. The British empire: a sketch of the geography, growth, natural and political features of the United Kingdom, its colonies and dependencies . ,the rest of the vast African continent, with its savage races,its interminable plains and deserts, and its endless line ofcoast, all lay unexplored and extending indefinitely to thesouth; and it was long the belief in western Europe that itmust for ever remain unknown, since none could endure thefierce heat of those torrid regions and their vertical sun. To Prince Henry of Portugal, nephew of Henry IV. ofEngland, is given the credit of being the first
. The British empire: a sketch of the geography, growth, natural and political features of the United Kingdom, its colonies and dependencies . ,the rest of the vast African continent, with its savage races,its interminable plains and deserts, and its endless line ofcoast, all lay unexplored and extending indefinitely to thesouth; and it was long the belief in western Europe that itmust for ever remain unknown, since none could endure thefierce heat of those torrid regions and their vertical sun. To Prince Henry of Portugal, nephew of Henry IV. ofEngland, is given the credit of being the first to begin thecareer of African discovery. His curiosity was so muchstimulated by the accounts the Moors gave him of the countryof Guinea and the neighbourhood, that at the age of twentyhe took up his residence near Cape St. Yincent, in order thatfrom that point he might direct exploring expeditions. Thefirst vessels he sent out reached as far as Cape Bojador, but werescared back again by the furious waves which lashed roundthe promontory ; soon, however, his navigators made betteracquaintance with this western coast, and in 1442 Gonzales. onAoTi. ZoTurman & t AFRICAN SLAYE TRADE. 325 Baldesa returned with a first cargo from Africa, namely, tennegroes and some gold dust. And from this point of timebegins a history of blood and treachery from which the heartrecoils, but which must be glanced at, since it is closely con-nected with the history of British settlement in this part ofAfrica. The harmless negro races received the Portuguese adven-turers with unsuspicious kindness, and it appears to Beginninghave been the intention of Prince Henry in the first sia^ricaninstance to open a fair commerce with them, and to amongst them the Catholic faith. But their robustframes and docile nature soon tempted him to an infamoustraffic in the natives themselves, and an association wasformed for carrying on a trade in gold and slaves, in theprofits of which he shared, and the na
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidbritishempireske00bray
