THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 435 



the coafl of Africa, in the kingdom of Sofala, the main- 

 land opposite to Madagascar, there are mines of gold and 

 filver, than which none can be more abundant, eipecially 

 in filver. 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 

 vear 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 diilance from thefe are the filver 

 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 flraw, 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 

 built 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 r, fpeaking of David, fays, that he built ihips at 

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



3 I 2 calls 



* See the map cf this voyage, f Apud Eufeb. Prcep. Evang. lib. 9. 



