STAGNATION OF EUROPEAN INFLUENCE 85 



was to pay an annual subvention of rolls of cloth. 

 These arrangements satisfactorily concluded, the 

 Captain-General returned to the coast. Thus 

 ended the last attempt made by the Portuguese 

 to obtain forcible possession of the kingdom of 

 Monomotapa, and the disasters which had attended 

 the attempts already made, left European prestige 

 on the Zambezi at a lower ebb than it had ever 

 reached since the appearance of the Portuguese on 

 these coasts. 



Glancing for a moment at the actual condition 

 of this portion of East Africa, we find that at the 

 end of the sixteenth century, although on the Zam- 

 bezi itself beyond Sena but little had been accom- 

 phshed, Sofala was at the height of its importance ; 

 was guarded by a fine stone fortress with wide 

 bastions and heavy guns ; contained three churches, 

 described by dos Santos as of sufficient size and 

 pleasing appearance, and in all nearly 1,000 bap- 

 tised Christians, forming a settlement of merchants, 

 whose interests not only identified themselves with 

 the export of gold and ivory from Quiteve and 

 Manica, but with pearls, amber, and tortoiseshell 

 from Bocicas (Bazaruto), ambergris from the Sabi, 

 and wax and other valuable native products from 

 all parts of the territory. European influence on 

 the Zambezi itself must have terminated not far 

 above Sena, where we are told the small stone fort 

 contained both light and heavy artillery, with the 

 exception of the outlying settlement of Tete, which 

 contained about forty Portuguese living, it can 

 only be supposed, in an uncomfortable condition 

 of constant nervous tension. In the country of 



