Volume 1

A new general collection of voyages and travels. Consisting of the most esteemed relations, which have been hitherto published in any language; comprehending everything remarkable in its kind, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

Date:
1745-1747
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new general collection of voyages and travels. Consisting of the most esteemed relations, which have been hitherto published in any language; comprehending everything remarkable in its kind, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    59/764 (page 25)
    ft 1498. De Gama. *The Compafs and Charts Xing vijits De Gama. By the Pop. This Town of Mozambik ftands in * fifteen Degrees s°uth : 'Inhere is a very good Harbour, with Ilenty of Provifions. It is inhabited by Moors, who trade to Sofa la, the Red Sea, and tn Ufe here. India, in great Ships which have no Decks and arc built without Nails; the Timber beina fewed togeth.er with Cayro, (or Ropes made of Coco Hulks) their Sails are Mats made of Palm Tree Leaves. Some of them made Ufe of the Compafs of a fquare Figure : They have alfo Charts. The Land about the Town is low and unhealthy. The Houfes are built with Hurdles, only that of the Sheikh, and the Masjed, or Mofk,'had Walls of Mud. The Inhabitants were Foreigners and Mo¬ hammedans: The Natives of the Continent are black. 1 his Place was ever much efteemed by the Portuguese, as being a moil: fecure Port to winter in. It lies between ghiiloa to the North and the Mine of Sofa la to the South. The Sheikh, and the reft of the A'loovs, takin° the P01 tugueze for Turks or Aloors of fome other Place, immediately vifited Coello in his Ship ; but ftayed not long, becaufe there was none aboard who underftood the Language. The reft of the Ships having entered the Harbour, he fent them Prefents and Provifions, defiring Leave to come aboard. DeGama, in Return, fent him red Hats, lhort Gowns, Coral, Brafs Bafons, Hawks Bells, and other Things, which he made flight of; alk- mg what fuch Things were good for, and why the General did not fend him Scarlet? DeGama, - to prepare againft his Coming, ordered all the lick Men to be kept out of Sight; and all that were found in the reft of the Ships, to be fent to his: Caufing them to be fecretly armed, to pre¬ vent any Surprize from the Sheikh or his Attend¬ ants; who came well drefled in Silk, with Ivory Trumpets, and other Inftruments, playing all the while. He was tall and lean. He had on a kind of Shirt, which came down to his Heels, and over it another of Mekka Velvet. On his Head, a Silk Cap of various Colours, trimmed with Gold. At his Girdle he wore a Sword and Dagger ; and upon his feet, Silk Shoes. The General received him at the Entrance of the Ship; and brought him with fome of his People, into the Cabbln, the reft remaining in the Boats. De Gama apo¬ logized for not fending him Scarlet, as having brought none with him. The Sheikh and his Company eat and drank very heartily of the Ban¬ quet prepared for them. He afked, whether they were Turks, becaufe they were White; and de- fired a Sight of their Bows, and Books of their Law: De Gama anfwered, they were not from Turky, but of a great Ivingdom bordering there¬ on ; that they had no Books of their Law with them: But he (hewed them certain Crofs-bows, tugueze. 25 a which were fiiot off before him ; with fome Ar- 1 iqS. mour, which he wondered at. At this Meeting, De Gama. lJe Gama had. Intelligence, that from thence to Kalekut, were nine hundred Leagues; and that it was neceffary for him to take a Pilot of this Coun- [T condu<ft him, on Account of the many p102ls T/ay. He underftood alfo, that . rfer./ °bPs Country was far from thence with¬ in Land. De Gama then requefted two Pilots of the Sheikh, left onefhould die. The Sheikh made b him a Promife of fuch ; and at another Vifit brought them with him, To each was given -thirty Crowns and a Coat; and ope of them was to remain continually aboard, while they ftayed in the Harbour. J Suppojing them to be Turks, No t wi t h s t a n d i n g a 11 this feemingFriend - Dejigns 1, lhip, the Moors finding, that DeGama and hisdtfUaJthem. Men were not Turks, but Chriftians, contrived to deftroy them, and take their Ships. This having been difeovered to them by one of the Pilots, d] c Gama thought fit to remove to an Bland, a Leaaue from Mozambik. The Ships being thus fecure againft any^ Attempt, De Gama went in his Boat to Mozambik, to demand the other Pilot. Pre- fently feveral Boats with armed Moors approached, cahmg to them to come into the Harbour, which the Pilot in De Gama’s Boat advifed him to do; for that otherwife the Sheikh would not deliver the Pilot who was on Shore. De Gama fuppofing, that he gave that Advice in order to efcape, com- d manded the Men to confine him, and (hoot at the Boats with Ordnance. This alarming the Ships, they moved forward to the General’s Af- fiftance, which the Moors feeing, fled too faft to be overtaken. A few Days after, a white Moor came on Attempts t* board the Ships from the Governor, expreflingt!!fnare then:. Concern at the Breach of Amity, and offering to renew’ the fame; which the General refufed, un- lefs his Pilot fhould be fent him. Soon after, e theie came a Moor with his Son, defiring to be carried to Melinda, (lying in the Way to Kalekut) in order to return to Mekka, from whence he faid he came as a Pilot; telling De Gama, that it was in vain to wait for an Anfwer from the Sheikh, who, he wasaffured, would make no Peace with him, as being a Chriftian. The Ships being in Want of Water, they entered the Plarbour of Mozambik a fecond Time, and with their Boats f took it away by Force ; the Moors keeping at a Dtftance for Fear of the Ordnance. T he twenty- fourth of March, a Moor braving the Fleet from tlie Shore, De Gama to revenge that, and other Injuries, manned out the Boats with Ordnance; and after driving a Body of Moors from the Shore, who came to oppofe his Landing, and taking a few, (among whom there happened to be a Pilot) VOL. I. N* II. * De Faria puts it in 140. 30'. E deftroyed