Brief Historical Sketch of the Portuguese on the East Coast of
Africa—Description of Mozambique—Its Position as an Emporium
for Commerce—Its Restoration, like that of Alexandria,
possible—Fort San Sebastian—Churches and Chapels—Palace of the
Governor-General—Wharf—Population—Society.
Ten years after the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew
Diaz, while Columbus was yet at the height of his glory, and previous
to the unmerited ignominy heaped upon that “Great Light of the Age” by
ungrateful Spain, Don Emmanuel, King of Portugal, in 1497, despatched
Vasco de Gama to follow up the discoveries of his countryman Diaz.
De Gama, having under his command three vessels, manned with sixty men,
left Lisbon on the 8th July, 1497. He called at the Cape de Verde
Islands, and thence continued his course to the southward, along the
coast of Africa, until he came to an anchor in St. Helena Bay. Two days
after quitting which, he attained the latitude of the Cape of Good
Hope, where he had to contend with the south-east trade-wind, and the
insubordination of his crews. Having, by his perseverance and address,
overcome the opposition of the elements and the mutineers in his fleet,
he rounded the great promontory of Africa, and by his subsequent success,
earned for himself the proud distinction, throughout all ages, of having
been the first who reached India by that route.
Anxious to visit Sofala, discovered by his countryman Covilham, he
followed the coast of Africa from its southern extreme. He anchored
in Saint Blasse Bay, after leaving which, he arrived at the island of
Santa Cruz, which was the limit of the discoveries of his predecessor
Diaz. Thence, continuing his own discoveries, he kept the land in view
as he proceeded to the northward. He touched at Natal, passed Sofala,
and arrived at Mozambique, where he anchored, according to Osorio, on
the 1st of March, but, according to the _Diario Portuguez_, on the 28th
February, 1498, just two months before Columbus set out on his third
voyage.
De Gama found that Mozambique was an Arab settlement, under the dominion
of the Sultan of Kilwa, whose subordinate, Zacoëja, was then governor of
Mozambique.
Kilwa was described to him as one of the most celebrated ports of the
country, having vessels which had constant commercial relations with
Arabia, Persia, and India.
Sofala was spoken of as the country which furnished large and
inexhaustible quantities of gold; and he found that the whole trade of
the country was in the hands of the Arabs, whose vessels were supplied
with the mariner’s compass, marine charts, and astrolabes, or instruments
for taking the altitude of the heavenly bodies, for the purpose of
navigating these seas.
His application for pilots to take him to Calicut was readily complied
with, and two pilots were furnished to him by the governor, Zacoëja.
On the arrival of the Portuguese at Mozambique, it was at first supposed
that the strangers were Arab traders from Berbera, on the north-east
coast of Africa, opposite to the Arab emporium of Aden, and hence arose
the hospitality with which they were received. But on the true state, of
the case being known, that De Gama and his followers were “infidel dogs,”
who had found their way from the west round the Cape of Good Hope, the
animosity of the Arabs was immediately let loose upon the strangers; who,
not satisfied with depriving them of their fair possessions in the west,
had circumnavigated Africa, to despoil them in the east.
On this discovery being made, the battle of the Crescent and the Cross
commenced in the Indian Ocean, and from that moment De Gama had another
difficulty to contend with in his voyage of discovery.
In consequence of the hostility displayed towards him by the Mozambique
people, he was obliged to quit the port, and directed his course in
search of Kilwa, in order to place himself in communication with the
Sultan of that place.
His pilots, doubtless acting under the instructions of the Mozambique
Arab, failed to reach Kilwa, but, instead, found themselves off Mombas.
They endeavoured to persuade De Gama that the greater part of the
inhabitants of Mombas were Christians, and that it was the most suitable
place to refit his ships, and refresh their crews, after their long and
harassing voyage.
These pilots, mixing with the subordinate officers and the crews of
the admiral’s vessel, laid before them such a pleasant prospect of the
scenes of pleasure which awaited them at Mombas, that the Portuguese
broke out into that state of mutiny which, in those days, led to the most
disastrous results, and frequently frustrated the noblest enterprises.
De Gama was forced to yield to the solicitations of his crews; and, with
a presentiment of impending danger, he reluctantly anchored at Mombas.
At Mombas he found the people in a high state of civilization; the
princes and chiefs clothed in silk and satin; the city defended by
formidable fortresses mounting artillery; and the houses of the
inhabitants similar to those in old Spain. In fact, before him lay a
Moorish or Arab city, well fortified.
A plan was concocted by the Arabs of Mombas to seize the Portuguese
squadron, but being alarmed by some unnatural noise made in the hold
of the admiral’s ship at the moment when they were about to put their
plan into execution, a panic seized the ringleaders, and their untimely
flight revealed to De Gama the danger which he had fortunately escaped.
He immediately put to sea, and repaired to Melinda, where he was received
with great cordiality by the Sheik Wagerage, who sent his son Ali on
board of the admiral’s ship to bid him welcome, excusing himself from
visiting De Gama on account of his great age and infirmities.
Here De Gama was furnished with experienced pilots; and in return for
the attentions of the aged Sheik, he promised to call at Melinda on his
return from India, and convey to the King of Portugal the ambassadors,
whom the Sheik of Melinda expressed his intention of sending for the
purpose of making a treaty of friendship and alliance.
On the 22nd of April De Gama left Melinda, and stretching across the
Indian Ocean for Calicut, passed the equator, and once more beheld the
well-known constellation of the northern hemisphere. On the 28th of May,
1498, thirty-six days after leaving Melinda, the squadron of De Gama
anchored at Calicut.
Thus was India reached by way of the Cape of Good Hope, and De Gama
realized the dream of Don Henry, conceived eighty-six years before, and
left by that prince as a legacy to the enterprise of his countrymen, to
whom he had set the example of half a century of persevering energy.
By his prudent conduct De Gama overcame the opposition of the Mahometans,
and obtained the favour of the Zamorin of Calicut. After visiting Goâ,
the Portuguese squadron put again to sea, traversed the Arabian Gulf,
and commenced running down the length of the African coast from north to
south.
Passing Mogadoxa, the squadron bombarded that Arab stronghold, destroying
many of the houses, and sinking a great number of vessels; evidently with
the intention of striking terror into the followers of the Prophet.
True to his promise, De Gama called at Melinda; embarked the ambassadors
of the Sheik, and, after a short stay of five days, proceeded to the
island of Zanzibar, arriving there on the 29th April, 1499. There,
although occupied by Mahometan Arabs, he was well received; being
furnished with live stock, vegetables, and fruit in abundance. Doubtless
the fame of his deeds had preceded him, and the wily Arabs of that place
wished to avoid making an enemy of one who had the power of visiting them
with a severe retribution.
Leaving Zanzibar, he sailed along the Mozambique coast, wisely reserving
his chastisement of the Mozambiquers for a future day. He watered his
ships at Saint Blasse Bay, doubled the Cape of Good Hope in the stormy
season of those seas, touched at Terceira, where he had the misfortune to
lose his brother Paul, companion of his glory, but not destined to share
in his triumph.
Leaving Terceira, with its melancholy reminiscences, De Gama, with his
battered ships, wrecks of their former selves, containing only one-third
of their gallant crews, reached Lisbon in the month of September, 1499.
The reception of De Gama and his companions by his country, and the
honours conferred upon him by his King, present one of those rich pages
in the history of the small kingdom of Portugal which the lovers of
progress delight to dwell upon; while the benefits conferred on the world
by this discovery remain the property of mankind, forming one of the
richest contributions towards civilization ever placed on record.
One cannot contemplate, without the most sublime emotion, this spectacle
of the conquest of mind over matter. From the first attempt of Don Henry
until its fortunate accomplishment in the successful voyage of Vasco de
Gama, history cannot record a more glorious triumph than that of the
Portuguese discovery of the passage to India. Kings, sages, philosophers,
and heroes for the actors; a century for the performance; a vast ocean
washing the shores of three continents for the stage; with posterity for
the spectators—it stands unparalleled as the great drama of discovery.
It is not our intention, in the present work, to trace the history of
Mozambique from its being made known to Europe by the great discovery of
De Gama, through all the changes which have taken place on that coast
since the Portuguese era of conquest—nor to show how its position, with
that of all the Portuguese settlements in these seas, became affected by
the union of Spain and Portugal into one kingdom, and the appearance of
the Dutch and English in these seas. These are matters of history, which
may be more properly laid before the student of history, the antiquarian,
and the lover of social progress, in a work which will shortly appear;
while, in a popular work like the present, we will more properly confine
ourselves to the state of Mozambique as it may now be seen.
The city of Mozambique is situated on an island of the same name, in
latitude 15° 2′ S. and longitude 40° 48′ E., which, with two other
islands, St. Jago and St. George, placed in an inlet of the Indian
Ocean, form, with the mainland, a secure harbour, five miles deep, and
five and a quarter miles broad; and with the neighbouring harbour of
Mokambo, in which three rivers discharge themselves, is perhaps the most
eligible spot to establish an immense trade with the interior, and an
admirable position for an emporium for Europe, America, Arabia, India,
and Madagascar. The advantages of this harbour for commercial purposes,
both as to its means of communicating with the vast interior of Africa,
and the facilities afforded to it by the monsoons for easy access to
the neighbouring countries, cannot be overrated. It requires only the
entire cessation of the accursed slave-trade to make the capabilities
of this magnificent harbour known, when the development of its rich and
varied resources would obtain for it a position as an emporium for the
commerce of the world, second only to that of Alexandria. As Mohammet
Ali restored Alexandria to its former position, so it is in the power of
the King of Portugal, Don Pedro V., to again make Mozambique what it was
when first visited by Vasco de Gama, in 1497, namely, a rendezvous for
all the commerce of the Indian Ocean. The introduction and fostering of
the slave-trade has destroyed legitimate commerce, and reduced it to its
present position; and nothing but the entire abolition of that traffic
can re-establish its former greatness. The young King of Portugal has a
glorious career opened to him, if he will only prove himself worthy of
the destiny to which he is called.
On the north end of the island of Mozambique, there is a large fort,
called San Sebastian, having an appearance of considerable strength,
which at one time no doubt was the case, for it has embrasures for at
least eighty pieces of cannon, but barely half of that number are in the
fort at present; even the carriages of these are dilapidated by age, and
the cannon themselves honey-combed by the combined effects of climate
and neglect. This fort would afford but a poor resistance to an attack
of one or two small ships of war. But yet the imperial government of
Portugal are so intimidated by the occupants of this nest of slavery
and piracy, that during my residence at Mozambique, orders were issued
that, on the new Governor-general arriving at Mozambique in the month
of September, 1857, some of the cannon were to be embarked on board of
the frigate which brought him out, for the purpose of being conveyed to
Portugal, so as to reduce the strength of the fort, and afford a better
chance to the Portuguese government to retake the place, in the event of
these slave-dealers attempting to overcome the new Governor-general, and
driving him and the local government to obtain safety by flight, as their
predecessors had done in 1835.
On the south end of the island there is also a fort, but it is small and
of little strength, being intended to command a passage between it and
the mainland, which is only practicable for boats, or vessels of very
light draught of water.
The city of Mozambique has two churches and three small chapels; the two
former were respectable edifices even at the time of their erection,
which was when the Portuguese first obtained a footing on this coast.
Besides the churches already named, there are one or two fine public
buildings. The palace of the Governor-general is a very imposing
edifice, of considerable extent, having a court-yard in the middle, from
which access is obtained to the reception-rooms, which are lofty, well
ventilated, and floored with handsome timber: being an exception to
the flooring of all the other houses at Mozambique; the latter being
composed of chunam. The palace of the Governor-general was built by the
Jesuits for their college, in 1670, but subsequently became, on their
expulsion, the property of the government. The roof of it is flat, and
entirely covered with lead, which not only protects it against the action
of the weather, but renders it cooler than it otherwise would be. It is
one of those buildings which strike the eye of the beholder, and give him
some idea of the greatness of the Portuguese nation during the era of
conquest. The Treasury and the Custom-house are plain, solid buildings,
of modern date, and contrast unfavourably with the palace and churches of
bygone ages. There is an admirable wharf, which would grace any harbour
in Europe, and the masonry of which cannot be surpassed; the portion of
it which is under water being built with mortar, in which oil has been
used instead of water.
The town is irregularly built, the houses being substantially constructed
to resist the heat, and perhaps the earthquakes which are occasionally
felt from the volcanic eruptions in the north-west end of Madagascar,
and the hurricanes which every five or seven years visit the island
with great severity. The streets are very narrow; and the houses being
all white-washed, the glare is distressing, and the heat, by these two
causes, considerably increased, so that the thermometer is always from
six to ten degrees higher in the town than on the mainland. There are
two or three squares, and in the principal one there is a pillar of hard
wood embedded in masonry, to which the negroes are secured when publicly
whipped. Some of the houses have the appearance of comfort, and in former
times, when the slave-trade was extensively carried on between Mozambique
and Brazil, they were luxuriously furnished, having every comfort which
affluence could supply, and the debilitating nature of the climate called
for. Since the people of Mozambique have been obliged to abandon slavery,
nearly all the former occupants have left, and the remainder, tied to the
country by compulsory means, lead a miserable existence engendered by
their own vices. The Portuguese officials look with the greatest jealousy
upon any of the Mozambique people engaged in the slave-trade, for they
consider this traffic as belonging entirely to themselves, and a grant
from the government of Portugal, as a compensation in lieu of adequate
salaries. There is no mistaking the meaning of the smile and shrug of
the shoulders with which they reply to any one who ventures to state
that the Portuguese government is sincere in its endeavour to suppress
the slave-trade. I have been told, by persons in Mozambique, “Yes, the
government of Portugal, after ruining us, are sincere in their endeavours
to prevent us engaging in the traffic; and they take the best mode to
prevent us benefiting by that traffic, for they send out their officers
here on paltry salaries, which they well know cannot support life, and
make them prevent us engaging in the slave-trade. But the government of
the King knows well that the soldiers have not been paid for more than
four years, and that many of the officers have not received a _vintim_,
or farthing, from the treasury, for more than two years. How must these
men live? By the slave-trade. So that they deprive us of the benefits
which were formerly derived from the slave-trade; and to prevent legal
commerce, which would supplant the trade in the natives, they throw
every obstacle in our way.”
I must say, I observed, while at Mozambique, that this was a very fair
statement of the case.
The city of Mozambique is exceedingly dirty, from the filthy habits of
the Portuguese; and, without going into particulars, it may be briefly
stated that it is the filthiest city in the universe, not even excepting
that of Lisbon. For which there is not the shadow of an excuse, as
there is an overabundance of slaves without employment; and the town
being built on the beach, where the tide has a rise and a fall of, at
times, twelve feet, there can be no difficulty in keeping it clean. That
indolence which to the modern Portuguese has now become proverbially
natural, has here an opportunity for its fullest development, so that the
air they breathe, both here and in all the settlements along the coast,
is as foul as the immorality in which they live.
The inhabitants of Mozambique are about 7,000 in number. The garrison,
consisting of Portuguese soldiers, in all under 200, are principally
convicts; some portion of them being convicts who have already passed a
term of penal servitude at Goâ, and are sent from that place to serve a
further period of punishment at Mozambique for crimes committed at the
former settlement.
There are a few Portuguese officials connected with the Custom-house and
the Treasury, some half-caste descendants of Portuguese or Canarines from
Goâ, and natural children of slave-dealers by native women from India
or Africa; such is the society at Mozambique. Add to this, one German
merchant and an agent of a house from Marseilles, thirty or forty Banyan
traders from Cutch, Goâ, and Bombay; a few Arabs, or, as they are called
at Mozambique, Moors, and you have all that portion of the inhabitants
of the island who call themselves free. The remaining portion of the
inhabitants are slaves, called Négros, or, by the Christian Portuguese,
they are more generally styled _Gentiles_.
The aspect of the town from the anchorage is that of former grandeur
crumbling to decay; and, indeed, a more intimate acquaintance realized
the impression made on first entering the harbour.
There are generally a few vessels, principally Portuguese, lying in the
harbour; and in the healthy season, which is also the trading season
here, a great number of dhows from different places on the west coast of
India, the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Madagascar, Comoro Islands, Zanzibar,
and along the whole east coast of Africa, are attracted here, in the
face of Portuguese restrictions on trade, by the enormous profits to be
derived by trading at this place. If the slave-trade was done away with
once and for ever, legitimate traffic with the whole Indian Ocean and
adjoining seas might be indefinitely developed, and realize to Portugal
a princely revenue. This might be done by simply removing those persons
from Mozambique who are well known to the Portuguese government as being
engaged in the slave-trade, and without whose assistance the Portuguese
officials, arriving at Mozambique strangers to the country, could not
engage in selling the natives. The names of these slave-dealers have
been communicated to the Portuguese government, and it is nothing but
the influence which they maintain, by bribing largely parties who have
access to the ministers, and others who are all-powerful at the Court of
Lisbon, which prevents the government of the King from taking so simple a
course; viz., the banishment of a few individuals for the benefit of the
community. It will be asserted, on the other hand, that this would be a
dangerous step to take, as these well-known persons have great influence
at Mozambique, where their long residence has given them great influence
over the natives, and where they form a local party, which, aided by the
climate, the poverty of the Portuguese government, and the treachery of
the officials and officers, renders them all-powerful. To this I simply
reply, that the Portuguese government, to my certain knowledge, holds in
its possession undisputed proofs of the guilt of these slave-dealers; and
it is only by a guilty connivance of some members of the government of
the King, who are participators in their ill-gotten and infamous gains,
that measures have not been taken ere this for preventing, by banishment
of those engaged in this traffic at Mozambique, a crime revolting to
humanity, and opposed to Christianity and civilization.
The statements made in this narrative of facts, which came to my
knowledge while at Mozambique, and which are so notorious that the
government of Portugal offers no denial to them, fully justify the
charges of complicity made against the government of the King, and show
that the efforts made by that government are a continued imposition on
the credulity of England and other nations engaged in this great question
of the cause of humanity.
The remedy is simple, while the proof of sincerity on the part of
Portugal in suppressing the odious traffic is very easy.
Banish those persons who are well known to be engaged in the slave-trade,
change _all_ the officials, and encourage the emigration of 1000
Europeans to the province of Mozambique, that territory would soon be
richer than the Brazils, and many of the Brazilian planters would invest
in land, and develop the resources of a country where labour is so
plentiful that the sugar-growing countries have obtained their labour
from it for ages.
But to do this effectually it will be necessary, and only just, to
give to the officials going out to be employed under the new system
salaries adequate to their wants. Pay them well and make them honest.
Now they obtain an appointment at Mozambique, with a salary which is not
sufficient for their requirements even in Portugal. How insufficient
must it be for their wants in a country where everything European in
manufacture is naturally increased in price, and where the climate
renders many of those things looked upon as luxuries in Europe absolutely
necessary for the support of the European constitution. At present, when
a Portuguese official is appointed to a post at Mozambique, his salary
is an uncertain small amount, frequently not paid from one to four years
after it has become due; but the appointment is known to be worth so
much more, because those who have held it have returned to Portugal with
a certain amount of wealth, that amount well known to the government
and nation at large; and also as well known the means by which that
wealth was obtained; namely, the buying and selling the great product of
the country which has alone been developed—that of its natives. These
human beings are bought from their relations or their enemies, and are
supplied to the slave ship at an enormous profit. A Portuguese official
knows the terms on which he takes the appointment—a small salary and
the opportunity of making a large fortune by the slave-trade. These
appointments are consequently eagerly sought after; and the cadets of
noble families in Portugal are indeed deemed fortunate who obtain them.
Is it then a wonder, when they arrive at Mozambique, that they use all
possible means to amass wealth by the slave-trade, and look upon the
Portarias of the King of Portugal as a sham before the world, and an
infringement of the rights vested in them by the appointment which they
may hold from the King?
From this it will be seen that the fault entirely rests with the
government of Portugal, and that by paying the officials properly honesty
will be secured. At present a premium is conferred on slave-dealers; for
those who are most successful in amassing wealth by the nefarious traffic
obtain, on reaching Portugal, by means of that wealth, titles, honours
(?), and consideration,—year after year adding to the degradation which
has come on Portugal through the slave-trade, and the slave-trade alone.