Africa being an accurate description of the regions of Ægypt, Barbary, Lybia, and Billedulgerid, the land of Negroes, Guinee, Æthiopia and the Abyssines : with all the adjacent islands, either in the Mediterranean, Atlantick, Southern or Oriental Sea, belonging thereunto : with the several denominations fo their coasts, harbors, creeks, rivers, lakes, cities, towns, castles, and villages, their customs, modes and manners, languages, religions and inexhaustible treasure : with their governments and policy, variety of trade and barter : and also of their wonderful plants, beasts, birds and serpents : collected and translated from most authentick authors and augmented with later observations : illustrated with notes and adorn'd with peculiar maps and proper sculptures / by John Ogilby, Esq. ...

The City and Republick of Brava.

BEyond Quilmanzi, at the Coast of Ajan, not far from the Sea-shore, in ten Degrees and thirty Minutes North-Latitude, lieth the City Brava, sur∣rounded with strong Walls, and full of stately Houses, built after the Moorish fashion.

It is a Place of great Trade, and hath abundance of Gold and Silver. The Inhabitants pay yearly a Tribute of five hundred Metigals of Gold to the Portu∣guese, every Metigal reckon'd worth a Ducket and a third part of one.

We may read in Texcira, that on the Coast of Zanguebar near Brava, was a piece of Ambergreece found, so big, that one standing at one side of it, could not see a Camel on the other side.

This is the onely Republick of Africa, being Govern'd by twelve Xeques, * 1.1 chosen by the antientest People out of the Family of the Brothers aforemen∣tion'd, who to escape the Persecution and Tyranny of the Kings of Lakah, * 1.2 fled out of Arabia Felix hither, where they still retain the Mahumetanism which their Ancestors brought with them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Government.
• * 1.2

  Religion.