CHICKEN COINAGE

Evening Star, Issue 19614, 21 July 1927, Page 4

CHICKEN COINAGE

NYASSALAND EINAN CE. Throughout the whole of the Great ■War Nyassaland was the only country in the British Empire that retained its gold currency, and to-<Jay no paper money is in circulation there. When a ( traveller outers Nyassaland the Customs officer at Port Herald, the place of entry, relieves him of all his paper money, giving him in return gold and silver coinage equivalent to the amount. Upon leaving Nyassaland the traveller is recpiired to return his gold and accept notes in place of this, and all attempts to evade this regulation are clealt with severely. Pew of the Nyassaland natives recognise the currency of the white races. Their standard is based on chickens and fowls. At usual exchange rates, one chicken is regarded as being worth one shilling. Natives are hired at the rate of so many chickens a. day, but it has now become the practice for employers to pay the natives in tho cash equivalent. A pound of tea is valued at “1 wo chickens,” three or four pounds of sugar at “one chicken,” and a. hag of mealies at ” thirty-live chickens.” . The Angoni natives, whoso usual haunt is the Nyassaland forests, spend most of their time in singing and dancing. The professional dancing men construct quaint instruments that resemble largo tent mallets to which strings bavo been fixed, and with these they produce remarkable music. Rows of large nuts are fixed around their feet. These are hollowed out and partly filled with pips and atones, and rattle loudly with every movement of the dancing men. The white population of Nyassaland is under 2,1)00, therefore Blautyre, the capital, is a very small place. It is prettily situated, being built on hills like some 'of the large capitals in Europe and Asia. The cathedral, a. striking brick building, was designed and erected by a, missionary who knew nothing of architecture, but the building is one of the best in tho tiny town. This town was founded in 1876 by Scottish mlssionarcs, and is named after Livingstone’s birthplace. In 1014 David Livingstone’s son was among those killed when tho natives attached tho Mandala store in Rlantyre. It was because this danger threatened that the African Lakes Corporation, which is known more familiarly as Mandala, built their headquarters in the form of a strong fori.. It is sever© looking and square in shape. It is provided with turrets and loopholes, and all those other features of a military outpost. In the 1914 fight the natives broke down tho main gates, and there was considerable loss of life in the battle that succeeded this. The popular designation of tho African Lakes Corporation is really tho native name for spectacles. These were worn by tho Scotsman who founded this business, and before very long ho was known to tho natives as Mandala, ami in time the firm inherited the term.