Men, Mines and Animals in South Africa

Front matter

■ MEN, MINES AND ANIMALS IN SOUTH AFRICA BA' LORD RANDOLPH S. CHURCHILL, M.P. LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY Limited §1. gumstan', S)(mst Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C. 1892 [All rights reserved."} LONDON : printed by gtlbert and rivixgton, limited, se. John's house, clerkenwell, e c. PEE FACE. At the request ofthe publishers, I have, against my oaati judgment, consented to revise the letters from South Africa Avhich I wrote to The Daily Graphic, in 1891, with a view to their publication in the form of a book. The critics of literary and epistolary efforts, who daily inform the public through the columns of the Press, pronounced Avith tolerable unanimity, that these letters of mine were devoid of merit and unworthy of perusal. To this judg ment I ought to have bowed, but then, on the other hand, the proprietors of The Daily Graphic, aa'Iio, for the purposes of these letters, were nw employers and Avho occupied the most favourable position for the formation of a practical opinion as to whether these letters did or did not displease the public, expressed to me very definitely and without qualification their satisfaction with the productions of which I Avas the author, but for Avhich they were mainly responsible.

A question of difficulty arises. Either the public read the letters, or it did not read them. If the public did not read the letters, then the proprietors of The Daily Graphic Avould have been dissatisfied at the Preface. IV results of an unremunerative outlay. But these gentlemen were not dissatisfied ; therefore the public did read the letters. But the public only reads what it approves of, or AAdiat pleases it. Tben I am led to a strange and terrible conclusion. Either the critics Avho condemned the letters Avere A\rrong, or, AA-orse still, the public does not care tA\'opence what the judgment of the critics may be. It is on the oft-chance that this state of things, deduced by argument, may be the actual state of things that I again submit these letters to the public in another form. In the course of succeed ing years many men and Avomen will leave our shores to take up their abode in South Africa.

Possibly some of these emigrants may glean from the folloAving pages some information not altogether valueless as to the country, its people, its attractions, its modes of life and of travel. More- OA'er, of that large number of home-dAvelling persons who folloAv Avith affection the fortunes of a great and groAA'ing colony in South Africa there may jierchance be some Avhose interest therein may be quickened and sustained by the perusal of the experiences, the thoughts of an independent, unprejudiced Avayfarer. In either case no harm is done ; even a feAv grains of good may be produced. Beyond mere verbal corrections and such other corrections as A\rere necessary for the transposition of letters to a neAA-spaper into chapters of a book, Preface. V I have changed nothing of what I originally wrote, with the tAvo following exceptions.

Chapter I. Outward

bound. PAGE Departure from Paddington Station — Reasons for the journey — The composition of the party— Arrival at Dartmouth — The Grantulbj Castle — Lisbon : the Zoological Gardens — Madeira — Invitation from Mr. Benet-Stanford — A sub-tropical garden — Farewell to Madeira — Shoals of flying fish — From breakfast to bedtime on board ship — Athletic sports at sea — Fire ! — Cape Town ....... 1

Chapter II Cape Coloxy

Scenery and climate of Cape Town — Public Buildings — The Government House, Xatural History Museum, and Public Library — Adderley Street — The sea prospect from Cape Town — Rivalry of Port Elizabeth — The inhabitants and environs of Cape Town — Dutch and English in the colony — Mr. Cecil Rhodes — The Transvaal War of 1881 — Majuba Hill — Capo Politics — The South African States — Cape Town as a Coaling Station — Defences of the Cape — Forts at Simon's Eay- — Fort Wynyard — General Cameron and the Cape Town Garrison . . . . . .17

Chapter III. Diamonds

We leave Cape Town — The Paarl — Worcester Town — The Hex River Pass — A Paddington man — Arrival at Matjesfontein — Mr. J. D. Logan — The Karroo — Diamond Industry at Kimberley — Visit to the offices of the De Beers Company — Mr. Cecil Rhodes a Contents. TAGE 33 49 public man of the first order— Mr. Gardner Williams, mining engineer — The blue ground — Separating the diamonds— Precautions against Theft— The De Beers Company a model Village Community — Electric light used in the diamond mines .....

Chapter IV. Gold

The diamonds of Kimberley — The journey to Johannesburg — Railway extensions — Grass veldt between Kimberley and Vryburg — The cattle farm of the future — " Native Reserve " of the Southern Bechuana — We reach Vryburg — Sir Sydney Shippard entertains us — Coaching with a team of mules — The wayfaring man in the Transvaal — An attractive little town — Gold mines in the neighbourhood — The outlook at Johannesburg — The gold mines — Selfish jealousy of the Boer Government — Astounding inequality of taxation — Bad condition of the roads to Johannesburg — The vicious system of concessions

Chapter V. Mining And Spouting

Account of the Robinson Gold Mine at Johannesburg — The Langlaate Estate — Chlorination at the Ferriera Mine — Dr. Simon — The McArthur-Forrest process — Observations on the gold-fields of Johannesburg — Silver Mines in the Transvaal — Deer preserves — With Dog and Gun in search of Game . . .05

Chapter VI. The Transvaal

BOEItS. A chance for British enterprise — The capacity of the Transvaal and the incapacity of its ruler.. — Tho journey from Johannesburg to Pretoria — Description of Pretoria— The Dutch Parliament— From the Strangers' Gallery— An interview with President Kruger — Parliamentary manners— General Joubert— Report of a case showing the Boer idea of justice — Ill-treatment of Natives by the Boers— Shall we surrender Swaziland— The Withering Grasp of the Boer X . 7!) Contents. IX PAGE 120

Chapter VII. On The Road To Mashonaland

The Chartered Company's Station at Fort Tuli — Mining in the Zoutspanburg District — The Progress of the " Spider " — Our first cooking efforts — Hints for sportsmen — Sixty miles without water — A glimpse of Fairyland — We meet Major Sapte and Mr. Victor Morier — Meeting with Captain Laurie at Rhodes's Drift — The Bechuanaland Border Police— A " Boer trek " — President Kruger's position — Sir Frederick Carrington and the B.S.A.C. Co.'s police — Experiment with the new magazine Rifle . . . .90

Chapter VIII. The Expedition

: ITS COMPOSITION AND EQUIPMENT. Major Giles — A fine collection of giants — Our rifles aud guns — Warning and advice to future travellers — Composition of the Expedition — Major Giles's trek from Vryburg to Tuli — The horse sickness in Africa — A camp fire concert at Fort Tuli . . . .110

Chapter IX. Through Huchuanaland

Cold nights in camp — The horse sickness — Visit from Kaffir women to our Mariko River camp — Outspan on the banks of the Crocodile River — -We cross the Mahalopsie River — Dr. Saur and Mr. Williams — ■ Camp at Silika — Arrival at the Lotsani River — The luxury of a shave — The Suchi River — Headquarters of the Bechuanaland Police at Matlaputta — The Macloutsie River — I lose myself near the Semalili River while in quest of game — Catching up the waggons .........

Chapter X. Trekking And Hunting

We entertain Sir Frederick Carrington — Farewell to Fort Tuli — The business of inspanning — Our camp at night — Sport with Dr. Rayner and Lee — Laying the telegraph wire — The Umzingwani River Camp — Contents. X P.101! Koodoos, quaggas, and honey birds— Lee's boy nick named "The Baboon"— The elephant fruit-tree- Lee a charming companion on the Veldt The Umsajbetsi River— Habits of our oxen and mules- Shooting game in South Africa— A native market— An unsuccessful antelope hunt— The mahogany tree- Further hunting experiences— Camp on tho Bubjane River — Our conductor Myberg . 112

Chapter XI. Lions

Lion Camp— The tales of a Huntsman— The snake-tree — In the track of the koodoos — We come across a posse of Lions — Antelopes and quaggas — Return to camp for the dogs — Result of one day's sport — We spend another day hunting— Provisions running short 158

Chapter XII. Difficulties Of Travel On The Veldt

The wealth of Mashonaland — We make a speedy trek and overtake our waggons — Further losses by horse sickness — Stuck fast in Wanetse River — The Sugar Loaf and other miniature mountains — A pestilential spot on the Lundi River banks — A word of warning — Viandt, the Boer ostrich hunter — We reach Fern Spruit — Death of my shooting pony " Charlie " — A veldt fire — A day of discomfort and disaster — Providence Gorge — Description of Fort Victoria — Great loss of horses — Advice to intending emigrants . 175

Chapter XIII. Character Of The Country Between Forts Victoria And Salisbury

Departure for 'Fort Salisbury — Our native workmen — Water in the desert — A dreary journey — The country between Fort Victoria and Fort Charter — Where is the ' Promised Land ' 1 — We meet Mr. Colquhoun — The garrison of Fort Charter — From Fort Charter to Fort Salisbury — Lions in the way — The Settlement at Fort Salisbury — Signs of civilization — The gold districts of Manica, Mazoe River, and Hartley Hill — Reconnoitring after game . . . . .193 Contents. XI

Chapter XIV. Sport In Mashonaland

PAGE Sport in South Africa — Hints to inexperienced sportsmen — Approximate cost of equipment for a six months' hunting expedition — Sir John Willoughby arrives at our camp on the Hunyani River — Hunting the Hartebeest— How to cook venison — A Slough of Despond — Further hunting adventures after antelopes — A native hunting party — A cobra in the camp — Method of scaring vultures off dead game — Accident to Major Giles — Scarcity of grain and food in Ma shonaland — Return to Fort Salisbury . . .212

Chapter XV. The Gold District Of The Mazoe River

In quest of gold — Exploration syndicates — Mashonaland as a field for emigration — The Mazoe gold-fields — Captain Williams's report — Old workings — The " Golden Quarry " mine — Other mines visited in the district — More disappointments . 234

Chapter XVI. Hunting The Antelope On The High Veldt

We start for Hartley Hill — The Mashonas as servants — - Marriage in Mashonaland — All alone on the Veldt — Hints to hunters when lost on the Veldt — A Kaffir kraal — Barter with the natives — Dangerously bad shooting — The troubles of trekking — The country between Fort Salisbury and Hartley Hill — Wild flowers and fruit — Unsuccessful chase after ostriches — A fine herd of eland — The bull of the herd falls to my gun ......... 210

Chapter XVII. Wealth Of Mashonaland

— DOUBT AND DISAPPOINTMENT. Hartley Hill — Our party again united — The Tsetse-fly pest — Mr. Perkins joins me in a day's shooting — Surgeon Rayner's adventure with a lion — Contemplating the return journey — Making a clean breast of it — Decep- Contents. XII 1MGE 2G;3 270 five appearances — Reefs in the Eiffel district— What is to become of the country 1— Mr. Perkins and the leopard . .

Chapter XVIII. Life At Fort Salisbury

Mineral wealth of Mashonaland — Reefs in the Mazoe River Valley— The " Matchless " Mine— Good news from Fort Victoria — A personal statement— Enterprise at Fort Salisbury — A model Ranche — Farms leased by the Chartered Company— An interesting auction — Indignation meeting against the Chartered Company— Horse-racing at Fort Salisbury— Organizing the administration of Mashonaland — Mr. Cecil Rhodes's views of the country .

Chapter XIX. On The Road Home

Second visit to the mines in the Mazoe Valley — Good-bye to Fort Salisbury — Bad roads — The officials of the Chartered Company — Fort Victoria once more — Climate and weather in Mashonaland — Gold discoveries round Fort Victoria — My faithful savage " Tiriki " — We telegraph home from Fort Victoria — Long's Mine — The Lundi River — Bad roads again — Death of a " salted horse "■ — The journey to Fort Tuli a record " trek " -J(Jo

Chapter XX Looking Back

Our method of travelling — Welcome and entertainment by the Bechuanaland Border Police at Macloutsie — Palapye, the capital town of Chief Khama — Lobengual, King of the Matabele — Meditated flight of all his tribe and belongings — The Bechuanaland Exploration Company — Conversation with Khama, Paramount Chief in the Protectorate — Palla Camp — The Journey to Mafeking — With Mr. Rhodes at Kimberley — The Agricultural and Mineral Resources of the Transvaal — My advice to young Englishmen .... 313 Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FULL PAGE. PAGE Portrait of the Author ..... Frontispiece. The R.M.S. Grantully Castle, 3489 tons, in Dartmouth Harbour ........ 5 Luxurious Travelling in Madeira ..... 9 A Madeira Caro, or covered Sledge .... 9 Parliament House, Cape Town . . . . .18 Government House and Gardens, Cape Town . . .18 Adderley Street, Cape Town . . . . .19 On the Road from Johannesburg to Pretoria. — Crossing a flooded river ....... 51 The Market Place, Johannesburg ..... 57 A Street in Johannesburg . . . . . .58 "The Spider" 100 Executive Officers of the Expedition . . . .117 A Camp Fire Concert at Fort Tuli . . . .121 Showing a flare up for the lost one . . . .140 The Members of the Expedition . . . . .142 First night out from Fort Tuli ..... 144 Marketing with the Makalaka . . . . .153 Crossing the Lundi River ...... 181 Two Members of the Expedition crossing the Lundi River 181 A Dreary Road. —The View fifty miles from Fort Charter 197 Building a " Scherm " to keep off Lions from the Cattle on the Hunyani River . . . • I • ■ A Sketch of the Country from Matipi's Kraal. . . 204 Drawing dead Game home on a sleigh made from the fork of a tree List of Illustrations.

XIV I'AOl. On the Outskirts of Fort Salisbury . . . .281 Nearing the end. — The Sale of the Surplus Stock and Stores of the Expedition at Fort Salisbury . . 280 Fort Salisbury.— At the Dentists 295 The Arrival of the Telegraph Line at Fort Victoria. — Sending a telegram to London .... 305 From Tuli to Macloutsie . . . . . .313 Crossing the Notwani after the heavy rains . . . 325 TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. A Cape Cart . . .20 The Defences of the Cape. — A 9'2-inch breech-loading gun .29 o £52;000 worth of diamonds classified for shipment at Kimberley ........ 37 In the Rock Shaft of the De Beers Diamond Mine at a depth of 900 feet 40 In the 800 feet level of the De Beers Diamond Mine . 43 Sorting Gravel for Diamonds at Kimberley ... 44 General View of the Robinson Gold Mines at Johannesburg GO o Sir Frederick Carrington and Officers of the Bechuanaland Border Police, and British South African Company's Police . . . . . . .100 Lord Randolph discussing his route with Sir F. Carrington at Fort Tuli . . . . . . .111 The long and the short of it . . . . . .117 Camp Life at Tuli — Branding Cattle . . . .121 Fording a River . . . . . . . .130 The Main Column encamped on the bank of the Lotsani 133 The Camp ofthe Main Column at Suchi River . 135 The Waggon Conductor sports a new pair of " store " trousers ....... j3g Our Camp on the Umzingwani River ... 4G Typical Natives from the Umshlane River Districts List of Illustrations.

XV PAGE The " Sugar Loaf " Mountain between the Rivers Wanetse and Lundi 180 Passages in the Life of one of our Boys — In the Pantry . 1 85 A " Veldt " Fire 187 One of our Boys (as he appeared with all his household goods) . . 194 One of our Boys (in sackcloth, drawing water) . . 195 The Camp before Fort Charter ..... 200 Summer Sleighing in Mashonaland on the high road during the rainy season ...... 201 Native Paintings on Rocks at Matefi's Kraal . . . 205 Mr. Perkins, the Mining Expert, on the War-path . . 210 Visit to the Mazoe Gold-fields — Experts at work . . 235 The Mining Settlement at Hartley Hill . . . .264 At Hartley Hill — Panning for Gold at Mr. Borrow's hut 272 Messrs. Johnson, Heaney, and Borrow's Ranche at Fort Salisbury 283 A Restaurant at Fort Salisbury ...... 285 The First Horse-race at Fort Salisbury .... 288 A Party at the mess table, after dinner — Fort Salisbury . 293 Tiriki 303 As he arrived ........ 304 As he departed ........ 305 The Outspan on the Tokwe River 307 Route Map At end of book.

Chapter I. Outward Bound

Departure from Paddington Station — Reasons for the journey — The composition of the party — Arrival at Dartmouth — The Grantully Castle — Lisbon : the Zoological Gardens — Madeira — Invitation from Mr. Benet-Stanford — A sub-tropical garden — Farewell to Madeira — Shoals of flying fish — From breakfast to bedtime on board ship— Athletic sports at sea — Fire ! — Cape Town. A bright morning towards the end of April. The eternal east wind blowing sharp and strong serves to moderate the regret which might be felt by one leaving England for a considerable period. In Paddington Station, alongside the platform, is drawn up the special express for Dartmouth. Every carriage appears to be full, round each compartment door large groups of persons, who intend to stay at home, wish farewell to those who are resolved to depart, and by their exuberant emotions obstruct the passage of the officials, of the tardy traveller, and of heavy trucks of baggage.

Among the passengers the male sex OO O O 1 o largely predominates, and youth is stamped upon the countenances of the majority. In such n f. B scene and in such a crowd I find myself an interested and active participator, for I, with a few friends, am starting on a long journey ; and, in common with the others in the special train, my destination is South Africa. It happened to me shortly after my return from Egypt, in February, to meet Sir Henry Loch and Mr. Cecil Rhodes, the Governor and Prime Minister of Cape Colony, who had just arrived in England on a special mission of importance to the Home Government. Conversation naturally was mainly about South Africa, about the territories of the Chartered Company, the goldfields of Zambesia, the dispute with the Portuguese. Sir Henry Loch and Mr. Rhodes were kind enough to give me a cordial invitation to visit the Cape, and it suddenly occurred to me that I had really for the moment nothing better to do.

Politics for the time attracted me little. The principal measure 1 before the House of Commons which was being pressed forward by the Government, and by the party to which I belong, I disliked intensely, and while I was not prepared to take part in any opposition to the measure, for motives which friends will appreciate, I was resolved to give no vote and say no word in its favour. A shareholder in the Chartered Company, and on intimate terms with some of the directors, my attention had already been turned to Mashona land; I had imagined that the exploration and development of that vast country, so wealthy by '• Irish Land Question Bill." Reasons for the Journev. 3 rumour and repute, was not unlikely to distin guish the close of the century. English and foreign interests had been and were clashing ; spheres of influence for respective European Powers had been marked off in a hap-hazard and lighthearted manner ; knowledge of the soil, of the climate, of the inhabitants, of the resources of Africa to the south of the Equator, was slight and by no means diffused among our people at home ; I thought that the day might not be distant when it might be useful and beneficial that a member of Parliament might be able to offer to the House of Commons observations, opinions, and arguments based upon personal inspection, actual experience of those localities, and to place before the public the views and desires of Cape Colonists of authority and of Afrikanders generally which might have been personally confided to him.

The attractions of travel, of the chase, and specially of seeking for gold oneself, of acquiring gold mines or shares in gold mines, contributed also to decide me on the enterprise, and the few weeks before departure had been well occupied with the somewhat elaborate preparations necessary for the journey and with business arrangements with friends who Avere similarly interested and attracted. In the composition of my party I was fortunate. Major George Giles, late of the Royal Artillery, of considerable South African experience, who had seen much military sei'vice in that country, had undertaken to act as manager of the travelling and director of the route, and had preceded me by b nearly a mouth to the Cape, intending to purchase at Kimberley the waggons, mules, oxen, and horses, to engage the men necessary for such an expedition.

To travel iu ox or mule waggons without greater discomfort and hardship than is incidental to camp life, a thousand miles to Mashonaland, several hundred miles exploring that country, a thousand miles return journey, occupying in the operation a period of not less than six months, requires a careful and costly collection of resources and plant, of which I will give a full description in a subsequent letter ; to avoid undue delay while the season was favourable, Major Giles had gone on ahead of me to the Cape. My actual travelling companions at the moment of departure were Captain G. Williams, late of the Royal Horse Guards, who bad amiably consented to assist me in my business and my wiiting, Mr. Henry Cleveland Perkins, an American mining engineer of great eminence, and Surgeon Hugh Rayner, of the Grenadier Guards, ou leave, who intended to co-operate with the finest climate in the "world in keeping us in good health, and to mitigate, so far as science might, the consequences of any accident or disaster which an untoward fate might inflict upon us.

He was also instructed by the military authorities to furnish them Avith a report on the climatic and hygienic conditions of Mashonaland, to discover and specify healthy sites for camps, and to collect such other information as would be useful to possess beforehand, should military operations ever become necessary in that country. J THE R.M.S. "GRANTULLY CASTLE," 3489 TONS, IN DARTMOUTH HARBOUR. Page 6. The "Grantullv Castle." 5 To return to our departure : the last good-byes have been uttered, the doors of the carriages are slammed, the whistle sounds, and off we go, soon developing that alarming broad-gauge rapidity for which the Great Western Avas remarkable, dashing through Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Somer setshire with a haste, a hurry which seemed quite unnecessary considering the immense distance of travel which lay before us, and the considerable period of time which we had to do it in.

Dart mouth, so familiar to the yachtsman, is reached all too soon. There lies the Grantully Gastle, well known to fame as the ship in which Mr. Gladstone sailed Avhen he made his celebrated " periplus " round Great Britain. A good-looking ship, sitting gracefully on the water, but small to my eye, more accustomed to the giants of the P. and 0., of the Cunard, and of the White Star Lines, in which, Avhen I haA'e on former occasions crossed the ocean, it has been my fortune to travel. But the weather appears to be set fair, the sun is bright and warm, the sea smooth, and in fine weather and calm water a little ship does as Avell as a big one. Soon recede, from many a longing and lingering eye on board, the beautiful harbour, the green Devonshire cliffs, and a calm and moonlit midnight sees us Avell off Ushant.

The Grantully Castle found the Bay of Biscay in a humour of comparatiA'e moderation ; not that it was by any means amiable or attractive, on the contrary, it quite sustained its morose and un genial character. The captain, indeed, expressed the opinion that it was as smooth as a mill-pond, but most of the passengers thought this description extravagant, many of them very practically disagreed with it. Fifty-eight hours after leaving London avc anchored in the Tagus, opposite Lisbon, at the early hour of four a.m. Having to wait until five in the afternoon for the London mail, we took advantage of the opportunity to visit an ancient and historic city. The principal attraction to the eye was its cleanliness ; broad, well-paA^ed, clean-swept streets, spacious squares, adorned with interesting monuments, an environment of forest and green hills, offer an aspect calculated at first to please the stranger.

But a something or other, difficult to describe, warns one instinctively that Lisbon is a city the fame and traditions of which lie exclusiA^ely in the past, in all probability never to be revived. The inhabitants wear a sleepy, almost a dead-alive kind of look. I did not observe a single Portuguese in the streets Avho appeared to be in the smallest hurry. No cheerfulness animates their countenances, as is the case with the population of the southern Italian towns. With the exception of a few public buildings, the edifices and dwellino-- houses are of a poor and unpretentious character. There is a total absence of attractive and well-filled shops. Coming away, one feels that one is glad to have seen Lisbon, for the reason that it Avill be unnecessary ever to go there again. A drive through the streets terminated with a visit to the Zoological Gardens, interesting for the quantity of wild and of garden flowers, presenting the most Lisbon and Madeira. 7 brilliant hues, and for a, singularly unique collection of monkeys, among which three intelligent and engaging chimpanzees for a time arrested our attention.

I Avould strongly recommend any traveller to Lisbon not to omit to inspect these gardens. It must, hoAvever, be added that the people of the city scarcely appreciate their merits, for the place, during our visit of more than an hour, was totally deserted. The Botanical Gardens, a visit to Avhich want of time compelled us to forego, are also said to be of considerable excel lence. The afternoon drawing on, it became necessary to return to the ship, and on the arrival of the London mail, Ave again put. to sea, shaping our course for Madeira. A strong head wind and sea encountering us at the mouth of the Tagus, sadlv thinned the attendance at dinner. The night was rough, and the following day supremely disagreeable. A driA'ing mist, a warm, clammy Avincl, and a heaAy rolling sea depressed the spirits, and made all long for more southern latitudes.

At daAAm on the second day after lea\'ing Lisbon the island of Terra Santa stood out finely on the starboard bow. A feAv hours' steaming brought into clear view the bold outlines and grassy slopes of Madeira, and the sunny baAT of Funchal. I was fortunate in finding, on arrival here, a note from an old friend, Mr. Benett-Stanford, Avho owns perhaps the most beautiful villa in the island, inviting my friends and myself to pass the morning with him. On landing, a slight ascent brought us to the doors ofthe Quinta Yigia (Anglice: The house and garden of the watch-tower) and to one of the most loA-ely gardens I have ever set eyes on. Imagine the contents of the conservatories and greenhouses of Tring Park, of Waddesdon, of Blenheim, Chatsworth, or Floors castle, all con centrated into a small space of some two acres, and growing with apparent wildness in the open air.

For accumulated variety and profusion of bloom, fragrance, and luxuriant foliage, drawn from every quarter of the world, this garden can haA'e no rival, and I haA'e seen many, at home and in foreign countries. The gateway is sheltered by two remarkable camphor-trees, the leaves of which, when crushed in the hand, giA7e oft' an aromatic and spicy perfume. On the terrace, overlooking the sea, one perceives, on the right hand, an immense mass of blue blossom, borne by the " Jacaranda." On the left a similar mass of deep crimson blossom draws attention to a splendid " Schotia." Two large trees, by name " Grevillia," coAered AA'ith yelloAv floAArers, offer a startling but agreeable contrast. Many fine specimens of the " dragon-tree " and of the " umbrella-palm "' are studded about the ground. The " Strelitzia reginæ," apparently a sort of banana, is imposing from its size and its feathering leaves.

The " peacock-tree " (Poinciana pulcherrima), with its lovely blossom, attracts the hand of the wanton floAver-gatherer, and the eye is in reality dazzled by the extraordinary, but not inharmonious profusion of the " l-ose-apple "' tree Tngi9. LUXURIOUS TRAVELLING IN MADEIRA. Page 9 A MADEIRA C'ARO, OR CCVERED SLEDGE. A Sub-Troi'ICAl Garden in Madeira. 9 cinnamon, silver banana, and mango tree, of -.the " Olea fragrans " and Francisia bushes, of the quaint "bottle-brush" plant, Avith its crimson flower. The verandah of the villa is covered with " BougainA'illia," and Avith another creeper, novel to me, the " Combretum coccinium," offering a mass of scarlet bloom. For the purpose of strolling through the town, our kind host provided a couple of hammocks, with their attendant bearers in white canvas clothing, and a " caro," or covered sledge, comfortably fitted, draAvn by bullocks.