Its Whole Virtues Lay In Some Supposed Resemblance To The
Human Figure, Founded On The Childish Doctrine Of Signatures; Whence,
At One Time, Every Thing Yellow Was Considered Specific Against
Jaundice, With Many Other And Similar Absurd Notions.
- E.]
We sailed from Saldanha on the 20th June, and on the the 21st we had
sight of land in 34 deg. 28' S. being the land to the west of cape de
Arecife, laid down 28' more northwardly than it ought in the charts of
Daniel. On the 6th July we ought to have seen the coast of Madagascar,
by most of our computations, and according to Daniel's charts, upon
Mercator's projection, which proved false by seventy leagues in distance
of longitude between the coast of Ethiopia at cape Bona Speranza and the
isle of St Lawrence, as is evident from the charts projected in plano
by Tottens. The 22d all the four ships anchored at Mohelia, where we
had water from wells dug a little above high-water mark, eight or nine
feet deep, close by the roots of trees. Doman is the chief town of
this island, where the sultan resides, to whom we gave a double-locked
piece and a sword. For very little money we were plentifully supplied
with provisions, as poultry, goats, bullocks, lemons, oranges, limes,
tamarinds, cocoa-nuts, pines, sugar-canes, and other fruits. Among the
inhabitants of this island there are Arabs, Turks, and Moors, many of
whom speak tolerable Portuguese. From them I had a curious account of
the current at this place, which they said ran alternately fifteen days
westerly, fifteen days easterly, and fifteen days not at all; and which
I partly observed to be true:
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