mankind has loft and gained by the genius and defigns of this prince, it would be long to compare, and very difficult to eftimate. Much knowledge has been acquired, and much cruelty been committed; the belief of religion has been very little propagated, and its laws have been outrageoufly and enormously violated. The Europeans have fcarcely vifited any coaft, but to gratify avarice, and extend corruption; to arrogate dominion without right, and practise cruelty without incentive. Happy had it then been for the oppreffed, if the defigns of Henry had flept in his bofom, and furely more happy for the oppreffors. But there is reafon to hope that out of fo much evil good may fometimes be produced; and that the light of the gospel will at laft illuminate the fands of Africa, and the defarts of America, though its progrefs cannot but be flow, when it is fo much obftructed by the lives of chriftians.

The death of Henry did not interrupt the progress of king John, who was very ftrict in his injunctions, not only to make discoveries, but to fecure poffeffion of the countries that were found. The practice of the firft navigators was only to raife a crofs upon the coaft, and to carve upon trees the device of Don Henry, the name which they thought it proper to give to the new coaft, and any other information, for those that might happen to follow them; but now they began to erect piles of ftone with a crofs on the top, and engraved on the ftone the arms of Portugal, the name of the king, and of the commander of the hip, with the day and year of the difcovery. This was accounted fufficient to prove their claim to the

new

new lands; which might be pleaded with juftice enough against any other Europeans, and the rights of the original inhabitants where never taken into notice. Of thefe ftone records, nine more were erected in the reign of king John, along the coaft of Africa, as far as the Cape of Good Hope.

The fortrefs in the ifle of Arguin was finifhed, and it was found neceffary to build another at S. Georgio de la Mina, a few degrees north of the line, to fecure the trade of gold duft, which was chiefly carried on at that place. For this purpose a ficet was fitted out of ten large and three fmaller veffels, freighted with materials for building the fort, and with provifions and ammunition for fix hundred men, of whom one hundred were workmen and labourers. Father Lafitau relates, in very particular terms, that thefe fhips carried hewn ftones, bricks, and tim-. ber, for the fort, fo that nothing remained but barely to erect it. He does not feem to confider how. fmall a fort could be made out of the lading of ten fhips.

The command of this fleet was given to Don Diego d'Azambue, who fet fail December 11, 1481, and reaching La Mina January 19, 1482, gave immediate notice of his arrival to Caramanfa, a petty prince of that part of the country, whom he very earneftly invited to an immediate conference.

Having received a meffage of civility from the, negroe chief, he landed, and chofe a rifing ground, proper for his intended fortrefs, on which he planted a banner with the arms of Portugal, and took poffeffion in the name of his mafter. He then raised

an

an altar at the foot of a great tree, on which mafs was celebrated, the whole affembly, fays Lafitau, breaking out into tears of devotion at the profpect of inviting these barbarous nations to the profeffion of the true faith. Being fecure of the goodness of the end, they had no fcruple about the means, nor ever confidered how differently from the primitive martyrs and apoftles they were attempting to make profelytes. The first propagators of chriftianity recommended their doctrines by their fufferings and virtues; they entered no defencelefs territories with fwords in their hands; they built no forts upon ground to which they had no right, nor polluted the purity of religion with the avarice of trade, or infolence of power.

What may ftill raife higher the indignation of a christian mind, this purpose of propagating truth appears never to have been feriously pursued by any European nation; no means whether lawful or unlawful, have been practifed with diligence and perfeverance for the converfion of favages. When a fort is built, and a factory established, there remains no other care than to grow rich. It is foon found that ignorance is most cafily kept in subjection, and that by enlightening the mind with truth, fraud and ufurpation would be made lefs practicable and lefs fecure.

In a few days an interview was appointed between Caramanfa and Azambue. The Portuguese uttered by his interpreter a pompous fpeech, in which he made the negroe prince large offers of his mafter's friendfhip, exhorting him to embrace the religion of his new ally; and told him, that as they came to form.

a league

a league of friendship with him, it was neceffary that they should build a fort, which might ferve as a retreat from their common enemies, and in which the Portuguese might be always at hand to lend him af fiftance.

The negroe, who feemed very well to understand what the admiral intended, after a fhort pause, returned an answer full of respect to the king of Portugal, but appeared a little doubtful what to determine with relation to the fort. The commander faw his diffidence, and used all his art of perfuafion to overcome it. Caramanfa, either induced by hope, or conftrained by fear, either defirous to make them friends, or not daring to make them enemies, confented, with a fhew of joy, to that which it was not in his power to refufe; and the new comers began the next day to break the ground for a foundation of a fort.

Within the limit of their intended fortification were fome fpots appropriated to fuperftitious practices; which the negroes no fooner perceived in danger of violation by the fpade and pick-ax, than they ran to arms, and began to interrupt the work. The Portuguese perfifted in their purpose, and there had foon been tumult and bloodshed, had not the admiral, who was at a diftance to fuperintend the unlading the materials for the edifice, been informed of the danger. He was told at the fame time, that the fupport of their fuperftition was only a pretence, and that all their rage might be appeafed by the presents which the prince expected, the delay of which had greatly offended him.

The

The Portuguese admiral immediately ran to his men, prohibited all violence, and ftopped the com→ motion; he then brought out the prefents, and spread them with great pomp before the prince; if they were of no great value, they were rare, for the negroes had never feen fuch wonders before; they were therefore received with extafy, and perhaps the Portuguese derided them for their fondness of trifles, without confidering how many things derive their value only from their fearcity; and that gold and rubies would be triAles, if nature had scattered them with lefs frugality.

The work was now peaceably continued, and fuch was the diligence with which the ftrangers haftened to fecure the poffeffion of the country, that in twenty days they had fufficiently fortified themfelves against the hoftility of the negroes. They then proceeded to complete their defign. A church was built in the place where the firft altar had been raifed, on which a mafs was cftablished to be celebrated for ever, once. a day, for the repofe of the foul of Henry, the first mover of thefe difcoveries.

In this fort the admiral remained with fixty soldiers, and fent back the reft in the fhips, with gold, flaves, and other commodities. It may be obferved that flaves were never forgotten, and that wherever they went, they gratified their pride, if not their avarice, and brought fome of the natives, when it happened that they brought nothing else.

The Portuguefe endeavoured to extend their dominions ftill farther. They had gained fome knowledge of the Jaloffs, a nation inhabiting the coaft of Guinea, between the Gambia and Senegal. The