The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-09
All about rlatabeleland and its
 people I'm H0o8

anywhere safe, and the country was owned by negro tribes which were war ring with one another. Today order is everywhere kept, and the natives have been reduced to peaceful subjects. The country has now something like 2500 miles of railroads, and In Southern Rhodesia alone there are more than 5000 miles of wagon roads, In Matabeleland and Nash onaland something like 21,0O0,0O0 acres have been surveyed by the government, and in addition there is a large amount of land which has been surveyed by pri- vate owners. All along the railroad towns have sprung up in which are gov ernnent offices, banks, churches, hotels, schools and public libraries. There is a fine hospital there at Bulawayo and oth- CTS at Salisbury, Umtali, Victoria and Gwelo. There are cottage hospitals in other towns
 The postal service has been extended until it now reaches every part of the country mails being sent by runners to the borders of Lake Tanganyika. In southern Rhodesia there are r money order offices, and during the past year something like million and a half let ters and post cards were sent to other parts of South Africa, while a half mil lion went over the sea. The postoffice revenues last year were in the neighbor- hood of S100, 900. Moreover, southern Rho- desia has now postoffice savings banks and her deposits in them already exceed $500 000.
 As to telegraphs, the rates are cheaper here than in the United States, and one can send messages to all the settled parts of the country. There are about 90 tel graph offices opened, and the telegraph wire in use is almost long enough to reach through the earth at the equator. Last year about 100000 telegrams were re- ceived and dispatched and telephones ap- proximated $150,0O0 As to the railroad service, I will speak about that in the future. It is excellent for a new country, and one can travel here almost as com fortably as at home.
 How LobenguIa Ruled.
 Indeed it is hard to realize that it is now only 15 years since this was the cap ital of the Matabeles. I rode out today to the government house, which stands on the very site of the great hut in which Lobengula lived and ruled. It is reached by wide drive shaded by trees which were planted at the direction of Cecil Rhodes. It is on a hill, and in the grounds is the very tree under which this savage African king sat upon his biscuit box throne and gave forth his decrees of life and death. Some of his numerous family still live, and have photograph before me of his favorite daughter. She measures 5 feet Il inches from her bare yellow heels to her shaved black crown, and is fully as lusty as the old tyrant was in his prime. There are many men here who knew Lobengula. He was enor- nous. He stood feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds. He was so fat that when he squatted on his biscuit box his flesh hung down in folds over his hips, and when he walked his elephantine frame rolled from side to side. He had bulging blood-shot eyes, thick lips, and was the personifcation of cruelty. Stanley describes him as one of the blood thirstiest of African kings, and Frank Thompson of Natal, who negotiated the mining rights of Mashonaland of him for s5OO month, gives an incident of how he treated a native warrior who had drunk some of his beer. It was at the time of a great dance and Lobengula's women were bringing the beer to him. This man snatched a gourd and took sin The offense was reported to the king and the criminal was dragged before him. As he stood there Lobengula looked at him and said
 ..You drank the kings beer. That nose of yours is guilty. It smelt the beer Let it be cut off" And with that the exc cutioner cut off the mans nose
 The king then said: "Those eyes of yours saw the beer. They are tempta- tion to you. They are guilty. They should be put out" And with that the executioner did the gouging.
 You have now heard with your ears that 1t is not allowed to drink the kings beer. Your ears are of no good to you,