About three miles from the city, a fountain of sweet water issues out of a rock near the seacoast; and ad joining to it are great quantities of petrifactions, ser pents eyes, tongues, &c., like those found in Malta, which, after being set in gold or silver, are exported, and worn as ornaments by the Portuguese and other nations.
The whole country is mountainous, except towards the sea-coast, where the surface is level. Of these mountains, a very remarkable ridge extends from Cape Negro to the north-east, some of which, on account of their great height, are called, by the Portuguese, Monti Freddi, and on account of their summits being covered with snow, Monti Nivosi; the waters from which, de scending in torrents during the summer, form a consi derable lake at the foot of the mountains. The snow upon the tops of these mountains has been accounted an un common phxnomenon, in so hot a climate, particularly upon those which approach nearest to the line. Of these, the highest is called Cambambo, in which there is an excellent mine of silver, which the Portuguese have made themselves masters of, and guarded by a fortress. The low lands are fertile and well watered, and feed im mense herds of cattle, which would be still more numer ous, were it not for the wild beasts, which are extremely destructive. Of these the lion, tiger, elephant, and rhinoceros, which lodge in the mountains, are the most formidable. Indeed the whole country abounds with wild cattle and mules, which might be of the greatest service to the natives, if they would be persuaded to tame them, instead of bunting them for food.
In the provinces which lie along the banks of the Danda and Coanza, the soil is peculiarly fertile and well cultivated ; producing a variety of fruits, and great quantities of maize or Turkey wheat, millet, and other grains, which are reaped at three different seasons of the year. Here also the manhioc, a plant originally brought hither by the Portuguese from the West Indies, grows in great abundance ; the root affords a coarse kind of meal, of which the natives make their bread. They also obtain a great supply of food from a nut which resembles our filberts, which grows all over the country without culture ; every nut that falls upon the ground producing a new shrub the ensuing year. This fruit is much valued by the natives, because, while its pleasant taste gratifies their palates, the ease with which it is ob tained is highly acceptable to their indolent dispositions.
They have also abundance of good meat of all kinds, but their pork is preferred by Europeans. The natives, however, give the preference to the flesh of dogs ; and accordingly they feed and kill those animals, and expose them for sale in the public markets, where they fetch a higher price than any other meat.
This country produces very few fruit-trees, except such kinds as have been introduced into it by the Por tuguese, and in process of time propagated by the na tives. Among these are the orange, the citron, the pomegranate, and the vine ; the rest are generally with out blossom or fruit ; but their leaves yield a perpetual verdure, because the trees put forth new buds as the old leaves drop off. The Banana and Bacova trees may be found in the greatest abundance ; but the most re markable are the palm trees, which grow here in great. number and variety. Of these they reckon eight or time different kinds, all very useful and valuable. With out entering into a particular description of each, it may be sufficient to mention, that the most common is that whose fruit, like our pine-apples, contains numerous kernels, of the size of a filbert, and, when fully ripe, of an exquisite taste. From these kernels is extracted a pleasant oil, which is used in cookery instead of butter. Around the trunk of the tree, there grows a soft downy kind of moss, with which the rich stuff their pillows, and which the natives successfully apply to the healing of wounds. With the leaves of the tree, which are very broad, strong, and durable, they cover their houses ; and the wood would be no less useful for building, could they saw and shape it for that purpose. From these trees they also draw, by incision, a pleasant liquor, not unlike wine, but which, from their ignorance, of the pro per mode of mantIfacturing and preserving it, becomes acid in a few days. In general the trees of this country grow to a very great size ; and there is one kind not unlike our apple-tree, the bark of which, when wound ed, yields an odoriferous rosin, of the colour and con sistency of wax, and is said to be very medicinal; but it is too hot for Europeans, until qualified with a mix ture of some cooling drug.