8 04 The Voyages and Obfervatiom of J. A. de Mandelfloe, Book I 
Lunda inftead of Money, there being a particular Governor 
appointed there for that Purpofe, who has the Overfight 
of it. 
The King of Congo governs with an arbitrary and un- 
controllable Powery both the Lives and Eftates of his Sub- 
jects being at his own Difpofal ; the Provinces are under the 
JurifdiCtion of certain Governors, among whom the Batta 
is the Head and conftant chief Minifter of State, being of 
the Blood-Royals which is the Reafon he fometimes eats at 
the King’s Table, (a thing not allowed even to the King’s 
Sons) but never fits down, but Hands all the Time. He has 
alone the Privilege of having the fame Pipers and Mufici- 
ans the King has, and of the Ufe of the Fire-arms for his 
Guard, of whom he keeps a good Number, to bridle the 
Infolence of a certain People living upon the Nile, called 
Giaquer , who make frequent Inroads into the Territories, 
of which Notice is given into the Country by the difcharg- 
ing of a Mulket. The Province of Bombay , however, is 
accounted the Bulwark of this Kingdom for though the 
Province of Batta is able to raife above feventy-thoufand 
fighting Men, whereas that of Bombay is only able to raife 
40,000, yet are the firft not to be compared to the laft. 
They ufe great broad Swords like the Swifs , and handle 
them with as much Activity as we do our Rapiers. They 
make ufe alfo of Darts, and Bucklers, the laft of which 
are made of the Barks of Trees. They have no Cavalry; 
their Armies, which are divided into Brigades, confift on- 
ly of Foot, who engage all at a Time. The General 
keeps in the Centre, and by the Help of their warlike In- 
ftruments, called Manigio , gives the Signals to the Com- 
manders when to attack, to retreat,, to clofe, or to open. 
Their Trumpets are of Wood, and make a moft dreadful 
Noife. Their Drums are made of the Barks of Trees, 
and are covered with Skin, and are beat with great Ivory 
Sticks ; befides thefe, they have another kind of Inftru- 
ment, being only an iron Plate of a triangular Form, 
which they beat with Sticks ; they have alfo a Way of hol- 
lowing the Elephant’s Teeth, and then blow them as we do 
our Bugle Horns ; with thofe Inftruments the Commanders 
of the Army anfwer the Signal given them by the Ge- 
neral. 
The Portugueze were the firft who introduced the Chrifi 
tian Religion here, under the Reign of John II. the 
King, who, as we told you, fent Diego Can and John 
Alonfo- dd Avero , into thofe Parts. It was about that Time 
that Caramanfo King of Congo fent Cafula his Ambaffador 
to the King of Portugal , who being baptized there, was 
fent back with three Portugueze Ships, commanded by 
Gonfalo de Sonfo ; but in touching at Cape de Verd , both 
died there of the Plague. Ruy de Sonfa , who fucceeded 
In the Command, being forced into the Port of Finda , in 
the Province of Songo , the Governor of the Place, who 
was Unde to the King of Congo , was baptized with 
all his Family, whofe Footfteps were followed by the 
King and Queen, being named John and Eleanor. Ema- 
nuel King of Portugal fent another Squadron thither in 
1 504 ; but, foon after the Difcovery of the Indies , and 
ProfpeCt of greater Advantages to be reaped from thence, 
occafioned the Difcontinuance of thofe Voyages to the 
African Coaft ; the Foundations of Religion were alfo neg- 
lected by the Portugueze, which the Dutch improving to 
their Advantage, introduced their Traffick, and with it 
the Proteftant Religion. 
We told you before, that Diego Can difeovered Congo ; 
let us. now fee what became of his Comrade John Alonfo 
dd Auero. He, about the fame Time, made a Difcovery of 
the Kingdom of Beny , betwixt Mina and Congo. Its 
Length is eighty Leagues, and its Breadth forty. The 
City of Angatoe is at twelve Leagues Diftance from the 
Sea, and fomewhat further in the Country, upon thp Ri- 
ver called Rio Formofo by the Portugueze , its capital City 
bearing the fame Name with the Kingdom. The King 
of Beny having engaged in a Treaty with Alonfo , was al- 
fo baptized ; but this Converiion being not founded upon 
any real Knowledge of the Principles of the Chriftian Re- 
ligion, was of no longer Continuance than the Traffick of 
the Portugueze in thefe Parts, which was neglected as foon 
as they had made -a Difcovery of the Paffage by Sea to 
the Indies . 
26. Cape de Verde is by Ptolomy called Pr onto ntcriu ni 
Arfmarium, and put in io° 40' on this Side of the Line, 
whereas, by our own Obfervation, we can pofitivdy affirm 
it to be m 14° 20', betwixt the two Rivers of Senaga and 
Gambra , or Gambia , called by Ptolomy Durago, and StachF 
ris, and which, according to his Opinion, are very fmall ones, 
the Sources of which are unknown, whereas it is beyond all 
Queftion, that they arife out of two Lakes, one of which 
is by the faid Ptolomy called Palm Chelondies , now the Lake 
of Goaga, and the other that of Naha, tho 3 fome of the Inha- 
bitants are of Opinion, that they have their Rife from the 
Nile. It is called the Cape de Verde , from the many Trees 
near it, and their conftant V erdure. Ptolomy Wo mentions no- 
thing of there two Rivers falling into the Sea, whereas it has 
been found fince, that the River Gambia , after being join- 
ed by the Waters of diverfe other Rivers, in the Province 
of Mandiga, difembogues into the Ocean in 130 30', and 
that die River Senaga running direCtly from Eaft to Weft 
falls in 15 30 1 , into the River Gehy , which has imparted 
its Name to that Country we call Guinea. As it is cer- 
tain, . that Ptolomy had no Knowledge of the Inhabitants 
betwixt thofe two Rivers, fo we muft rely entirely upon 
the Credit of thofe moderns Authors who have ffiven us 
their Relations concerning them. 
. The y tel1 us > th at a certain People called the Budumays „ 
inhabit the Eaftern Part of it as far as the Cape de Verde .. 
The Foules and Berbecines they place deeper in the Coun- 
try, upon the River Banaga to the North of the Jalofes 
fome of which are fubjeeft to the Foules , others to the Bu- 
dumays. It is a plain Country, producing Abundance of 
Cattle, Wine, Cotton, Wild-Fowl, Ivory, and Horfes, 
Gold, and Silver ; they have none but Iron in vaft Quan- 
tities : The Air is accounted very wholfome, and the In- 
habitants near the Cape de Verde good Horfemen. They 
are Pagans, and very famous for adminiftring juftice in 
publick Affairs, with a great deal of Equity, Prudence 
and Secrecy, thofe that are admitted into their Council^ 
or Courts of Judicature, being generally chofen by their 
Age and Experience. Tho’ they are ignorant of what 
belongs to martial Difcipline, fuch as is pradtifed in Eu- 
rope, yet is their Manner of difpofing ana ordering their 
F orces not to be palled by in Silence ; for all fuch as are able 
to bear Arms, being divided into certain Regiments under their 
refpehhve Commanders, have alfo their particular Di vifions of 
Quarters allotted them ; fo that in cafe of Neceffity, their 
Orders for appearing together in a Body being dilpatched 
from one Divifion to another, the Army is ready in a lit- 
Time to dc at the Rendezvous appointed, without the 
Trouble of any new Levies, the Sons fucceeding con- 
ftantly in their Father s Places, if they happen to die, fo 
that their Number is always compleat. They are not al- 
together ignorant of the Degrees of Nobility and Peafantry j 
for their Grandees they call Fkubala's , unto whom they 
pay more than ordinary Reverence, their King being al- 
ways chofen out of their Number, but he muft be thirty 
Years of Age at leaft. 7 
Not long after the Difcovery of the Country of th'e Ja- 
lofes by the Portugueze , one Bomi reigned in thofe Parts ; 
but being got into the Throne by finifter Means, and for- 
faken by moft of his Subjects, fought for Aid by John IL 
King of Portugal , who had him inftructed in the Chrifti- 
an Religion, and baptized, and fent him back with a 
good Squadron of Ships, under the Command of Pedro 
Vaz de Cogna, wno had pofitive Orders to eresft a Fort 
at the Entrance of the River Senaga , to facilitate their 
Penetration deeper into the Country. A Fort was built 
accordingly, but was by the faid Vaz. (but for what Rea- 
fan is unknown) demoiiihed again, and being feverely 
upbraided upon this Account by King Beom-i, he killed him 
with his own Hands, and fo returned to Portugal , where 
he was never called to an Account for his treacherous Pro- 
ceedings. 
Thofe Hands which the Portugueze call Ilhas Verde / 
and the Dutch , Salt Hands, lie diredtiy oppofite to Cape 
de V erde, yet fo that the neareft of them is feventy, and 
the moft remote one hundred and fixty Leagues diftant 
from the Continent, which makes me imagine, that thofe 
who would have them to be Gorgonides of Ptolomy , are. 
under a Miftake, fince it is not very probable, that he, 
who 
