DISCOVERIES m THE ANCIENTSv 
far as Prasum ; and, as Marinus believed, mucfe 
farther, till it joined the eastern coast of Asia* 
M. Gosselin has endeavoured to prove, that the 
ancient Rhapta was situated at the mouth of the 
Doara, and that Prasum was the modern Brava ^ # 
thus allowing only a very limited navigation along 
the eastern coast. But there seems room for pre- 
ferring Dr Vincent's- exposition, from two circum- 
stances ; first, the succession of estuaries, described 
in the Periplus, which can be found nowhere 
till the point assigned by that author ; next, the 
change of direction in the coast, from south-west 
to south-east j which nothing within M. Gosse- 
lin's limits seems at all likely to have suggested, f 
I should not be inclined, however, to extend Pra- 
sum beyond Cape Delgado ; after which the 
eastern direction of the coast would no longer ex- 
ist. The total omission of the mention of gold, 
seems to forbid the idea of any approach towards 
Sofala. $ 
It remains only to consider the attempts made 
to explore the interior of the African continent. 
This region, to the ancient world, inspired always 
* Geographie Ancienne, I. 188, &c 
f Mr Salt remarks the mouth of the Doara, as the point 
where the direction of the coast changed from almost due 
south to south-tcerf, which makes it very improbable that 
the navigators should here have supposed that they were 
changing from west to east. 
1Q 
