File:History of Africa south of the Zambesi - from the settlement of the Portuguese at Sofala in September 1505 to the conquest of the Cape Colony by the British in September 1795 (1916) (14757607976).jpg

Identifier: historyofafricas01thea (find matches)
Title: History of Africa south of the Zambesi : from the settlement of the Portuguese at Sofala in September 1505 to the conquest of the Cape Colony by the British in September 1795
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Theal, George McCall, 1837-1919
Subjects: Ethnology Portuguese
Publisher: London : G. Allen & Unwin ltd.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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n, notwithstanding this announce-ment. A couple of years later an engineer namedBartholomeu Cotao was sent with a few assistants fromLisbon, some Indian carpenters were despatched from Goa,and at last a small fort of stakes and earth was constructedat Kilimane. This was the most that could be done, butin the kings letter of the 24th of February 1635 the viceroywas instructed to fortify Sofala strongly and station agarrison of two hundred soldiers there, and also to causethe mouths of the Zambesi to be well protected withdefensive works. Such instructions, it must be repeated,were altogether illusory. A report upon the condition of the country at this time,to be found in manuscript in the library of the BritishMuseum, is particularly interesting, from the care whichwas taken in its preparation. It was drawn up in 1634 byorder of the count of Linhares, viceroy of India, by hissecretary Pedro Barreto de Rezende, who had visited theplaces he describes, and it was submitted for revision to
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— o Wa, M o 1634) Description of Sofala and Sena. 415 Antonio Bocarro, keeper of the archives at Goa, before itwas sent to King Philippe III of Portugal. Sofala is described in it as having a square fort of stonenine metres in height, with circular bastions at the corners,and nine small pieces of artillery on the walls. It waswithout other garrison than the captain and his servants,and had no stores either of provisions or materials of war.In the village adjoining it three married and two singlePortuguese resided, who with their slaves and a few mixedbreeds were its only defenders in case of war. The fort andvillage were on an island at high tide, formed by the riverand a broad trench, as shown in the plan accompanyingthe description; but at low tide the trench was dry. ADominican friar resided in the village, but there were veryfew Christian Bantu. The only commerce carried on was inivory and ambergris. The kiteve, in whose dominions thefort was situated, had ten or twelve thousand

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