eggs, in exchange for two of the Moors, and, returning with his cargo, excites general admiration on account of the colour of the flaves.* These, then, we may prefume, are the first black First black flaves that made their appearance in the Peninsula the Peninfince the extinction of the old slavery.

I am not ignorant that there are reasons for alleging that Negroes had before this era been feized and carried to Seville. In the ecclefiaftical annals of Ortiz de Zuñiga under the date 1474, we are told that negro flaves abounded in that city, and that the fifths levied on them produced confiderable gains to the royal revenue; it is also mentioned that there had been traffic of this kind in the days of Don Enrique the Third, about 1399, but that it had fince then fallen into the hands of the Portuguese. The Chronicler ftates that the Negroes of Seville were treated very kindly from the time of King Enrique, being allowed to keep their dances and festivals; and that one of them was named "mayoral" of the reft, who protected them against their masters, and before the courts of law, and also settled their own private quarrels. There is a letter from Ferdinand and Isabella in

* "Entraron en el Reyno con admiracion comun, caufada del color de los esclavos."-Faria y Soufa, tom. 1, part 1, cap. 1.

flaves in

fula.

the year 1474, to a celebrated negro, Juan de Valladolid, commonly called the " Negro Count," (el Conde Negro) nominating him to this office of " mayoral of the negroes," which runs thus.

"For the.many good, loyal, and signal services which you have done us, and do each day, and because we "know your fufficiency, ability, and good difpofition, "we conftitute you mayoral and judge of all the negroes and mulattoes, free, or flaves, which are in the very loyal and noble city of Seville, and throughout the "whole Archbishopric thereof, and that the faid negroes and mulattoes may not hold any feftivals, nor "pleadings amongst themselves, except before you Juan “de Valladolid, negro, our judge and mayoral of the "faid negroes and mulattoes; and we command that cc you, and you only, fhould take cognizance of the dif putes, pleadings, marriages and other things which may take place amongst them, forasmuch as you are a "perfon fufficient for that office, and deferving of cc your power, and you know the laws and ordinances "which ought to be kept, and we are informed that you "are of noble lineage amongst the faid negroes." +

But all this merely shows that in the year 1474 there were many negroes in Seville, and that laws and ordinances had been made about them. These

negroes might all, however, have been imported

+ Ortiz de Zuñiga. Madrid, 1677. Annales de Sevilla. p. 374.

into Seville, fince the Portuguese discoveries. True it is that in the times of Don Enrique the Third and during Béthencourt's occupation of the Canary Islands, flaves from thence had been brought to France and Spain: but these islanders were not negroes, and it certainly may be doubted whether any negroes were imported into Seville previous

to 1443.

Returning to Portuguese affairs, the hiftorian Faria y Soufa tells us, that the gold obtained by Gonçalvez "awakened, as always, covetouf" nefs." The next year Nuño Tristan went further down the African coast, and off the island of Adeget, one of the Arguim Islands, captured 80 natives, and brought them to Portugal. These, however, were not negroes, but Azenegues.

Prince Henry in favour

with his

country

The tide of popular opinion was now not merely turned, but in full flow in favour of Prince Henry and his discoveries. The discoverers are found to come back rich in flaves and other commodities; whereas it is remembered that in former men. wars and undertakings, thofe who had been engaged came back in great distress. Strangers, too, came from afar scenting the prey. A new mode of life, as the Portuguese faid, had been found out for them; and we are told that "the

1444.

Company of adven

turers for

further difcovery.

greater part of the kingdom was moved with a " sudden defire to follow this way to Guinea."*.

In 1444, a company is formed at Lagos, who receive permiffion from the prince to go upon these discoveries, paying him a certain portion of the proceeds. This has been confidered as a company founded for carrying on the flave trade, but I do not think that we have evidence to show that its founders meant this to be its purpose. It might rather be compared to an expedition sent out, as we should say in modern times, with letters of marque, in which, however, the prizes chiefly hoped for are not ships or merchandize, but men. After getting fome oftriches' eggs, the first thing the expedition does, is to attack the inhabitants of the islands Nar and Tider, and to bring back about two hundred flaves.† I grieve to say that we do not find our great discovering prince putting a check to any of these doings, but, on the contrary, he rewards with large honours Lançarote, one of the principal men of this expedition, and receives his own fifth of the

*Barros, dec. 1, lib. 1, cap. 8.

+ Barros does not say of what race these slaves were, but merely calls them "almas." Faria y Soufa gives them the name of "Moors," a very elastic word. I imagine that they were Azenegues.

flaves. Yet I have fcarcely a doubt that the words of the hiftorian are substantially true,—that discovery, not gain, was still the prince's leading idea.* We have an account from an eye-witness of the partition of the flaves brought back by Lançarote, which, as it is the first tranfaction of the kind on record, is worthy of notice, more especially as it may enable us to understand the motives of the prince, and of other men of those times. It is to be found in the Chronicles of Azurara. The good chronicler is torn to the heart at the forrow he witnesses, but still believes it to be for good; and that he must not let his mere earthly commiferation get the better of his piety.

"O thou heavenly Father," he exclaims," who, with thy powerful hand, without movement of thy divine ef"fence, governest all the infinite company of thy holy "city, and who draweft together all the axles of the upper "worlds, divided into nine spheres, moving the times "of their long and fhort periods as it pleases thee! I "implore thee that my tears may not condemn my "confcience, for not its law, but our common huma

* Porque huma das coufas, que o Infante naquelle tempo trazia ante os olhos, e em que o mais podiam comprazer, e servir, era em aquelle defcubrimento, por fer coufa, que elle plantára, e creára com tanta industria, e despeza.—Barros, dec. 1, lib. 1, cap. 8.