SECT. III. The Climate, Soil, Product, Animals wild and tame, Vegetables, Infects, &c. of Abyffinia, IV. Of the several People and Nations that 90 Complexion, Features, Genius, Difpo- Dress, Food, Drink, and other Cuf- 103 V. Of the natural and artificial Rarities of Abyffinia, VI. Of the Government, Laws, Emperor's Court, Power, Coronation, pompous VII. Of the Religion of the Abyffinians, both of their Church, VIII. Of the Faith and Practice of the Abyffi- IX. The Chronology, Succeffion, and Series of the Abyflinian Monarchs; and their 120 133 148 166 184 CHAP. CHA P. XLIV. The History of the Kingdoms adjacent to Abyffinia. SECT. I. Kingdoms of Balu and Dancali, II. The Hiftory of the Country of Ajan, or 300 III. The History of the Kingdom of Adel, 305 320, 322 IV. Hiftory of the Kingdom of Magadoxo, CHA P. XLV. The History of the principal Kingdoms on the Coast of Zanguebar, 325 SECT. I. The Hiftory of the Kingdom of Melinda, 329 II. The History of the Kingdoms and Islands of Mombafo and Quiloa, III. The Kingdom of Mosambico, 339, 343 361 IV. The History of the Kingdom of Sofala, 367 V. The History of the Empire of Monomo tapa, or Munemotapa, 378 VI. The Hiftory of the Kingdom of Monoe muji, 395 VII. The Hiftory of Cafraria, or the Land of the Caffers, or Kaffers, and various 400 CHAP. CHA P. XLVI. The Hiftory of the various Nations of the Hotten tots, with their Coafts; together with the Dutch Settlements on or about them. SECT. I. Situation of the Country; Account of the several Tribes of Hottentots, their Manners, Customs, &c. II. Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope the Dutch, 402 426 THE MODERN PART O F Univerfal History. W E come now to the Cape Verd Islands, fo called Cape Vera from their proximity to the cape of that name slands. on the continent of Africa, to which they are directly oppofite. The Portuguese call them Ilhas Verdas, or the Green Islands, because the furrounding fea is deeply tinged with that colour, or rather filled with a weed of an exquifite fine green, lying fo thick that ships are scarce able to make their way through it. Others, and particularly the French writers, have called them the Salt Iflands, from the quantity of falt made in them, and tranfported to all parts of the continent of Africa; but the general name by which they are known to all Europe, is Cape Verd. It is the opinion of fome writers, that the Cape de Verd Iflands are the fame as Mela has described under the name of Corgones, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Pliny by that of Gorgades, the refidence of the three MOD. VOL. XII. daughters B a. daughters of Phorcus, known by the fabulous names of Medufa, Sthenio, and Euryale . Others again believe them to be the Hefperides of Ptolemy, fituated near the cape or promontory of that name; though it is most probable that they were utterly unknown before the Portuguefe paved the way for difcoveries of new worlds ". They are fituate oppofite to Cape de Verd, or rather between it and Cape Blanco, about forty-two leagues from the continent, and ftretching into the fea, till the fartheft is feventy leagues from fhore. In general, they lie between 13 deg. 50 min. and 17 deg. 40 min. north latitude, and between the 22d and 25th deg. of longitude weft from London. With refpect to their number, there is no agreement among writers or voyagers, fome. reckoning twelve, fome cleven, and others no more than nine, perhaps because fome take into their account iflands which others think too inconfiderable to be mentioned; or poffibly two iflands which lie fo contiguous as to be feparated only by a fmall gut, may have been de-. fcribed as one. The names of the ten agreed upon are as follow; Ilha del Sal, Ilha Buena-vifta, Ilha Mayo, Ilha de Sant Jago, Ilha dei Fogo, Ilha del Bracca, Ilha del Sant Nicholas, Ilha del Sant Lucia, Ilha del Sant Vincent, Ilha del Sant Antonio, befides others of less note,. to which no names have been assigned. It is affirmed, that thefe iflands, if not abfolutely difcovered for the first time, were at least unknown to the moderns till the year 1440, when Antonio Nolli, a Genoefe, fell in with them. According to Jurin, the Portuguese were the firft difcoverers, about fix years after this period; and Sanutus afferts, that the honour is due to a Venetian, of the family of Cadamofto, fent by the prince of Portugal upon the difcovery of unknown countries. At prefent they are almoft all well-peopled, though in fome the climate is extremely unhealthy, but in general wholfome, pure, and ferene. They were peopled originally by Europeans, fome fay by criminals banished out of Portugal; at leaft it is certain, that they were uninhabited when first difcovered, whatever they might have been in the days of Pliny and Mela, if they had any know a La Martiniere. b La Croix, toni. iv. p. 631. Davity, tom. v. p. 625. e Thevet, Cofm. lib. iii. Lin. p. 695, Pyrard. lib. i. Jarric. lib. v. cap. 44. Herrera, cap. v. d Man. Hift.. Wenet. lib. v. Dandolo, lib. vii, cap. 35 lege |