Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/83

 ADMINISTRATION OF ANGOLA- 69 blacks still elect their own aohri (chief), or else iickiiowlwl^e him according to the laws of suecessiuii in the several tribes, which sometimes runs in the direct line from father to son, but more commonly from brother to brother or else from unclo to sister's son. liut by the side of the soba, whose autonomy increases in direct proportion with his distance from the Portuguese military' «tations, there reside the c/ufix, or jx)liiical agents, apiniintcd by the governor of Loanda. These chefes claim the right of interfering under various circumstiinces in the internal affairs of the tribes, and apply themselves above all to the increase of taxation, more to their own benoHt than to that of the Portuguese treasury. In virtue of special decrees they had formerly the power of compelling the natives to work, and thus reducing them to the position of a disguised slavery, by exacting a certain share of unrcmunerated labour at their hands. They named at pleasure the persons who had to work gratuitously for them in the capacity of carregadorcx, or porters. Put this iniquitous system of corvee was abolished in the year 1S,06. The direct administration of Portugal bjing restricted to a few points on the coast and in the interior, and the local tribes being for the most part of a very docile disposition, not more than a few hundred Portuguese soldiers are required for garrisons in the military posts or for hostile expeditions. Hence the budget is almost entirely devoted to the civil service, the expenditure being partly covered by the customs. Nevertheless the public revenues are far from sufficing to cover the outlay, especially during the last few years. Thus its West African posses- sions have always been a burden to the mother country, as is the case with most colonial dominions which take no part in the local administration. The territory of Angola is divided into four districts, which are again sub- divided into concclliOH often of considerable extent. But some of these circles contain so few civilised inhabitants that it hjis been found impossible to establish any regular administration in them. A table of the distriets and concelhos, with their chief towns, will be found in the Appendix, (^f these towns two alone, Loanda and Benguella, rank as cidailrs, or "cities,'' all the rest being " villas " — towns, boroughs, or villages.