THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 43i 



ihc coaft of Africa, in the kingdom of Sofala, the main- 

 land oppofite to Madagascar, there are mines of gold and 

 filver, than which none can be more abundant, efpecially 

 in fdver. They bear the traces of having been wrought 

 from the earlieft ages. They were actually open and work- 

 ing when the Portuguefe conquered that part of the pe- 

 ninfula, and were probably given up fince the difcovery 

 of the new world, rather from political than any other rea- 

 fons. 



John Dos Santos fays, that he landed at Sofala in the 

 year 1586 ; that he failed up the great river Cuama as far as 

 Tete, where, always defirous to be in the neighbourhood of 

 gold, his Order had placed their convent. Thence he pene- 

 trated for above two hundred leagues into the country, and 

 faw the gold mines then working, at a mountain called A- 

 fura *". At a confiderable diftance from thefe are the fdver 

 mines of Chicoua; at both places there is great appearance of 

 ancient excavations; and at both places the houfes of the 

 kings are built with mud and ftraw, whilft there are large 

 remains of many buildings of Hone and lime. 



It is a tradition which generally obtains in that country, 

 that thefe works belonged to the Queen of Saba, and were 

 luiilt at the time, and for the purpofe of the trade on the 

 Red Sea : this tradition is common to all the Cafrs in 

 that country. Eupolemus, an ancient author quoted by 

 Eufebius f, fpeaking of David, fays, that he built fhips at 

 Eloth, a city in Arabia, and thence lent miners, or, as he 



3 I 2 calls 



* S:e the map of this voyage. f Apud Eufeb. Proep. Evang. lib. 9. 



