X. CAPE VERD ISLANDS. count of the Cape Verd Islands, which being ill watered, CHA P. and their rains uncertain, cannot be ranked among the most fertile parts of Africa. But it is not improbable that he vifited them during a drought; for Mortimer (in his Commercial Dictionary, Art. Cape de Verd Isles) does not represent them as very miferable habitations. He tells us that, though mere deserts when the Portuguese first settled on them, they now produce feveral commodities for trade, as raw and dressed hides, oil extracted from tortoises, honey, wax, falt, Turkey wheat, (Indian corn or maize) oranges, lemons, &c. and supply vessels with tame and wild fowls. Cattle are in fuch plenty, that several ships are employed in carrying them to Brazil, whither they also convey quantities of fish, caught and falted near Cape Verd.—He might have added, that these islands supply the West Indian sugar colonies with great numbers of cattle, affes and mules (See § 60) and that, at Santiago, the inhabitants manufacture cloths of cotton and of filk. They are very beautiful articles, and are commonly called in England, "Saint Jago cloths," a name, however, often applied to Guinea cloths," or those fabricated by the negroes on the continent of Africa. 66 238. Colonel Bolts who was at the Cape Verd Islands, in 1781, has obligingly communicated to me the following additional and very interesting particulars. 239. In September and October, fhips have often been Harbours. driven on fhore in Porto Praya road. In the dangerous season, therefore, it is best to anchor out in 18 fathoms water; so that, in cafe of a gale, the fhip may be fure of clearing the eastern point, called Mulher Branca, or the western, called X. CAPE VERD CHAP. called Tumrofa. Sam Vincent, one of the Ilhas Defertas, has the best harbour in all these islands; and it is capable of ISLANDS. Containing the most numerous fleet of large fhips, fafe all the year round. Sam Vincent has the advantage of excellent air and plenty of good water, but it is uninhabited. Curious ftones. People enflaved by the veiro. 240. The island of S. Antam (improperly called S. Antonio) formerly belonged to the Duque Infeliz (de Aveiro.) It was rented by that family to an English gentleman, whose agent, one Stephen Spencer, picked up some stones, washed down from the peak of the island, and sent them to England. The lapidaries gave it as their opinion, that the mountain whence they came certainly contained curious, if not precious, stones. All the Islands contain iron ore, often on the surface. 241. The Duque d'Aveiro had partly peopled S. Antam Duque d'A- with his own flaves; and, in time, he acquired, or ufurped, a kind of property in the perfons of the other inhabitants. The poor, ignorant creatures having fubmitted to his gradual and artful encroachments on their liberties, their children actually came to confider themselves as the flaves of this ufurper and his fucceffors. And fo compleatly were they subjugated at last, that the English agent exported and fold a great number of them. On the fall of the Averio family, however, S. Antam reverted to the crown: and, not above fix months ago (1781) the governor received an order from the court of Lisbon to liberate these oppreffed people, who are computed to be about 1000.-The famine which afflicted thefe iflands a few years ago (fee § 235, note) appeared first in S. Antam, and was very feverely felt in that ifland, 1000 of it's inhabitants having perifhed by it. In Santiago, 15,000 perfons, or about one half of the inhabitants, loft their lives, in the fame diftreffing period. X. 242. During the administration of the Marquis de Pom- CHA P. bal, about 10,000 of the inhabitants of the Cape Verd Islands were sent to build the present fortifications at Biffao, where most of them died. CAPE VERD ISLANDS. 243. There are at Santiago fourteen Emgenhos, or fugar- Sugar-mills. mills, worked by oxen; but only two of them are reckoned good. They make very strong spirits there; but, from a defect of industry and ingenuity, and doubtless of encouragement and capital, neither their sugar nor spirits are sufficiently cheap for exportation. ery, Orchella, manufac 244. The late governor, Joaquim Salene Saldanha Lo- Whale-fishbo, had a scheme for fitting out veffels at the Cape Verd Islands, for the whale fishery on the Southern coast of Afri- tures. ca; and another for extracting from the Semente da purga* an oil which is excellent for burning, and is free from any bad smell.-The gathering of Orzella, or Örchella, on the coast of these islands, cofts not 800 reas per quintal. The medium price of that quantity, at Porto Praya, is 3000 reas, and at Lisbon 19,200 reast.-In these islands, they might raise great quantities of very good cotton, and also of indigo which grows wild every where. But the inhabitants do not cultivate more of either, than what is necessary for the cloths they manufacture, for their trade to the continent of Africa. Colonel Bolts has famples of the following kinds, the first of which is in the greatest demand on the continent, and the rest in the order of the numbers. The prices are those at which they may be respectively bought per piece, at Porto Praya.-1. Pano de agulha, all cotton, about 2500 reas.—2. Pano quadrado, all cotton, about 2000 * Ricinus-Pignon d'Inde. It is believed to be the fame plant from which the Caftor oil is extracted in the Weft Indies. +4800 reas are equivalent to a moidore, or about 27 fhillings fterling. reas. X. CHA P. reas.-3. Pano da ley, all cotton, about 1000 reas.-4. Pano de fio de laa, cotton and worsted, 4 to 5000 reas.-5. Pano de retros, cotton and filk, 6 to 12,000 reas.-6. Pano de veftir, 3000 reas. ST. THO MAS. Cinnamon. 245. The island of St. Thomas (called by the negroes on the coaft Poncas) was discovered by the Portuguese, in 1465, first settled by them in 1467, and here they have raised a colony which is, or was, very flourishing. It's situation (under the line, and in about 27° of longitude East from Ferro) appeared to the Dutch fo commodious for the trade of the neighbouring coasts, that they took it in 1610, and again 1641; but it was both times retaken by the Portuguese, who foon repaired the almost incalculable damage their enemies did on abandoning it. 246. The chief products are sugar and ginger*. Of * I do not know that the products of any one of the countries, which I have found it neceffary to sketch, have ever been explored and diftinctly enumerated. That they have not, would appear from the new difcoveries always made, even in the most frequented parts of Africa, when naturalists happen to visit them. Of this we have an instance, in the following extract from the evidence of A. P. How, Efq. who was in Africa, in 1785 and 1786, in the Grampus fhip of war, employed as a botanist, by the British government.-" The witness has feen cinnamon trees at St. Thomas, at the sea side, about 20 feet high; and, from what he heard, they grew inland to a higher fize. From the bark brought down, he concludes there must be a great quantity inland. The cinnamon and caffia trees are of different genera; the one belonging to the Laurus, the other the Caffia; but their genera are not quite eftablished. The leaf of the laurus is oblong, nerved, shining, fimple. Of the caffia, the leaves are bipennate, not unlike the mimofa or fenfitive plant. The witnefs is not pofitive that it is the fame cinnamon which grows in India; but the bark, leaves and whole structure of the tree are the fame as those brought from thence to Kew gardens. He has never been at Ceylon; but has feen the tree, both at Bombay and Cambay, in private gardens, brought as prefents from Ceylon. The African caffia is not unlike that which has been feen in the Eaft Indies."-See Minutes of Evidence before the House of Commons, 1790, p. 226. ́ brown .X. ST. THO MAS. brown fugar, the common crop is from 6 to 7c0 charges, of CHA P. which near 100,000 roves, each 32 Portuguese pounds, are annually fent to Portugal. The other products and manufactures of St. Thomas, are different kinds of cotton ftuffs, proper for the Portuguese trade on the coaft, fruits, particularly that called cola, a nut, in taste like a chefnut, which is advantageously bartered in Angola and Congo, whence it is fent to a great distance inland. Indian corn, millet, caffada, figs, bananas and other tropical produce, grow here in plenty. The sheep and goats are excellent; but the beef is fmaller, and not near fo fat, as in Europe. 247. The Portuguese carry to St. Thomas, linens, cam- Imports. blets, ferges, brandy, wine, olives, olive-oil, capers, fine flour, butter, cheese, salt, hatchets, bills, copper-kettles and plates, fugar-moulds, pitch, tar and cordage. ISLAND, Po, ASCEN 248. Of the three first, the Portuguese make so little ufe PRINCE'S as fcarcely to claim an exclusive property in them. Ships of FERNANDO all nations occafionally touch at them for wood and water, SION AND and to catch turtles. But at Annabona, the Portuguese ANNABONA trade in cotton, which they gather there in confiderable quantities. They also raise hogs, goats, poultry, and fruits. colonies. 249. Except Ascension, which is covered with fand and Eligible for rocks, all these islands offer to Portugal an excellent opportunity of imitating the liberal and humane example of colonization in Africa, which has lately distinguished Great Britain and Denmark. General re flections on the Portu 250. The Portuguese had the advantage of trading to, and establishing themselves in, Africa, earlier than any other guefe fettle U 2 ments in modern Africa. |