ALVAREZ, FRANCISCO, of Coimbra, a priest, and almoner to Emanuel king of Portugal, was sent in 1515 as secretary to Duarte Galvaon on an embassy to David, king of Abyssinia. The expedition having been delayed by the way, it was not until 1520 that he reached Abyssinia, where he remained six years, and returned to Lisbon in 1527. In 1540, the year of his death, he published at Lisbon an account of his travels in one volume folio, entitled Descrição das Terras de Prete Joam, &c. This curious work was translated in Latin, under the title of De Fide, Regione, et Moribus Aethiopum, by Damien Goez, a Portuguese gentleman; and has often been reprinted and translated into other languages. The information it contains must, however, be received with caution, as the author is prone to exaggerate, and does not confine his remarks to his own observation.