The Strange Adventures of Andrew Battell Part 25

[343] Duarte Lopez, p. 93.

[344] Alvaro, according to Cavazzi, came to the throne in 1542 and died in 1587, whilst Lopez de Lima, quite arbitrarily, puts off his accession to 1552. These figures are absolutely incorrect, as may be seen from the date of the letter of Queen Catherine to D. Bernardo. D. Alvaro cannot possibly have ascended the throne anterior to 1568.

[345] The Ayaka still inhabit a large stretch of country along the Kw.a.n.gu, and are generally considered to be identical with the Jagas (Cavazzi speaks of them as Jaga, or Aiaka), an opinion which I do not share. See _post_, p. 149.

[346] I imagine the account given by Duarte Lopez, p. 96, is much exaggerated.

[347] Garcia Mendes, p. 9.

[348] As a proof of va.s.salage we may mention that the King was denied the t.i.tle of _Alteza_ (Highness), which would have implied sovereign rights, and was only allowed that of _Senhoria_ (lordship).

[349] Duarte Lopez, p. 9. Originally, the Christian kings of Kongo were buried in this church, but upon this desecration their bodies were removed to other churches.

[350] Our information concerning the reign of this king is exceedingly scanty. We think we have shown satisfactorily that he cannot have reigned from 1542 to 1587, but are unable to vouch either, for the date of the invasion of his country by the Ayaka, or for that of his death.

[351] In a letter of September 15th, 1617 (Paiva Manso, p. 166).

[352] Samuel Braun, who visited the Kongo in 1612, says that the fort built near the Padro, and another on an uninhabited island, had been razed.

[353] Sebastian da Costa had been sent to Kongo to announce the accession of Philip I, in 1580. He was given a letter by D. Alvaro, but died on the voyage, and Duarte Lopez, upon whose writings and discourses Pigafetta based his work on the Kongo (see p. 19), was appointed in his stead. For an account of this emba.s.sy, see Duarte Lopez, pp. 101-108.

[354] Printed by Paiva Manso, p. 158.

[355] This order was, as a matter of course, issued at the instance of the Council of Regency at Lisbon.

[356] Paiva Manso, pp. 174-177.

[357] We confess that this is unintelligible to us. Perhaps we ought to read Coango (Kw.a.n.gu), instead of Loango. There is, of course, the "kingdom" of Kw.a.n.gu beyond the Kw.a.n.gu river, within which lies the district of Kurimba, the birthplace of the first King of Kongo (see p. 102). Bangu is evidently the district on the river Mbengu. It may have been the home of the King's ancestors; and the Kw.a.n.gu here referred to may be a neighbouring district of that name (see Index).

[358] It was during the reign of this King that five Portuguese merchants crossed the Kw.a.n.gu and fell into the hands of the Makoko, who made slaves of them. But upon this, his kingdom was visited by plague and famine, and his armies were beaten; and these "miracles" only ceased when, acting on the advice of his diviners, he had sent back his prisoners to S. Salvador, richly compensated for their sufferings (Cavazzi, p. 281).

[359] For doc.u.ments referring to the reign of this king, see Paiva Manso, pp. 187-237.

[360] Whether the Dutch amba.s.sadors prostrated themselves when presented to the king, as shown on one of Dapper's plates, may be doubted.

[361] The auxiliary force of thirty Dutchmen was commanded by Captain Tihman (Dapper, p. 541).

[362] They sent, indeed, a vessel to remonstrate, but the Duke defied them to land, and they retired humbly.

[363] Dapper, p. 572. Perhaps the itinerary on one of Dapper's maps from Mpinda, by way of Mbamba, S. Salvador, Mbata and Nsundi, is supplied by Herder. The names _conso_, _canda_, _quing_ and _ensor_ of the map are corruptions of the names of the four week-days (_konso_, _nkanda_, _nkenga_ and _nsona_), and designate places where markets are held on those days.

[364] He died at S. Salvador in 1651, when about to start for Abyssinia, and was succeded by P. Giovanni Francisco of Valenza, as Prefect. For a full account of the missions of 1645 and 1648, see Pellicer de Tovar, _Mission Evangelica al Reyno de Congo_, Madrid, 1649; and P. Francisco Fragio, _Breve Relazione_, Rome, 1648.

[365] Giovanni Antonio de Cavazzi, of Montecuccolo, was a member of this mission.

[366] This district was invaded by Queen Nzinga, in 1649, and the missionaries, P. Bonaventura of Correglia, and P. Francesco of Veas, retired.

[367] See Cavazzi, pp. 512-15.

[368] Those of our readers who have no time or inclination to wade through the bulky tomes of Cavazzi and other missionaries of those days, may be recommended to read an excellent summary by the Franciscan Friar Eucher (_Le Congo, Essai sur l'Histoire Religieuse de ce Pays_, Huy, 1860).

[369] Paiva Manso, pp. 200-229.

[370] Fr. Bonaventura had left Luandu in December, 1649; in June, 1650, he was in Rome; in July, 1651, at Lisbon. He then returned to Kongo in the company of P. Giacinto Brusciotto of Vetralla (1652), but ultimately joined the mission in Georgia. To Brusciotto we are indebted for a grammar and vocabulary of the Sonyo dialect, published at Rome in 1659.

[371] Paiva Manso, p. 244.

[372] I have no doubt that these "Pedras" are identical with the "Pedras de Nkoshi," or "lion rocks," now occupied by the Presidio of Encoge.

[373] Cavazzi, p. 287.

[374] Published by Paiva Manso, pp. 350-355.

[375] Pedro Mendes, however, only gives the names of ten Kings. If we add to these Alvaro VII, D. Rafael, and Alvaro IX, mentioned by others, we make up the number to thirteen. See Appendix III for a list and cla.s.sification of these Kings.

[376] Cadornega says Affonso III.

[377] He had some correspondence with the Pope in 1673 and 1677.

[378] Paiva Manso, p. 254.

[379] See Eucher, _Le Congo_, p. 176. Subsequently the Capuchins returned to Sonyo (Merollo in 1683, Zucch.e.l.li in 1703).

[380] Dionigi Carli paid a visit to these: see his _Viaggio_, Reggio, 1672.

[381] See Merolla's _Relatione del Regno di Congo_, Naples, 1692; and Zucch.e.l.li's _Viaggi_, Venice, 1712.

[382] His captain-general, D. Pedro Constantino, managed to get himself elected king, but was taken prisoner and beheaded at S. Salvador in 1709.

[383] It was not unusual to make a charge for the administration of the sacraments. In 1653, the parochial priests complained that the Capuchin friars administered the sacraments without claiming an "acknowledgment;"

and the authorities at Rome (1653) prohibited their doing so within five leagues of the capital (Paiva Manso, p. 233). At Mbamba, the priest had a regular scale of prices. A baptism cost 7,000 cowries, for a marriage a slave was expected, and so forth; and thus, adds the Bishop of Angola (1722): "little children go to limbo, and grown-up people to h.e.l.l!"

[384] _Western Africa_, London, 1856, p. 329.

[385] _Boletim_, Lisbon Geogr. Society, March 1889.

[386] In 1709, the Holy Office declared the slave-trade in Africa illicit. Only those persons were to be looked upon as slaves who were born such; who had been captured in a just war; who had sold themselves for money (a usual practice in Africa); or who had been adjudged slaves by a just sentence.

[387] _Alguns Doc.u.mentos_, p. 107.

[388] For the instructions given to Pacheco, see _Alguns Doc.u.mentos_, p.

436.

[389] Paiva Manso, p. 55.

[390] Kiluanji, nzundu, and ndambi, which are given as names of kings, are in reality only t.i.tles a.s.sumed by them.-Capello and Ivens, _Benguella to the Iacca_, vol. ii, p. 53. Tumba-ndala (according to Heli Chatelain) was another of these ancient royal t.i.tles.

[391] Capello and Ivens, _ib._, vol. ii, p. 59. His proper name is Kalunga (_i.e._, Excellency) ndombo akambo.