Continued Sickness --
Kindness of the Bishop of Angola and her Majesty's Officers -- Mr.
Gabriel's unwearied Hospitality -- Serious Deportment of the Makololo --
They visit Ships of War -- Politeness of the Officers and Men -- The
Makololo attend Mass in the Cathedral -- Their Remarks -- Find Employment
in collecting Firewood and unloading Coal -- Their superior Judgment
respecting Goods -- Beneficial Influence of the Bishop of Angola -- The
City of St. Paul de Loanda -- The Harbor -- Custom-house -- No English
Merchants -- Sincerity of the Portuguese Government in suppressing the
Slave-trade -- Convict Soldiers -- Presents from Bishop and Merchants for
Sekeletu -- Outfit -- Leave Loanda 20th September, 1854 -- Accompanied by
Mr. Gabriel as far as Icollo i Bengo -- Sugar Manufactory -- Geology of
this part of the Country -- Women spinning Cotton -- Its Price -- Native
Weavers -- Market-places -- Cazengo; its Coffee Plantations -- South
American Trees -- Ruins of Iron Foundry -- Native Miners -- The Banks of
the Lucalla -- Cottages with Stages -- Tobacco-plants -- Town of
Massangano -- Sugar and Rice -- Superior District for Cotton -- Portuguese
Merchants and foreign Enterprise -- Ruins -- The Fort and its ancient Guns
-- Former Importance of Massangano -- Fires -- The Tribe Kisama --
Peculiar Variety of Domestic Fowl -- Coffee Plantations -- Return to
Golungo Alto -- Self-complacency of the Makololo -- Fever -- Jaundice --
Insanity.
In the hope that a short
enjoyment of Mr. Gabriel's generous hospitality would restore me to my
wonted vigor, I continued under his roof; but my complaint having been
caused by long exposure to malarious influences, I became much more
reduced than ever, even while enjoying rest. Several Portuguese gentlemen
called on me shortly after my arrival; and the Bishop of Angola, the Right
Reverend Joaquim Moreira Reis, then the acting governor of the province,
sent his secretary to do the same, and likewise to offer the services of
the government physician.
Some of her majesty's
cruisers soon came into the port, and, seeing the emaciated condition to
which I was reduced, offered to convey me to St. Helena or homeward; but,
though I had reached the coast, I had found that, in consequence of the
great amount of forest, rivers, and marsh, there was no possibility of a
highway for wagons, and I had brought a party of Sekeletu's people with
me, and found the tribes near the Portuguese settlement so very
unfriendly, that it would be altogether impossible for my men to return
alone. I therefore resolved to decline the tempting offers of my naval
friends, and take back my Makololo companions to their chief, with a view
of trying to make a path from his country to the east coast by means of
the great river Zambesi or Leeambye. I, however, gladly availed myself of
the medical assistance of Mr. Cockin, the surgeon of the "Polyphemus", at
the suggestion of his commander, Captain Phillips. Mr. Cockin's treatment,
aided by the exhilarating presence of the warm-hearted naval officers, and
Mr. Gabriel's unwearied hospitality and care, soon brought me round again.
On the 14th I was so far
well as to call on the bishop, in company with my party, who were arrayed
in new robes of striped cotton cloth and red caps, all presented to them
by Mr. Gabriel. He received us, as head of the provisional government, in
the grand hall of the palace. He put many intelligent questions respecting
the Makololo, and then gave them free permission to come to Loanda as
often as they pleased. This interview pleased the Makololo extremely.
Every one remarked the serious deportment of the Makololo. They viewed the
large stone houses and churches in the vicinity of the great ocean with
awe.
A house with two stories
was, until now, beyond their comprehension. In explanation of this strange
thing, I had always been obliged to use the word for hut; and as huts are
constructed by the poles being let into the earth, they never could
comprehend how the poles of one hut could be founded upon the roof of
another, or how men could live in the upper story, with the conical roof
of the lower one in the middle. Some Makololo, who had visited my little
house at Kolobeng, in trying to describe it to their countrymen at
Linyanti, said, "It is not a hut; it is a mountain with several caves in
it."
Commander Bedingfeld and
Captain Skene invited them to visit their vessels, the "Pluto" and
"Philomel". Knowing their fears, I told them that no one need go if he
entertained the least suspicion of foul play. Nearly the whole party went;
and when on deck, I pointed to the sailors, and said, "Now these are all
my countrymen, sent by our queen for the purpose of putting down the trade
of those that buy and sell black men." They replied, "Truly! they are just
like you!" and all their fears seemed to vanish at once, for they went
forward among the men, and the jolly tars, acting much as the Makololo
would have done in similar circumstances, handed them a share of the bread
and beef which they had for dinner. The commander allowed them to fire off
a cannon; and, having the most exalted ideas of its power, they were
greatly pleased when I told them, "That is what they put down the
slave-trade with."
The size of the brig-of-war
amazed them. "It is not a canoe at all; it is a town!" The sailors' deck
they named "the Kotla"; and then, as a climax to their description of this
great ark, added, "And what sort of a town is it that you must climb up
into with a rope?" The effect of the politeness of the officers and men on
their minds was most beneficial. They had behaved with the greatest
kindness to me all the way from Linyanti, and I now rose rapidly in their
estimation; for, whatever they may have surmised before, they now saw that
I was respected among my own countrymen, and always afterward treated me
with the greatest deference.
On the 15th there was a
procession and service of the mass in the Cathedral; and, wishing to show
my men a place of worship, I took them to the church, which now serves as
the chief one of the see of Angola and Congo. There is an impression on
some minds that a gorgeous ritual is better calculated to inspire
devotional feelings than the simple forms of the Protestant worship. But
here the frequent genuflexions, changing of positions, burning of incense,
with the priests' back turned to the people, the laughing, talking, and
manifest irreverence of the singers, with firing of guns, etc., did not
convey to the minds of my men the idea of adoration. I overheard them, in
talking to each other, remark that "they had seen the white men charming
their demons;" a phrase identical with one they had used when seeing the
Balonda beating drums before their idols.
In the beginning of August
I suffered a severe relapse, which reduced me to a mere skeleton. I was
then unable to attend to my men for a considerable time; but when in
convalescence from this last attack, I was thankful to find that I was
free from that lassitude which, in my first recovery, showed the
continuance of the malaria in the system. I found that my men, without
prompting, had established a brisk trade in fire-wood. They sallied forth
at cock-crowing in the mornings, and by daylight reached the uncultivated
parts of the adjacent country, collected a bundle of fire-wood, and
returned to the city. It was then divided into smaller fagots, and sold to
the inhabitants; and as they gave larger quantities than the regular
wood-carriers, they found no difficulty in selling. A ship freighted with
coal for the cruisers having arrived from England, Mr. Gabriel procured
them employment in unloading her at sixpence a day. They continued at this
work for upward of a month, and nothing could exceed their astonishment at
the vast amount of cargo one ship contained. As they themselves always
afterward expressed it, they had labored every day from sunrise to sunset
for a moon and a half, unloading, as quickly as they could, "stones that
burn", and were tired out, still leaving plenty in her. With the money so
obtained they purchased clothing, beads, and other articles to take back
to their own country. Their ideas of the value of different kinds of goods
rather astonished those who had dealt only with natives on the coast.
Hearing it stated with confidence that the Africans preferred the thinnest
fabrics, provided they had gaudy colors and a large extent of surface, the
idea was so new to my experience in the interior that I dissented, and, in
order to show the superior good sense of the Makololo, took them to the
shop of Mr. Schut. When he showed them the amount of general goods which
they might procure at Loanda for a single tusk, I requested them, without
assigning any reason, to point out the fabrics they prized most. They all
at once selected the strongest pieces of English calico and other cloths,
showing that they had regard to strength without reference to color. I
believe that most of the Bechuana nation would have done the same. But I
was assured that the people near the coast, with whom the Portuguese have
to deal, have not so much regard to durability. This probably arises from
calico being the chief circulating medium; quantity being then of more
importance than quality.
During the period of my
indisposition, the bishop sent frequently to make inquiries, and, as soon
as I was able to walk, I went to thank him for his civilities. His whole
conversation and conduct showed him to be a man of great benevolence and
kindness of heart. Alluding to my being a Protestant, he stated that he
was a Catholic from conviction; and though sorry to see others, like
myself, following another path, he entertained no uncharitable feelings,
nor would he ever sanction persecuting measures. He compared the various
sects of Christians, in their way to heaven, to a number of individuals
choosing to pass down the different streets of Loanda to one of the
churches -- all would arrive at the same point at last. His good
influence, both in the city and the country, is universally acknowledged:
he was promoting the establishment of schools, which, though formed more
on the monastic principle than Protestants might approve, will no doubt be
a blessing. He was likewise successfully attempting to abolish the
non-marriage custom of the country; and several marriages had taken place
in Loanda among those who, but for his teaching, would have been content
with concubinage.
St. Paul de Loanda has been
a very considerable city, but is now in a state of decay. It contains
about twelve thousand inhabitants, most of whom are people of color.*
There are various evidences of its former magnificence, especially two
cathedrals, one of which, once a Jesuit college, is now converted into a
workshop; and in passing the other, we saw with sorrow a number of oxen
feeding within its stately walls. Three forts continue in a good state of
repair. Many large stone houses are to be found The palace of the governor
and government offices are commodious structures, but nearly all the
houses of the native inhabitants are of wattle and daub. Trees are planted
all over the town for the sake of shade, and the city presents an imposing
appearance from the sea. It is provided with an effective police, and the
custom-house department is extremely well managed. All parties agree in
representing the Portuguese authorities as both polite and obliging; and
if ever any inconvenience is felt by strangers visiting the port, it must
be considered the fault of the system, and not of the men.
The harbor is formed by the
low, sandy island of Loanda, which is inhabited by about 1300 souls,
upward of 600 of whom are industrious native fishermen, who supply the
city with abundance of good fish daily. The space between it and the main
land, on which the city is built, is the station for ships. When a high
southwest wind blows, the waves of the ocean dash over part of the island,
and, driving large quantities of sand before them, gradually fill up the
harbor. Great quantities of soil are also washed in the rainy season from
the heights above the city, so that the port, which once contained water
sufficient to float the largest ships close to the custom-house, is now at
low water dry. The ships are compelled to anchor about a mile north of
their old station. Nearly all the water consumed in Loanda is brought from
the River Bengo by means of launches, the only supply that the city
affords being from some deep wells of slightly brackish water.
Unsuccessful attempts have
been made by different governors to finish a canal, which the Dutch, while
in possession of Loanda during the seven years preceding 1648, had begun,
to bring water from the River Coanza to the city. There is not a single
English merchant at Loanda, and only two American. This is the more
remarkable, as nearly all the commerce is carried on by means of English
calico brought hither via Lisbon. Several English houses attempted to
establish a trade about 1845, and accepted bills on Rio de Janeiro in
payment for their goods, but the increased activity of our cruisers had
such an effect upon the mercantile houses of that city that most of them
failed. The English merchants lost all, and Loanda got a bad name in the
commercial world in consequence.
One of the arrangements of
the custom-house may have had some influence in preventing English trade.
Ships coming here must be consigned to some one on the spot; the consignee
receives one hundred dollars per mast, and he generally makes a great deal
more for himself by putting a percentage on boats and men hired for
loading and unloading, and on every item that passes through his hands.
The port charges are also rendered heavy by twenty dollars being charged
as a perquisite of the secretary of government, with a fee for the chief
physician, something for the hospital, custom-house officers, guards,
etc., etc. But, with all these drawbacks, the Americans carry on a brisk
and profitable trade in calico, biscuit, flour, butter, etc., etc.
The Portuguese home
government has not generally received the credit for sincerity in
suppressing the slave-trade which I conceive to be its due. In 1839, my
friend Mr. Gabriel saw 37 slave-ships lying in this harbor, waiting for
their cargoes, under the protection of the guns of the forts. At that time
slavers had to wait many months at a time for a human freight, and a
certain sum per head was paid to the government for all that were
exported. The duties derived from the exportation of slaves far exceeded
those from other commerce, and, by agreeing to the suppression of this
profitable traffic, the government actually sacrificed the chief part of
the export revenue. Since that period, however, the revenue from lawful
commerce has very much exceeded that on slaves. The intentions of the home
Portuguese government, however good, can not be fully carried out under
the present system. The pay of the officers is so very small that they are
nearly all obliged to engage in trade; and, owing to the lucrative nature
of the slave-trade, the temptation to engage in it is so powerful, that
the philanthropic statesmen of Lisbon need hardly expect to have their
humane and enlightened views carried out. The law, for instance, lately
promulgated for the abolition of the carrier system (carregadores) is but
one of several equally humane enactments against this mode of compulsory
labor, but there is very little probability of the benevolent intentions
of the Legislature being carried into effect.
Loanda is regarded somewhat
as a penal settlement, and those who leave their native land for this
country do so with the hope of getting rich in a few years, and then
returning home. They have thus no motive for seeking the permanent welfare
of the country. The Portuguese law preventing the subjects of any other
nation from holding landed property unless they become naturalized, the
country has neither the advantage of native nor foreign enterprise, and
remains very much in the same state as our allies found it in 1575.
Nearly all the European
soldiers sent out are convicts, and, contrary to what might be expected
from men in their position, behave remarkably well. A few riots have
occurred, but nothing at all so serious as have taken place in our own
penal settlements. It is a remarkable fact that the whole of the arms of
Loanda are every night in the hands of those who have been convicts.
Various reasons for this mild behavior are assigned by the officers, but
none of these, when viewed in connection with our own experience in
Australia, appear to be valid. Religion seems to have no connection with
the change. Perhaps the climate may have some influence in subduing their
turbulent disposition, for the inhabitants generally are a timid race;
they are not half so brave as our Caffres. The people of Ambriz ran away
like a flock of sheep, and allowed the Portuguese to take possession of
their copper mines and country without striking a blow. If we must have
convict settlements, attention to the climate might be of advantage in the
selection. Here even bulls are much tamer than with us. I never met with a
ferocious one in this country, and the Portuguese use them generally for
riding; an ox is seldom seen.
The objects which I had in
view in opening up the country, as stated in a few notes of my journey,
published in the newspapers of Angola, so commended themselves to the
general government and merchants of Loanda, that, at the instance of his
excellency the bishop, a handsome present for Sekeletu was granted by the
Board of Public Works (Junta da Fazenda Publica). It consisted of a
colonel's complete uniform and a horse for the chief, and suits of
clothing for all the men who accompanied me. The merchants also made a
present, by public subscription, of handsome specimens of all their
articles of trade, and two donkeys, for the purpose of introducing the
breed into his country, as tsetse can not kill this beast of burden. These
presents were accompanied by letters from the bishop and merchants; and I
was kindly favored with letters of recommendation to the Portuguese
authorities in Eastern Africa. I took with me a good stock of cotton
cloth, fresh supplies of ammunition and beads, and gave each of my men a
musket.
As my companions had
amassed considerable quantities of goods, they were unable to carry mine,
but the bishop furnished me with twenty carriers, and sent forward orders
to all the commandants of the districts through which we were to pass to
render me every assistance in their power. Being now supplied with a good
new tent made by my friends on board the Philomel, we left Loanda on the
20th of September, 1854, and passed round by sea to the mouth of the River
Bengo.
Ascending this river, we
went through the district in which stand the ruins of the convent of St.
Antonio; thence into Icollo i Bengo, which contains a population of 6530
blacks, 172 mulattoes, and 11 whites, and is so named from having
been the residence of a former native king. The proportion of slaves is
only 3.38 per cent. of the inhabitants. The commandant of this place,
Laurence Jose Marquis, is a frank old soldier and a most hospitable man;
he is one of the few who secure the universal approbation of their
fellow-men for stern, unflinching honesty, and has risen from the ranks to
be a major in the army. We were accompanied thus far by our generous host,
Edmund Gabriel, Esq., who, by his unwearied attentions to myself, and
liberality in supporting my men, had become endeared to all our hearts. My
men were strongly impressed with a sense of his goodness, and often spoke
of him in terms of admiration all the way to Linyanti.
While here we visited a
large sugar manufactory belonging to a lady, Donna Anna da Sousa. The flat
alluvial lands on the banks of the Senza or Bengo are well adapted for
raising sugar-cane, and this lady had a surprising number of slaves, but
somehow the establishment was far from being in a flourishing condition.
It presented such a contrast to the free-labor establishments of the
Mauritius, which I have since seen, where, with not one tenth of the
number of hands, or such good soil, a man of color had, in one year,
cleared 5000 Pounds by a single crop, that I quote the fact, in hopes it
may meet the eye of Donna Anna.
The water of the river is
muddy, and it is observed that such rivers have many more mosquitoes than
those which have clear water. It was remarked to us here that these
insects are much more numerous at the period of new moon than at other
times; at any rate, we were all thankful to get away from the Senza and
its insect plagues.
The whole of this part of
the country is composed of marly tufa, containing the same kind of shells
as those at present alive in the seas. As we advanced eastward and
ascended the higher lands, we found eruptive trap, which had tilted up
immense masses of mica and sandstone schists. The mica schist almost
always dipped toward the interior of the country, forming those mountain
ranges of which we have already spoken as giving a highland character to
the district of Golungo Alto. The trap has frequently run through the
gorges made in the upheaved rocks, and at the points of junction between
the igneous and older rocks there are large quantities of strongly
magnetic iron ore.
The clayey soil formed by
the disintegration of the mica schist and trap is the favorite soil for
the coffee; and it is on these mountain sides, and others possessing a
similar red clay soil, that this plant has propagated itself so widely.
The meadow-lands adjacent to the Senza and Coanza being underlaid by that
marly tufa which abounds toward the coast, and containing the same shells,
show that, previous to the elevation of that side of the country, this
region possessed some deeply-indented bays.
28TH SEPTEMBER,
KALUNGWEMBO. -- We were still on the same path by which we had come, and,
there being no mosquitoes, we could now better enjoy the scenery. Ranges
of hills occupy both sides of our path, and the fine level road is adorned
with a beautiful red flower named Bolcamaria. The markets or
sleeping-places are well supplied with provisions by great numbers of
women, every one of whom is seen spinning cotton with a spindle and
distaff, exactly like those which were in use among the ancient Egyptians.
A woman is scarcely ever seen going to the fields, though with a pot on
her head, a child on her back, and the hoe over her shoulder, but she is
employed in this way. The cotton was brought to the market for sale, and I
bought a pound for a penny. This was the price demanded, and probably
double what they ask from each other. We saw the cotton growing
luxuriantly all around the market-places from seeds dropped accidentally.
It is seen also about the
native huts, and, so far as I could learn, it was the American cotton, so
influenced by climate as to be perennial. We met in the road natives
passing with bundles of cops, or spindles full of cotton thread, and these
they were carrying to other parts to be woven into cloth. The women are
the spinners, and the men perform the weaving. Each web is about 5 feet
long, and 15 or 18 inches wide. The loom is of the simplest construction,
being nothing but two beams placed one over the other, the web standing
perpendicularly. The threads of the web are separated by means of a thin
wooden lath, and the woof passed through by means of the spindle on which
it has been wound in spinning. The mode of spinning and weaving in Angola,
and, indeed, throughout South Central Africa, is so very like the same
occupations in the hands of the ancient Egyptians, that I introduce a
woodcut from the interesting work of Sir Gardner Wilkinson. The lower
figures are engaged in spinning in the real African method, and the
weavers in the left-hand corner have their web in the Angolese fashion.
[Unfortunately, this woodcut can not be represented in this ASCII text.
The caption reads, `Ancient Spinning and Weaving, perpetuated in Africa at
the present day. From Wilkinson's "Ancient Egyptians", p. 85, 86.' The
web, or cloth on the loom, mentioned, has the vertical threads, or the
warp, hanging, perhaps five feet, from a horizontal beam. The woof is
passed through from side to side. -- A. L., 1997.]
Numbers of other articles
are brought for sale to these sleeping-places. The native smiths
there carry on their trade. I bought ten very good table-knives, made of
country iron, for twopence each. Labor is extremely cheap, for I was
assured that even carpenters, masons, smiths, etc., might be hired for
fourpence a day, and agriculturists would gladly work for half that sum.
[* In order that the reader may understand the social position of the
people of this country, I here give the census of the district of Golungo
Alto for the year 1854, though the numbers are evidently not all
furnished:
238 householders or yeomen.
4224 patrons, or head men of several hamlets.
23 native chiefs or sovas.
292 macotas or councilors.
5838 carriers.
126 carpenters.
72 masons.
300 shoemakers.
181 potters.
25 tailors.
12 barbers.
206 iron-founders.
486 bellows-blowers.
586 coke-makers.
173 iron-miners.
184 soldiers of militia.
3603 privileged gentlemen, i.e., who may wear boots.
18 vagabonds.
717 old men.
54 blind men and women.
81 lame men and women.
770 slave men.
807 slave women.
9578 free women.
393 possessors of land.
300 female gardeners.
139 hunters of wild animals.
980 smiths.
314 mat-makers.
4065 males under 7 years of age.
6012 females under 7 years of age.
These people possess 300 idol-houses, 600 sheep, 5000 goats, 500 oxen,
398 gardens, 25,120 hearths. The authorities find great difficulty
in getting the people to furnish a correct account of their numbers.
This census is quoted merely for the purpose of giving
a general idea of the employments of the inhabitants.
The following is taken from the census of Icollo i Bengo,
and is added for a similar reason:
3232 living without the marriage tie. (All those who have
not been married by a priest are so distinguished.)
4 orphans -- 2 black and 2 white.
9 native chiefs.
2 carpenters.
21 potters.
11 tailors.
2 shoemakers.
3 barbers.
5 mat-makers.
12 sack-makers.
21 basket-makers.
The cattle in the district are: 10 asses, 401 oxen, 492 cows, 3933 sheep,
1699 goats, 909 swine; and as an annual tax is levied of sixpence per head
on all stock, it is probable that the returns are less than the reality.]
Being anxious to obtain
some more knowledge of this interesting country and its ancient missionary
establishments than the line of route by which we had come afforded, I
resolved to visit the town of Massangano, which is situated to the south
of Golungo Alto, and at the confluence of the rivers Lucalla and Coanza.
This led me to pass through the district of Cazengo, which is rather
famous for the abundance and excellence of its coffee. Extensive
coffee plantations were found to exist on the sides of the several lofty
mountains that compose this district. They were not planted by the
Portuguese.
The Jesuit and other
missionaries are known to have brought some of the fine old Mocha seed,
and these have propagated themselves far and wide; hence the excellence of
the Angola coffee. Some have asserted that, as new plantations were
constantly discovered even during the period of our visit, the coffee-tree
was indigenous; but the fact that pine-apples, bananas, yams,
orange-trees, custard apple-trees, pitangas, guavas, and other South
American trees, were found by me in the same localities with the
recently-discovered coffee, would seem to indicate that all foreign trees
must have been introduced by the same agency. It is known that the Jesuits
also introduced many other trees for the sake of their timber alone.
Numbers of these have spread over the country, some have probably died
out, and others failed to spread, like a lonely specimen which stands in
what was the Botanic Garden of Loanda, and, though most useful in yielding
a substitute for frankincense, is the only one of the kind in Africa.
A circumstance which would
facilitate the extensive propagation of the coffee on the proper clay soil
is this: The seed, when buried beneath the soil, generally dies, while
that which is sown broadcast, with no covering except the shade of the
trees, vegetates readily. The agent in sowing in this case is a bird,
which eats the outer rind, and throws the kernel on the ground. This plant
can not bear the direct rays of the sun; consequently, when a number of
the trees are discovered in the forest, all that is necessary is to clear
away the brushwood, and leave as many of the tall forest-trees as will
afford good shade to the coffee-plants below. The fortunate discoverer has
then a flourishing coffee plantation.
This district, small though
it be, having only a population of 13,822, of whom ten only are white,
nevertheless yields an annual tribute to the government of thirteen
hundred cotton cloths, each 5 feet by 18 or 20 inches, of their own growth
and manufacture. Accompanied by the commandant of Cazengo, who was well
acquainted with this part of the country, I proceeded in a canoe down the
River Lucalla to Massangano. This river is about 85 yards wide, and
navigable for canoes from its confluence with the Coanza to about six
miles above the point where it receives the Luinha. Near this latter point
stand the strong, massive ruins of an iron foundry, erected in the times
(1768) and by the order of the famous Marquis of Pombal. The whole of the
buildings were constructed of stone, cemented with oil and lime. The dam
for water-power was made of the same materials, and 27 feet high. This had
been broken through by a flood, and solid blocks, many yards in length,
were carried down the stream, affording an instructive example of the
transporting power of water. There was nothing in the appearance of the
place to indicate unhealthiness; but eight Spanish and Swedish workmen,
being brought hither for the purpose of instructing the natives in the art
of smelting iron, soon fell victims to disease and "irregularities". The
effort of the marquis to improve the mode of manufacturing iron was thus
rendered abortive. Labor and subsistence are, however, so very cheap that
almost any amount of work can be executed, at a cost that renders
expensive establishments unnecessary.
A party of native miners
and smiths is still kept in the employment of the government, who,
working the rich black magnetic iron ore, produce for the government from
480 to 500 bars of good malleable iron every month. They are supported by
the appropriation of a few thousands of a small fresh-water fish, called
"Cacusu", a portion of the tax levied upon the fishermen of the Coanza.
This fish is so much relished in the country that those who do not wish to
eat them can easily convert them into money. The commandant of the
district of Massangano, for instance, has a right to a dish of three
hundred every morning, as part of his salary. Shell-fish are also found in
the Coanza, and the "Peixemulher", or woman-fish of the Portuguese, which
is probably a Manatee. The banks of the Lucalla are very pretty, well
planted with orange-trees, bananas, and the palm (`Elaeis Guineensis')
which yields the oil of commerce. Large plantations of maize, manioc, and
tobacco are seen along both banks, which are enlivened by the frequent
appearance of native houses imbosomed in dense shady groves, with little
boys and girls playing about them. The banks are steep, the water having
cut out its bed in dark red alluvial soil. Before every cottage a small
stage is erected, to which the inhabitants may descend to draw water
without danger from the alligators. Some have a little palisade made in
the water for safety from these reptiles, and others use the shell of the
fruit of the baobab-tree attached to a pole about ten feet long, with
which, while standing on the high bank, they may draw water without fear
of accident. Many climbing plants run up the lofty silk, cotton, and
baobab trees, and hang their beautiful flowers in gay festoons on the
branches.
As we approach Massangano,
the land on both banks of the Lucalla becomes very level, and large
portions are left marshy after the annual floods; but all is very fertile.
As an illustration of the strength of the soil, I may state that we saw
tobacco-plants in gardens near the confluence eight feet high, and each
plant had thirty-six leaves, which were eighteen inches long by six or
eight inches broad. But it is not a pastoral district. In our descent we
observed the tsetse, and consequently the people had no domestic animals
save goats. We found the town of Massangano on a tongue of rather high
land, formed by the left bank of the Lucalla and right bank of the Coanza,
and received true Portuguese hospitality from Senhor Lubata.
The town has more than a
thousand inhabitants; the district has 28,063, with only 315 slaves. It
stands on a mound of calcareous tufa, containing great numbers of fossil
shells, the most recent of which resemble those found in the marly tufa
close to the coast. The fort stands on the south side of the town, on a
high perpendicular bank overhanging the Coanza. This river is here a noble
stream, about a hundred and fifty yards wide, admitting navigation in
large canoes from the bar at its mouth to Cambambe, some thirty miles
above this town. There, a fine waterfall hinders farther ascent. Ten or
twelve large canoes laden with country produce pass Massangano every day.
Four galleons were constructed here as long ago as 1650, which must have
been of good size, for they crossed the ocean to Rio Janeiro.
Massangano district is well
adapted for sugar and rice, while Cambambe is a very superior field for
cotton; but the bar at the mouth of the Coanza would prevent the approach
of a steamer into this desirable region, though a small one could ply on
it with ease when once in. It is probable that the objects of those who
attempted to make a canal from Calumbo to Loanda were not merely to supply
that city with fresh water, but to afford facilities for transportation.
The remains of the canal show it to have been made on a scale suited for
the Coanza canoes. The Portuguese began another on a smaller scale in
1811, and, after three years' labor, had finished only 6000 yards. Nothing
great or useful will ever be effected here so long as men come merely to
get rich, and then return to Portugal.
The latitude of the town
and fort of Massangano is 9d 37' 46" S., being nearly the same as that of
Cassange. The country between Loanda and this point being comparatively
flat, a railroad might be constructed at small expense. The level country
is prolonged along the north bank of the Coanza to the edge of the
Cassange basin, and a railway carried thither would be convenient for the
transport of the products of the rich districts of Cassange, Pungo
Andongo, Ambaca, Cambambe, Golungo Alto, Cazengo, Muchima, and Calumbo; in
a word, the whole of Angola and independent tribes adjacent to this
kingdom.
The Portuguese merchants
generally look to foreign enterprise and to their own government for the
means by which this amelioration might be effected; but, as I always
stated to them when conversing on the subject, foreign capitalists would
never run the risk, unless they saw the Angolese doing something for
themselves, and the laws so altered that the subjects of other nations
should enjoy the same privileges in the country with themselves.
The government of Portugal
has indeed shown a wise and liberal policy by its permission for the
alienation of the crown lands in Angola; but the law giving it effect is
so fenced round with limitations, and so deluged with verbiage, that to
plain people it seems any thing but a straightforward license to
foreigners to become `bona fide' landholders and cultivators of the soil.
At present the tolls paid on the different lines of roads for ferries and
bridges are equal to the interest of large sums of money, though but a
small amount has been expended in making available roads.
There are two churches and
a hospital in ruins at Massangano; and the remains of two convents are
pointed out, one of which is said to have been an establishment of black
Benedictines, which, if successful, considering the materials the brethren
had to work on, must have been a laborious undertaking. There is neither
priest nor schoolmaster in the town, but I was pleased to observe a number
of children taught by one of the inhabitants.
The cultivated lands
attached to all these conventual establishments in Angola are now rented
by the government of Loanda, and thither the bishop lately removed all the
gold and silver vessels belonging to them. The fort of Massangano is
small, but in good repair; it contains some very ancient guns, which were
loaded from the breech, and must have been formidable weapons in their
time. The natives of this country entertain a remarkable dread of great
guns, and this tends much to the permanence of the Portuguese authority.
They dread a cannon greatly, though the carriage be so rotten that it
would fall to pieces at the first shot; the fort of Pungo Andongo is kept
securely by cannon perched on cross sticks alone!
Massangano was a very
important town at the time the Dutch held forcible possession of Loanda
and part of Angola; but when, in the year 1648, the Dutch were expelled
from this country by a small body of Portuguese, under the Governor
Salvador Correa de Sa Benevides, Massangano was left to sink into its
present decay. Since it was partially abandoned by the Portuguese, several
baobab-trees have sprung up and attained a diameter of eighteen or twenty
inches, and are about twenty feet high.
No certain conclusion can
be drawn from these instances, as it is not known at what time after 1648
they began to grow; but their present size shows that their growth is not
unusually slow. Several fires occurred during our stay, by the thatch
having, through long exposure to a torrid sun, become like tinder. The
roofs became ignited without any visible cause except the intense solar
rays, and excited terror in the minds of the inhabitants, as the slightest
spark carried by the wind would have set the whole town in a blaze. There
is not a single inscription on stone visible in Massangano. If destroyed
to-morrow, no one could tell where it and most Portuguese interior
villages stood, any more than we can do those of the Balonda. During the
occupation of this town the Coanza was used for the purpose of navigation,
but their vessels were so frequently plundered by their Dutch neighbors
that, when they regained the good port of Loanda, they no longer made use
of the river. We remained here four days, in hopes of obtaining an
observation for the longitude, but at this season of the year the sky is
almost constantly overcast by a thick canopy of clouds of a milk-and-water
hue; this continues until the rainy season (which was now close at hand)
commences.
The lands on the north side
of the Coanza belong to the Quisamas (Kisamas), an independent tribe,
which the Portuguese have not been able to subdue. The few who came under
my observation possessed much of the Bushman or Hottentot feature, and
were dressed in strips of soft bark hanging from the waist to the knee.
They deal largely in salt, which their country produces in great
abundance. It is brought in crystals of about 12 inches long and 1-1/2 in
diameter. This is hawked about every where in Angola, and, next to calico,
is the most common medium of barter. The Kisama are brave; and when the
Portuguese army followed them into their forests, they reduced the
invaders to extremity by tapping all the reservoirs of water, which were
no other than the enormous baobabs of the country hollowed into cisterns.
As the Kisama country is ill supplied with water otherwise, the Portuguese
were soon obliged to retreat. Their country, lying near to Massangano, is
low and marshy, but becomes more elevated in the distance, and beyond them
lie the lofty dark mountain ranges of the Libollo, another powerful and
independent people. Near Massangano I observed what seemed to be an effort
of nature to furnish a variety of domestic fowls, more capable than the
common kind of bearing the heat of the sun. This was a hen and chickens
with all their feathers curled upward, thus giving shade to the body
without increasing the heat. They are here named "Kisafu" by the native
population, who pay a high price for them when they wish to offer them as
a sacrifice, and by the Portuguese they are termed "Arripiada", or
shivering.
There seems to be a
tendency in nature to afford varieties adapted to the convenience of man.
A kind of very short-legged fowl among the Boers was obtained, in
consequence of observing that such were more easily caught for
transportation in their frequent removals in search of pasture. A similar
instance of securing a variety occurred with the short-limbed sheep in
America.
Returning by ascending the
Lucalla into Cazengo, we had an opportunity of visiting several
flourishing coffee plantations, and observed that several men, who had
begun with no capital but honest industry, had, in the course of a few
years, acquired a comfortable subsistence. One of these, Mr. Pinto,
generously furnished me with a good supply of his excellent coffee, and my
men with a breed of rabbits to carry to their own country. Their lands,
granted by government, yielded, without much labor, coffee sufficient for
all the necessaries of life.
The fact of other avenues
of wealth opening up so readily seems like a providential invitation to
forsake the slave-trade and engage in lawful commerce. We saw the female
population occupied, as usual, in the spinning of cotton and cultivation
of their lands. Their only instrument for culture is a double-handled hoe,
which is worked with a sort of dragging motion. Many of the men were
employed in weaving. The latter appear to be less industrious than the
former, for they require a month to finish a single web. There is,
however, not much inducement to industry, for, notwithstanding the time
consumed in its manufacture, each web is sold for only two shillings.
On returning to Golungo
Alto I found several of my men laid up with fever. One of the reasons for
my leaving them there was that they might recover from the fatigue of the
journey from Loanda, which had much more effect upon their feet than
hundreds of miles had on our way westward. They had always been accustomed
to moisture in their own well-watered land, and we certainly had a
superabundance of that in Loanda. The roads, however, from Loanda to
Golungo Alto were both hard and dry, and they suffered severely in
consequence; yet they were composing songs to be sung when they should
reach home. The Argonauts were nothing to them; and they remarked very
impressively to me, "It was well you came with Makololo, for no tribe
could have done what we have accomplished in coming to the white man's
country: we are the true ancients, who can tell wonderful things." Two of
them now had fever in the continued form, and became jaundiced, the whites
or conjunctival membrane of their eyes becoming as yellow as saffron; and
a third suffered from an attack of mania. He came to his companions one
day, and said, "Remain well. I am called away by the gods!" and set off at
the top of his speed. The young men caught him before he had gone a mile,
and bound him. By gentle treatment and watching for a few days he
recovered. I have observed several instances of this kind in the country,
but very few cases of idiocy, and I believe that continued insanity is
rare. |