BOOTS AND SHOES IN LOURENÇO MARQUEZ.*

At present there are, to the best of my knowledge, no American shoes, either for men or women, for sale in the entire province of Mozambique. I am confident, however, that good lines of men's and women's shoes of American manufacture would be well received here, and would meet with a ready sale.

France, Austria, Portugal, and England have for a number of years supplied all the shoes worn on this coast, and it is a matter of considerable surprise to me that the American shoe manufacturers have not long ago looked into this trade.

The people here have for years had to put up with the poorest qualities of shoes, and have always been glad to get anything that was an improvement on what they had been, for lack of better goods, forced to wear. There are two American firms here that sell shoes at retail; but, strange as it may seem, at neither of their establishments can a pair of American shoes be found. I have had several talks with these people and have persuaded them to add American shoes to the lines they already carry.

As the climate of this country is hot and dry, and as the rainfall is very scanty, light boots and shoes are mostly worn by the inhabitants. I am confident that light shoes of American make, made of black calf, russet calf, white canvas, and patent leather, on the ordinary broad and medium toe lasts, will meet with a ready sale here. Laced boots and shoes seem to be preferred to all other

kinds.

In shipping goods to this port, the American manufacturers should draw upon the consignees for the amounts due. The drafts should always be attached to the bills of lading, to be delivered by the local bank after the draft has been paid.

For the convenience of our shoe manufacturers who may wish to send price lists, etc., here, I give a list of names and nationalities of the various local importers of boots and shoes: Charles Woolf, American; Bendahan, Abejdid & Co., American; J. Danon, French; Isaac Benoliel, Brazilian; Oswald Hoffman, Portuguese; Bazar Baptista, Portuguese; Tayob Suleman & Co., Indian. W. STANLEY HOLLIS,

LOURENÇO MARQUEZ, June 14, 1899.

Consul.

*The above report was prepared at the instance of a Massachusetts board of trade, which has received a copy.

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA.

On the 19th of last June I left Cape Town for a tour of South Africa, and have to report as follows:

CAPE TOWN TO KIMBERLEY.

The first afternoon, at Worcester, an additional engine was attached to the train as the climb up the Hex River Mountains began. The scenery of these mountains, and the ascent by many horseshoe bends, along precipices, through tunnels, from 15 feet to 5,000 feet above the sea level, reminded me of Colorado. In the distance on each side could be seen the "koppies" assuming all shapes and heights. These wastes are covered with a stunted bush, the food of the sheep that once roamed about in large numbers, now largely decimated by disease. At the foot of the koppies are some fertile fields, the principal products being kaffir corn and mealies. The kaffir corn, or grain, is in the tassel and not the ear; the mealie is like our indian corn, only smaller in ear and grain, and when ground and mixed with cold water is more palatable than our indian-corn meal when scalded. The mealie is planted in rows, both by hand and drill, and left to grow and mature. It is never cultivated, hence the plant runs to stalk and not to ear.

For two days and one night I rode over these wastes in the compartment cars of this country; at night furnished with a bed consisting of one sheet doubled, one small pillow, and two blankets, made up on the seat, for which I paid 10s. ($2.43). The monotony of the ride was broken by occasional small herds of cattle, sheep, goats, or ostriches, the latter coming up to the barbed-wire fence to watch the train as it passed. Speaking of wire fences, of which 7,000 tons were imported in 1897, mostly from the United States, it may be well for Americans to note that the iron posts were largely furnished by other countries. The iron post is I shaped, of wrought iron, and cast into a triangular, Y-shaped foot piece, tapering to a sharp point at the end, which is driven into the ground. The wires pass through holes in the post and are not fastened at each one, as in the United States, but every twentieth post is a heavy one, some cast and some made of old railroad rails. These are called "tightening posts," and here the "slack" is taken up by long eyebolts with two nuts. The gates are all of wrought iron, hung on heavy posts.

THE KIMBERLEY DIAMOND MINES.

The city of Kimberley is 647 miles from Cape Town-a ride of two days and one night. It has a population of 35,000 and the

greatest diamond mines of the world. The United States is represented here by a consular agent-Mr. Gardner F. Williams, who is the general manager of the mines. I was pleased to learn that many of the most responsible positions are held by Americans. The company occupies 200,000 acres of land, employs 15,000 natives and 25,000 whites, consumes each month in the "compounds" 25,000 pounds of mutton and 200,000 pounds of beef, turns out 220,000 carats of diamonds a month, uses 6,000 tons of coal a day, has 2,000 horses and mules, 12 stallions of the best breeds (some from America), and 200 brood mares. The shops connected with the mines for the manufacture and repair of machinery and supplies compare well with some of our large harvester factories or railroad shops. I was not at all surprised to see American machinery here. The immense driving gear of a pumping engine made in England had to be sent to Chicago to have the cogs cut. The company is operating an ice plant sent from Chicago and has three more ordered, each with a capacity of 5 tons per day and 20,000 cubic feet of cold storage; and a complete dynamite plant, with an American to manage it, is on its way here from America. The 150 miles of narrow-gauge railroad in and around the mines are laid with American rails, and every tie or sleeper is made of California redwood, which in this country is par excellence the best wood for such a purpose. It is also used in many other ways. Three ships from California have recently arrived with cargoes of the redwood and Oregon pine. The company sells its ice for half a cent per pound to all, while in Cape Town the charge is 4 cents per pound.

No corporation in the world does more for its employees. It has built the village of Kenilworth, covering 500 acres and occupied by 500 employees at nominal rents. Water and light are supplied free, and there is a club house, a library, reading rooms, athletic grounds, a park, and vegetable gardens, with vines and fruits of all kinds in profusion.

All the water used in and about the city flows through pipes made in the United States. I was pulled to Kimberley by an American locomotive, and there are several others now in use in Cape Colony. On the narrow-gauge railroad are thousands of trucks made of plate iron and holding about a ton of rock each, pulled in trains by small engines or by overhead cables. These trucks ought to be made in the United States and the tenders competed for.

Among the features of the mines are the "compounds" for the natives. On the four sides of a large square are erected one-story buildings, of corrugated iron, opening to the center of the square. They are divided into rooms which hold twenty people, who sleep in bunks three high. Within each compound is a store, which

supplies the natives with all the clothes, food, etc., they need, at very reasonable prices. In the center of the square is a large swimming pool, which is well patronized. Adjacent to the compound is a hospital, in which medical attendance, nurses, and food are furnished free to the sick or injured. Extending over the whole inclosure, which occupies several acres, is a wire netting to prevent the throwing over of diamonds inclosed in tin cans, etc., as was once done. Outside of the compound and 10 feet from it is a barbed-wire fence, 10 feet high, with fourteen strands of wire. An underground passage leads to the mine shaft and the men are examined as they return from work. Within the compound I visited (there are three) were 3,500 natives, and as it was Sunday they were all enjoying themselves, dancing, playing on musical instruments, beating drums, reading the Bible and the Pilgrim's Progress in their own language, singing hymns, cooking, sewing, smoking hemp in cow horns, and gambling. Some were clothed and some not; some had their teeth filed to resemble a saw, others their heads shaved except a fringe at the back; some were tattooed, and nearly all had holes through the lobe of their right ear to hold anything that might come to hand; I saw spoons, straws, feathers, and stubs of cigars used in this manThe natives are under contract for six months and receive from Is. to 3s. (24 to 79 cents) per day. They are not allowed to leave the compounds during the time of contract. No liquor is furnished them. They are happy and contented, and the system is good for the native, the industry, and the country. I saw some who had been in the compound for years and had no desire to leave it. They are kept in a detention room one week before their contract expires, where they wear gloves made of two disks of leather, locked to their wrists; their clothes are taken from them and examined, and at the end of the week they leave without carrying any diamonds.

ner.

The

The diamond mine is the crater of an extinct volcano. What is now a level country or prairie was once a volcano. Cropping out on the surface appeared a blue rock, which was found to contain diamonds. The mouth of the crater is 312 feet below the surface. They dug 300 feet lower, so that the mine is now 612 feet deep. rock is elevated to the surface by means of powerful machinery and then conveyed to the "floors" or level ground, at present occupying about 200 acres. Here it is left for a year to the action of the sun, rain, and winds, when it decomposes and falls apart. It is then taken to the crushing and washing machines and afterwards to the pulsators, which separate it into various sizes and again wash it. It finally passes over shaking tables covered with grease of a certain composition, which catches and retains the diamonds. These are then washed in acid and taken to the valuator. Roughly speaking, out of 3,000,000 tons of blue rock three-fourths of a ton of diamonds are

obtained. The valuator assorts the diamonds according to their color and purity, and I saw on his tables the output of one week, worth $300,000. The diamonds are principally octahedral in shape. A syndicate of diamond buyers takes the product of the mines.

Kimberley and its mines are good customers of the United States, but we ought to have still more of the trade, and especially in galvanized corrugated sheet iron, which throughout all South Africa is used extensively. All the immense buildings of the mines in Kimberley and Johannesburg are composed of it, as well as thousands of dwelling houses, barns, warehouses, fences, etc. The large merchants in all the cities carry stocks of various lengths. It comes packed in bundles of twelve sheets, with thick felt between the ends of each sheet, all held together by iron bands.

THE ORANGE FREE STATE.

Leaving Kimberley, a ride of 167 miles brings one to the borders of the Orange Free State. The land appears more fertile. The villages of the Kaffirs and Hottentots are seen, the former looking like tops of balloons, the latter square and built of stones. The Kaffir huts are unique and show the natural skill and inventive genius of this tribe. Long branches or trunks of a tree that grows high and has a small diameter are planted in the ground in a circle, bent to the center, and fastened. Then the native flat grass is woven in and out between them, making a water-tight and yet cool habitation. Passing through the Orange Free State to the borders of the South African Republic, a distance of 334 miles, one sees nothing but the same monotonous landscape; but more and better farming is noticed and the crops are more diversified. A large number of American agricultural implements is sold here through Cape Town houses; in fact, a great proportion of all merchandise sold throughout South Africa comes through the large mercantile houses in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Durban, who have travelers all over South Africa. The Orange Free State is prosperous, though much land is idle. The people, principally Dutch, welcome all comers, and a residence of only a few years will admit to citizenship.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

Pretoria. On the border of the South African Republic we were held five hours for the examination of baggage. We then took the train of the Netherlands Railway, which is owned, it is said, by Hollanders, and proceeded to Pretoria, a distance of 77 miles. Pretoria is the capital of the Republic, a small city among hills, regularly laid out, with several handsome public buildings, but quiet and not a business center.