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The Industrial Development of Nyasaland Author(S): John Buchanan Source: the Geographical Journal, Vol

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The Industrial Development of Nyasaland Author(S): John Buchanan Source: the Geographical Journal, Vol The Industrial Development of Nyasaland Author(s): John Buchanan Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Mar., 1893), pp. 245-253 Published by: geographicalj Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1773828 Accessed: 12-06-2016 00:31 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), Wiley are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Geographical Journal This content downloaded from 144.32.128.70 on Sun, 12 Jun 2016 00:31:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NYASALAND. 245 The principal obstacles therefore ocour at Stenka, Kozla to Dojke, Izlass and Tachtalia, Greben, Juez, and the Iron Gates, and at each of these points either the channel must be deepened or the difficulty of mountinC thc rapids diminished, or lDoth, if naviCation is to continue without interruption durina the season, or, indeed, flce of danger at any time. The Roman engineers avoided only the Iron Gates, cuttinC a canal on the riCht bank of the Danube throuCh the w-hole distance. For the other obstructions they trusted to haulage, and constructed a stupendous towin-path, the Trayc4n?, TEza, parts of which still renlain. After the decadence of the Empire, the banks of the Danube became the scene of constant struggles with the Turks, and the question of naviaation lost its importance. When the Turks were finally driven out of Hungary and peace restored in the beginning of this century, the Htlnfflarian Council again took the matter up, and in 1816 ordered a survey to be made, which was executed between 1823 and 1838, with much opposi- tion from the Turkish authorities. In 1830, Count Szechenyi attempted actually to begin the work of clearing the river, but in face of the political and enoineering difficulties c,n the right bank thought it best to improve the land communication by constructing a thoroughly good road on the left. The nece3sary funds having been voted by government Szdchenyi commenced operations in 1834, and the road was completed in 1837. The T)roblem of navigation, however, came avain into pro- minenca after the Crimean War, and several fresh surveys were made, but without alay practical result, until the matter was taken up by the Berlin Congress in 1878. 0]1 July 8th and 13th of that year the Atlbtro-Elunarian government concklded tleaties vith Servia by which the former undertook to open the Lower Danube, without pecuniary sacrifice on the part of the ]atter, who were to enjoy full priviLeges, in consideration of their affording alL facilities for the etecution of the work; the moneys expended to be recovered, in terllls of a former treaty, by tonnaCe dues. After further delay, caused by financial difficulties, plans based on a finai survey were submitted to the Atlstrian, Servian, and Rumanian governments in 1883, and a law authorising the undertakinC was passed in 1888, the cost beinv fixed at nine million florins. Contracts were placed with a syndicate, and signed in May, 1890, and operations formerly inaucurated on September 18th, 1890. The international work laid upon IIungary at the Berlin Congress closely follows ill its main features that of the Roman engineers. Shallows are removed in part by deepening the channel, in part by the erection of dykes, and rapids are overcome not lDy canals with locks, but by smooth channels and ample to^ting power. Its completion may be looked for in the end of 1895. THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NYASALAND.* BY JOHN BUCEANAN, C.M.G: NYASALAND may be said to be situated betsveen 17Q S. and 9° of N. latitude, and 36° E. and 33° W. longitllde. lt is now reached by the Chinde' mouth of the Zambesi. Until the discovery by hIr. Rankin of the Chinde as a navigable river, Nyasaland lay under the great disadvantage of not being accessible save through the territory of a foreign power. WVe proceed up the Zambes; till we zeet the Shire. This river is followed to the confluence of the Ruo, xvhich, on 8 Paper read at the meetillg of the British Association at Edinbtlrgh on August 8th, lSt)2. Xcvised and estended for TAle Geographical Jouwszcrl. This content downloaded from 144.32.128.70 on Sun, 12 Jun 2016 00:31:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 246 THE lA'9USTRlAL DEVELOP3IENT OF XYASKLAND. the left bank of the Shirc, forms thc 13,ritish frontier. We luaJr continue to follow the Shire', depth of xvater perlllittinC, to Blantyre Port, 10 miles belosst tlle Murchison Cataracts, or we mav proceed overland frola the Ruo to Blantyre or Zomba, and downavards to Lake Nyasa. There is a passable nFaggon road frolll WatanCa or Blantyre Porta on the Lower Sllire, to Matobe, on the Upper Shird that is from below to above the Murchison Rapids. At present, however, tsetse flv bloclis the upper end of this road to eattle. A road is beinC constructed by Captain Solater, R.li., of the Britisll Central Africa Administration, fronl Chiromo to Lake Nyasa via Zomba, and it is by no means chimerical to expect that at least a steam tramway may be in workin order on this road within the nest five3 years; greater advances have in the past taken place in Nyasaland within shorter time. Travellers from London to Nyasal lnd may reach Zomba or Blantyre within seven weelis Rfecently I haare had letters within five weeks from the date of departure. Nyasaland is comy)osed of motmtain, hill and valley, Iake and river, from the ever-present ant-hill to the magrlificent Milanje Range, 9000 feet above sea-level, aud from the tiny rill tricklin forth *om secltlded spots in the depth of the folest to Nyasa itself, with its 3o0 nwiles length of placid blue, peacefully reflecting the unclouded canopy of heaven, or lashinC green-crestecl waves shorewards, thundering alld breaking on the beach lilze the ocean itself. The physical aspect of this district may be said to be represented by a serics of undulating plateaus, from 2000 to 4000 feet above sea-level, studded with hilis and miniature mountains, clothed to the summit with bush and forest trees, or showing ouly bald rocks, among which grow euphorbia, and aloe, and tufts of xiry grass, the latter a livint, exponent of the parable of the sower-esuberant and green while the rain lasts, rapidly passing through a tlansition staae to sere and lifeless when the supply of moisture fails. Central Africa has for so long been associated with the idea of barren, arid tracts of waste land that it must be a relief to linow that while that description may be true of one or two spots, it is totally inapplicable to the land under consideration. This is a well-watered country. On the mountain sides each ravine has its stream or burn shaded by bracken and bramble. A prominent feature in the physical aspect of Nyasaland, as in many other parts of Africa, is the grass land which occurs in patches, it may be of acres, or it may bc many square miles in estent; these grass lands are known to the natives as " dambo " or " lilambo." They are, as a rule, void of all trees save a species of Euaenia and Protea, and rest, I believe, on an impervious subsoil. During the rainy season the surface soil acts like a sponcre, absorbint, water till thoroughly saturated, at which stage it becomes virtually a marsh, and the water gravitating to the lowest level forms the nucleus of a stleam or as the natives have it 'nduluko." Streams thus formed are, in the cases of some of the lart,er of these " dambo," almost perennial, but in the majority of cases, drainage and evaporation together exhaust the supply, and the " dambo " in the dry season becomes the driest of the dry places There are, in addition, on the plateaus depressions large and small, having a great depth of loose soil, actinC as a reservoir into which considerable extent of surface and underground drainaCe gravitates, and formint, a nucleus for a erennial strean). Wthese depressions are known to the natives as " litiml)i," and form a very important part in the economy of aCrieultural life. RestinC as they usually do on a subsoil of rock or tenacious clay, they have become enormously fertile throuah the surface-wash of ages having been deposited in them. In certain of them, which I examined by cutting a deep drain, I found that a T)erpetual ooze esisted on the hard subsoil beneath the loose surface soil, the result of this being This content downloaded from 144.32.128.70 on Sun, 12 Jun 2016 00:31:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT Ot' NYASAL&ND. 247 that during the dry season eapillary attraction blillgs to the surfaee sufficient nwoisture, which enables the natives to cultivate early crops of maize, beans, pumpkins, etc., w-hile in tile rainy season they become veritable sloughs, covered with rarlk coarse vegetation, into which no man can with safety enter.
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