1481. at La Mi na. Africa to Fernando Gomez for five years at one thousand ducats a year, upon certain conditions, one of which was that he should advance the difcovery along the coaft, beginning from Sierra Leone, three hundred miles in the course of each of the five years. * Fernando Gomez, by his captains Juan de Santarem and Pedro de Efcobar, discovered the Gold Coast, which they called Oro de la Mina, and gained great riches which he expended in aid of the King's expeditions against the Moors. He was in confequence ennobled, and received the name of El Mina. Fernando Po discovered the island of Formofa, now called by the name of the discoverer. The laft difcovery in the life of King Alfonfo was that of Cape Catharina. Don Juan the Second fucceeded to his father Don Alfonfo. This king was very earnest in Fort built African discovery. He resolved that a fort should be built at La Mina; and for this purpose sent an expedition under Diego de Azambuja with fix hundred men, (five hundred foldiers and one hundred artizans), and the fort already made in separate pieces, as we now fend out palaces for native chiefs, or lighthouses, to diftant parts. * Barros, dec. 1, lib. 2, cap. 2. The account of the proceedings of this expedition is interesting. On the arrival of the ships at La Mina, Azambuja jumps on shore to take poffeffion, fixes the Portuguese flag upon a tree, raises an altar at the foot of the tree, and causes mass to be faid, the first ever said in those parts. The Portuguese commander then prepares to receive the negro king with due pomp. The king arrives, surrounded by a large company of his fubjects well armed. Their helmets, however, made of skins were fuch as to provoke "more mirth than terror." Their king's arms and legs were covered with ornaments of gold. On his neck was a chain with bells suspended to it, like that of the firft mule in a fet. Before him went the band, with numerous and various inftruments, producing "more noife than harmony." The inftruments were fuch as are well known, timbrels, horns, and bells. The negro king arrives himself, "serene and severe,” and the Portuguese captain comes forward to meet him, "magnificent in dress and grave in aspect." The king takes the hand of the other in fign of peace, and the ceremonious part of the matter being ended, Azambuja makes known the propofition he had brought from his master (here we must take the very words of the hiftorian), "which was to F "make the negro king understand first the way "of the catholic rites, and then to hide from him "the way of our covetousness, asking leave to "make a house in which our people could live; " and force was to be used to compel them, if it "should be neceffary." "I do not," fays the candid hiftorian," imagine that I fhall perfuade the "world that our intent was only to be preachers; "but on the other hand the world muft not fancy "that our intent was merely to be traders."* The Portuguese captain was liftened to with "marvellous filence," and the propofition touching the Christian faith well received: the other about building a fort was liftened to very coldly. The negro king was not fo dull as to be without an unpleasant forefight of what this fort-building might come to. However, the Portuguese captain preffed the point, and the negro king gave it up, and took himself away. The Portuguese artizans began forthwith to work, but unfortunately commenced upon a rock that was held facred, upon which the negroes rushed upon them. Azambuja diverted this danger by an instant dis Yo no imagino perfuadir al mundo que nueftro intento era folo el de fer predicadores, a trueque de que èl no imagine, que era folo el de fer mercaderes.-Faria y Soufa, tom. 1, part 1, cap. 3. tribution of presents, which foothed the negroes: completely, thus verifying the proverb, says the hiftorian, that "gifts break through rocks.” The castle was built, and called the fort of St. George. Azambuja being made lieutenant, ruled for three years, and came out of his employment with applause, "a difficult thing to attain amongst "the Portuguese." The writer might have added amongst all people; for second-hand authority has within it the elements of decay and disapprobation, meeting with that criticism and supervifion when alive which in the case of other authority is often poftponed until after its death. 1484. The King of Portugal about this time takes the title of "Lord of Guinea," and defires his captains to leave more formal notice of their discoveries at the place of discovery: to set up ftones, declaring " the king, the captain, and the time; by whofe order, by whom, and when” the discovery was made. The firft captain fent out after this order was Diego Cam; and Martin Congo difBehaim, the great aftronomer and geographer, is Diego faid to have accompanied him. They discovered Cam. the kingdom of Congo: and, at the request of the king of Congo, took back fome of the fons of the principal men to be baptized, and to learn the Christian faith. Diego Cam was also bearer of a covered by Cape, of Hope dif covered. request that priests should be sent to Congo. The king of Benin, a territory between the Gold Coast and Congo, made at this time a similar request, by an ambaffador fent to the king of Portugal. This ambaffador, while at Lisbon, happens to fpeak about a greater power in Africa than his master, to whom indeed his master is the vassal, which instantly sets the Portuguese king thinking about Prefter John,—the search after whom is in the hiftory of discovery what alchemy was to chemistry. The king concludes that this greater power must be Prefter John. Bartholomew Diaz and two other captains are accordingly fent out on further discovery. They do not find Prefter John, but get as far as a cape which from experience they call Cape Stormy, but which their mafter, seeing in its discovery an omen of better things, re-names as the Cape of Good Hope. Here we have got down the coast nearly to the fouthernmost point, and fhall foon be curving round in due course to India. But expeditions by fea were not the only modes of discovery undertaken by the Portuguese in the Expedi- reign of John the Second of Portugal. Pedro de Covilham and Alfonfo de Paiva went on an en tion by land to Prefter John's terprize of discovery mainly by land. The latter Country. died at Cairo: the former made his way to Can 1487. |