The Year Of This Extraordinary Adventure Is Not Mentioned By Galvano, Who
Only Says, That In 1344, Pedro IV.
Reigning in Arragon, the chronicles of
his age reported, that about this time the island of Madeira was
discovered by one Macham, an Englishman.
It must be confessed that an
objection arises against this history which is not easily removed. We are
told that, immediately after the death of Macham, his companions sailed
over to Morocco, and that Morales was in prison when they arrived.
Supposing the discovery by Macham to have been made about 1344, as
related by Galvano, from the Castilian chronicles, Morales must have been
no less than seventy-six years a prisoner when redeemed, and when he was
detained by Gonsalvo in 1420. Herbert places the adventure of Macham in
1328, which would increase the captivity of Morales to ninety-two years.
Alcaforado places the event in the reign of Edward III. of England, which
began in 1327 and ended in 1378; Even supposing it to have happened in
the last year of Edward, Morales must have remained forty-two years in
captivity; which is not only highly improbable, but is even contrary to
the sense of the historian, who supposes but a small space to have
elapsed between the two events; besides, the records quoted by Galvano
are said expressly to assert that Macham went himself into Africa, whence
he was sent to the king of Castile. This last circumstance may have been
invented by the Spaniards, to give them a better title to the island of
Madeira:
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