"
Water-carriage existed all the way from England, with the exception of
the Murchison Cataracts, along which a road of forty miles might easily
be made. A small steamer on the lake would do more good in suppressing
the slave-trade than half-a-dozen men-of-war in the ocean. If the
Zambesi could be opened to commerce the bright vision of the last ten
years would be realized, and the Shire Valley and banks of the Nyassa
transformed into the garden of the Lord.
From the very first Livingstone saw the importance of the Shire Valley
and Lake Nyassa as the key to Central Africa. Ever since, it has become
more and more evident that his surmise was correct. To make the
occupation thoroughly effective, he thought much of the desirableness
of a British colony, and was prepared to expend a great part of the
remainder of his private means to carry it into effect. On August 4th,
he says in his Journal:
"I have a very strong desire to commence a system of
colonization of the honest poor; I would give L2000 or L3000
for the purpose.
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