But, If
The Weather Is Unfavourable For Fishing At The Rio Del Oro, They Proceed
Along The Coast To Cape Branco; And Thence Along The Coast To The Island
Of Arguin.
The principal sorts of fish on this coast are _pagros_, called
_albani_ by the Venetians; likewise _corvi_ and _oneros_, which latter
are only a larger and darker-coloured species of _pagros_.
As soon as
taken, the fish are opened and salted, and serve as an excellent supply
of provisions to navigators. All the coast of Africa, from Cape Bojador,
otherwise called _Cabo della Volta_, as far as Cape Branco and even to
Arguin, is low and sandy. At Arguin, which is inhabited by Moors and
Negroes, and which is situated on the confines between these two nations,
there is a capacious harbour, and a castle belonging to our king of
Portugal, in which some Portuguese always reside with the royal agent.
On leaving the island of Sal, our ships steer next for St Jago, another
of the Cape Verd islands. This island is situated in _fifteen degrees on
the equinoctial and thirty leagues towards the south_[3].It is seventeen
leagues long, and has a city on the coast, with a good harbour called
_Ribiera Grande_, or the Great River, now St Jago. From two high
mountains, one on each side, a large river of fresh water flows into the
harbour; and, from its source, full two leagues above the city, its banks
are lined on each side with gardens, having fine groves of oranges,
cedars, pomegranates, several sorts of figs, and the cocoa-nut palm,
which has been long planted on this island. It produces all kinds of
vegetables in great abundance and perfection; but they do not afford good
seeds, so that it is necessary to procure these every year from Europe.
The city is on the south coast of the island, and is well built of stone,
being inhabited by about 500 families of distinction, Portuguese and
Castilians. Its government is entrusted to a corregidor or governor,
appointed by the king of Portugal; and two judges are chosen annually,
one for the determination of naval and maritime causes, and the other for
regulating the police. This island is very mountainous, and is very
barren in many parts, which are entirely destitute of wood; but its
vallies are fertile and well cultivated. In June, when the sun enters
Cancer, the rains are so incessant that the Portuguese call that month
_La Luna de las Aquas_, or the Water Month. Their seed-time begins in
August, when they sow maize, called _miglio zaburo_. This is a white bean,
which is ready to be gathered in forty days, and is the chief food of
these islanders, and of all the inhabitants of the coast of Africa[4].
They also sow much rice and cotton; the latter of which comes to great
perfection, and is manufactured into striped cloths, which are exported
to the country of the Negroes, and bartered for black slaves.
To give a distinct view of the commercial transactions with the Negroes,
it is proper to inform you, that the western coast of Africa is divided
into several countries and provinces, as Guinea, _Melegote_[5], the
kingdom of Benin, and the kingdom of Manicongo. Over all this extent of
coast, there are many Negro kings or chiefs, whose subjects are
Mahometans and idolaters, and who are continually at war with each other.
These kings are much respected by their subjects, almost to adoration, as
they are believed to have originally descended from heaven. When the king
of Benin dies, his subjects assemble in an extensive plain, in the centre
of which a vast pit or sepulchre is dug, into which the body is lowered,
and all the friends and servants of the deceased are sacrificed and
thrown into the same grave, thus voluntarily throwing away their own
lives in honour of the dead. On this coast there grows a species of
_melegete_, extremely pungent like pepper, and resembling the Italian
grain called _sorgo_. It produces likewise a species of pepper of great
strength, not inferior to any of that which the Portuguese bring from
Calicut, under the name of _Pimienta del rabo_, or _Pepe dalla coda_, and
which African pepper resembles _cubbebs_, but so powerful that an ounce
will go farther than a pound of the common sort; but its exportation is
prohibited, lest it should injure the sale of that which is brought from
Calicut[6]. There is also established on this coast a manufacture of an
excellent kind of soap from palm-oil and ashes, which is carried on for
the king's account. All the trade of this coast, to the kingdom of
_Manicongo_ exclusively, is farmed out every four or five years to the
highest bidder. Great Negro caravans bring gold and slaves to the
stations on the coast. The slaves are either prisoners taken in war, or
children whom their parents have parted with in the hope of their being
carried to a more fertile country. For above ninety years after the first
discovery of this coast, the Portuguese merchants were accustomed to
enter the large rivers by which the country is everywhere intersected,
trading independently with the numerous tribes inhabiting their banks;
but now the whole of this commerce is in the hands of stationary licensed
factors, to whom it is farmed.
On quitting St Jago we steer southerly for the Rio Grande, which is on
the north of Ethiopia, beyond which we come to the high mountain of
Sierra Liona, the summit of which is continually enveloped in mist, out
of which thunder and lightning almost perpetually flashes, and is heard
at sea from the distance of forty or fifty miles. Though the sun is quite
vertical in passing over this mountain, and extremely hot, yet the thick
fog is never dissipated. In our voyage we never lose sight of land, yet
keep always at a considerable distance, carefully observing the
declination of the sun, and keeping a southerly course till we arrive in
_four degrees on the equinoctial_[7], when we suddenly change our course
to the south-east, keeping the Ethiopian coast always on our left hand in
our way to the island of St Thomas.
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