A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 2 · Observations 2 · Section 20
More Obſervations of Ethiopia, by Father Lobo, Father Alvarez, Father Tellez, and others; extracted from their Portugueſe Voyages.
THE Rains begin to fall in June, and continue July, Auguſt, and part of September, which make the Nile ſwell and overflow in thoſe Months. Father Tellez ſays, the Mountains of Habeſſinia are much higher than our Alps and Pyrenean Hills; theſe render the Country more temperate and healthful, and make that torrid Climate tolerable to the European Bodies: There is plenty of good Springs and Herbage. In the midſt of the Plains there riſe up many ſteep Rocks of wonderful Figures and Shapes, on the tops whereof are Woods, Meadows, Fountains, Fiſh-ponds, and other conveniencies of Life: The Natives get up to them by Ropes, and crane up their Cattel: Theſe are like ſo many Fortreſſes, which defend the Natives againſt the ſudden Incurſions of barbarous Nations on all ſides.
This Kingdom abounds with Metals, but they neglect to work them, leſt Turkiſh or other Invaſions ſhould follow, if ſuch Baits were diſcover'd. Their Winter is from May to September, the Sun then paſſing and repaſſing perpendicular over their Heads. During this Seaſon, once every day it rains Torrents, and thunders moſt violently, which are accompanied ſometimes with ſudden and furious Hurricanes.
The Jeſuits reſiding in the Province of Zambea obſerv'd both the Poles, the Antarctick higher with his croſs Stars: In this tract of Heaven there is as it were a Cloud or Blot full of little Stars, as our Via Laclea.
The Animals of this vaſt Kingdom are, the Hippopotamus, or River-horſe, which makes great devaſtation in their Plantations, Crocodiles, Rhinocerots, Elephants, Lyons, Tygers, Panthers, Camelopardalus, Gazels, Zembra's, Civet-Cats; great varieties of Monkeys, Apes, and Baboons; Oſtriches, Caſſowars, Turtles, Locuſts in prodigious numbers. The ordinary Trees are, the Date, Coco, Tamarind, C…ſſia, Oranges, Muſa, or Plantane, Cotton-Trees, with many others peculiar to the Climate and Region.
In one year they will have three ſeveral crops of Rice, Millet, Tef-Seed, (their common Food ten times leſs than Muſtard-Seed) of Wheat, and other European Grain, yet the Locuſts often devour all, and bring on Famines.
They make a Drink of Honey, burnt Rice, Water, and a Wood call'd Sardo. They have no Mills, but grind all their Grain with the Hand.
Great Caravans paſs up and down the Country, to and from the Sea-Ports, with Merchandiſe. In many places the Towns and Villages are extreamly thick, and very populous.
Snow ſometimes lies on the high Mountains of Ethiopia, eſpecially thoſe called Semam and Salleat, or the Jews Hills. This part of Africk called Habeſſinia, is much the higheſt of that Quarter of the World, the great Rivers running Eaſt, North, and Weſt, a… Hawas, Hanazo, the Nile, Niger, or Gambia, the Zaire, &c. taking their riſe in it.
Ludolfus in his late learned Commentaries on his Ethiopick Hiſtory, figures ſeveral Animals proper to theſe African Regions: as, 1. Tigris orbiculis, minutis variegata. 2. Tigris maculis virgatis. 3. Pardus maculis ſeu ſcutulis varius.
The Habeſſine Ports towards the Red-Sea are very ill guarded, therefore the Turks are in poſſeſſion of Arkiko and Matzua. The Habeſſines are not addicted to Navigation, they Trade only with the Arabians, and carry their Goods to Suaquena, Arkiko, and Matzua: The Armenians often get entrance into the Country, where they are very well received.
The Arabians come in their Barks croſs the Red-Sea, from Mocha, Aden, Ziden, Cameron, and other Ports: Few of the Habeſſines paſs over into Arabia, and when they do, they diſſemble their Religion, and diſguiſe themſelves in the Habits of Muſulmans. This comes from Hubert Klock, in his Letters to the Dutch Eaſt-India-Company, Anno 1685.
Father Hieronymo Lobo obſerv'd the Red Sea to be navigable only in the middle, in which are ſome ſmall Iſlands and Rocks above Water, of little danger in clear weather: The two Shoars of Arabia and Ethiopia are of very bad paſſage, full of Shoals, Rocks, and Corals. The entrance of this Sea is the cleareſt and deepeſt on the ſide of Arabia, and is the ordinary paſſage for Ships of burthen, the other part of the mouth towards Ethiopia is full of Flats and Shoals, ſo that none ventures through but little Veſſels: The Pearl-fiſhing is near the Iſland of Daleca. On ſeveral parts of this Sea we obſerv'd abundance of reddiſh Spots made by a Weed reſembling Cargaco (or Sargaſſo) rooted in the bottom, and floating in ſome places. Upon ſtrict examination it proved to be that which we found the Ethiopians call Sufo, us'd up and down for dying their Stuffs and Cloths of a red colour, (perhaps this may be one of the Rocoella's in Imperati, a fucus or Alga tinctoria.)
FINIS.