226 EASTERN AFRICA. 



at the reception given to him at Quiloa and Mombasa, landed 

 and took possession of both these cities. In 1 508, permis- 

 sion was obtained to erect a fort at Mozambique, by means 

 of which the Portuguese soon expelled the Arabs, and be- 

 came complete masters of the town. Attracted by its vici- 

 nity to the gold mines, and its convenience as a place of re- 

 freshment for their fleets, they made it the capital of the:, 

 possessions in Eastern Africa. Melinda also, which had 

 long shown such a friendly disposition to Europeans, be- 

 came at last unable to endure the insulting spirit of the 

 Mohammedans ; a quarrel arose, and that city was added to 

 the dominion of the Portuguese. They were now masters 

 of an immense range of coast, fully 2000 miles in length, 

 on which they held all the principal positions, though 

 without extending their sway to any distance into the in- 

 terior. 



About 1569, the Portuguese made two vigorous attempts, 

 under Nugnez Barreto and Vasco Fernandez, to advance 

 into the country behind Mozambique, chiefly with the view 

 of reaching the mines of gold, the produce of which was 

 brought in considerable quantities down the Zambese to 

 Sofala. They penetrated a considerable way up the river, 

 on the banks of which they erected the forts of Sena and 

 Tete. Its upper course was found overhung by steep and 

 precipitous rocks, belonging to the mountainous range of 

 Lupala, which here crosses its channel. They arrived at 

 Zimbao, the capital of Quiteve, or king of Motapa, and even 

 at the gold mines of Manica ; but, instead of the expected 

 profusion of this precious metal, they found that, as in other 

 parts of Africa, it was laboriously extracted in small quan- 

 tities from the extraneous substances in which it is imbed- 

 ded. On this expedition they had frequent encounters with 

 the natives, who were always beaten in the field ; but the 

 Europeans were so harassed by long marches, and by the 

 scarcity of provisions, that they finally returned in a very 

 exhausted state, and without having been able to establish 

 any permanent dominion over that vast extent of country. 



As the energy of the Portuguese government declined, its 

 sway over these colonies was reduced within limits which 

 always became narrower. In 1631, the people of Mom- 

 basa rose, made a general massacre of the Europeans, and 

 re-establishe4 their independence. About the end of the 



