The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-12

better off than in many parts of the
interior. They have houses of sun,
dried brick, rooted with galvanized
iron. Very few of the houses are of
more than one story, but they have
wide verandas and the rooms are
spread out over the ground. Many OF
them are surrounded by beautiful gar.
dens. filled with all sorts OF tropical
plants and trees. The houses are built
far apart along wide roads of the red
dirt of Uganda Some Of the roads
arc lined with towering trees tho
most common being the Cape lily.
which is now bearing a great mass of
blue flowers. Indeed. there are so
many flowers and plants that one seems
to be going through botanical gar
den as he walks along the streets.
is ~iven up to the East Indians. There
are a half-dozen or more galvanized
iron stores filled with goods to sell
to the natives. The brown-slSinned
caps, calico pantaloons and long coats,
buttoned high up in the neck They
have yellowish brown faces, dark
eyes and curly black hair.
The hotel here is about the only one
in Central Africa. In most other places
one has to have his own tents or TO
stop with the officials. I am usually
able to get in with an official. and this
was the case at kampala. the native
capital. This new hotel is an oddly.
1t is made of mud and grass. The
main building is, l Judge, about fifty
feet square. and 1T measures about
matched roof. Its walls are only
twelve feet high, but the roof does
not begin for several feet above Them
a space of a yard perhaps being left
for air between the walls and the
rafters. This main part of the hotel
contains a dining parlor and
billiard room, with kitchens off at the
side.
The bedrooms are bungalow-llke
sheds made of mud and matched with
straw. They are some distance away
from the hotel itself and run around
the walls of the compound. Each bed
room opens out upon little porch or
ledge foored with mud and coated
over with COW dung well smoothed
down. Tho bedrooms are noored the
same way, but each has rush mat
made OF papyrus from Lake Vic
tora running across it. The. beds
work of wood. to which are woven
strips of antelope skins. Upon these
rush mating is laid. and then thin
mattress of Uganda cotton. Every
region is very malarious. and no one
would think of sleeping here without
such protection.
AS for the food of the hotel, it is
fairly good for Central Africa. al
though it would be poor anywhere else.
The chief trouble is the cooking. which
is universally bad. AS to variety, we
had at our last dinner a soup. some
fish. fried brains; beef. potatoes and
green peas. Our dessert began with
like fruit which grows on a tree here,
and ended with coffee. The hotel
rate is 81 a day, including rooms and
board.
During my stay here have had
some talks with officials as to how
they handled Uganda. They tell me
they they rule far rs possible
through the natives. Each petty To-
eminent and its own laws as far as
possible, and the machinery is adapted
to these systems. In Uganda proper
the work is done through the native
council and the little king or the Off
GERS appointed to represent him. The
council or lukiko consists Of twenty
chiefs, each of which has his own
county or district with his own court.
These counties are subdivided and
given over to subordinate chiefs until
there is perhaps a chief to each vii
lage of any size. The chiefs receive
money from the British government,
and in return they collect the taxes
and turn them into the treasury. The
| hut, the amount being usually about
| $ per year, This seems low. but when
lit Is remembered that it requires about
month of good hard work to make
dollar out here in Uganda, It will be
seen that it is pretty high after all,
I I have met many OF the Baganda
chiefs during my stay. They are very
Intelligent. Not q. few are able to
| read, having learned to do so in the
| mission schools. One has written a
book, and all are more than ordinarily
| bright. Not a few OF them are nov
keeping their court proceedings in
typewriting, the native language hav-
| Ing been adapted to the Roman let
tiers SO that the ordinary machine can
| he used.
| Copyright 1905. by Frank G. Car
| penter)