- 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.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 5 of 441
Words from 2033 to 2539 of 230997