A F R 
furprifed to find, that the torrid zone, contrary to the 
opinion of the ancients, who imagined it to be burnt up 
with heat, was not only habitable, but fertile and popu¬ 
lous. In 1484, they proceeded 1500 miles beyond the 
line; fo that they began to entertain hopes of finding that 
way a paffage to the Eaft Indies: and, two years after¬ 
wards, the Cape of Good Hope was difcovered by Bar¬ 
tholomew de Diaz ; but it was not till the year 1497, that 
the Portuguefe, under Vafquez de Gama, actually dou¬ 
bled this cape, and difcovered the true lhape of the con¬ 
tinent. Thus the coafts of Africa were made perfectly 
known; and probably the knowledge concerning its inte¬ 
rior parts would have been much greater than it is, had 
not the general attention been called off from this conti¬ 
nent by the difcovery of America, in 1492. 
The Romans for a long time maintained their power in 
Africa : but, in the year 426, Bonifacius, fupreme govern¬ 
or of all the Roman dominions in this quarter, being com¬ 
pelled to revolt by the treachery of another general called 
Aetius, and finding himfelf unable to contend with the 
whole ftrength of the Roman empire, called in Genferic 
king of the Vandals to his aid; who thereupon abandoned 
the provinces he had feized in Europe, and paffed over 
into Africa. Bonifacius, however, being foon after re¬ 
conciled to his emprefs, Placidia, endeavoured in vain to 
perfuade the Vandals to retire. Hereupon a war enfued, 
in which the barbarians proved vidtorious, and quickly 
over-ran all the Roman provinces in Africa. In the year 
435, a peace was concluded; when Numidia and fome 
other countries were ceded to the Vandals, who foon after 
feized all the reft. Thefe barbarians did not long enjoy 
their ill-gotten poffeftions : for, about the year 533, Be- 
lifarius drove them out, annexing the provinces to the 
eaftern empire; and, in 647, the Saracens having con¬ 
quered Mefopotamia, Egypt (which anciently was not in¬ 
cluded in the meaning of the word Africa), Phenicia, 
Arabia, and Paleftine, broke like a torrent into Africa, 
which they quickly fubdued. Their vaft. empire being, 
anno 936, divided into feven kingdoms, the African ftates 
retained their independency long after the others were 
fubdued by the Turks : but, in the beginning of the fix- 
jteenth century, being afraid of falling under the yoke of 
Spain, they invited the Turks to their afliftance, who firlt 
protected, and then enllaved, them. They ftill continue 
in a kind of dependence on the Ottoman empire. They 
are not, however, properly fpeaking, the fubje&s of the 
Grand Signior, but call him their protester, paying him 
an annual tribute. On the coafts, the natives are almoft 
all addided to piracy; and, with fuch fuccefs have they 
carried on their employment, that the greateft powers in 
Europe are become their tributaries, in order to procure 
liberty to trade on the Mediterranean. 
Concerning even thofe ftates which are neareft to Eu¬ 
rope, very little is known: but the interior nations are 
fcareely known, by name; nor do almoft any two of the 
mod learned moderns agree in their divilion of Africa into 
kingdoms; and the reafon is, that fcareely any traveller 
hath ever penetrated into thefe inhofpitable regions. Ac¬ 
cording to the belt accounts, concerning thofe regions of 
Africa lying beyond Egypt and Barbary, they are divided 
in the following manner:—On the weftern coaft, to the 
fouth of Barbary, lie the kingdoms of Bildulgerid, Zaa- 
ra, Negroland, Loango, Congo, Angola, Benguela, and 
Terra de Natal. On the eaftern coaft, beyond Egypt, are 
thofe of Nubia, Adel, Ajan, Zanguebar (between thefe 
two a huge defert is interpofed), Monomotapa, and So- 
fola. In the interior parts the kingdoms of Lower Ethio¬ 
pia, Abex, Monemuge, and Matanan, are mentioned. 
The fouthernmoft part, called Caffraria, is well known 
for the habitation of the Hottentots. 
In many material circumftances, the inhabitants of this 
extenfive continent agree with each other. If we except 
the people of Abyffmia, who are tawny,-and who profefs 
a mixture of Chrillinnity, Judaifm, and Paganifm, they 
are all of .a black .complexion. In their religion, .except 
A F R 1S7 
on the fea-ccafts, which have been vifited and fettled by 
ftrangers, they are Pagans; and the form of government 
is every where monarchical. Few princes, however, pof- 
fefs a very extenlive jurifdidtion; for, as the natives of 
this part of Africa are grofsly ignorant in ail the arts of 
utility or refinement, they are little acquainted with one 
another ; and generally united in fmall focieties, each go¬ 
verned by its own prince. In Abyffinia, indeed, as well 
as in Congo, Loango, and Angola, we are told of powerful 
monarchs; but, on examination, it is found that the au¬ 
thority of thefe princes Hands on a precarious footing, 
each tribe or feparate body of their fubjedts being under 
the influence of a petty chieftain of their own, ftyled Ne¬ 
gus, to whofe commands, however contrary to thofe of 
the Negafcha Negafcht, or king of kings, they are al¬ 
ways ready to fubmit. 
The fertility of a country fo prodigioufiy extenfive, 
might be fuppofed more various than we find it is : in fadt, 
there is no medium in this part of Africa with regard to 
the advantages of foil; it is either perfectly barren, or 
extremely fertile. This arifes from the intenfe heat of 
the fun; which, where it meets with fufficient moifture, 
produces the utmoft luxuriancy ; and, in thofe countries 
where there are few rivers, reduces the furface of the 
earth to a barren fend. Of this fort are the countries of 
Anian and Zaara*; which, for want of water, and confe- 
quently of all other neceffaries, are reduced to perfect de¬ 
fects, as the name of the latter denotes. In thofe coun¬ 
tries, on the other hand, where there is plenty of water, 
and particularly where the rivers overflow the land part 
of the year, as in AbylTinia, the productions of nature, 
both of the animal and vegetable kinds, are found in the 
higheft perfection and greateft abundance. The-countries 
of Mandingo, Ethiopia, Congo, Angola, Batua, Truti- 
cui, Monomotapa, Cafati, and Mehenemugi, are extreme¬ 
ly rich in gold and filver. The bafer metals, likewife, 
are found in thefe and many other parts of Africa. But 
the perfons of the natives make the moft confiderable ar¬ 
ticle in the traffic of this miferable quarter of the globe. 
On the Guinea or weftern coaft, the Englifh trade to 
James Fort, and other fettlements near and up the river 
Gambia; where they exchange their woollen and linen 
manufactures, their hardware, and fpirituous liquors, for 
the perfons of the natives. By the treaty of peace in 1783, 
the river of Senegal, with its dependencies, were given 
up to France. Gold and ivory, next to the flave-trade, 
form the principal branches of African commerce. Thefe 
are carried on from the lame coaft, where the Dutch and 
French, as well as the Englifh, have long had their Fet¬ 
tlements for this purpofe. / 
The Portuguefe are in poffeflion of the eaft and weft 
coaft of Africa, from the tropic of Capricorn to tire Equa¬ 
tor; which immenfe tract they became mailers of by their 
fucceflive attempts and happy difcovery and navigation of 
the Cape of Good Hope. From the coaft of Zanguebar, 
on the eaftern fide, they trade not only for the articles 
above-mentioned, but likewife for feveral others ; asfen- 
na, aloes, civet, ambergris, and frankincenfe. The Dutch 
had fettlements towards the fauthern part of the conti 
nent, in the country called Caffraria, or the land of the 
Hottentots, particularly Cape Town, which is well fortified; 
but, while this article was in the prefs, (Nov. 1795,) news 
is laid to have arrived that they were totally dilpoffeffed 
by the Englifh, who Isold thefe fettlements in trim for the 
ffadtholder. 
The Portuguefe, being fovereigns of the greateft part of 
the coaft, have a number of black princes their tributa¬ 
ries. There are fome independent princes who have ex- 
tenfive dominions; particularly the kings of Dahome and 
Widaliy the moft noted of any for the infamous flave- 
trade. Upwards of 200 years have the European nations 
traded with Africa in human fle/h ; and encouraged in the 
Negro countries wars, rapine, defolation, and murder, 
that the Weft-India iflands might be fupplied with that 
ypmmodity. The annual exportation of poor creatures 
✓ from 
