Clermont, of the blood royal both of France and Spain, nephew of John de la Cerda, who called himfelf the Prince of Fortune, had once a mind to fettle in those islands, and applying himself first to the king of Arragon, and then to Clement VI. was by the pope crowned at Avignon, king of the Canaries, on condition that he should reduce them to the true religion; but the prince altered his mind, and went into France to serve against the English. The kings both of Caftile and Portugal, though they did not oppofe the papal grant, yet complained of it, as made without their knowledge, and in contravention of their rights.

The first fettlement in the Canaries was made by John de Betancour, a French gentleman, for whom his kinfman Robin de Braquement, admiral of France, begged them, with the title of King, from Henry the magnificent of Caftile, to whom he had done eminent. fervices. John made himself mafter of fome of the ifles, but could never conquer the grand Canary; and having spent all that he had, went back to Europe, leaving his nephew, Mafiot de Betancour, to take care of his new dominion. Mafiot had a quarrel with the vicar-general, and was likewife difgufted by the long abfence of his uncle, whom the French king detained in his fervice, and being able to keep his ground no longer, he transferred his rights to Don Henry, in exchange for fome diftricts in the Madera, when he fettled his family.

Don Henry, when he had purchased thofe iflands, fent thither in 1424 two thoufand five hundred foot, and an hundred and twenty horfe; but the army

was too numerous to be maintained by the country. The king of Caftile afterwards claimed them, as conquered by his fubjects under Betancour, and held under the crown of Caftile by fealty and homage; his claim was allowed, and the Canaries were refigned.

It was the conftant practice of Henry's navigators, when they flopped at a defart ifland, to land cattle upon it, and leave them to breed, where, neither wanting room nor food, they multiplied very faft, and furnished a very commodious fupply to those who came afterwards to the fame place. This was imitated in fome degree by Anfon, at the ifle of Juan Fernandez.

The islands of Madera, he not only filled with inhabitants, affifted by artificers of every kind, but procured fuch plants as feemed likely to flourish in that climate, and introduced fugar canes and vines, which afterwards produced a very large revenue.

The trade of Africa now began to be profitable, but a great part of the gain arose from the fale of flaves, who were annually brought into Portugal, by hundreds, as Lafitau relates, and without any appearance of indignation or compaffion; they likewife imported gold duft in fuch quantities, that Alphonfus V. coined it into a new fpecies of money called Crufades, which is ftill continued in Portugal.

In time they made their way along the fouth coaft of Africa, caftward to the country of the negroes, whom they found living in tents, without any political inftitutions, fupporting life, with very little labour by the milk of their kine, and millet, to

which those who inhabited the coaft added fish dried in the fun. Having never feen the natives or heard of the arts of Europe, they gazed with aftonishment on the fhips when they approached their coafts, fometimes thinking them birds, and fometimes filhes, ac cording as their fails were fpread or lowered; and fometimes conceiving them to be only phantoms, which played to and fro in the ocean. Such is the account given by the hiftorian, perhaps with too much prejudice against a negroe's understanding; who though he might well wonder at the bulk and fwiftnefs of the firft fhip, would fcarcely conceive it to be either a bird or a fifh; but having feen many bodies floating in the water, would think it what it really is, a large boat; and if he had no knowledge of any means by which feparate pieces of timber may be joined together, would form very wild notions concerning its conftruction, or perhaps fuppofe it to be a hollow trunk of a tree, from fome country where trees grow to a much greater height and thickness than in his own.

When the Portuguese came to land, they increased the aftonishment of the poor inhabitants, who faw meņ clad in iron, with thunder and lightning in their hands. They did not underftand each other, and figns are a very imperfect mode of communication even to men of more knowledge than the negroes, fo that they could not eafily negociate or traffick: at laft the Portuguese laid hands on fome of them to carry them homę for a fample; and their dread and amazement was ṛaised, says Lafitau, to the highest pitch, when the Europeans fired their cannons and mufkets among them,

and

and they faw their companions fall dead at their feet, without any enemy at hand, or any visible caufe of their deftruction.

On what occafion, or for what purpose, cannons and mufkets were discharged among a people harmlefs and fecure, by ftrangers who without any right vifited their coaft, it is not thought neceffary to inform us. The Portuguese could fear nothing from them, and had therefore no adequate provocation; nor is there any reason to believe but that they murdered the negroes in wanton merriment, perhaps only to try how many a volley would destroy, or what would be the confternation of those that should escape. We are openly told, that they had the lefs fcruple concerning their treatment of the favage people, because they scarcely confidered them as diftinct from beafts; and indeed the practice of all the European nations, and among others of the English barbarians that cultivate the fouthern iflands of America, proves, that this opinion, however abfurd and foolish, however wicked and injurious, ftill continues to prevail. Intereft and pride harden the heart, and it is in vain to difpute against avarice and power.

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By these practices the first discoverers alienated the natives from them; and whenever a fhip appeared, every one that could fly betook himself to the mountains and the woods, fo that nothing was to be got more than they could fteal: they fometimes furprised a few fifhers, and made them flaves, and did what they could to offend the negroes, and enrich themfelves. This practice of robbery continued till fome of the negroes who had been enflaved learned the

language

language of Portugal, so as to be able to interpret for their countrymen, and one John Fernandez applied himself to the negroe tongue.

From this time began fomething like a regular traffick, fuch as can fubfift between nations where all the power is on one fide; and a factory was fettled in the ifle of Arguin, under the protection of a fort. The profit of this new trade was affigned for a certain term to Ferdinando Gomez; which feems to be the common method of establishing a trade that is yet too fmall to engage the care of a nation, and can only be enlarged by that attention which is beftowed by private men upon private advantage. Gomez continued the discoveries to Cape Catherine, two degrees and a half beyond the line.

In the latter part of the reign of Alphonfo V. the ardour of discovery was fomewhat intermitted, and all commercial enterprises were interrupted by the wars in which he was engaged with various fuccefs. But John II. who fucceeded, being fully convinced both of the honour and advantage of extending his dominions in countries hitherto unknown, profecuted the defigns of prince Henry with the utmost vigour, and in a short time added to his other titles, that of king of Guinea and of the coast of Africa.

In 1463, in the third year of the reign of John II, died prince Henry, the firft encourager of remote navigation, by whofe incitement, patronage and example, distant nations have been made acquainted with each other, unknown countries have been brought into general view, and the power of Europe has been extended to the remoteft parts of the world. What mankind