I 
chap, ii.] WEST INDIES. 239 
In the year 1442 , while the Portuguese, under 
the encouragement of their celebrated prince Hen¬ 
ry, were exploring the coast of Africa, Anthony 
Gonsalez, who two years before had seized some 
Moors near Cape Bojador, was, by that prince, or¬ 
dered to carry his prisoners back to Africa: he 
landed them at Bio del-Oro , and received from the 
Moors in exchange, ten blacks, and a quantity of 
gold dust, with which he returned to Lisbon. 
The success of Gonsalez, not only awakened the 
admiration, but stimulated the avarice of his coun¬ 
trymen ; who, in the course of a few succeeding 
years, fitted out no less than thirty-seven ships in 
pursuit of the same gainful traffic. In 1481 the 
Portuguese built a fort on the Gold coast 3 ano¬ 
ther, sometime afterwards, on the island of Argu- 
in; and a third at Loan go Saint Paul’s, on the coast 
of Angola; and the king of Portugal took the title 
of lord of Guinea. 
So early as the year 1502 , the Spaniards began 
to employ a few negroes in the mines of Hispani¬ 
ola; but, in the year following, Ovando, the go¬ 
vernor of that island, forbad the further importa¬ 
tion of them; alleging, that they taught the In¬ 
dians all manner of wickedness, and rendered them 
less tractible than formerly.* So dreadfully rapid, 
however, was the decrease of these last-mentioned 
unfortunate people, as to induce the court of Spain, 
* Herrera, decad. I. lib. 5. c.12. 
