[Footnote 399:  The longitude of that part of the coast of Africa, in the latitude indicated in the text, is 38 deg. 30’ E. from Greenwich.  It does not appear what might have been the first meridian referred to by Saris.—­E]

[Footnote 400:  Mohilla is in 13 deg. 40’.  The latitude in the text is nearly that of Johanna or Hinzuan.—­E.]

[Footnote 401:  In Purchas Sarriffoo Booboocarree, and afterwards Sharefoo Boobackar, which comes near the true name.—­Astl.  I. 454. a.]

The inhabitants are negroes, having short curled hair, and wear painted cloths round their middles, some having white caps, and others turbans, by which we knew them to be Mahometans.  The king wore a white cotton coat, with a turban on his head, and a painted calico of Guzerat about his middle, being little whiter than the rest.  He was very lean, with a round thin black beard and large eyes.  His stature was short, and he was a man of few words, having some knowledge of Arabic, which he had learnt when on a pilgrimage to Mecca, on which account he had the name or title of Sharif.[402] At this place they chiefly desire money, or Spanish dollars, rather than commodities.  Yet, for crimson broad-cloth, red caps, Cambaya, or Guzerat cloths, and sword-blades, you may purchase any commodities that the island produces, which indeed are only fit for refreshments, and not for traffic.  He gave me a note of friendship under his hand.[403]

[Footnote 402:  Haji is the title acquired by the pilgrimage, while Sharif signifies noble, and denotes being of the posterity of Mahomet.—­Astl.  I. 454. c.]

[Footnote 403:  This note, in Arabic characters, is inserted in Purchas, consisting only of two lines, under which the name of John Sarris is written in the same characters.  By this writing, the name of the king appears to have been as we have put it in the text.—­Astl.  I. 454. d.]

We sailed from the island of Moyella on the 4th of November, and on the 17th in the morning made the main land of Africa on the coast of Melinda, the bay or gulf of Formosa being N.W. four leagues distant.  The 29th, in lat. 4 deg. 44’, being, as we supposed, twelve leagues off the shoals called Baxos de Malhina, we had a great rippling and over-fall of water, as if it had been a shoal, yet found no ground with 100 fathoms.  The 1st December, in 3 deg. 40’, we had a fearful rippling, much like the fall at London bridge, being then not in sight of land, and still had no ground with a line of 100 fathoms.  When we stood in towards the land it left us, but standing off again, and when fifty leagues from the land, we found it very terrible.  The 2d, in lat. 2 deg. 55’, the rippling still continued.  The 6th, in lat. 5 deg. 5’, steering S.E. by E. we had at times still more fearful ripplings than before, and still no ground at 100 fathoms.  These ripplings shewed like shelves or ledges of rocks, not being always alike, but sometimes more, sometimes less, occurring