HAMILTON — SALT. 
culiar care was taken to convert them to the 
Christian faith, in the profession of which some of 
them became eminent, and were even raised to 
the character of priests. 
Mr Salt, who visited Mosambique in 1809, has 
favoured us with the only recent description of 
this part of Africa. This settlement retained few 
traces of the strength and importance which once 
distinguished it. The fort was indeed advanta- 
geously situated, and defended by eighty pieces 
of cannon ; but these were in a state of total 
neglect, and covered with the rust of antiquity. 
Some of them were dated I66O, and one, calcu- 
lated for throwing balls of 100 lbs. weight, ap- 
peared to be of Turkish origin. The garrison 
consisted merely of a few sentries, some confined 
felons, and two or three old women. In short, 
the state of defence was such, that a trader of 
Mocha undertook, if he were furnished with a 
hundred good Arabian troops, to drive the Por- 
tuguese at once out of this metropolis of Eastern 
Africa. 
In the interior of the government house, there 
still appeared traces of the ancient vice-regal mag- 
nificence. Tea was set out in a service of pure 
gold, and the negro attendants were profusely 
loaded with ornaments of that metal. According 
to an ancient custom, the governor's house was 
