- E.
[6] Perhaps the Berg river, at the bottom of St Elena bay. - E.
[7] This paragraph is added to relation of Castenada from the works of
Faria and Osorius. - Clarke.
[8] If the Thursday on which they came in sight of the Cape were the 16th,
the Wednesday following must have been the 22nd of the month. - E.
[9] This paragraph is an addition to the text of Castaneda from Osorius -
Clarke, I. 342
[10] From the circumstances in the text, this watering-place of St Blaze
is probably what is now called St Katherines or St Sebastians Bay; yet
that place hardly exceeds forty-seven Portuguese leagues east from the
cape. The sixty leagues of the text would carry us almost a degree
farther east, to what is now called Kaffercroyts river. Clarke removes
this place still farther to Flesh Bay, otherwise called Angra de St
Braz, or Aguada de St Braz by De Barros. This latter place is seventy
Portuguese leagues, or above eighty marine leagues east from the cape.
- E.
[11] This account seems erroneous, whether St Katherines or Flesh Bay be
the one in question, as both ought to be safe in north winds, and the
winds between the S and E points give both a lee shore. - E.
[12] Probably a species of Penguins: Lichefield calls them _stares_, as
large as ducks; Osorius says the natives called them _satiliario_, and
that they were as big as geese. - E.
[13] Probably Rock Point, forming the western boundary of Algoa or
Zwartkops bay, in long. 27 deg. E. bring the rocky extreme promontory of
the Krakakamma ridge. - E.
[14] It is infinitely difficult to guess the course of these early voyages,
without latitudes or longitudes, and only estimated distances by dead
reckoning in uncertain leagues; but the Rio del Infante of this voyage
and that of Diaz, is probably that now called Great-fish river, in the
Zuureveld of Graaff Reynet, in long. 28 deg. 20' E which, however, is
twenty-six Portuguese leagues, or thirty geographical leagues from
Rocky Point, instead of the fifteen leagues of the text. - E.
[15] The sixty leagues in the text are inexplicable on any rational
supposition, as they seem to have again made the Rocks de la Cruz, or
rather Rocky Point, said just before to be only fifteen leagues from
Infante river, to which they were then bound. - E.
[16] The Portuguese ships appear to have been now on the coast of Natal,
or the land of the Caffres, certainly a more civilized people than the
Hottentots of the cape. But the circumstance of Alonzo understanding
their language is quite inexplicable: as he could hardly have been
lower on the western coast than Minz, or perhaps Congo. Yet, as a belt
of Caffres are said to cross the continent of Africa, to the north of
the Hottentots, it is barely possible that some Caffre slaves may have
reached the western coast. - E.
[17] This grain was probably what is now well known under the name of
millet. - E.
[18] According to Barros, _Aguada da boa Paz_. - Clarke.
[19] Gibb's Orosius, I. 50.
[20] The text here ought probably to be thus amended, "He and his brother,
_with_ Nicholas Coelle," &c. - E.
[21] These probably swam off to the ships. - E.
[22] De Faria alleges that the people of this river were not so black as
the other Africans, and wore habits of different kinds of stuffs, both
cotton and silk, of various colours, and that they understood Arabic;
and adds, that they informed De Gama there were white people to the
eastwards, who sailed in ships like those of the Portuguese. Osorius
likewise says, that one of the natives spoke Arabic very imperfectly,
and that De Gama left two of his convicts at this place, which he
called San Rafael. - Clarke.
[23] There is no circumstance in the text from which the situation of this
river can even be conjectured. Clarke, p.440, alleges that it was
Soffala; and yet, in a note in his preceding page, says, "That De Gama
seems to have passed Cape Corientes during the night, and to have kept
so far from land, on account of a strong current setting on shore, as
not to have noticed Sofala." In the notes on the Lusiad, this river of
Good Signs is ascertained to have been one of the mouths of the
Zambeze, or Cuama River, which divides Mocaranga from the coast of
Mozambique; the different mouths of which run into the sea between the
latitudes of 19 deg. and 18 deg. S. - E.
[24] They were evidently afflicted with the scurvy; and accordingly De
Barros refers the disease to its proper cause, "Having been for so
long a time confined to the use of salt fish and corrupted biscuit. -
Clarke."
[25] Addition to the narrative of Castaneda, from De Barros. - Clarke.
[26] This obscure expression seems to mean that De Gama wished them to
precede the ships, and point out the way into the harbour. - E.
[27] This expression has probably been misunderstood by the original
translator. It appears that these Moors of Mozambique spoke Arabic,
here called the language of Algarve, and finding themselves understood
and answered by the strangers, mistook the Portuguese for Moors. - E.
[28] Mozambique is in lat. 15 deg. 35' S. and in 41 deg. of E. Long - E.
[29] The observations here inserted, and marked with inverted commas, are
made by the Editor of the present collection. They are much too long
for insertion in the form of a note, and appeared of too much
importance to be omitted; being chiefly from Clarke, I. 447. - E.
[30] For the materials of this addition to the text of Castaneda, we are
chiefly indebted to the Progress of Maritime Discovery, p. 447, 458.
- E.
