Travels in India (Tavernier) 107.3

107.3

When the Governor of Mozambique leaves Goa to assume possession of his government, which is the best of those subject to the Viceroy, he takes with him a great quantity of goods, and especially calicoes dyed black. His correspondents at Goa also send him every year two vessels laden with the same goods, which he forwards to Sofala and Shupanga, and up to the town of Monomotapa, capital of a Kingdom of the same name, otherwise called Voubebaran — the town being about 150 leagues distant from Shupanga. The ruler of all this country takes the name of Emperor of Monomotapa, and his authority extends up to the confines of Preste Jan. It is from these territories of Monomotapa whence the purest and finest African gold comes, and it is extracted without great difficulty by excavating in the ground to a depth of only 2 or 3 feet. In certain places in this country which are not inhabited, because there is no water there, gold is found on the surface of the ground in nuggets of all kinds of shapes and weights, and there are some of these nuggets which weigh an ounce. I have had, as curiosities, some pieces which I have presented to my friends, and some of them weighed as much as 2 ounces. I still have one weighing an ounce and a half or thereabouts. When at Surat with M. d’Ardilière, son of M. du Jardin, of whom I have made mention in my account of Persia, an Ambassador from the King of Abyssinia arrived, whom we went to salute.