The
Arab, Or Moorish Kingdoms Along The African Coast Of The Indian Ocean,
Are Branches From The Same Original Stem, And The Early Mahometan
Missionaries Were Both Zealous And Successful In Propagating Islaemism
Among The Most Distant Pagan Colonies Of Their Countrymen.
As all zealous
Mussulmen are enjoined the pilgrimage of Mecca, and commerce mixes
largely with religion in the holy
Journey, by which the faithful from
every distant region often meet at Mecca, and induce each other to extend
their commercial adventures to new regions, it may possibly have been,
that some Moors originally from Spain, may even have reached Mozambique
before the time of De Gama; but it is ridiculous to suppose that all the
Moors on the African coast had been Spaniards. The overthrow of the great
Moorish kingdom of Granada only took place five or six years before the
present voyage.
"The island of Mozambique, which does not exceed a league in
circumference, is described as low and swampy, and was inhabited by Moors
who had come from Quiloa and Sofala. It was afterwards much resorted to
by the Portuguese as a winter station, and became the key of their Indian
trade. The African coast stretches out on both sides of the island into
two points, that on the north-east called Pannoni, off which a shoal with
three islets extends, some way into the sea. The southern point is called
Mangale[30]."
When the Moorish governor of Mozambique[31] was informed of the arrival
of the Portuguese, and that Coello was come to anchor in the harbour, he
fully supposed that they were Turks or Moors from some distant place, and
immediately came to visit him, apparelled in fine silk, with many
attendants.
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