Antonio Gonzales, who had been one of the Affociates of Gilianes, was fent again (1440) to bring back a Cargo of the Skins of Sea-wolves. He was followed in another Ship by Nunno Triftam. They were now of Strength fufficient to venture upon Violence, they therefore landed, and without either Right or Provocation, made all whom they feized their Prisoners, and brought them to Portugal, with great Commendations both from the Prince and the Nation.

Henry now began to please himself with the Succefs of his Projects, and as one of his Purposes was the Converfion of Infidels, thought it neceffary to impart his Undertaking to the Pope, and to obtain the Sanctions of Ecclefiaftical Authority. To this End Fernando Lopez d'Azevedo was dispatched to Rome, who related to the Pope and Cardinals the great Defigns of Henry, and magnified his Zeal for the Propagation of Religion. The Pope was pleafed with the Narrative, and by a formal Bull conferred upon the Crown of Portugal, all the Countries which fhould be discovered as far as India, together with India itself, and granted feveral Privileges and Indulgences to the Churches, which Henry had built in his new Regions, and to the Men engaged in the Navigation for Difcovery. By this Bull all other Princes are forbidden to encroach upon the Conquefts of the Portuguese, on Pain of the Cenfures incurred by the Crime of Ufurpation.

The Approbation of the Pope, the Sight of Men. whofe Manners and Appearance were fo different from thofe of Europeans, and the Hope of Gain from golden Regions, which has been always the great Incentive of Hazard and Difcovery, now began to operate with full Force. The Defire of Riches and of Dominion, which is yet more pleafing to the Fancy, filled the Courts of the Portuguese Prince with innumerable Adventurers from very diftant Parts

of

ཨ

of Europe. Some wanted to be employed in the Search after new Countries, and fome to be fettled in those which had been already found.

Communities now began to be feized with the Infection of Enterprife, and many Affociations werę formed for the Equipment of Ships, and the Acquifition of the Riches of diftant Regions, which perhaps were always fuppofed to be more wealthy, as more remote. Thefe Undertakers agreed to pay the Prince a fifth Part of the Profit, fometimes a greater Share, and fent out the Armament at their own Expence.

The City of Lagos was the firft that carried on this Defign by Contribution. The Inhabitants fitted out fix Veffels, under the Command of Luçarot, one of the Prince's Houfhold, and foon after fourteen more were furnished for the fame Purpose, under the fame Commander; to those were added many be longing to private Men, fo that in a fhort Time, twenty-fix Ships put to Sea in queft of whatever For tune fhould prefent.

The Ships of Lagos were foon feparated by foul Weather, and the reft, taking each its own Courfe, ftopped at different Parts of the African Coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape Verd. Some of them, in 1444, anchored at Gomera, one of the Canaries, where they were kindly treated by the Inhabitants, who took them into their Service, against the People of the Ifle of Palma, with whom they were at War; but the Portuguefe at their Return to Gomera, not being made fo rich as they expected, fell upon their Friends, in contempt of all the Laws of Hofpitality, and Stipulations of Alliance, and, making several of them Prisoners and Slaves, fet fail for Lisbon.

The Canaries are fuppofed to have been known, however imperfectly, to the Antients, but in the Confufion of the fubfequent Ages, they were loft and forgotten, till about the Year 1340, the Bifcay

neers found Luçarot, and invading it, for to find a new Country and invade it has always been the fame, brought away feventy Captives, and fome Commodities of the Place. Louis de la Cerda, Count of Clermont, of the Blood Royal both of France and Spain, Nephew of John de la Cerda, who called himfelf the Prince of Fortune, had once a Mind to fettle in those Islands, and applying himself first to the King of Arragon, and then to Clement VI. was by the Pope crowned at Avignon, King of the Canaries, on Condition that he should reduce them to the true Religion; but the Prince altered his Mind, and went into France to serve against the English. The Kings both of Caftile and Portugal, though they did not oppofe the papal Grant, yet complained of it, as made without their Knowledge, and in Contravention of their Rights.

The firft Settlement in the Canaries was made by John de Betancour, a French Gentleman, for whom his Kinfman Robin de Braquement, Admiral of France, begged them, with the Title of King, from Henry the Magnificent of Caftile, to whom he had done eminent Services. John made himfelf Mafter of fome of the Ifles, but could never conquer the Grand Canary, and having spent all that he had, went back to Europe, leaving his Nephew Maffiot de Betancour, to take Care of his new Dominion. Maffiot had a Quarrel with the VicarGeneral, and was likewife difgufted by the long Abfence of his Uncle, whom the French King de tained in his Service, and being able to keep his Ground no longer, he transferred his Rights to Don Henry, in Exchange for fome Districts in the Ma dera, where he fettled his Family.

Don Henry, when he had purchased those Islands, fent thither in 1424, two thousand five hundred Foot, and an hundred and twenty Horfe; but the Army was too numerous to be maintained by the

Country.

Country. The King of Caftile afterwards claimed them, as conquered by his Subjects under Betancour, and held under the Crown of Caftile by Fealty and Homage; his Claim was allowed, and the Canaries, were refigned.

It was the conftant Practice of Henry's Naviga tors, when they stopped at a defert Ifland, to land Cattle upon it, and leave them to breed, where neither wanting Room nor Food, they multiplied very faft, and furnished a very commodious Supply to thofe who came afterwards to the fame Place. This was imitated in fome Degree by Anfon, at the Ifle of Juan Fernandez.

The Ilands of Madera he not only filled with Inhabitants, affifted by Artificers of every Kind, but procured fuch Plants as feemed likely to flourish in that Climate, and introduced the Sugar Canes and Vines, which afterwards produced a very large Re

venue.

The Trade of Africa now began to be gainful, but a great Part of the Gain arofe from the Sale of Slaves, who were annually brought into Portugal by Hundreds, as Lafitau relates, and relates without any Appearance of Indignation or Compaffion; they likewife imported Gold Duft in fuch Quantities, that Alphonfus V. coined it into a new Species of Money called Crufades, which is ftill continued in Portugal.

In Time they made their Way along the South. Coaft of Africa, Eaftward to the Country of the Negroes, whom they found living in Tents, with out any political Inftitutions, fupporting Life with very little Labour by the Milk of their Kine, and Millet, to which thofe who inhabited the Coaft added Fish dried in the Sun. Having never feen the Natives or heard of the Arts of Europe, they . gazed with Aftonifhment on the Ships when they approached their Coafts, fometimes thinking them Birds, and fometimes Fishes, according as their Sails

5

*

Sails were fpread or lowered; and sometimes con ceiving them to be only Phantoms, which played to and fro in the Ocean. Such is the Account given by the Hiftorian, perhaps with too much Prejudice against a Negroe's Understanding; who tho he might well wonder at the Bulk and Swiftness of the first Ship, would fcarcely conceive it to be either a Bird or a Fifh; but having feen many Bodies floating in this Water, would think it what it really is, a large Boat; and if he had no knowledge of any Means by which feparate Pieces of Timber may be joined together, would form very wild Notions concerning its Conftruction, or perhaps fuppofe it to be a hollow Trunk of a Tree, from fome Country where Trees grow to a much greater Height and Thickness than in his own.

When the Portugueze came to land, they encreafed the Aftonishment of the poor Inhabitants, who faw Men clad in Iron, with Thunder and Lightning in their Hands. They did not understand each other, and Signs are a very imperfect Mode of Communication even to Men of more Knowledge than the Negroes, fo that they could not eafily negotiate or traffick: At laft the Portugueze laid Hands on fome of them to carry them home for a Sample; and their Dread and Amazement was raifed, fays Lafiteu, to the higheft Pitch, when the Europeans fired, their Cannons and Mufkets among them, and they faw their Companions fall dead at their Feet without any Enemy at Hand, or any visible Cause of their Deftruction.

On what Occafion, or for what Purpose, Cannons and Mufkets were discharged among a People harmlefs and fecure, by Strangers who without any Right visited their Coaft; it is not thought neceffary to inform us. The Portugueze could fear nothing from them, and had therefore no adequate Provocation; nor is there any Reason to believe but that they mur

dered