St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-08-22
PORTUGUESE IN AFRICA.
1Aoar POwsf and IaA0saeo 0avo Cou
plOtoly IaaooA Away,

3Aolf POwsf aaA Ia1Uo0eo 0ovo Co0s
pletsly Paassa Away.
The first to come were the men Of
Portugal, then in the fresh springtime
Of its power, Bartholomew Diax discov.
cred the Cape of Storms, a. he called II,
in 1856; and after Vasco Da Cana, in
14s7-'9S, had traced the southeast coast
as far ~ Sofala q little to the south
Of the modern port Of Beira). the Portu-
guese established settlements At that
place, and farther to the north Of IT,
and thence carried ON q considerable
trade with the natives, chiefly in gold
brought down from the mines Of Ma
shonaland. However, the unhealthinesa
of the nat country which lies between
the coast and the interior plateau
checked their projects Ct exploration
and conquest. Individual traders and
eometimes missionaries also penetrated
far into the interior, and articles which
the Portuguese must have brought tn
Africa, such N fragments Of Indian and
Chinese pottery. and even, in one or two
instances, small cannon, have been
found many hundreds Of miles from tho
seaboard. But, on the whole, the Portu-
guese exerted little influence on the
country and its inhabitants.
The white population remained very
small, and it became degraded by inter-
marriage with the Kaflrs; for in Africa.
- In Brazil, the Portuguese have shown
little Of that contempt for the native
blacks, and aversion to the mixing Of
their blood with the latter, which has
been 10 generally Characteristic Of the
Dutch and the English. During the
18th and 18th centuries the colonizing
force Of Portugal declined with the de-
cline Of her European power. She made
no further efforts TO explore, and even
abandoned some Of her stations on the
Zambesi. She remained, however, un-
disturbed in her possessions till few
years ago when q question arose be-
tween her and Great Britain regarding
the right to Delagoa bay, port the value
Of which as the only deep water
harbor At for large vessels along the
whole coast south Of Beira, was now
generally perceived. President Mac
Mahon. to whom as arbitrator the con-
troversy was referred, decided In favor
,f Portugal. Subsequently Germany ap-
pearcd n : formidable neighbor on tho
north, while boundary disputes arose
with the British settlers who In 1890
had occupied the inland country 20 the
west.
Thus the Portuguese frontier, which
had been very uncertain, has now be-
come defined. It includes . vast area.
but in that ARIA the number Of
white men, or even cf semi-civil-
i1ed half-breeds, il % small that, IL
though some fitful efforts havo
been made by the Mozambique COM
pany, little or no progress in occupying
or improving the country can be re-
corded. Portugal sends no emigrants
to Africa. Her government, now hard
pressed for money, cannot hnd the sums
needed to develop her African terri
tories, nor II there private capital In
Portugal to supplement the weakness
Of the government. The Reira railway
and the Delagoa Bay railway (of which
more anon) have both been built by for
eign companies. Practically Portugal
may Be looked on - IN extinct force In
South Africa.-James Bryce, n. r., in