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The year of the Ainos of Yeso beginning not in the Japanese manner, but apparently in that of
Europeans, — which according to Rinsifee (author of the San-kokf) would be an astonishing fact.
Among useful plants growing on Yeso, Menyanthes trifoliata called “ midsugasiba ” by the
Japanese, medicinal; Coptis trifoHa called “ mitsuba woren” by the Japanese, medicinal; Acorns
calamus called “ sjob” by the Japanese, medicinal; and Scirpus maritimus called “ kasasuge” by
the Japanese, for straw hats.
“ In this year” (Burm. hist., and Mason 51), the Chinese invading Ava repelled by king Bhuren-
Narapadi, also called Dupeyoundayaka.
1444 A. D. (= “ i6th year of Gofunnazo,” art de verif.), in Japan, the title “ sei-seogun” conferred
on Josijmassa by the dairo Gofimnazo.
The shiogun Yoshi-masa instituted the Cha-no-yu, small parties of friends for tea-drinking, “ and
framed certain rules concerning the etiquette to be observed on such occasions, in order to avoid all
excitement, and to bring people into as intimate relations with one another as possible” — (Jap. c. c.
107).
“ The same year = 9th year of the ‘ tching-toung’ of Yng-tsoung I I I . ” (Chinese chron. table),
beginning of the Sixty-ninth cycle.*
“ The same year” (Alst. p. 216, and Blair), at Varna, Ladislaus king of Hungary defeated by the
Turks.
“ In this year” (Spreng. hist. med. vii. 8), Bartholom. Montagnana writing a portion of his Consultations.—
He died in “ 1460.”
“ The same year ” (Alst.), Joannes V III. succeeded by his brother Constantinus X II., by consent
of the Turks sixty-ninth Byzantine emperor; — and as it proved, the last.
In this year (Major ind. voy. p Ix), on the return of Nicolo de’ Conti, an. account of his travel
committed to writing by Poggio Bracciolini, secretary to pope Eugenius IV. “ About the same time,
some men came to the pope from ^Ethiopia upon matters regarding the faith” — (Major 34).
The wild animal hunted for food, de.scribed by the Abyssinian legates as having “ horns three
cubits in length and spiral from the top,” — is regarded by Major as probably the koodoo antelope,
Strepsiceros kudu. '
Luffa pentajuira of Eastern Equatorial Africa. Called in Burmah “ tha-bwot” (Mason), in the
environs of Bombay “ gosalee toorai ’’ (Graham); and the vegetable resembling cucumbers, mentioned
by the Abyssinian legates, — may be compared: L. pentandra is enumerated as seen by Grant in
Equatorial Africa. Eastward, was observed by Rheede viii, pl. 8 in Malabar; by Graham, “ cultivated
” around Bombay, its fruit “ one to three feet long ; ” by Roxburgh, Wight, and Stewart punj.,
in other parts of Hindustan (Drur.) ; by Mason, “ exotic” in Burmah and considered by the natives
“ a delicious vegetable ; ” is described also by Rumphius v. pi. 147.
M usa? cnsete of Abyssinia and Central Africa. A huge herbaceous plant called in Abyssinia
“ ensete” (Bruce) ; and the tree described by the legates as “ of the height of a man, and in girth as
much as a man can embrace with his arms, with many layers of bark” between which fruit like chestnuts
is deposited, when pounded made into very sweet white bread, the leaves “ one to two cubits in
length,” — may be compared : M. ? ensete was observed by Bruce frequent in the moist warm parts
of Abyssinia, large plantations in Maitsha and Goutto “ almost exclusive of anything else” forming
“ the food of the Galla,” its “ stem ” for “ several feet in height ” eaten “ with milk and butter ” is “ the
best of all food, wholesome, nourishing, and easily digested ” (Grey.). Apparently the same plant was
seen by Grant fruitless and wild outside a plantain-grove under the Equator, and smaller ones among
rocks at “ 3° 15' N.” on the Nile, the leaves huge, and the seeds strung by the Waganda into necklaces,
charms, and tiaras ; no other uses known to his companions.
Poa Abyssinica oi Abyssinia. A kind of grain called there “ teff ” (Bruce) ; and the “ corn and
wine” described by the legates as abundant, — maybe compared: P. Abyssinica was observed by
Bruce cultivated throughout and affording “ the common bread of the country,” from which fermented
with water “ is prepared a kind of beer in general request by the Abyssinians ” (Grev.), Transported
to Europe, P. .Ybyssinica is described by Aiton, and Jaccjuin rar. i. pl. 17.
* SccEvola lobelia of the coral-strand of the Indian and Pacific oceans. A shrub called in Tagalo
and Bisaya “ boto” or “ bocaboc” or “ panabolong” or “ pangangtolon,” in Zambales “ linog,” and its
pith cut into “ rice-paper” by the Bisayas and Chinese (Blanco) as early probably as this date.—
Eastward, S lobelia was observed by myself throughout the Pacific, chiefly on coral-reefs and islands;
by J. D. Hooker, on the Galapagos Islands ; and is known to grow in the West Indies (Jaccp amer.)
as far as “ .South Florida” (Chapm.) and the Bahamas (Catesby i. pl. 79). Eastward from the Philippines,
is described by Rumphius iv. pl. 54; was observed by Rheede iv. pl. 59, and Roxburgh, in
Hindustan; by Graham, in “ gardens Bombay;” and is known to grow on the seashore of Australia
and “ ./frique intertropicale ” (A. Dec.).
“ In this year” (Major pr. H. 131), the Azores Island seen by a runaway negro slave from the
highest mountain on Santa Maria visited by Cabral and named St. Michael: — Terceira was discovered
“ before 1450,” and from this island San Jorge and Graciosa are in sight: Fayal and Pica were
discovered “ before 1466.”
“ In this year,” (Galvan., Churchill coll., and Major pr.- H. 95), by permission of prince Henry,
Langarote “ having fitted out six caravels” sailed to the Arguin islets, and chiefly there procured
“ about two hundred captives,” of “ every variety of colour from nearly white to the deepest black.”
Returning to Portugal, the captives “ very soon became Christians, and were treated with great kindness
by their” masters, and “ some of the young girls were adopted by noble ladies.”
“ J445 A. D.” (Major pr, H. 95), under instructions from prince Henry, Antam Gonsalves revisiting
the Rio d’Ouro : “ an old Moor returned voluntarily,” “ wishing to see prince Henry.” and Joao
Fernandes “ by his own desire was left behind.”
The people were found by Fernandes to be “ shepherds, who wandered with their cattle where-
ever they could find pasture : the fodder was scanty, the land desert and sandy, with no trees except
small ones, such as figueras do inferno ” {cactiform Euphorbia'), “ thorn-trees ” {Balanites Aegyptiaca),
“ and a few palms” (Hyphaene ?); “ there were very few flowers : all the water was from wells,
except a very few running streams : the people were called Alarves, Azanegues, and Berbers ; they
were Mohammedans; their language, written and spoken, differed from those of other Moors; they
waged war with the negroes, and took a great number prisoners;” “ their camels were very numerous,
and could travel fifty leagues in a day, and they had plenty of cattle in spite of the thinness of the
pasture.” At the invitation of two horsemen, who “ mounted him on a camel,” he journeyed Southward
several days to the chief, Ahude Maymon, who with his family and “ retinue were about one
hundred and fifty in number,” and was hospitably entertained : “ their principal food was milk and
sometimes a little meat with seeds of wild herbs gathered on the mountains; wheat was considered a
lu.xury; for many months they and their horses and dogs lived entirely on milk ; those on the seashore
ate nothing but fish, mostly raw or dried ; ” their merchandise, besides slaves and “gold from
the negro country, consisted of wool, butter, cheese, dates which they imported, amber, civet, gum
anime, oil and skins of sea-wolves ” (seals). At the end of “ seven months,” Fernandes was discovered
on the shore Soutli of Arguin Island and taken off by Antam Gonsalves.
“ In this year” (Major pr. H. 96), Diniz Dias, furnished by prince Henry with a caravel and
determined to sail farther than his predecessors, passing the mouth of the Senegal, “ which separates
the Azanegues or Tawny Moors” (Barabra) “ from the Jaloffs, the first real Blacks ” (negroes) :
coasting along, “ the caravel caused great astonishment among the natives, till at length four”
approached “ in a canoe; but when they found it contained men,” fled with such speed that they
could not be overtaken : Dinis continued to (the termination of the Desert in) a remarkable headland
which he called Cape Verde, and landing, set up a wooden cross (Galvan.).
“ Aug. loth ” (Major pr. H. 102), sailing of a fleet of “ six-and-twenty caravels.” to punish a massacre
by the natives of Tider (South of the Arguin islets) : the village, about which were “ a few cotton
trees ” (Gossypium). was destroyed, the natives soon put to flight, and “ fifty-seven” of them
captured The ouject of the Expedition accomplished, six caravels under Gomes Fires proceeded
Southward, passing the “ two palm-trees” ( . . . . ) “ twenty leagues” before reaching the Senegal,
and continuing to Cape Verde ; where the natives proved numerous and hostile, using arrows of reeds
or charred wood, “ with long iron heads ” tipped “ with vegetable poison.”
Adansonia digitata of Equatorial Africa. On an island near were “ many large baobab trees,”
one of them measuring “ a hundred and eight palms” around the trunk — (.Major) ; and subsequently,
one was found by Cadamosto at the mouth of the Senegal “ one hundred and twelve feet ” around
the trunk (Drur.) : in ascending the Nile, the first baobab was found by Lepsius eg. and sin. i65
“ beyond Kamlin ” in about 15°; the fruit brought down the river under the name of “ habhab ” is
described by Alpinus pl. 67, Forskal p. xlix, and Delile, as used medicinally: at Zanzibar, the tree
appeared to me introduced, the natives using the shell of the fruit for water-buckets, but young stocks
were springing up spontaneously. Eastward, has long been introduced into Hindustan, though so far
as observed by myself not attaining there unusual dimensions ; its fruit u.sed by tlie fishermen of
Guzerat as floats for their nets, used also “ medicinally by the natives, who like the Africans esteem
it cooling, the leaves are eaten with their food, and are said to restrain excessive perspiration” (Bombay
med. trans. i. iS, and Graham) ; a few trees were generally found by Gibson “ at places where the
Musselmen have been.” The bark according to Drury “ furnishes indestructible cord.age, and a
coarse thiead used for cloth and ropes.”
Cape Verde had already been passed by Alvaro Fernandes; five negroes came on board there,
and were kindly treated; but when “ they reached the shore they encouraged other natives to make
an attack, and six boats put out with thirty-five or forty men in them prep;ired for fighting: ” two
negroes were captured. Alvaro Fernandes continued South to a cape where were manv standing