e of the year, gives freshness to the
whole house, and removes that feeling of closeness and langour, which a
hot climate induces.

On the night of the 1st July, 1863, several loud peals of thunder awoke
us; the moon was shining brightly, and not a cloud to be seen. All the
natives remarked on the clearness of the sky at the time, and next
morning said, "We thought it was God" (Morungo).

On arriving at the ship on the 2nd July, we found a despatch from Earl
Russell, containing instructions for the withdrawal of the Expedition.
The devastation caused by slave-hunting and famine lay all around. The
labour had been as completely swept away from the Great Shire Valley, as
it had been from the Zambesi, wherever Portuguese intrigue or power
extended. The continual forays of Mariano had spread ruin and desolation
on our south-east as far as Mount Clarendon.

While this was going on in our rear, the Tette slave-hunters from the
West had stimulated the Ajawa to sweep all the Manganja off the hills on
our East; and slaving parties for this purpose were still passing the
Shire above the Cataracts. In addition to the confession of the Governor
of Tette, of an intention to go on with this slaving in accordance with
the counsel of his elder brother at Mosambique, we had reason to believe
that slavery went on under the eye of his Excellency, the
Governor-General himself; and this was subsequently corroborated by our
recognizing two women at Mosambique who had lived within a hundred yards
of the Mission-station at Magomero. They were well known to our
attendants, and had formed a part of a gang of several hundreds taken to
Mosambique by the Ajawa at the very time when his Excellency was
entertaining English officers with anti-slavery palavers. To any one who
understands how minute the information is, which Portuguese governors
possess by means of their own slaves, and through gossiping traders who
seek to curry their favour, it is idle to assert that all this slaving
goes on without their approval and connivance.

If more had been wanted to prove the hopelessness of producing any change
in the system which has prevailed ever since our allies, the Portuguese,
entered the country, we had it in the impunity with which the freebooter,
Terera, who had murdered Chibisa, was allowed to carry on his forays.
Belchoir, another marauder, had been checked, but was still allowed to
make war, as they term slave-hunting.

Mr. Horace Walle