History of the World/History of the World (Bureau Development, Inc.)(1992).BIN/dp/0032/00320.txt

Text File | 1992-10-11 | 18KB | 319 lines

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$Title{Australia And The Islands Of The Sea
Chapter XXXIII.  Islands On The East African Coast.}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Larkin, Dunton}
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$Subject{island
hundred
miles
thousand
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Title:       Australia And The Islands Of The Sea
Author:      Larkin, Dunton

Chapter XXXIII.  Islands On The East African Coast.

     More than two hundred miles from the east coast of southern Africa, in
the Indian Ocean, lies a large island called Madagascar.  It was discovered in
the latter part of the thirteenth century by a Venetian traveler, and was
valued by European nations chiefly as a vast hunting ground for slaves until
1816, when the trade was suppressed.  From three thousand to four thousand
were shipped annually from its ports.

     The greatest length of the island is one thousand miles and its greatest
breadth three hundred and fifty.  Its area is estimated at two hundred and
thirty thousand square miles.  At the time of its discovery, the natives
called their island by a name which means "in the center of the sea."

     Through the country from north to south extends an elevated tract of
land, rising by successive terraces to the center.  The highest points reach
an elevation of ten thousand feet.  This plateau is surrounded on all sides,
except the southeast, by a strip of low land from twenty to fifty miles wide,
some parts of which are actually below the level of the sea, from which it is
protected only by the beach thrown up by the surf. It is also surrounded by a
forest which extends to the low plains, and, in some cases, to the sea.

     No country in the world is better watered than Madagascar.  But few of
its rivers are navigable; for during the first part of their course they fall
rapidly, and, when they come to the lowlands, they spread out into lakes, and
reach the sea only with sluggish streams.

     On the low coasts, often running parallel with the sea, are chains of
lakes formed in some cases by the overflowing of the barred rivers, and in
others by the sea.  In the interior of the island several large lakes are
reported to exist.

     The heat on the coasts is often excessive, and rains are frequent there,
but on the highlands of Ankova the thermometer seldom rises above eighty-five
degrees.

     Madagascar is rich in vegetable productions.  Among the most important
trees is one whose leaves are made into a kind of cloth, and from whose bark
is extracted a drink resembling spruce beer.  There are many kinds of gum
trees, one of which yields a gum greatly valued as a powerful cement.  Another
tree produces a highly fragrant allspice. Dyewoods, fig, ebony, orange, peach,
and mulberry trees also grow here. Coffee, which has been introduced, thrives
well.

     There are few formidable wild animals in Madagascar.  Its beasts of prey
are confined to a small leopard, a wild dog, a wild cat, and a species of fox.
Crocodiles are numerous in the rivers.  There are many kinds of snakes, some
of which grow to a great size.  Apes are found in the woods.  But the wealth
of the country consists in its cattle, which are mostly humped like those of
India.

     Coal, rock salt, sulphur, and copper are all found in the island.
Excellent iron abounds in several parts of the country.  The natives take the
ore and put it in pits or kilns covered over with clay.  Near the edges of
these they place hollow tree trunks, and, by means of pistons placed in these
and worked by hand, they provide the necessary blast for the smelting of the
ore.

     The government, until recently, has been a sort of monarchical despotism,
modified by changes in the religion and habits of the court under the teaching
of Christianity.  A body of judges used to sit constantly in public to hear
complaints and to administer rude justice, not according to any written law,
but rather by traditional usage.  There are twenty-five tribes, each having
its own chief, subject, in old days, to the monarch.  Recently the French,
having claimed rights under a treaty made in 1885, have taken Antananarivo,
the capital, and have established a protectorate, which gives them virtual
possession of the island.

     The name of the capital, Antananarivo, signifies "the city of a
thousand." It is located upon the summit and slopes of a hill which rises from
a plain to the height of five hundred feet.  The houses are built upon
terraces.  There are but three or four streets in the city; from these
streets, branch innumerable pathways leading between the houses. They are so
narrow that in many places it is impossible for two people to meet and pass
each other.

     The hill has three elevated points.  The highest of these is called by a
name which means "hill for observing." Near to this one is "the crown," or
"the top of the town," on which the palaces stand.  The third, the
"whitehill," is the site of a memorial church.

     The royal palaces are the most conspicuous buildings in the town. They
are grouped together in a large courtyard, and are about a dozen in number.
The principal entrance is on the north side, and consists of a picturesque
gateway, forming a triumphal archway, which is approached by a massive flight
of stone steps.  On each side of the archway are Romano-Doric columns.  In the
center above the arch is a peculiar square panel with a large mirror set in
it, and directly above this is a figure of the national falcon made of copper.

     Near to the great palace is the palace church.  Its tower rises to the
height of 112 feet, and, at the time of its completion, it was the only
building in the country whose roof was covered with slates.

     The population of Madagascar has sprung from different races.  The
fairest race, the Hovas, is the ruling one, and has established its sway over
nearly the whole of the island.  The Hovas are distinguished from the other
people by their light olive complexion, the absence of thick lips, and by
their activity.  They are well made, but rather below the medium height.  The
next race in importance is the blackest, and lives on the western coast.

     There are no roads in Madagascar, but merely tracks which may be traveled
by men or cattle.  The people are accustomed to make long journeys on foot.
Men employed by the government to carry letters or dispatches acquire
wonderful powers of speed and endurance.  Many of them are able to travel two
hundred miles in four days, over rough and rocky hills often slippery with
mud, across unbridged streams, and through dense forests and deep sloughs.

     The national carriage consists of two poles of tough, light wood, held
together by iron rods with nuts and screws.  On the hindmost of these rods,
and to each of the poles, is fastened a framework of iron, which is covered
with leather and stuffed, and has a back against which one may lean.  In front
is a footrest made of wood, and at each side are pockets for holding small
articles.  There is no cover overhead, but a large sunshade is fastened to one
pole, and a piece of canvas, which serves as a protection against rain, is
secured to the other.

     Four runners carry this on their shoulders.  When well trained, they keep
step so well that the motion is not unpleasant.  If the distance is short, two
extra men run alongside to relieve two of the bearers, who in turn relieve the
other two.  When the distance is great, eight men are required, the two sets
changing off with each other at regular intervals and without stopping.  From
six to seven hours is an ordinary day's work, but the bearers frequently
travel eight or nine without inconvenience.

     Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, has an area
of seven hundred square miles and a population of three hundred and seventy
thousand.

     Port Louis, the capital and the only town, lies in an extensive valley;
and as our ship approaches the outermost anchorage a view of unsurpassed
beauty presents itself.  Far away in the distance is the well-known Peter
Botte Mountain; just behind the city rises the majestic Pouce, wooded to its
summit; to the east lie the gentle slopes of Citadel Hill, bastion crowned;
and to the west, abrupt and rugged, Long Mountain Bluff rears its
signal-topped head.  The city covers an area of ten square miles, and has a
population of sixty-two thousand.  It has a fine natural harbor, capable of
affording anchorage to vessels of heavy burden, which, even during hurricane
weather, can ride safely.

     The entrance to the channel is through coral reefs, well marked out by
buoys, and has an average depth of thirty-five feet, and within the harbor of
fourteen feet.  It is well defended by forts George and William, and the
citadel, which stands back of the city, also overlooks and commands it.

     The streets of Port Louis are many of them macadamized, and are kept
fairly clean.  Several rivulets flow through the town.  In wet weather they
become rushing torrents, bringing down masses of mud and debris.  In dry
weather they become almost stagnant, and add largely to the malarious
condition of the city.

     In the interior the houses are very plain, and consist of drawing-rooms
and dining-rooms and a few sleeping apartments, all of which have the strong
Z-shaped bar on the outside of the hurricane shutters. Nearly all of the
houses have small pavilions, which contain two or three bedrooms for guests.

     Chaussee is the principal street for shops, and is in the oldest part of
the town.  The buildings are wooden, and are old-fashioned-looking on the
outside, contrasting strongly with the interiors, where all indicates the
latest Parisian fashion.  You may buy any article of a lady's toilette, from a
Lyons silk dress to a plain English calico.  Jewelers' shops shine resplendent
with gold and gems, especially diamonds, and you wonder how so small a place
can find purchasers for such costly articles.

     A curious feature of this and other streets is the juxtaposition of one
of these elegant magazines with a Chinese store retailing such articles as
charcoal, salt fish, cocoanut oil, rice, wood, and lard.  The continuation of
Chaussee is called Royal Street, and it extends nearly to the northern limit
of the city.  Most of the shops here are built of stone.

     The division between the two parts of this street is made by the Place
d'Arms, which stands in front of the quays, and is shaded by three kinds of
trees, one of which is the flamboyant of Madagascar.  This tree is covered
with magnificent scarlet, yellow, and white flowers, which, lying against the
soft delicate green of the foliage, form a bouquet of transcendent beauty.
Seats are placed under the trees, and there planters, merchants, and women
discuss the affairs of the island.

     Large cages of native birds are displayed in the markets, conspicuous
among which are the pretty scarlet cardinals with their mates, and greenish
yellow canaries that sing so sweetly.  These are all offered for sixpence a
pair.  Beautiful foreign birds are also for sale, brought from India,
Australia, New Guinea, and Brazil.  These command large prices.

     Perhaps few places in the world can boast such a variety of fish, many of
which are of gorgeous colors.  The most esteemed are the mullets, Dame Berry,
cordonnier, pike, and eels.  Fine crabs and crayfish are abundant.  Shellfish
are sold in large quantities.  Large sharks, rays, and other monsters are
sliced and sold to the natives.

     At a distance of seven miles from Port Louis are the celebrated Botanical
Gardens, founded in 1768.  In them are growing the nutmeg, clove, and other
spice trees, beside a large variety of useful and ornamental trees, obtained
with great trouble and at large expense from both hemispheres.  On Sundays and
holidays, this place is a favorite resort of the city people, who enjoy its
shady avenues and thatched pavilions.

     St. Pierre's well-known romance, "Paul and Virginia," has spread a sort
of halo round Mauritius for nearly a century.  The two tombs shown as theirs
are two commonplace brick and mortar structures.  They are situated in what
was once a fine garden.  A little rivulet flows between them, and they are
shaded by stately palms and feathery bamboos.

     Reunion, also called Bourbon, one of the Mascarene Group, lies in the
Indian Ocean, four hundred miles east of Madagascar.  It has an area of nine
hundred and sixty-five square miles, and a population of one hundred and
seventy thousand.  It forms a French colony.  The capital is St. Denis.  The
island is of volcanic origin and is elliptical in form.

     It is traversed from north to south by a chain of mountains which divides
it into two portions, differing in climate and productions.  The highest
summit is that of an extinct volcano, 10,100 feet high.  Three other peaks are
respectively 9500, 7300, and 7218 feet, the last being an active volcano.
There are many narrow valleys, but no extensive plains.

     Reunion was counted at one time one of the healthiest spots in the world.
But the climate has recently undergone a great change, and serious diseases
attack every foreigner after a residence of four or five years.

     The prevailing winds drive the rain clouds to the east side of the
island, and often originate the most terrific hurricanes.  On such occasions
the waves, usually three to four feet high, rise to fifty feet in height, and
rage with inestimable fury.  The sky changes to a copper color, the
temperature rises to its maximum intensity, the barometer sinks to its lowest
point, rain falls in torrents, and the wind blows with resistless might.
Reunion has no good port, and its anchorage is very insecure.  In one year,
eleven large vessels were wrecked near its shores.

     The chief products of the island are sugar, coffee, cloves, maize, rice,
tobacco, dyewoods, and saltpeter.

     Zanzibar is an island on the east coast of Africa, near the sixth degree
of south latitude; it formerly belonged to the Sultan of Muscat, but is now a
British protectorate.  It is separated from the mainland by a strait
twenty-five miles wide, thinly beset with coral reefs and islets. This island,
like all others near the coast, is of coral formation.  It has been raised
above its original level and in some places attains a height of two hundred
and fifty feet.  The soil is extremely rich, and the greater part of the
island is still in its natural state.  The mango, banana, papaw, plantain, and
various Indian fruits grow wild, with several species of palm and the stately
cotton tree.  The natives cultivate rice and millet (which grows to a height
of ten feet), but the cultivated fields are few in number.

     The plantations of the Sultan, or Seyyid, contain not less than five
hundred thousand clove trees, the produce of which is excellent.  He has
planted also nutmeg and cinnamon trees, obtaining his workmen from Mauritius
and Reunion.

     There are few wild animals in Zanzibar.  The interior thickets are
occupied by wild hogs, and a few civet cats lurk about the villages.  With the
exception of the guinea fowl, wild birds are few.  The ass is here the
universal beast of burden.

     The principal towns are Zanzibar and Uzi.  In traveling through the
country between these towns, the stranger is agreeably surprised to find that
the narrow roads are everywhere neatly fenced, like garden walks, with hedges
of palma Christi or some other suitable plant.

     The city of Zanzibar is the principal commercial port on the eastern
African seaboard; it has a population of thirty thousand, mostly blacks. The
Central, or Fort, Quarter is the seat of government and of commerce.

     The material of which the houses are built is "coralrag," a substance at
once easily worked and durable.  The best houses are on the Arab plan. A dark
narrow entrance leads from the street, and the center of the tenements is a
quadrangle.  There are no shady trees, bright flowers, or green verdure as in
similar houses in the southern part of Europe.  Here the "Dar" is simply a
dirty yard, paved or unpaved, generally encumbered with piles of wood or
hides, and tenanted by dogs, poultry, donkeys, and lounging slaves.  A steep,
narrow staircase of rough stone connects it with the first floor, the "noble
quarter." There are galleries for the several stories, and doors opening upon
the court admit light into the rooms.

     "Koranic sentences on slips of paper, fastened to the entrances, and an
inscription cut in the wooden lintel, secure the house against witchcraft."
Arabs here, as elsewhere, prefer long narrow rooms.  The reception hall is
usually on the ground floor.  The protracted lines of walls and rows of arched
and shallow niches are unbroken save by a few weapons.  Pictures are almost
unknown; chandeliers and mirrors are confined to the wealthy.  What in our
houses would be bald and barnlike, here suggests coolness and simplicity.  A
bright tinted carpet, a tasteful Persian rug for the dais, matting on the
lower floor, a divan in the older houses, and a half dozen stiff-backed chairs
of East Indian blackwood in the later ones, compose the upholstery of the
Zanzibar "palazzo."

     Sokotra lies off the eastern extremity of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It
has an area of about fourteen hundred square miles and a population of ten
thousand, mostly Bedouins, with some settled Arabs, negroes, and descendants
of Portuguese.

     Its center is a chain of mountains, rising to the height of five thousand
feet.  Round this a low belt of land, two to four miles wide, skirts the sea.
The climate is more temperate than on the adjacent continent.  Among the
products are aloes, various gums, tamarinds, tobacco, dates, millet, and ghee.
Sokotra was formerly occupied by the Portuguese, but was annexed by Great
Britain in 1886.