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YII
COMMUNICATION
The difficulty of transport lias so far been Maslionaland’s great trouble. The distance of the terminus of the Cape railway system at Yryburg to Salisbury is nine hundred miles; the waggon road is of the roughest description; goods, even in the dry season, are often delayed many months on the journey ; and during the rainy season, when the rivers are flooded and deep quagmires are formed in th6 valley bottoms, communication is practically cut off. The road which connects Mashonaland with the Transvaal railway system is somewhat shorter. The Beira route is obviously the natural one into Mashonaland. From that seaport to Umtali is only two hundred and thirty-five miles, and Salisbury is but one hundred and fifty miles further. The road, too, is in good condition. But unfortu-