and assistance from David Livingstone during his second Zambesi expedition, in 1861 Bishop Charles Mackenzie of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa set up a missionary station at Magomero, near Zomba in the highlands. After Mackenzie died in 1863, the mission was withdrawn. Later in the 19th century more British missions and plantations were established, expanding British influence in the highlands. In 1891 Harry Johnston was appointed Commissioner and Consul General to the British Central Africa Protectorate, the territories in the British sphere of influence north of the Zambezi River. Johnston set up a headquarters at Zomba, and between 1891 and 1895 subordinated the Yao chiefs to British rule, often by force. Johnston abolished the slave trade, and allowed British missionaries and settlers to lay claim to large tracts of the highlands. By 1894, Johnston had granted 'certificates of claim' to a handful of British settlers, missionaries, and private companies, granting them freehold property rights to 3776 km2, or over half the total area of the highlands. In addition to private lands, Johnston established public or crown lands that included forest reserves, and African trust lands, held by the colonial state for customary use by the native people. Public lands and trust lands were later opened up to leaseholds of up to 99 years, effectively privatizing some of them. The Shire Highlands Railway Company built a railway across the highlands between 1903 and 1907, from Blantyre in the highlands to the river port of Chiromo, on the Shire River where it meets the Ruo. The railway was later extended north from Blantyre to Salima in central Malawi, south from Chiromo to Port Herald (present day Nsanje) in 1908, and from Port Herald to the Mozambican river port of Chindio on the Zambezi River in 1914. From the late 19th century, tobacco, cotton, and coffee were grown for export. Coffee growing declined in importance by 1900, displaced by drought and competition with Brazilian coffee growers. Tea plantations were established in the highlands in the 1930s, first around Thyolo where the climate and soils were most favorable. Tea is still economically important in the highlands. Other important crops include tung oil, tobacco, peanuts (groundnuts), and maize (corn). References Plateaus of Malawi Highlands South Malawi montane forest–grassland mosaic