_Progress Of Discovery From Cape Verga To Cape St Catherine; From The
Death Of Don Henry To That Of King Alphonzo V_.
After the decease of Don Henry, the illustrious father of maritime
discovery, the progress of the Portuguese along the coast
Of Africa
received a considerable check, as the military ardour of Alphonzo the
Fifth was principally directed to the support of his pretensions to the
throne of Castile, the circumstances of which are unconnected with the
plan of this work. King Alphonzo was not however entirely inattentive to
the trade for gold and slaves, which his illustrious uncle Don Henry had
commenced with that part of Africa which is now called Guinea. The origin
of this name of Guinea, or _Ghinney_, is unknown. It is not in use among
the natives, and seems to have been imposed by the Portuguese from the
appellation of _Ghenchoa_, given to a country on the south side of the
Senegal, us first mentioned by Leo and afterwards by Marmol. Ever since
the year 1453, as already mentioned, considerable importations of gold
had been made to Portugal from the coast of Africa; but little or no
progress had been made in extending the discoveries farther south, for
some time previous to the decease of Don Henry. In 1470, King Alphonzo
sailed with a considerable army, in a fleet of above 300 ships, and
carried the strong fort of _Arzila_ on the Atlantic coast of Africa, a
little way to the south of the Straits of Gibraltar. But of his military
exploits in Africa, from which he acquired the appellation of _Africanus_,
and assumed the additional title of _Lord of the coasts on both seas_,
our present purpose does not call for any recital. In 1479, the disputes
between the crowns of Portugal and Castile were compromised by a treaty
entered into by Alphonzo V. king of Portugal, and Ferdinand king of
Castile; by which the trade of Guinea, and the navigation of its coast,
with the proposed conquest of _Fez_, were guaranteed to Portugal, and the
Canary islands were annexed to the crown of Castile.
From the want of any accurate history of the progress of the Portuguese
discoveries, it is utterly impossible to determine the dates or
circumstances of many of the progressive discoveries along the western
coast of Africa, and of its islands. In 1469, Alphonzo farmed the Guinea
trade for five years to Fernando Gomez, for the yearly rent of 500 ducats,
or about 138 pounds; taking, him bound at the same time, to extend the
discoveries for 500 leagues to the southwards during the period of his
exclusive privilege. In 1471, according to Marmol, Juan de Santareu and
Pedro de Escobar, discovered the _Oro de la Mina_, or the _Gold coast_;
and advancing still farther, under the guidance of two experienced pilots,
Martin Fernandez and Alvaro Esteves, they discovered _Cabo Catalina_, or
Cape St Catherine, in lat. 1 deg. 40' S. This promontory, which is thirty-one
leagues to the south of Cabo de Lope Gonzales, derived its name from the
day of the saint on which it was first seen, and forms the northern
boundary of the great kingdom of Congo.
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