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from Africa, and fixed his refidence at Sagres, near Cape St. Vincent, where the prospect of the Atlantic ocean invited his thoughts continually towards his favourite project, and encouraged him to execute it. In this retreat he was attended by fome of the most learned men in his country, who aided him in his researches. He applied for information to the Moors of Barbary, who were accustomed to travel by land into the interior provinces of Africa, in quest of ivory, gold-duft, and other rich commodities. He confulted the Jews fettled in Portugal. By promifes, rewards, and marks of refpect, he allured into his fervice feveral perfons, foreigners as well as Portuguese, who were eminent for their skill in navigation. In taking those preparatory steps, the great abilities of the prince were feconded by his private virtues.

His

integrity, his affability, his refpect for religion, his zeal for the honour of his country, engaged perfons of all ranks to applaud his defign, and to favour the execution of it. His fchemes were allowed by the greater part of his countrymen to preceed neither from ambition, nor the defire of wealth, but to flow from the warm benevolence of a heart eager to promote the happinefs of mankind, and which juftly intitled him to affume a motto for his device, that defcribed the quality, by which he wifhed to be diftinguished, the talent of doing good,

Difcovery of Porto Santo. 1418.

His firft effort, as is ufual at the commencement of any new undertaking, was extremely inconfiderable. He fitted out a single ship, and giving the command of it to John Gonzalez Zarco and Triftan Vaz, two gentlemen of his household, who voluntarily offered to conduct the enterprife, he inftructed them to use their utmost efforts to double Cape Bojador, and thence to steer towards the fouth. They, according to the mode of navigation which still prevailed, held their courfe along the fhore; and by following that direction, they must have encountered almoft infuperable difficulties in attempting to pafs Cape Bojador. But fortune

came in aid to their want of skill, and

prevented the voyage from being altogether fruitless. A fudden fquall of wind arose, drove them out to fea, and when they expected every moment to perifh, landed them on an unknown island, which from their happy efcape they named Porto Santo. In the infancy of navigation, the discovery of this fmall ifland appeared a matter of fuch moment, that they inftantly returned to Portugal with the good tidings, and were received by Henry with the applause and honour due to fortunate adventurers. This faint dawn of fuccefs filled a mind ardent in the purfuit of a favourite object with fuch fanguine hopes as were fufficient incitements to proceed. (1419) Next year, Henry fent out three fhips

under the fame commanders, to whom he joined Bartholomew Pereftrello, in order to take poffeffion of the island which they had difcovered. When they began to fettle in Porto Santo, they obferved towards the fouth a fixed fpot in the horizon, like a fmall black cloud.

Of Madeira.

By degrees, they were led to conjecture that it might be land, and fteering towards it, they arrived at a confiderable ifland, uninhabited and covered with wood, which on that account they called Madeira u). (1420) As it was Henry's chief object to render his difcoveries ufeful to his country, he immediately equipped a fleet to carry a colony of Portuguese to these iflands. By his provident care, they were furnished not only with the feeds, plants, and domestic animals common in Europe; but as he forefaw that the warmth of the climate and fertility of the foil would prove favourable to the rearing of other productions, he procured flips of the wine from the island of Cyprus, the rich wines of which were then in great requeft, and plants of the fugar cane from Sicily, into which it had been lately introduced. These throve fo profperously in this new country, that the benefit of cultivating them was immediately perceived, and the fugar and wine

) Hiftorical relation of the first discovery of Madeira, tranflated from the Portuguese of Fran. Alcafarano, p. 15. &c.

of Madeira quickly became confiderable articles in the commerce of Portugal x).

Double Cape Bojador.

As foon as the advantages derived from this firft fettlement to the weft of the European continent began to be felt, the spirit of discovery appeared lefs chimerical, and became more adventurous. By their voyages to Madeira, the Portuguese were gradually accustomed to a bolder navigation, and inftead of creeping fervilely along the coaft, ventured into the open fea. In confequence of taking this courfe, Gilianez, who commanded one of prince Henry's fhips, doubled Cape Bojador, the boundary of the Portuguefe navigation upwards of twenty years, and which had hitherto been deemed unpaffable. (1433) This fuccefsfull voyage, which the ignorance of the age placed on a level with the moft famous exploits recorded in history, opened a new sphere to navigation, as it discovered the vast continent of Africa, ftill wafhed by the Atlantic ocean, and ftretching towards the fouth.

Advance within the tropics.

Part of this was foon explored; the Portuguese advanced within the tropics, and in the fpace of a few years they discovered the river Senegal, and all the coaft extending from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verd.

x) Lud. Guicciardini Defcritt, de Paefi Baffi, p. 180, 151.

Aftonifhed at what they difcovered there.

Hitherto the Portuguefe had been guided in their difcoveries, or encouraged to attempt them, by the light and information which they received from the works of the ancient mathematicians and geographers. But, when they began to enter the torrid zone, the notion which prevailed among the ancients, that the heat, which reigned perpetually there, was fo exceffive as to render it uninhabitable, deterred them, for fome time, from proceeding. Their own obfervations, when they firft ventured into this unknown and formidable region, tended to confirm the opinion of antiquity concerning the violent operation of the direct rays of the fun. As far as the river Senegal, the Portuguese had found the coaft of Africa inhabited by people nearly refembling the Moors of Barbary. When they advanced to the fnuth of that river, the human form feemed to put on a new appearance. They beheld men with fkins black as ebony, with fhort curled hair, flat noses, thick lips, and all the peculiar features which are now known to diftinguifh the race of negroes. This furprising alteration they naturally attributed to the influence of heat, and if they fhould advance nearer to the line, they began to dread that its effects would be ftill more violent. Thofe dangers were exaggerated, and many other objections against attempting farther discoveries were proposed by

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