Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 832922498

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-79587

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

Place of publication:: [London]

Publisher:: [The House of Commons]

Year of publication:: 1871

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XXIV, 242 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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Rev. H. Waller. 24 July iSjl.” MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE there is always a certain amount of swamp land available in the neighbourhood of lakes and rivers, in which corn can be grown at all times of the year. When we were in the highlands, in 1863 and 1864, in the neighbourhood of the Shire, all the population which was not swept off accumulated at the river ; and it was a very frightful state of things there, because the people flocked to the river, perfectly famished and per fectly mad with hunger, and they risked their lives for the sake of a few heads of corn. The river all day long was carrying down the dead bodies of those who had been fighting amono-st themselves, like starving dogs quarrelling over a bone. The postulation is very dense indeed on Lake Nyassa at present. 980. Some of that pojtulation would, in the course of time, sjtread over the dejtopulated dis trict ?—Yes, if there was anything like peace. 981. Mr. FowlerIs not the water on the coast very dangerous to drink ?—I do not believe it has the effect attributed to it ; I have drunk the vilest water possible, and yet remained in most perfect health ; if a man in bad health drinks bad water, or bad beer, or anything else, it may kill him ; I do not believe as some people do, that a draught of bad water will be sure to bring on fever or dysentry. 982. ^ Sir R. Anstruther^ With regard to the probability of the depopulated district becoming again inhabited, the fertility of the soil, and the salubrity of the climate, which induced peojile to go there, and cultivate the soil in time past, would operate as inducements to people to go there again, would they not?—Yes; this part of the country is full of little streams ; in fact, it was some time before I knew what the native word for thirst was, though you may hear the word for hunger from morning to night. I neve^ saw a better watered country in my life (when you get on the low lands, in fact, you have too much Avater), and where you have water, you are sure to have plenty of cultivation. We hear of African deserts, but that term only applies to the extreme South and the extreme North of Africa; there is not an approach to a desert in the interior at all, it is a very fertile country throuo-hout. 983. Mr. Kinnaird.'\ You referred just now to the suggestion that a European settlement might be established at some point near the coast?-' I referred to a suggestion in a letter I recently received from Dr. Kirk ; he found it necessary to make a journey for one or two days into the interior of the country to push on some of the porters Avho were conveying provisions to Dr- Livingstone, and he then passed through a part of the country, which he found exceedinWy healthy and fertile, and which he thought could be very well inhabited by any Europeans. 984. You have no suggestion to make to the Committee further than you have made, as to the policy of establishing a coast settlement for Europeans ?—Seeing that it must be obvious to all of us, that it would help us out of a difficulty if we could provide for these liberated slaves, h Avould be a most important thing if a European settlement could be established near Zanzibar, where they could be carefully looked after ; and I consider it most fortunate that Dr. Kirk has, in his opinion, discovered a place recently where such a settlement could be formed.

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