The Boatswain Of This Ship Brought Home Some Of The Sand From
This Island, And Sold It To A Goldsmith In Lisbon, Who Procured From It A
Good Quantity Of Gold.
Don Pedro, who then governed the realm, being made
acquainted with this circumstance, caused the whole to be recorded in the
house of justice[12].
Some think that this island belonged to what is now
called the Antilles or New Spain; but though their reasons for this
opinion are good, I omit them here, as not connected with my present
purpose.
In the year 1449, King Alphonso granted license to his uncle, Don Henry,
to colonize the Acores, which had been formerly discovered. In the year
1458, this king went into Africa, where he took the town of Alcacer; and
in the year 1461, he commanded Signior Mendez to build the castle of
Arguin, in the island of that name, on the coast of Africa. In the year
1462, three Genoese gentlemen, of whom Antonio de Noli was the chief, the
others being his brother and nephew, got permission from Don Henry to
take possession of the Cape de Verde islands, which some believe to be
those called Gorgades, Hesperides, and Dorcades, by the ancients. But
they named them Mayo, Saint Jago, and Saint Philip, because discovered on
the days of those saints. Some call them the islands of Antonio. In the
year following, 1463, that excellent prince, Don Henry, died; having
discovered, by his exertions, the whole coast of Africa, from Cape Non to
the mountain of Sierra Liona, which is on this side of the line, in lat.
8 deg. 30' N. where no man had been before.
In 1469, the king of Portugal let out the trade of Guinea, afterwards
called the Minas, to Fernan Gomez, for five years, at the yearly rent of
200,000 rees[13]; and under the express condition that he was every year
to discover 100 leagues farther along the coast of Africa to the south.
In 1470, this king went into Africa, accompanied by his son Prince John,
where he took the town of Arzila; and the inhabitants of Tangier having
fled from fear, he took possession of it also. In the year 1471, John de
St Aren and John de Scovar, under the orders of Fernan Gomez, continued
the discovery of the coast of Guinea as far as St George del Mina, in lat.
5 deg. N. and 2 deg. W. long.; the coast from Cape Verde to Cape Palmas trending
S.E. after which it goes to the east, with even a small northerly
inclination for about twelve degrees of longitude. In 1472, one Fernando
da Poo discovered the island now called after his name, beyond Cape
Formosa, in lat. 3 deg. 40' N. and about the same time the islands del
Principe and St Thomas were discovered, the latter of which is situated
under the equinoctial line. The firm land also was explored at the same
time, all the way from the kingdom of Benin to Cape St Catherina, in lat.
1 deg.
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