Description

[The Culture of Palm Trees. Raising Several Considerations about the General State of the Province of Angola and the Nature of the Improvementsthat Urgently Need to be Applied to it]

Lisbon: Typografia, 153 Rua do Bemformoso 156, 1871.

Augusto Severino Freire de Figueiredo was a Portuguese missionary and botanist, who traveled in Angola among the tribes, often collecting plant samples. In this pamphlet from 1871 he critically observes bad use of palm trees among indigenous inhabitants after the abolition of slavery in 1869. These plants, native to the country, are according to his words growing wildly and are being cut without using their potential.

Freire de Figueiredo considered planned cultivating of palm trees, which can with proper knowledge produce sugar, brandy, wine, syrup, sun hats, paper and textiles, among native inhabitants and freed slaves for their own benefits of great importance.

In this pamphlet the author calls the authorities to educate Angolans, which he names as truly savage, but should be considered as children of Portugal, that need proper instructions. He also includes a plan for palm groves and first steps to this learning procedure.

We could trace two institutional examples (National Library of South Africa and National Library of Portugal).

References: OCLC 1017190940.