- sim-sim, and “ kunde ” (beans), interspersed with bush and old
cleared land. The tobacc.o patches were all small-—this
product did not seem to be largely cultivated.
Early in the afternoon I passed through a large coco-nut
plantation, with sim-sim growing underneath; the trees
regularly planted, generally at a distance of 30 feet each
way ; I noticed few. vacancies. Another coco-nut shamba
which I presently passed through presented pretty much the
same appearance, the trees being regularly planted at the same
distance apart. The next plantation was one of fine mangoes
enclosed within a boma, and belonged to the Liwali of
Mombasa ; after passing it, the path led through uncleared
bush until the sea-shore was reached at 2.30 p.m. Half-an-
hour’s ' walk along the beach brought me to Melindi, the
whole journey having been done in a five-hours march. I
spent the next two. days in Melindi on business, then returned
by another route to Bòma-Upandi, after again passing the
Liwali of Mombasà’s mango, shamba. Here I branched off
and passed through an Arab’s neglected and grass-grown
coco-nut plantation, then through clumps of mangoes, sim-
sim, metamah, beans, and bush, the soil being everywhere of
black friable loam.
The more I saw of the country, the more I was impressed
with its adaptability for cotton cultivation. The black soil
anddreedom from stones, and. the easy nature of the cultivation,,
would, all be points in its favour which might induce the
natives to take it up. Cotton, being a permanent product,
requires but little attention ; the people could easily pick
and store it in their , own houses for eventual delivery at
Melindi, where a hand-press might be kept for baling. These
remarks may also apply to tobacco, which could be much more
extensively grown than at present, the leaf being purchased
from the people and cured in central dépôts, as is done in
Sumatra. I reached the Sabaki river in one and three-
quarters of an hour from Melindi. The country on both sides is
steep and hilly, and thè banks are high, and from this point I
obtained a good view of the country with Mangea Hill in
the distance. I had to wait 1 half-an-hóur at Salim bin
Abdulla’s ferry for the ferry-man, the river here running very