climate— whom two havc been drowned and only one died of
sickness, and twenty have either served their three
years’ term of service, or are nearly compléting their
term. Only one has resigned through reason of
severe illness.
Considering that the further they have advanced
into the interior, the less certain the Europeans are
of receiving external aid and supply of customary
adjuncts to their economic fare from Europe, the above
statement is most creditable to the climate.
Leopoldville,—which, since 1883, has been steadily
improving its sanitary condition by the increasè of its
comforts and conveniences, through the enlarged views
which the natives entertain of white men, added to the
immensely greater ability and experience of the Europeans
in charge,—despite the larger extent of cultivated
area, and the more perfect order and cleanliness of its
surroundings,, is still subject to light waves of sickness
occasionally, although they show nothing approaching
the former severity, which sometimes, in: one day,
incapacitated one half the number of whites at the
station.
: In the moral atmosphere of Leopoldville there is no
fault to be found. The conduct of all the people is
decidedly virtuous and above reproach. Neither can
they be charged with libéral consumption of the strong
wine or ardent spirits, which are so plentiful on the
coast, because these cannot be transported in such quantities
as to permit of such extravagance. The houses
are large, commodious, cool, airy, well ventilated, and
well protected against the heat of the sun. With more climate—
1 1 labo' ur, and1 *m ti•m e, many ad1 dTi ti• ona1l i• mprov' ements t
may be effected in draining and clearing all that
remains uncleared in the immediate neighbourhood of
the station. Every square yard of clean open ground
will be a little gain in health. Yet, at the same time,
I doubt if it will ever be perfect in its present position.
Yivi, again, to which the steamers from the seaport
bring constant supplies of necessaries, even luxuries,
never lacks wines or spirits, and is many degrees better,
for furniture-equipment of its buildings than Le'opold-
ville, is much inferior for the salubrity of its position.
This cannot be ascribed to the fact that it is nearer
to the lowlands of the sea-coast than Leopoldville,
because Luteté Station, situate on the plateau eighty
miles nearer the sea-coast than Leopoldville, is one
of the healthiest stations on the Congo. Nor can it
be- attributed to the fact that immoderate indulgence
in wine and spirits might be charged to some that
have disgraced themselves, since the most virtuous
and well-conducted have also suffered, though not
nearly to the same extent. The rocky composition of
the site of the station, the innumerable means of
drainage around, the entire absence of anything likely
to vitiate the atmosphere from putrefying vegetation,
render the problem still more difficult to résolve, without
the key to the solution afforded by a comparison
of the sick lists and the positions of each station.
The-truth is that the sickness of Yivi is attributable
to various causes, but first and principally to its defective
tj 2