Owing To This Event, The Place Where The Two Cavaliers
Were Landed Was Named Angra Dos Cavallos, Or The Bay Of Horses; Which Is
In Latitude 24 Deg.
N.
The navigators proceeded along a rugged coast to the south of the Bay of
Horses, upon which the sea breaks with a terrible noise, and which, on
account of being entirely composed of a hilly shore, faced with rocks and
small rocky islands, is called _Otegado_, or the Rocky Place. At about
twelve leagues distance from the bay of Cavallos they entered the mouth
of a river, where they killed a number of sea wolves or seals, the skins
of which they took on board in defect of any other productions of the
country; these seals were found on an island at the mouth of this river,
on which the mariners are said to have seen at least 5000 asleep on the
shore. The voyage was continued to Punta de Gale, forming the western
head-land of the Rio de Ouro, immediately under the tropic, where a
fishing net was found constructed of twine, made from the inner bark of
some tree of the palm tribe, but no natives were met with; and as
provisions began to grow scarce, the adventurous mariners were
constrained to return into Portugal, after ranging for some time up and
down the rocky coast of Otegado, without making any important discovery.
About this period, or perhaps considerably earlier, Don Henry obtained a
bull from Pope Martin V. by which the sovereign pontiff made a perpetual
donation to the crown of Portugal, of all lands and islands which had
been or might be discovered between Cape Bojador and the East Indies,
inclusively, and granted a plenary indulgence for the souls of all who
might perish in the prosecution of the enterprize, and in achieving the
conquest of these extensive regions from the infidel and pagan enemies of
Christ and the church. In this measure, the philosophical genius and
enlarged political views of Don Henry are plainly evinced; and,
undismayed by the obstacles which had so long opposed his grand project
of discoveries, and the length of time which had been employed in making
so very small progress, he shewed himself to have looked steadily
forwards to the full accomplishment of his hopes of discovering the route
by sea from Europe to India, around the still unknown shores of Southern
Africa. The date of this papal grant does not certainly appear. De Barros
and Lafitau are of opinion that it must have been posterior to 1440;
Purchas places it in 1441; and de Guyon in 1444. But Martin V. died in
1431; and these writers seem to have confounded the original grant from
that pontiff, with subsequent confirmations by his successors Eugenius IV.
Nicholas V. and Sextus IV[9].
The gradual progress of these discoveries were interrupted for a time by
an unsuccessful attempt of Edward I. or _Duarte_, king of Portugal, to
gain possession of Tangier in the kingdom of Fez.
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