medical officer in the Congo Free State forces, and duly arrived at Banana, at the mouth of the Congo, in December 189L Taken into consideration with the reputation the West Coast of Africa has, the entrance to Banana creek is not encouraging.

The first thing noticeable is that the head of the little strip of sand on which the station is built is entirely occupied by a crowded cemetery. Yet this strip of sand, not many inches above high-water mark, with mangrove swamps and lagoons on the landward side, has the Atlantic rollers on the other, and is a very good sanatorium for many of the enfeebled Europeans who come down from the far interior. My reception at Boma was, for the first few days, not of the pleasantest. The hotel was crowded; and as it seemed nobody's business to find me a lodging, I slept on board the steamer at the quay.