LOANDA, or in full Sào Paulo de Loanda, the capital of the Portuguese settlements in western Africa, and the principal municipality of the Loanda district, one of the three into which Angola is divided, is situated on the mainland in 8° 48' S. lat. and 13° 7' E. long. The beautiful bay, protected from the surf by the long narrow island of pure sand from which the town takes its name, is backed by a line of low sandy cliff which at its southern end sweeps out with a sharp curve and terminates in the bold point crowned by Fort San Miguel. A good part of the town lies on the shore, but the more important buildings—the Government offices, the governor’s residence, the palace of the bishop of Angola, and the admirable hospital —are situated on the higher grounds. Most of the European houses are large stone buildings of one story with red tile roofs. The streets, formerly full of loose fine sand, have in many cases been paved. The great defect of the situation is the want of water, which had to be brought for the most part in little boats from the Bengo and the Dande; but the Portuguese Government signed a contract in November 1877, by which a canal 43 miles long was to be constructed, at a cost of 6,000,000 francs, from Tanda-boπdo (a point 37 miles frojn the mouth of the Bengo) to the city. Loanda is a busy place; the shops are well supplied with European goods, and large native markets are held in various parts of the town. While the slave trade to Brazil was still in full prosperity, the traffic of the port was of no small account; and after a period of great depression it is now developing in more legitimate directions. There is a regular service of steamers from Lisbon and Liverpool, and in 1877 746 vessels entered and 693 cleared. The population is from ...