36

NOTES

COINS  FROM MOGADISHU,  c.  1300 to  c.  1700

During  1957 the  late  Dr.  John  Walker,  Keeper  of  Coins and Medals  in  the

British  Museum,  arranged  for  me to have  access to  an  important  private  collection
of  coins  in  Mogadishu,  the  capital  of  Somalia,  amounting  to over  7,500  pieces.
These have now  been  studied  in  conjunction  with  the  collection  of  the  Mogadishu
Museum,  a small  collection  in  the  British  Museum,  a description'of  some coins
found  in  Somalia by  Professor  Enrico Cerulli,  of  Rome,  and some specimens  of
Mogadishu origin  found  in  Tanzania,  at  Kilwa  and  in  the  Mafia  Islands.  This
work  has presented  considerable  technical  difficulties,  but  it  is now  at press
and will  shortly  be  published  in  the  Numismatic  Chronicle,  1964.  An  offprint
of  the  work  will  be  placed  in  the  Iibrary.

This  study  is  important  for  a number of  reasons. 

It  includes  the  first  dated

It  shows that  the  coinage  of  Mogadishu was

coin  from  East Africa,  dated  1322. 
related  to  the  coinage  of  Kilwa,  in  that  both  coinages  have  the  characteristic
rhyme between  the  legends of  the obverse and reverse. 
It  appears to show that
when  the  Turkish  naval  commander  Amir  A)i  Bey  raided  the  East African  coast
in  the  late  16th  Century,  Mogadishu  was able  to  defy  the  Portuguese  for  a  long
period,  perhaps the  whole  of  the  17th  Century,  in  employing  a local  coinage
which followed  the  Turkish  pattern,  thus  proclaiming  an attitude  of  independence
in  regard  to  the  Portuguese. 
all  but  three  are  new  both  to  numismatics  and to  history.

It  includes  no  less than  twenty-six  rulers of  whom

G.  S.  P.  Freeman-Grenville

THE AUGUSTINIAN  MISSIONS  IN  EAST AFRICA,  1596-1730

It  was necessary  earlier  this  year  to  correct  an  English  newspaper,  the  Universe,

which  stated  that  the  first  Christian  missions  in  East Africa  were started only  In
the  19th Century.  The year  which  saw the  foundation  of  the  Augustinian  Mission
in  Ghana,  1572,  also saw the  foundation of  an Augustinjan  Mission  in  Goa,  which
gradually  increased  the  number  of  its jtqfigris  in  India  and also  reached  Persia,
and,  finally,  Mombasa,  on the  coast of !the present  Kenya,  in  1596.

Some recent  publications  of documents by  Professor A.  de Silva  Rego have

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NOTES

37

added much detail  to the general outline  of the history of the Augustinian mission
in  East Africa as described by Sir John Gray,  Early  Portuguese Missionaries  in
East Africa,  1958.  These.ore volumes  11 and  12 of A.  da SHva Rego,  Documentac<io
para a  Historia das Mlssoes do Padroado Portugues do Orlente,  12 volumes,  Lisbon,
1947-1758.  Bait they are  largely  the obituary notices of the mission fathers, and
tell  us very  little  of local  life.  What  is clear,  however,  is that  the success of the
mission was less amongst the Muslims of the coast than with the local  African
population of the hinterland,  amongst whom an average of a thousand converts
a year was claimed. 
It has now been  learnt that  there are a substantial number of
documents in the Augustinian  house at  Coimbra,  Portugal,  wMchr  have never been
sorted,  let alone examined,  since they were brought from Goa,  and in addition a
substantial  quantity  in the archives of the Augustinian  Order  in Rome.

I  received an  invitation  to examine  those  in  Rome in July,  1965.

It  is to be hoped that  these documents may contain some solutions to certain very

In spite of the search for Swahili documents conducted by the East

difficult  problems concerning the history of Mombasa during  the  l/'rh  Century,_  It
has been found that a detailed account of the death of  Father Antonio de  Paixao,
who was martyred for his faith  in the  rebellion  of  1631, still  survives.  An exact
chronology of the course of  this rebellion  Is greatly  to be desired.  Another
Augustinian  Prior of Mombasa was also killed at  the time of the attack  upon Mombasa
by a fleet  from Oman  in  1660,  but at  the present very  few details of what  took place
are known.  Finally  it  is to be hoped that some light may be shed upon language
problems. 
African  Swahili Committee  for the  past seven years,  a poetical  manuscript  preserved
in the  Hamburg University  library  is still  the earliest  known Swahili manuscript.
It  is dated  1728.  Considering the number of converts claimed by the Augustinlans
and the period of their residence on the coast,  it would not seem unlikely  that some
of them at  least  leamt  Swahili,  and even translated prayers or portions of the
Scriptures into  it. 
for the  history of the Swahili  language,  concerning which,  before the  late  19th
Century,  we know all  too little. 
SwahtH thoroughly,  for  in  1729,  when the  Portuguese were  finally  evicted from
Mombasa,  a  certain Padre Miguel  was warned in advance and enabled to escape as
a  result of a  .four  line  Swahili  poem written by a Christian Swahili woman.

If such documents should come to  light,  they would be valuable

It  Is certain  that  at  least one Augustinian  learnt

G.  S.  P.  Freeman-Grenville