wisely preferred to meat by the white man, "affirming that it is
much easier digested;" and a kind of herring, and the sparus
known upon the Brazilian coast as the "tainha," the West African
"vela," and the French "mulet," at times superabound. All the
tropical fruits flourish, especially the orange; the exotic
vegetables are large and sightly, but tasteless and insipid,
especially peas and radishes: the indigenous, as tomatoes, are
excellent, but the list is small. Gardens are rare where the soil
is so thin, and the indispensable irrigation costs money. The
people still "choke for want of water," which must be bought:
there is only one good well sunk in the upper town, about 1840,
when the Conde de Bomfim was Minister of Marine and the
Colonies,--it is a preserve for government officials. Living in
the native style is cheap; but cooks are hardly procurable, and a
decent table is more expensive than in an English country town. A
single store (M. Schutz) supplies "Europe" articles, of course at
fancy prices, and here a travelling outfit may be bought. It has
been remarked that Loanda has no shop that sells "food for the
mind;" this is applicable, not only to all East and West Africa,
but to places far more progressive. A kind of cafe-billard
supplies a lounge and tepid beer. The attendants in Portuguese
houses are slaves; the few English prefer Cabindas, a rude form
of the rude Kru-boy, and the lowest pay of the lowest labourer is
5d. per diem.

The "Calcada Nova," a fine old paved "ramp"--to speak Gibraltar-
English--connects Basse Ville and Hauteville. The latter was once
a scatter of huge if not magnificent buildings, now in ruins; we
shall pass through it en route to Calumbo. Here are the remains
of the three chief convents, the Jesuit, the Carmelite, and the