800 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



" 1402 A. D." (Abyss, chron., and M. Russel 250), Theodorus succeeded by Isaac, now king 

 of Abyssinia. — During his reign of fifteen years, the great reservoir supplying every house in Axum 

 with water, constructed by the abuna Samuel. 



"May 1st" (Bont. I, and Major edit. Bethenc), Jean de Bethencour, a Norman knight, having 

 conceived the project of converting and conquering the Canary Islands, frequented for the purpose of 

 carrying away the inhabitants as slaves, and taking with him his two chaplains Jean le Verrier and 

 Pierre Bontier, sailing from Rochelle. After visiting Spain, where he was brought before the king's 

 Council on a charge of piracy but was released, he sailed from Cadiz ; and arriving at Lancerote " in 

 July," was allowed to build a fort, which he named Rubicon. Passing over to the neighbouring island 

 of Fuerteventura, he left his associate Gadifer de la Salle in general charge and returned to Spain. — 

 He here offered homage to Henry III. for the government of the Canary Islands ; the king, although 

 he had never heard of them, granted the desired supplies, and even the privilege of coining money. 

 Bethencourt returned to the islands in the autumn, and on " Thursday, Feb. 20th, 1404," the pagan king 

 of Lancerote begged and received baptism, together with the name of Louis. "June 25th," an unsuc- 

 cessful attack was made on the island of Grand Canary. "January, 1405," with the aid of converted 

 natives and after much fighting, the two kings of Fuerteventura at their own request received baptism. 

 Bethencourt now proceeded to France, and brought back a large number of emigrants ; was again 

 defeated on Grand Canary ; but removed the inhabitants of the island of Ferro, and settled French in 

 their place, and took final leave " Dec. 15th," Palma and the two largest and most populous islands, 

 Grand Canary and Teneriffe, remaining unsubdued. 



Euphorbia Cauariensis of the Canary Islands and neighbouring portion of Africa, as far as the 

 mountains of Yemen. A large cactiform spurge called in Yemen '■ kassas '' or " kassar " (Forsk.) ; 

 and the beautiful tree observed by Bontier 70 frequent on Fuerteventura, having brandies as large as 

 a man's arm full of milk of great medicinal value "en maniere de baulme," — is referred here by 

 Major edit. p. 134 : E. Canadensis is known to grow on the Canary Islands (Linn., Pers., and Lindl.). 

 Eastward, was observed by Forskal from Djobla to Tases on the mountains of Yemen, its milky 

 juice taken as a purgative. Transported to Europe, the plant is described by Commelyn hort. ii. pi. 

 104, and Blackwell pi. 340. 



Euphorbia piscaioria of the Canary Islands. A shrubby species of spurge called on Palma 

 "higerilla" (Von Bitch) ; used probably by the "fishermen" of Grand Canary; the brushwood use- 

 ful fur fuel and kind of wood called " hyguerres " seen by Bontier 69 to 71 on Lancerote, — may also 

 be compared. The juice of E. piscatoria is used on the Canaries for capturing fish, by poisoning the 

 water (Major edit. Bethenc. p. 131). The plant, transported to Europe, is described by Aiton ii. 137. 



" 1403 A. D. = 'young-lo,' 1st year of Tching-tsou-wen-ti " or Tching-tsou, "of the Ming" or 

 Twenty-third dynasty — (Chinese chron. taUe, and Pauth ). 



" In the 1st year young-lo " (topog. Cant.), the king <i the Si-yang-koue or Nation of the Western 

 Ocean (Orissa?) sent an ambassador ; —and three yens afterwards, another with tribute. In return, 

 the emperor wrote, appointing him king of Kou-li, and sen ling a seal of silver. In the fifth year, the 

 emperor ordered one of his eunuchs to send silk for his officers. 



" In this year (= 1st year young-lo," Remus, iii. 94), Tsian-pinhing, \Yang-tchhou, and other 

 Chinese officials sent to Cambodia to publish the investiture granted to the prince of that country : 

 whose dominion extended over certain districts where the people were entirely naked and ridiculed 

 persons wearing clothes. 



"The same year" (Alst p. 220), after an interval of "six years," Bajazet succeeded by his son 

 Suliman, fifth Turkish sultan. 



" The same year" (Bias Yalera, in G. de la Vega ii. 6), the initial point from which "the rears 

 of the last sun were reckoned " by " the people of Mexico and Peru." " All the gods that were' wor- 

 shipped, when the Spaniards first arrived in that land, were made and set up after the renewing of 

 the sun in the last age : and according to Gomara, each sun of these people contains eight hundred 

 and sixty years, though according to the account of the Mexicans themselves it was much less." 



Of musical instruments in use among the ancient Peruvians, the " pincullu " (flute), " chhilchiles '' 

 and chanares (timbrels and bells), huancar (a drum), tinya (a guitar of five or six chords), queppa (a 

 trumpet), ccuyvi (a whistle), huayllaca (a flageolet), and chayna (another kind of coarse flute) — are 

 enumerated by Rivero (Markh. edit. G. de la Vega i. p. 192). 



" 1404, May 31st" (edit. Markham 82), Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, ambassador from Henry III. of 

 Spain, passing mount Ararat on his way to the court of Timour. He reached Samarcand on " Mon- 

 day Sept. 8th, "was received with honour, but Timour falling dangerously ill, was dismissed by the 

 attendants "Nov. 18th," and set out on his return on the "21st." On " Thursday, the 25th of Decem- 

 ber, being Christmas clay, which ended the year of our Lord 1405," he left the great city of Baubartel 

 in Khorassan, — on " Saturday Feb. 2 1 st " slept at Sanga, and on " Saturday the last day of February " 

 reached Tabreez. 



