The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23
Vi.

smelt. A little silver has been reported
from behind Mombasa. but in no consider
able quantities. Gold is undoubtedly pres
emit on the eastern shores Of Lake Victoria,
but apparently under conditions that
would make the working Of it difficult or
unremuneradve. No coal has yet been
discovered in the country. II Is In the
vegetable rather than in the mineral king
dom that the promise Of East Africa lies.
The Wild indigenous products are Of con-
Eiderable value, and many important exotic
plants can be cultivated with Success
Among the former are india rubber, copra,
hber, timber and castor oil berries; among
the latter cotton, the vanilla bean, tobacco,
oohoe, cereals, European vegetables and
fruit. There Is an increasing output df
manEr0ve bark, which goes GLnnst az
efuEiysly 20 Hamburg Sugar cane Srova
freely IN many parta, but has not been
exported Main and boEns are very zbun-
dant, but their cultivation Il likely TO pay
only II pFactised on = hrge scale There
is q good market for main in South Africa,
Wtile both thefe and IN Eurups there rs a
great demand for The kong red native bean
Of XIX .yu and Kavirundo. The COFFEE Is
good and a. yet free from Ctsease. The
oxcaLence and abundance of the potatoes
and other vegetables are induhitAhle. SOM
ooniEnments a thGm have fetchsd re-
mmerHdve PRICE IN South Africa after
undergoing the whole journey by rail from
Narud TO hombasA. The SEA voyage to
DelAgoa Bay and the nail journey thence
TO johannesburg Far more important
than Vegetables, however, considered as a
possible article Of export, Is cotton The
plant grows Vlld in many sections Of the
country. and Il Is an accepted maxim that
land which spontaneously Will produce
bad cotton vii also produce good cotton
il batter seed be sovn- Il appears that the
valleys Of the SGhad. the TAnA and probably
the JuhA rivers present much the same
conditions for cotton growing a. does the
Nile but that when the difference IN the
price q Land IS cunadsred an Acre Of cotton
in East Africa ought to be grown for about
thirty doIlArs Ieks than IN Egypt, which
leaves simple margin to cover the increased
freight Cotton grown up country and
sent down TO hombasA by train would no
doubt be handicapped Hythe railway freight,
but that grown on the coast and along the
large rivers could be shipped without diff
hcnlty. In view Of the results Of the experi-
ments which have been begun in cotton
.
made with Egyptian seed near NAirobi and
in Kikuyu. Sir Charles Eliot can see no
reason Why the East Africa Professionals
should not become one Of the great cotton
producing countries Of the world. In or
authors opinion, the prospects for pas
turaRe are a. promising as for agriculture.
II is true that when he left the Protectorate
In July, 1904, thsre were practically no wool
] -. l., h. -
having been introduced for experimental
purposes; but there was already q con-
siderable export Of the hides Of native
sheep and goats. He Is convinced that In
the future there will be = great export Of
wool and preserved meats, A. we'll as Of
hides.
In . chapter on the foreign trade Of the
Professionals Il Is pointed out that good
shipping facilities are available at all the
important East Africa ports, with the sr-
cephon Of Melndi. where the extreme
shAllowness Of the harbor makes loading
and unloading difficult. So far as anchor
age is cuncgrned. Moulhasa With its two
hArbora. communicating With the accessory
waters Of Port Tudor and Port Reitz. is
one Of the havens most favored by nature,
and would doubtless become One Of the
most important were II supplied With fresh
water and coal. In reviSVing the develop
ment Of East Africa trade, Sir Charles
Eliot directs attention to the competition
between English and foreign merchants,
uarticularly Germans. The number Of
German compared With British firms in
Momhasa, Nairobi. Entebhs and Lamu
IA. We are told. remarkable. Evidently
the Germans GTe making 4 great effort to
II
East Airica coast, including Zanzibar;
and IN our authors opinion they are likely
70 succeed. unleSs British merchants show
more energy and enterprise than they
have shown IN the hst few years. In 1908
about hall the trade Of British East Africa
was carried in foreign bottoms, In that
year the British India Navigation Corr
nam had a direct service from England
via Slez, though only once a month, whereas
the German line had q fortnightly service,
and gave rebates TO those Who confined
shipments to them. which rebates they
were able to pay out OF subsidy OF csSoOo
per Gnnum. In 1904 the British India Navi-
cation Company found that It could not With
profit continue 10 run through the sues
Canal, and sdepted the alternate route
around the Cape; consequently, the ma
jority OF the oargoos now 90 IN German
vessels The main connection Of the East
Africa coast with Europe h kept up by tho
German line running 10 Naples. MRrSsilles
and Hamburg, and tho Austrian lloyd
running 10 Trieste, though the Aessa-
oeries Aoriiimes (which, however, touch
only At zinHbaTl take = considerable part
Of the passenger trAfic, IL seems that the
total gross tonnage which entered Nom
b6sa in ieos-ot was CSC, 2Ss, representing
2te vessels. and showing an Increase Of
hity-two steamers over tho previous year.
OF this tonnage 27t,ioi IL sid 10 have boen
British; 2pl ass, German; 90 200, Austrian,
while $50 belonged 10 Zanzibar.
In final chapter, Sir Charles Eliot Adyo-
Gates the uniting Of the East Africa Pro
tectorate and the Uganda Protectornte
under one authority. II Il true that the
two countries present considerable differ
enoss. though not greater than those which