Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/417

ISLAND OF PEMBA. 888 Topography. The city of Zanzibar, which lies near the middle of the west coast, to the north-cast of Bagaraoyo, its outlet on the mainland, is the largest place on the whole seaboard of East Africa washed by the Indian Ocean, and even on the whole periphery of the continent except Alexandria, Tunis, and perhaps Algiers. Seen from the water it presents a pleasant aspect, thanks to the bright look of ita huge white houses, barracks, and forts, with their massive round towers. But all this glittering frontage serves only to mask a dense mass of hovels, amid which wind the narrow, filthy streets. A recently constructed aqueduct, however, now supplies the place with pure water, to the great improvement of its health and cleanliness. Hence Zanzibar is no longer such a dangerous residence as formerly. A saline lagoon, dry at low water and crossed by two bridges, separates Shaugnni, or the city properly so-called, from its eastern suburb, inhabited by the Swaheli, the slaves, and fishmongers. At the entrance of this lagoon arc generally moored the Arab dhows, while the large ocean steamers, packets, and men-of-war, ride at anchor off the town in six or seven fathoms of water. Several lines of steam packets call regularly at Zanzibar, thus keeping up the communications with the coast towns, the Suez Canal, India, Mauritius, Reunion, and Madagascar. The Sultan himself owtis about a dozen trading vessels, besides a man-of-war. At present the total annual trade exceeds a million sterling, while the shipping entered and cleared represents a total capacity of about two hundred and ten thou- sand tons. Zanzibar already commands many of the conveniences of the great European seaports, including repairing appliances, an apparatus for distilling salt water, and electric harbour lights. The Protestant and Catholic religious establishments are supplemented by some large schools for both sexes, and even some workshops for instructing the natives in the mechanical arts. In some other parts of the island, where the wealthy Arab landowners have several fine country seats, a number of factories have sprung up for the extraction of sugar and cocoanut oil. One of the most important of these mills is that of Kokofoni, situated on the harbour of like name, some 24 miles to the north of Zanzibar. This inlet, which is perfectly sheltered by an island off the entrance, is accessible to large vessels, which can here anchor in depths of from four to eight fathoms of water. Pemba. Pemba, third member of this insular group, has a superficial area of about 380 square miles. But although it is thus fully two-thirds the size of Zanzibar, its population scarcely exceeds ten thousand souls. Yet the soil is everywhere fertile to the summits of the cliffs, and it often takes the name of the " Green," or the " Vegetable Island," from its rich and productive vegetation. Its products are the same as those of Zanzibar, including both cloves ard the cocoanut, which