THE ROMANCE OF EAST AFRICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 77

THE ROMANCE OF EAST AFRICA.

(From a Cobbespondent.) Illustrations from water-colour paintings by L. W. Wilson. The political divisions of the East African Coast are to-day fairly well settled ibetween Great -Britain, Germany, and Portugal, that part of the Somaliland coast held by Italy being a negligible quantity. While it is true that over the British protectorates the Sultan of Zanzibar is the nominal ruler, his -flag flying over the old forts at Mombasa and Lamu, as well as over the palace at Zanzibar, an ample sillowanoe is more to his taste than the cares of sovereignty, and his authority, even, in Zanzibar, is less than shadowy. The extensive dominions of his ancestors are entirely administered by British officials, without the slightest reference to his will or pleasure. The coast line held by the three powers extends from about lat. 6deg north to 27deg south, the limit of the Portuguese possessions. Then comes the colony of Natal, the history of "which belongs more properly to that of South Africa.

— The Arab Influence —

on the East Coast dates from the beginning of the tenth century ; there were settlements made by them prior to A.D. 810, but that at Kilwa. (now in the German sphere) appears to be the earliest of which there is an authentic record. The Arabs settled at Kilwa in 975, and that it was a place of some size and importance is attested by its having contained at one time as many as 300 mosques. Of these two only remain standing at the present day. These earlier settlements by the Arabs are not to be confounded with those from Muskat ; these latter have exerc : sed a permanent influence on the history of the coast, from their advent in the latter part of the seventeenth century to the present day. —Arrival of the Portuguese.—

The Portuguese first appeared on the coast in 1458, and established themselves at Mozambique, the only place of any historical importance now remaining to them of their once magnificent African Empire Apparently it has only been possible to control the mainland by building fortresses on islands near the coast. Ihus the four towns whose history is practically that of East Africa, are separated from the mainland, in the case of Lamu an] Mombasa, by a narrow sheet of water, capable of being bridged, as at the latter it is, and at Zanzibar and Mozambique by only a few miles of sea, the coast line being easily discernible under favourable atmospheric conditions. The island on which Mozambique stands is probably the smallest on which a capital city has ever arisen, being less than two miles in length, and half a mile in width. Finding in the neighbourhood no material of which *° erect a fort capable of withstanding the assaults which were certain to follow their settlement, the Portuguese brought stone quarried from near Lisbon around the Cape and on to Mozambique, completing the fort (which still stands, and is to-day garrisoned) before the end of the fifteenth century. Their first expedition to the north, under Vasco da Gama, anchored off Mombasa on ' April 7, 1498. The native name of Mombasa — Mrita, or "the City of War" — has been amply justified since its foundation. , There are few places in any part of the world which can show as authentic a record of sieges, captures, and sack'ingG. Here it was that the Arabs and Portuguese first came vnto conflict, and from 1498 till 1729, the date of their final expulsion, the Portuguese macb desperate efforts to maintain their authority over the whole coast. ' The reason for their failure is evident when we consider the paucity of. means""" at their command ; the authorities at Lisbon had mapped, out a vast empire, but gave 'their navigators and commandants no adequate 6upport with which to make a permanency of their conquests. But early in the sixteenth century, with no other competitor on the scene, the prospect appeared a dazzling one ; and in 1571 their then magnificent eastern possessions were administered under three viceroys : the Cetitral division, from Cape Guardafui to Ceylon, had its capital at Goa (now the only settlement' remaining to them in India) ; the Eastern, from Pagu to China, was governed from Malacca, and the Western, comprising the entire East Coast of Africa, from Mozambique. At this time their authority on the coast was supreme, the towns, nominally governed *hy native or 'Arab sultans, being tributary to the Governor at Mozambique. To return to da Gama. Touching at Mombasa, on his way to India, in 1498, two of his ships came into collision in the harbour, and ' the pilots, under torture, confessed they had brought about the mishap under orders from their master, the Sultan. But it is more, than probable that the Portuguese only sought an excuse for attacking the place, then the headquarters of the principal Arab settlements on this part of. the coast - v and though -no hostile demonstration was atemped by da Gama, from this incident the feud! commenced be- ~ tween

— Portuguese and the Arabs. — ■which lasted for over two centuries. The Portugese admiral sailed on to India, but information having been sent to Mozambique, Mombasa was sacked in 1500 by the Portuguese commander Calral, ard again, in 1505, by Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of India. The visciseitudes which Mombasa underwent prior to the events just recorded belong rather to tradition than to history, but from now on we are on firmer ground, and can trace the long-drawn-out agony of "the city of war" with some degree of certainty. The port was again attacked by the Protuguese in 1528, assisted by the Saltan of Melindi; this as an attempt at independence on the part of the reigning Sultan of •Mombasa. After a. siege of four months it was captured aad burnt.

At the end of the sixteenth century another power appeared on the scene. The Turkish Corsair, Ali Bey, in 1585, demanded and received tribute in the name of ~ the Ottoman Sultan. The rulers of Mombasa were in no position to offer resistance, and Ali B-ey returned home with much booty and many prisoners. Unable to follow the freebooter, the viceroy of India sent a fleet from Goa to obtain redress from the miserable Sultan at Mombasa, the town being once more captured and given up to pillage.

—The Zimbas.—

In 1586 a race of warriors from south of the Zambesi began to harry the East Coast. They were known as Zimbas, probably an offshoot from Jfoe great Bantu race, and therefore allied to the Zulu and Matabele. Their raids extended from 1586 to 1589; in the latter year they captured Kilwa and laid siege to Mombasa. About the same time the Turks under Ali Bey made their second and last appearance. Fearing the objective of the Zimbas, the Portuguese authorities sent Tomas de Souza, Continho with a 'strong force to Mombasa. Arriving off the port in June, 1589, he at mcc made alliance with the Zimbas against the Turks ; the latter were routed and Ali Bey captured. There is no record ot his end, but there can be no doubt- that his fate was that of the unsuccessful adventurer in these troublous times. The allies promptly quarrelled over the division of the spoil, and by the aid of a native tribe from the mainland, the VVasegagee, the Portuguese entirely broke the power of the Zimbas, and they do not appear again as a factor in East 'African affairs. Mombasa once more felt the Stro.ig arm of Portugal, being again captured and given over, to. plunder. The authorities at Mozambique, tired of the repeated revolts of the native sultan 6, deposed Shabo bin Misham, the last of the old dynasty ; in his place the Sheikh of Melindi, Ahmad, was made ruler of Mombasa, with the" title of King, but tributary to Portugal. This last event occurred in 1592. In 1593 the Portuguese began the construction of

— The Celebrated Jesus Fort. — it was completed in 1595, and still stands, ihe Jiost prominent landmark in .Mombasa. The fort was enlarged in 1635 by Francisco de Seixas de Cobriera, and *.vg inscriptions, still extant, record the completion of the . original fort in 1595 and its enlargement 40- years later. It wa<i destined to sustain the most memorable siege- ever witnessed in the Southern Hemisphere, its historic -walls to-day bearing evidence to the grim tragedy enacted within fhem over two centuries ago. The year 1631 was one of disaster to the Portuguese in. Mombasa and the surrounding districts. The then reigning Sultan, or King, Yusuf bin Hasan, had been brought up and educated at Goa, and ihere had married a Portuguese lady. On placing him in authority at Mombasa there was but little occasion to 6uppose but that he would be a pliant tool in the hands of his superiors. But the Arab blood is oi a dominant aature, and never brooks a foreign master for any length of time. Without warning, in March, 1631, he massacred svery Portuguese in his territory, proclaiming the Sultanate an independent one. A fleet sent from Goa reduced the town to submission, but _Yusuf escaped, and, a« a buccaneer, gave the Portuguese trouble for some years. While the natives of East Africa chafe but- little under a foreign ruler, experience having taught them that, though troublesome at times, it is generally more tolerable than that of their own chiefs, the Arabs were continually restless under the sway of Portugal. Recognising the hopelessness of any further attempts,, unaided, to assert their independence, the principal Arab families at Mombasa and Lamu jir.d the smaller towns on the coast, about the middle of the seventeenth , century sent deputations to Oman asking help in expelling the diatested Portuguese. Their messengers were accorded a generous reception at Muskat, and on their return accompanied by a large force of adventurous spirits from the Persian Gulf. In the 30 years between 1660 and 1690 incessant warfare was waged on the coast from Lamu to .Mombasa ; the settlements in the Lamu archipelago changed bands several times, but on tie whole the advantage remained with the Arabs. The Portugueso were finally driven out of Lamu kself, and this town remains to the present day a typical Arab stronghold, there being nothing about the place to-day to remind one of its long occupancy by the Portuguese. It is now included in the East African Protectorate, and governed by -a British •deputy-cornmiss'onsr. Lamu possesses a good harbour, and is protected from the raids of the warlike Somalis of the mainland by the nairo-w strait which divides it from the co.-st. It is of some importance as a trading centre, having as its lunterland the rich plains of Somaliland, pnd dojng a considerable and increasing export in cattle and hides.

— Mombasa . —

There are two 'harbours at Mombapa, the one on the northern side, known by tho -name of the port, being the smaller and shallower of the two, and now only used by vessels of light draught. On the southern side of the island, and. distant about two miles from the town, lies the ■-apidiy-growing suburb of Kilindini. The harbour there is of fine extent, and capable of floating the largest vessels. Het-e the Ugarda frqilway bridge now 6pans the water separating the island from the ma : nU'hd. Into Kilindini Harbour the Arab dhows sailed on Ma.rch 10, 1696, and then began the memorable siege of Mombasa, or rather that of the Jesus Fort, for" the Portuguese commander, recognising the futility of attempting to defend the town with the force at his disposal, retired to the fort, with the" few Europeans he had and iSOOO native auxiliaries under the King of Faza, a loyal native chieftain. For months the assaults of the Arabs were beaten "off, and in December four Portuguese ships appeared off the port, with reinforcements and supplies from

Mozambique. The hopes of the beleaguered garrison ran high, but ended only in disappointment. On Christmas Day the vessels were finally put to flight, and again the grip of the besiegers encircled the fort. In January, 1697, an outbreak of plague occurred, artH every European in the garrison died, the commandant, Don Antonio Mogo de Melho, being the la6t to succumb. He must have infused some of his gallant spirit into* his native allies, for till September, 1697, the King of Faza and a handful of men still defied the Arab power. In ihat month reinforcements again appeared from Mozambique, and eventually made good their landing. They protracted the siege for 15 months longer, but not for one day did the tenacity of the Arabs relax ; famine and pestilence and the guns of the besiegers at length prevailed, and on December 12, 1698 (33 months after the date of their arrival), the Arab conquerors entered the fort and put to the sword all that were left alive of the garrison — 11 men and two women! Thus ended th& great siege of Mombasa ; certainly worthy to rank *rith any on record as a monument of human heroism and endurance— a, glorious page in the annals of Portugal. Two days after the Arabs had possession of the fort, a Portuguese fleet arrived from Goa, but, seeing how matters stood no attempt was made to land. This was practically the end of Portuguese rule on this part of the joast. In 1728 they made an attempt to recover their ascendancy, in the following year occupying once more the town of Mombasa, but were soon driven out for the last timeThe Arabs appointed governors to all the towns on the coast, subject to Muskat. Of Mombasa itself the first governor was TN'asir bin Abdullah el Mazrui, member of the celebrated family who have, until the end of the last century, largely controlled the destinies of East Africa. Ihe ascendancy of this family grew rapidly, until the suzerainty of the rulers at Muskat existed in name only. This condition of affairs lasted for nearly a :entury and a-half, and only anded wher the authority of

—The Sultan of Zanzibarwas established over the whole coast. At the close of the eighteenth century Said bin Sultan, then rukr over Oman, ha<l for some time recognised the growing importance of his African dominions and the little hold he had over them. Xo remedy this he took the decisive step of transferring his capital from Muskat to Zanzibar. The present Sultan of Zanzibar is descended from this line, the family of Yorubi. This move ;ras one of great importance to the whole coast, and particularly to Zanzibar. The history of Zanzibar dates from its conquest by the Portugese early in the sixteenth century. Thcv did not recognise the advantages its position undoubtedly offered from which to control die entire coast, and it remained a village of mud huts, clustered on an umhea.lthy beach, till the advent of the Sultan from Muskat. In the seventeenth century, the island was governed by native Sultans, tributary to Portugal : but on the conquest of ' Mombasa by the Arabs Zanzibar soon after fell into their hands. When Said bin Sultan made it his capital lo 1795 it quickly sprang into the position 't has ever since occupied as the most important town on the coast. Soon the distribuun Tcentre' of the slave trade from the mainland, it became the fashionable place of residence for the wealthy Arab families. Buildings were erected on an extensive scale aiany of them now used as warehouses by the European merchants, the palace of Tippo-tip, the notorious slave trader, whose field of operations ranged, over all Eastern apd Central Africa, to-day doing duty as an hotel. Good roads were cut through the jungle covering the island,

and a beginning was made in the lucfative cloves trade which to-day constitutes the principal wealth of the Protectorate. The Sultan's operations iigainst the Mazani were carried on for a number of years before success crowned his efforts. In 1832 occurred

— The First Briti/ h Occupation —

of Mombasa, brought about by a peculiar incident. A British squadron happened to be cruising in East African waters, and the head of the Mazrui family, fearing his eventual subjugation by the Zanzibar Sultanate, appealed for a British protectorate over his territories. This was granted, subject to the approval of the , Home authorities, and a resident — one of the officers of the fleet — appointed. • - This arrangement lasted for nearly two years ; the protectorate was then terminated and the resident recalled. Immediately after, Said bin Sultan resumed operations against Mombasa. - Finding the old Portuguese stronghold impregnable to assault, he accomplished by treachery what he was unable ,to do by force of arms. The Mazrui chjef and a number of his -.rincipal adherents, foolishly agreeing to a conference 1 on board one of the Sultan's vessels, were at once deported to Oman, where they died in captivity. The power of this great clan was thus broken, and the Sultan of Zanzibar soon after established his aiithority over the whole coast. Said bin Sultan was, on the whole, a man of fine abilities, bo<th as an organiser and administrator, .vhile his tolerance to all classes was unique among his race, pariiculaily to the Christians in liis dominions. He was beyond doubt the most ♦minent 4rab who played a leading part on the stage of East Africa. In his reign Zanzibar grew to be a city of some dimensions, and his authority was undisputed, both in Africa and Arabia. On his death in 1856, the Oman Sultanate ivent to his elder son, Zanzibar to the younger, Majid. This iTrangement was I'pheld by Lord Canning, the Vioerov of India, ..o whom thedispute was referred, and Zanzibar and the coast were made independent of Aluskat.

— Modern Commercialism. —

There is but little more to record : the history of the coast since the Anglo-Ger-man treaty of 1890 contains but little of romance, and belongs rather to the humdrum of modern commercialism. By this tieaty the British protectorate over Zanzibar and Pemba (the island to the ncrth) was recognised, as well as over the Sultan's mainland dominions, Lamu and Mombasa. The boundary between the spheres of influence of the "two powers was defined from the coast to the lake, the Kaiser characteristically insisting on the inclusion in German territory of the great peak of Kilima .Njaro, 19,200 ft, the biggest in all Africa. The Germans, by a, lavish expenditure of Imperial funds and the- aid of a' heavily-subsidised line of steamers, have made ' their capital, Dar-es-Salaam f'the abode of peace"), the best-built town on the coast ; railway building goes on apace, and the authorities at Berlin appear determinpd to ;"aake n success of this colony, regardless of cost. The Mazrui rebellion of 1895 grew out of purely local differences among the Arabs; it was quickly ended by the storming of their stronghold in the forest souths of Mombasa by the British in 1896, since j when 10 trouble has occurred on the mainland. -\bout the same time, the then Sultan of Zanzibar, the uncle of the present ruler, defied the British authorities, and opened fire on the fleet from a small gunboat under his command. One shot quickly sunk her, the masts yet standing out of the water at the anchorage off the palace, a. few more reduced the palace itself to ruins. It has since' been rebuilt, and is about as ugly a structure in red and yellow as can be found in either hemisphere. The Sultan escaped to the German consulate ; since this little episode he has found the climate of Zanzibar unhealthy, and has chosen to reside at Dar-es-Salaam.

With ohe completion of the Uganda, railway, Mombasa to Lake Victoria Nyanza, a distance of 584 miles, built by the Imperial Government at a cost of £6,000,000, some fine country has been opened up for settlement. Though its progress nas not kept pace with anticipations so far, it is claimed that this is due to the uncertainty of land and the many restrictions placed in the way of .settlers. Once the land laws are framed on an intelligent basis, the influx of population is sure to follow. The climate of Nairabi, 5270 ft, and that of the great plateau on which it stands is eminently suited for Europeans, and for the sportsman there is no country in the world to compare with it. Lion, elephant, rhino', and hippo' are met with everywhere, besides countless varieties of deer and wildfowl. At Port Florence, the terminus of the railway on the lake, a trip by steamer can be made all round that great sheet of water, fed by streams from gigantic Kilima Njaro and a hundred lesser peaks.

In East Africa, as elsewhere, " the old order changeth, yielding place to new." But sometimes in the hush of the evening, on standing near the old Jesus Fort, it take 6 but a little effort of the imagination to conjure up the past. The present surroundings vanish; on all sides are heard the battle cries of the Arabs, and now and again above the din the dauntless rejoinder of Don Antonio Mogo de Melbo and his gallant ally, the King of Faza.

F. M. TILGHMAN.

Mr W. J. Fuller, J.P., storekeepar, Rendelsham, S.A., writes: — ".Some little time ago I was called in to see a neighbour who was suffering from severe cramps, and who really thought he was past help. I took a bottle of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy with me, and gave him three doses, according to directions, and in a few hours he had quite recovered. I have frequently isserl it in my^own family, and am so well satisd'sd as to its merits that I <make a point of selling it -to my customers on a positive guarantee." For sale eyerywlioja^