthehealthyseasonatKilimane,IwouldhavestartedatthebeginningofApril,buttarriedafewdaysinorderthatthemoonmightmakeherappearance,andenablemetotakelunarobservationsonmywaydowntheriverAsuddenchangeoftemperaturehappeningonthe4th,simultaneouslywiththeappearanceofthenewmoon,thecommandantandmyself,withnearlyeverypersoninthehouse,werelaidupwithasevereattackoffeverIsoonrecoveredbytheuseofmywontedremedies,butMajorSicardandhislittleboywereconfinedmuchlongerTherewasageneralfallof4DegoftemperaturefromthemiddleofMarch,84Degat9A。M。,and87Degat9P。M。;
thegreatestheatbeing90Degatmidday,andthelowest81Degatsunrise。
Itaffordedmepleasuretoattendtheinvalidsintheirsickness,thoughIwasunabletoshowatitheofthegratitudeIfeltforthecommandant’sincreasingkindnessMyquinineandotherremedieswerenearlyallexpended,andnofreshsupplywastobefoundhere,therebeingnodoctorsatTete,andonlyoneapothecarywiththetroops,whosestockofmedicinewasalsosmallThePortuguese,however,informedmethattheyhadthecinchonabarkgrowingintheircountry