PROGRESSIVE
G eQ-
G R à P H Ï .
A F R I C A ;
i T h e prote&ron o f J o h n - I t king o f Portugal le f l'to ^M u r th e r d if c o .
i m m d n 1484 ; and-the ftars o f a n o t h e ^ m i -
fphere began ‘for fhfMmft'time to1'appear to afttaifhed-Europeans,
f e e s Were w W a i i i e d o f a maritime, paffage to . In d ia ^ a n d an
I p was difpatched to Abyffinia to f em e th e ’friendflkp of th e jn o -
‘‘narch. in cafe the circumnavigation (hould be completed^ Atfetegth,
in i4 8 6 , the c o n d u d o f a voyage for this purpofe, th e 'm o ft arduous at
th a t^m e attempted id modern Mftoryv was committed to B a r r i^m ew
Diaz, who difcovered hear a thopfend miles o f new country M at
lehgth' defcried that grand promontory, th e m ^ o f t ^ o u ^ e r n J im l of
Africa. But fuch was the violëhcé of the tempefts, that Diaz founéhxs
fleet unfit to navigate unknown feas, where the chance o£refitment*eas
u n c erta in ; and, after a voyage oTfixteen months, this great n ^ a t o r
was conftrained to return, having named the utmoft promontory § a b o
T o rm e n to fo , or the Cape o f T em p e fts; h u t king Jo h n , as a better, Otnen,
affigned the received appellation o f the Cape o f Good jggfPfg *_1V
Intelligence from Abyffinia having confirmed the poffibihty o f a paf-
fageTand trade with India, another expedition was inftituted.-whiclvwas
further ftimulated b y the grand difcoveries o f Colo» in 1492 ; a n f the
fuccefs o f Vafco de Gama, who, on the 2oth November 1497, 'pafled
the Cape o f Good H ope , and explored the eaftern cOafts o f Africa §
far as Melinda in Zanguebar, whence h a paflid to M i a an d arrived at
Calicut * a May 1498, is recorded as % moft diftingmflied period m
African geography. . . . . . ,T I ,.
But that o f the interior was deftined to remain in ©bfeunty, fhpagh,
early in the fixteenth century, Leo gave an ample defeription of^he
northern p a rts ; and Alvarez who vifited Abyffinia' in * ^® ,- ’i*ibliffied
a minute account o f th a t country ;* which was further illuftrated by
■ * One of thé heft tranflations of Leo * that in Engliih by Pory,-at the requeft
with a map and additions prefixed', containing all the. knowledge acquired^ that
' l6oö) folio. The work of Alvarez was tranflated from Portuguefe rnto Spanifh,. Antwe.p,
•I5I Sanüto publilhed a geography of A W in folioR Venice; and >" f É g g ;
per gave another at Amfterdam, which was copied in Ogilby’ s folio, London,
noted work was written in Spanilh, and the firft volume appeared at Granada 1573, folio. B
Ï Ï p r l l e d t h é chief S g S authority. The. Congo of Lopez was published at Rome .59-,
. 4to; andaLatintranllation 1598. The Decads of Barros began to appear 1560.
A F m m m 71s
thêfè'of Labo dndî Tellez, The;Bp®ug.pêfe^el^,b|ifliedjf&veral fadories P rogres-
ahcflfsttlahent^ in .*fthe, weft;?.ini order the |rade in gold and ' *0'*™*°*
ivory afea’nd the additional title of/kyag^pf Guippa» bijbeen aflufiied by
th^PE>orta,gu<C^'-rifonaï(?h!S^E<lih)e^cç.opjÈïtsvofi>lîhe; mi^onaries gradually
enlarged fths' knowledge of African t geography. 1 is^|e,t-fppmtpeculjar, cir-
cumftanctesithdt ■ knowlddge'.csntinues extreme»! y ;liipited,:.,theyjali Tandy
defers ; high mountains ;; impenetrabl^jfgirpllsj; .the.uninternalttipg,war;s
d#%He petty* tribès, moreJf|)iîrited apd, ’ferpcipiis;' than tbp.ff^OfAmerica,
imaWedï ‘by European itrPopsj qp conquefts ; and, »particularly the
antipathy, of the African mshopa'et&as,' maq^‘ o^.-tfieip v'expeJle.dU&jpjt
Spain, and retaining hereditary ra-rtepu® againft the Franjes ; haye. pre-
fëhted'obiïa'cleV ataaoflt unc’ónqüeralble. Recently .Browne|has' difepfed
iftë frnkïl IS^igdhm of Fur or Darrar, and fome circùmjacent teiiritoriesu
ânâ^p^mcdlarly^tH^ river of’Baht Kulla,- whieh-ferns, à^âhfeady'men-
trailed,rrt?(P*ne the Gir'öf-Ptolemy. The travels of -Parke eftahE'ffi with
certainty- that the Nigir flbwV to the eaft, as ijohgi before delineated in
the^maps ofD’AVville', Gendron, and others ;; and' fliew thattit$-tweftern
fouPcfbs are nearer the ffiore than had been imagined. The ,'endeavpurs
of African Society at London, td 'protooté' the geography of this
dofmrieht, deferve the greateft- appMüfé;* »ariddheir publidatiansv arb va-
fSthle Te^'ord!hf the fefenee.1 It' is'Wkfetfopéd -that ’Mr, Hornernann,
whtf'has the advantage of profiting by the'âdvice and even difappoint*
nterfts of his pred'eceffors, and feeih's to have in: cónfequenee' adopted'the
nçceflary concealment and precautions; will at lead: fucceed in dëtecling
thl'termination of the Gir and Nigir,1 and 'in’vifitmg-the neighbouring'
cifibs^Particularly Totnbudloo; for'thbfe^mentioned’ by'Edrifi .may bêlons
ago in ruins.
The ruling religion’bf thik^ continent is'l^eMahometan, which has 'Religion,
unfortunately penetrated further in'the‘in'téti^f'f* than wfe at firftt^Ml-
cdyed : and, as already mèntionfcd^raaé prefenteÆj'^'gréat;' ©bftaefe -to
fueh travellers as, bein| unaware; of .fltts^ci^cütrfftâîi'ee,1 hâve néglêëied'
the difguife and flmilatibn, indifpenfable amidft fuch-a'-fftnaric .and in-,
tolerant race. The climate which.iW the -icfotth' r's i'ùtëfifey^hbtp is ra- chmate.
ther, more moderate ib the fouthern extremity, the antardiccold being .
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