to the corner is one of the entrances to the Residency. Passing this we
leave a Catholic church, constructed of corrugated iron, on the right
and enter a shady avenue in which is the Secretariat. We are then
introduced to Mr. Vandamme, the Secretaire General, who at once takes us
to the Residency and presents us to Mr. Costermans, the Governor General
of the Congo Free State, who hopes we shall travel wherever we feel
inclined and see anything we desire.

The Residency is a large two storey house surrounded by a wide verandah
and is built of iron plates bolted together. It is raised about ten feet
from the ground on iron pillars and approached by a wide staircase with
wooden steps. It is surrounded by a well kept garden in which are some
statues and many tropical plants. The view from the verandah, looking up
and down the river is very pretty. Although the house is in good
condition and the dining room large enough to seat thirty people, it is
thought not to be worthy of its function, and another large building
will soon be erected on the same site.

After this visit we proceed to a house which is kept for the use of the
higher State Officials when they pass through Boma and which was now
placed at our disposal. It is constructed in a similar manner to the
Residency and although smaller, contains three lofty reception and two
bed rooms. Two _boys_. are told off to attend to our wants and after a
rest we take a stroll round the town with Mr. Vandamme. Most of the
official residencies are situated in one Avenue and are surrounded by
gardens in which palms, bulbous trees, and acacias give welcome shade to
the roses beneath. The Avenue du Plateau leads up a gentle incline to
the Law Courts in which once a week sits the Court of Première Instance.
Near by is the prison and the terminus of the tramway. From the summit
of the hill a grand view is obtained of the river winding between the