Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	degree_n	minute_n	north_n	1,710	5	9.7859	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96033	A voyage of the Sieur Le Maire to the Canary Islands, Cape-Verd, Senegal and Gamby, under Monsieur Dancourt, Director-General of the Royal African Company Printed at Paris this present year 1695. And now faithfully done into English.	Le Maire, Jacques-Joseph.	1696 (1696)	Wing V741A; ESTC R230540	51,780	146

some that told me that there was such a sort of Trees but that they never furnish'd such prodigious quantity of Water which was spoke of Tuesday the 5th we continued our Course to the South being in 27 Degrees 40 Minutes Northern Latitude and in 360 Degrees Eastern Longitude About Six a Clock in the Evening being full South off the Grand Canary we kept East North East for about 7 Leagues Wednesday the 6th it blew so strong an Easterly Wind that the Tackling of the Top-Sail and the Main-Yard broke in pieces and the Main-Mast buckled so much that it was in danger of breaking This Wind ceas'd in a quarter of an hour afterwards and the Vessel began to be Steady and Trim. Thursday the 7th at Noon being in 20 Degrees Northern Latitude and in 28 Minutes Easter Longitude we cut the Tropick of Cancer It was not forgot in this place to keep up the Ceremony that is us'd by all Sailors they call it the Baptism 't is put in practice upon all those who never yet pass'd the Tropick See here the whole Description of it They set a great Tub of Water at the foot of the Main-Mast with a Stick laid a-cross it Then those that have been Initiated in former Voyages having Grim●c'd their Faces with Smut walk in Procession a-round the Deck one carrying a drawn Cut-lash another a Frying-Pan and the rest several of the Kitchen Utensils The Pilot to distinguish himself turns his Coat and Displays some tatter'd Rag instead of a pair of Colours The Procession being finish'd which is always perform'd in great State with Trumpets Sounding and Drums Beating they proceed to Baptizing of the Ship flinging several Peals of Water about the Deck till the Captain gives the Ship 's Crew some Drink-Money They go then first to the most considerable of the Ship whom they make to sit one after the other upon the Stick I already mention'd The Mob gets about him presenting a Bason to receive his Baptismal Offering holding the Cymeter a cross his Neck Then the Pilot brings his Book of Charts and makes the Patient put his Hand upon the Tropick Line and Swear to observe this Ceremony in like manner at any time for the future to those that were fresh Travellers At length they mark him with a black ●●●●●s upon the Forehead and fling a little Water upon his Head which follow'd by a Present flung into the Bason they dismiss him tho' if it be a Person of Common Rank they draw the Stick from under him Sousing him into the Tub flinging Buckets of Water upon him and thumping him at a good Rate with the Stick he sat upon There is a necessity of undergoing this Ceremony nor is an Admiral himself exempted though they use him in a more Civil manner than ordinary Friday the 8th we drew near the Coast of Barbary being at Mid-day in 21 Degrees 47 Minutes Northern Latitude the Wind blowing a fresh Gale at North North East we were satisfied that it was impossible to reach Cape-Blanc within Day-light being 4 Leagues off from Land having 28 Fathom Water with a Sandy bottom we kept our bent East South East and on Saturday the 9th about Eight a Clock in the Morning we found our selves but a League from shore We Coasted along to Cape-Blanc and Anchor'd there in 14 fathom Water to the North-West being about a League from the Point of the Cape which is according to our Account in 20 Degrees 30 Minutes Northern Latitude and 359 Degrees 10 Minutes Western Longitude When the Portuguese discover'd this Cape about the Year 1454. they gave it the Name of Cape-Blanc by reason of its barren white Sand insomuch that nothing of Green appears in view It lies almost as flat as the Sea on which Account 't is call'd the Sea of Sand. From Cape-Cantin to this place which is 300 Leagues nothing is to be seen but a Flat of Sand by the Ancients call'd The Desart of Lybia and by the Arabians Zaara It 's not Inhabited save only with Wild Beasts such as Lions Tygers Ounces Leopards and other like sort of Creatures These Desarts are bounded on the North by Mount Atlas and to the South by the Country of the Negers they are of that extent from East to West that they can't be cross'd on Horseback under the space of 50 days Over these Sands the Caravans pass from Fez to Tombut Melly Borneo and other Kingdoms of the Negers When any Storm arises in these Desarts the Sands overwhelm both the Passengers and their Camels often smothering them to Death at other times filling up the standing Pits of Water so that they perish by Thirst The Caravans for want of any beaten Track are oblig'd to make use of the Compass as tho' they were at Sea At the Point of Cape-Blanc there is form'd a certain Gulf which takes its Name from the Island which it makes and is call'd Arguin This Gulf shoots up more than 15 Leagues within Land by which the prospect of it is lost having once pass'd the Point The Portuguese had formerly a Fort in this Island where they Establish'd a Commerce with the Azoaghes Arabs or Moors who Traffick'd with them for Gold Gum-Arabick Ostridges Plumes which are there in great Plenty by reason of the abundance of those Birds 'T is said-of this Animal that they are so far destitute of Memory that they forget where they lay their Eggs and that they brood over the first they chance to meet withal I much doubted the Truth of the Report that one of these Eggs were sufficient to satisfie the Appetite of eight Men of good Stomach To the rest they bring these Merchandises from Hoden which is four days Journey into the Main Land and is the place where the Caravans arrive from Tombut Gualata and other Inland places of Lybia and the Country of the Negers These People are Disciples of the Precepts of Mahomet they never continue long settled in a place but wander in the Desarts from one part to another according as they meet with Pasturage for their Horses Camels Cattel Sheep and Goats by whose Milk they are nourished They are divided into Tribes or Lineages they own no King or Superior by any legal Right though he that has the greatest Stock is voluntarily obey'd as their Captain or Conductor Their Traffick with the Negers consists in Horses and Camels they receive for a Horse 6 8 or 10 Slaves but for a Camel only one or two may be sometimes three The Fort of Arguin was taken by the Hollanders from the Portuguese and taken from them again during the War in 1672. by Monsieur Ducas a Captain of the Royal Affrican Company He had but 120 Men in this Expedition of which he lost but three The Supine Negligence of the Dutch Governor contributed much to this easie Conquest for there had been nothing more practicable than to have prevented it Our Artillery consisted but of 6 small Pieces the largest being only an 8

This together with the Cold that it occasion'd and the danger of being overset which our Seamen seem'd to dread renew'd our Miseries till at last after these unlucky Adventures we arriv'd safe aboard We laugh'd at leisure at all these Accidents and set immediately to remedy our present Hunger We lay sometime longer in the Road to wait for Monsieur Dancourt who staid at Brest He arriv'd Sunday the 12th of April 1682. about Noon and we immediately made ready to Sail. About three Leagues off at Sea we met with the Ship call'd the Burning she Rode at Anchor waiting for the Tide to carry her into the Bay of Brest she carried to Guns and came from Haver to 〈◊〉 aboard Monsieur de Preuilly the Lieutenant General and was afterwards to Sail with him for the Coast of Algier We saluted her after the accustom'd manner with seven Guns Trumpets Sounding and crying three times Vi●e le Roy. She return'd as many contrary to the General practice of the King's Ships who always give two less It appear'd that it was out of Complaisance to the Intendant who was an intimate Friend of Monsieur Dancourts and then aboard her Having return'd our thanks with three Guns we continued our Course the Wind being at North East having doubled the Cape to the West making West South West from whence we took our Point to Steer at 48 degrees 20 Minutes of the Northern Latitude and 11 degrees of Longitude But since I am not very export in the business of Pilotage I shall not for the future make any such particular recites unless they be absolutely necessary Tuesday the 21th of April we made two Vessels direct East of us by their endeavours to get the Wind of us we indg'd them to be Pirates We put our selves in a posture of Defence which no doubt prevented their coming upon us they guessing by our Countenance that they could expect from us nothing but dry Blows Sunday the 26th in the Morning we were in 32 Degrees and as many Minutes of the Northern Latitude and in 4 Degrees 13 Minutes of Longitude when we made the Cape Cautin the Coasts of Barbary and the Kingdom of Morocco being but six Leagues from Land Had the Night continued we had certainly perish'd since we took our Course for the West of Madera which was above 140 Leagues from thence Wednesday the 29th we made the Island of Ancerott one of the Seven Canaries which we left about 10 Leagues to the South-East here we were for some time becalm'd and suffer'd the scorching of excessive heats Thursday the 30th of April we were got in 28 Degrees and 30 Minutes Northern Latitude taking according to the Custom of our Nation the first Meridian from the Island of Fer having then the Grand Canary 10 Leagues from us to the North-East We went off a Fowling near a League into the Island where we staid till Night We could not come to an Anchor for want of a Wind and for the darkness of the Night which came on which made us stand off to the East and continue till three hours after Midnight opposite to Land Friday by break of day we veer'd to the Westward taking our Course to the Great Canary About half an hour after Nine we came to an Anchor in 24 Fathom Water and brought up a gray and red Sand mix'd with Coral the Town which lay South South-West is a League and half from the Road and is defended by a Castie though very mean and despicable When they perceiv'd us from off the Castle they hoisted the Flag of Spain which we Saluted with five Guns but they made no return which I believe was occasion'd by want of Powder Anchorage is extream good in this place so that they don't draw too near the Town whose approach is render'd dangerous by Rocks that lye conceal'd under Water It is Guarded by a Castle situated upon a Hill from the Insults it might suffer by any Vessels that might undertake to Attack it 'T is Inhabited by Twelve Thousand flout Islanders who are capable of making a very good Defence Our Ship Anchor'd before the Town in 18 Fathom Water It s Precincts are near a League in compass most of the Houses well built but low having not above two Stories they are all flat Roord so that no Ridge appears and one would be apt to take them for Houses so far burnt down In the day time scarce any Body appears in the Streets Though the Bishop the Governor and the Men of Quality make their Residence at Teneriff yet the See Episcopal the Tribunal of the Inquisition and the Soveraign Council which is as it were the Parliament of the seven Islands are always kept in this Capital There is here four Religious Foundations one belonging to the Dominicans one to the Franciscons the two other are the Bernardins and the Recollects These Islands who heretofore were call'd the Fortunate had that Title not without good Reason if we consider either the Goodness and Purity of the Air or the Fertility of the Soil They abound in Bread-Corn Barley Honey Beef Mutton Fowl in short with all Necessaries for good and plentiful Living They afford so large a Store of Malmsy Sack that France Spain England Holland and other places are from thence furnish'd every Year The felicity that these Islands are capable of bestowing above any others in what respects commodious Living gave some time since occasion to the Pagans belief That these were the Elizian Fields destin'd for the Habitation of the Souls of the Blessed after their separation from the Body Their Water is not proportionably good with the rest of their Commodities but they have a way to remedy it by pouring it into Vessels made in the shape of Mortars of a Stone very Porose through which being strain'd it becomes fresh and purified and consequently very wholsom Their Harvest is commonly in March sometimes in April and in several places they are double in each Year The Soil is so Redundant that I have seen a Cheriy Tree Slip produce Fruit in 6 Weeks time after it had been Grafted Flowers thrive there without requiring any manner of Industry and Oranges and Citrons are in a surprising Plenty Grand Canary as well as Teneriff and the Palme did continue some time in Idolatry after the Conquest of the Spaniards made in 1460. Ancerott Fort-Avanture Gomere and Fer did first espouse Christianity and at length the other three follow'd their example The Spaniards desiring absolutely to reduce this Country to their Obedience sent great store of the Inhabitants Slaves into Spain those that remain'd amongst them became Civiliz'd and liv'd after the manner of their Conquerors These People especially those of Grand Canary are extream Lovers of Strangers Monsieur Dancourt was very Honourably receiv'd by the Governor of the Island at whose House he was entertain'd at Dinner being conducted by Monsieur Remond Consul of our Nation who was Born at Liege and is a very honest