A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07 by Robert Kerr
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page 15 of 690 (02%)
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July into the port of _St Felix_[12] in 22°, where they heard again of
the Portuguese of whom they were in search, from _Dissamuta_ the king of that part of the country. On offering a silver chain at this place for some provisions, the natives gave it to an old woman to examine if it was genuine, and she informed the Portuguese that at the distance of three days journey there was an island inhabited a long while before by a white people dressed like the Portuguese and wearing crosses hanging from their necks, who lived by rapine and easily took whatever they wanted, as they were armed with spears and guns, with which information the Portuguese were much gratified. Continuing their voyage past the bay of _St Bonaventura_ and the mouth of the river _Massimanga_, they entered the bay of _Santa Clara_, where _Diamassuto_ came to them and entered into a treaty of friendship, worshipping the cross on his knees. They were here told that white people frequented a neighbouring port, and concluded that they were Hollanders. Going onwards they found banks of sand not laid down in any chart, and entered a port in lat. 24° S. The king of this place was named _Diacomena_, and they here learnt that there were Portuguese on the opposite coast who had been cast away, and now herded cattle for their subsistence. They said likewise that the Hollanders had been three times at their port, and had left them four musketeers with whose assistance they had made war upon their enemies. On some trees there were several inscriptions, among which were the following. _Christophorus Neoportus Anglus Cap_. and on another _Dominus Robertus Scherleius Comes, Legatus Regis Persarum_. [Footnote 10: It is singular that the large circular bay of Mansitare in lat. 19° 30' S. is not named, although probably meant by the river _Mane_ in the text.--E.] [Footnote 11: Now called Ranoumanthe, discharging its waters into the |
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