Pye, Brothers, of London, who have invented a superior mode
for the preparation of such tissues for the manufacturer. They most politely
undertook the examination, and have given a favorable opinion of the Buaze,
as may be seen in the note below.*
-
* 80 Lombard Street, 20th March, 1857.
Dear Sir, - We have the pleasure to return you
the specimens of fibrous plants from the Zambesi River,
on which you were desirous to see the effects of our treatment;
we therefore inclose to you,
No. 1. Buaze, in the state received from you.
1 A. Do. as prepared by us.
1 B. The tow which has come from it in hackling.
No. 2. Conge, as received from you.
2 A. Do. as prepared by us.
With regard to both these fibres, we must state that
the VERY MINUTE QUANTITY of each specimen has prevented
our subjecting them to any thing like the full treatment of our process,
and we can therefore only give you an APPROXIMATE idea of their value.
The Buaze evidently possesses a very strong and fine fibre,
assimilating to flax in its character, but we believe,
when treated IN QUANTITY by our process, it would show
both a stronger and finer fibre than flax; but being unable
to apply the rolling or pressing processes with any efficiency
to so very small a quantity, the gums are not yet so perfectly extracted
as they would be, nor the fibre opened out to so fine a quality
as it would then exhibit.
This is even yet more the case with the Conge, which, being naturally
a harsh fibre, full of gums, wants exactly that powerful treatment
which our process is calculated to give it, but which can not be applied
to such miniature specimens. We do not therefore consider this
as more than half treated, its fibre consequently remaining yet harsh,
and coarse, and stiff, as compared with what it would be
if treated IN QUANTITY.
Judging that it would be satisfactory to you to be in possession
of the best practical opinion to be obtained on such a subject,
we took the liberty of forwarding your little specimens
to Messrs. Marshall, of Leeds, who have kindly favored us
with the following observations on them:
"We have examined the samples you sent us yesterday,
and think the Conge or aloe fibre would be of no use to us,
but the Buaze fibre appears to resemble flax, and as prepared by you
will be equal to flax worth 50 Pounds or 60 Pounds per ton,
but we could hardly speak positively to the value unless we had
1 cwt. or 2 cwt. to try on our machinery. However, we think the result
is promising, and we hope further inquiry will be made
as to the probable supply of the material."
We are, dear sir, your very obedient servants,
Pye, Brothers.
The Rev. Dr. Livingstone.
-
A representation of the plant is given in the annexed woodcut,*
as a help to its identification. I was unable to procure
either the flowers or fruit; but, as it is not recognized at sight
by that accomplished botanist and eminent traveler, Dr. J. D. Hooker,
it may safely be concluded that it is quite unknown to botanists.
It is stated by the Portuguese to grow in large quantities
in the Maravi country north of the Zambesi, but it is not cultivated,
and the only known use it has been put to is in making threads on which
the natives string their beads. Elsewhere the split tendons of animals
are employed for this purpose. This seems to be of equal strength,
for a firm thread of it feels like catgut in the hand,
and would rather cut the fingers than break.
-
* Unfortunately, this woodcut can not be represented in this ASCII text,
but buaze, or bwazi, is `Securidaca longipedunculata'. - A. L., 1997.
-
Having waited a month for the commencement of the healthy season at Kilimane,
I would have started at the beginning of April, but tarried a few days
in order that the moon might make her appearance, and enable me to take
lunar observations on my way down the river. A sudden change of temperature
happening on the 4th, simultaneously with the appearance of the new moon,
the commandant and myself, with nearly every person in the house,
were laid up with a severe attack of fever. I soon recovered
by the use of my wonted remedies, but Major Sicard and his little boy
were confined much longer. There was a general fall of 4 Deg. of temperature
from the middle of March, 84 Deg. at 9 A.M., and 87 Deg. at 9 P.M.;
the greatest heat being 90 Deg. at midday, and the lowest 81 Deg. at sunrise.
It afforded me pleasure to attend the invalids in their sickness,
though I was unable to show a tithe of the gratitude I felt
for the commandant's increasing kindness. My quinine and other remedies
were nearly all expended, and no fresh supply was to be found here,
there being no doctors at Tete, and only one apothecary with the troops,
whose stock of medicine was also small. The Portuguese, however,
informed me that they had the cinchona bark growing in their country -
that there was a little of it to be found at Tete -
whole forests of it at Senna and near the delta of Kilimane.
It seems quite a providential arrangement that the remedy for fever
should be found in the greatest abundance where it is most needed.
On seeing the leaves, I stated that it was not the `Cinchona longifolia'
from which it is supposed the quinine of commerce is extracted,
but the name and properties of this bark made me imagine
that it was a cinchonaceous tree.
