A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07 — A Closer Reading

Editorial Framing and Source Handling

Kerr's editorial presence is most visible in the footnotes, where he corrects or clarifies the original texts. For instance, when the narrative mentions "the town of Don John," Kerr's footnote suggests this is an error for "St John," based on earlier references. Similarly, he glosses the term "great bases" as "probably musketoons or blunderbusses." These interventions show Kerr attempting to reconcile inconsistencies and explain archaic terms for his 19th-century readers. The volume thus functions as both a primary source collection and a scholarly apparatus, though the extent of Kerr's editing varies across sections.

Material Culture in African Encounters

The excerpt describing a coastal African town provides detailed observations of local material culture: the chief wears a cap of "country cloth" and sits on a stool carried by an attendant; his men carry darts with "iron well-fashioned and sharp," and daggers "bent like a Turkish cymeter." The narrative notes that cloth, girdles, and fishing lines are made from tree bark, and iron implements are "very artificially" fabricated. These details, recorded by the English sailors, reflect a keen interest in indigenous technology and social hierarchy, though the account is filtered through European perceptions and the immediate goal of establishing trade.

Trade Negotiations and Mistrust

The encounter at the African town is marked by cautious negotiation. The English sailors anchor "almost a base shot from shore" and wait two hours before any sign of the locals. The narrator suspects that previous Portuguese hostility—taking a man and firing on the town—has made the inhabitants wary. When the chief finally appears, he maintains a dignified reserve, not removing his cap and "hardly inclining his body" in return to the English salute. The failure to trade is attributed to the locals' lack of canoes and the ruined state of their town, implying that European violence had disrupted the local economy. This episode illustrates how prior encounters shaped subsequent interactions.

Readers approaching this volume should be aware that it is a curated anthology, not a seamless history. The excerpts show that Kerr's editorial notes are essential for understanding the sources' limitations and biases. Pay attention to footnotes, which often reveal discrepancies or provide geographical context. The volume rewards those who compare the different narrative voices—the impersonal Portuguese chronicle versus Verthema's personal adventures—and consider how each shapes the portrayal of non-European peoples.

While reading Kerr’s volume, especially the wary gold negotiations along that African coast, I kept thinking about how objects carry heavy, complicated stories across borders. Those Portuguese sailors and traders weighed metal against trust. Then my mind drifted, as it does, to George Catlin’s account in Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 1 (of 2) being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his — Context and Discussion, where performance itself became the currency. A quieter echo, but the same held breath between peoples.