- E.]

[3][Footnote 3:

3 Cape Antongil on the east coast is probably here meant, in lat. 15 deg. 45' S. as at this place the deep bay of Antongil or Manghabei penetrates about 70 mile inland, and the opposite coast also is deeply indented by port Massali. It is proper to mention however, that Cape St Andrew is on the west coast of Madagascar, in lat. 17 deg. 12' S. - E.]

[Footnote 4: There may be numerous villages, or collections of huts, in Madagascar, and some of these may possibly be extensive and populous; but there certainly never was in that island any place that merited the name of a city. - E.]

[Footnote 5: More probably Ambergris thrown on their shores. - E.]

The first place visited by de Costa on this voyage of discovery was a large bay near _Masilage_[6] in lat. 16 deg. S. in which there is an island half a league in circumference containing a town of 8000 inhabitants, most of them weavers of an excellent kind of stuff made of the palm-tree. At this place the Moors used to purchase boys who were carried to Arabia and sold for infamous uses. The king of this place, named _Samamo_, received the Portuguese in a friendly manner, and granted leave to preach the gospel among his subjects. Coasting about 40 leagues south from this place, they came to the mouth of a large river named _Balue_ or _Baeli_ in about 17 deg. S. and having doubled Cape St Andrew, they saw the river and kingdom of _Casame_, between the latitudes of 17 deg. and 18 deg. S. where they found little water and had much trouble[7]. Here also amity was established with the king, whose name was Sampilla, a discreet old man; but hitherto they could get no intelligence of the Portuguese whom they were sent in search of. On Whitsunday, which happened that year about the middle of May, mass was said on shore and two crosses erected, at which the king appeared so much pleased that he engaged to restore them if they happened to fall or decay. During the holidays they discovered an island in lat. 18 deg. S. to which they gave the name of Espirito Santo[8], and half a degree farther they were in some danger from a sand bank 9 leagues long. On Trinity Sunday, still in danger from sand banks, they anchored at the seven islands of _Cuerpo de Dios_ or _Corpus Christi_[9] in 19 deg. S. near the kingdom and river of _Sadia_ to which they came on the 19th of June, finding scarcely enough of water to float the caravel. This kingdom is extensive, and its principal _city_ on the banks of the river has about 10,000 inhabitants. The people are black, simple, and good-natured, having no trade, but have plenty of flesh, maize, tar, tortoises, sandal, ebony, and sweet woods. The name of the king was _Capilate_, who was an old man much respected and very honest. He received the Portuguese kindly, and even sent his son to guide them along the coast. All along this coast from _Massalage_ to _Sadia_ the natives speak the same language with the Kafrs on the opposite coast of Africa; while in all the rest of the island the native language called _Buqua_ is spoken.

[Footnote 6: On this bay is a town called New Massah to distinguish it from Old Massah on the bay of Massali, somewhat more than half a degree farther north. Masialege or Meselage is a town at the bottom of the bay of Juan Mane de Cuna, about half a degree farther south. - E.]

[Footnote 7: They were here on the bank of Pracel, which seems alluded to in the text from the shallowness of the water; though the district named Casame in the text is not to be found in modern maps - E.]

[Footnote 8: Probably the island of the bay of St Andrew in 17 deg. 30' is here meant; at any rate it must be carefully distinguished from Spiritu Santo, St Esprit, or Holy Ghost Island, one of the Comoros in lat. 15 deg. S. - E.]

[Footnote 9: Perhaps those now called _barren isles_ on the west coast, between lat. 18 deg. 40' and 19 deg. 12' S. The river Sadia of the text may be that now called _Santiano_ in lat. 19 deg. S. - E.]

Continuing towards the south they came to the country of the _Buques_, a poor and barbarous people feeding on the spawn of fish, who are much oppressed by the kings of the inland tribes. Passing the river _Mane_[10], that of _Saume_[11] in 20 deg. 15'; _Manoputa_ in 20 deg. 30', where they first heard of the Portuguese; _Isango_ in 21 deg.; _Terrir_ in 21 deg. 30'; the seven islands of _Elizabeth_ in 22 deg.; they came on the 11th of July into the port of _St Felix_[12] in 22 deg., where they heard again of the Portuguese of whom they were in search, from _Dissamuta_ the king of that part of the country. On offering a silver chain at this place for some provisions, the natives gave it to an old woman to examine if it was genuine, and she informed the Portuguese that at the distance of three days journey there was an island inhabited a long while before by a white people dressed like the Portuguese and wearing crosses hanging from their necks, who lived by rapine and easily took whatever they wanted, as they were armed with spears and guns, with which information the Portuguese were much gratified. Continuing their voyage past the bay of _St Bonaventura_ and the mouth of the river _Massimanga_, they entered the bay of _Santa Clara_, where _Diamassuto_ came to them and entered into a treaty of friendship, worshipping the cross on his knees. They were here told that white people frequented a neighbouring port, and concluded that they were Hollanders.

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