Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

Museum (Add. MS. 15,760). It is dated 1489 and shows
the discoveries up to the return of Dias in 1488. There is
no scale, and in estimating the distances I have assumed
the Mediterranean to be 3,000 Portolano miles in length.

Liocaiiiies.

Soligo,
IN.

Martellus,
148D.

Behaim,
1492.

Actual,
1907.

Behai in's
Errors.

Lisbon to the Gambia .

Leg.
460

Leg.
400

Leg.
680

Leg.
608

Per Cent.
24

Gambia to Lagos ....

470

430

470

420

12

Lagos to Cabo Formoso and!
the Rio de Behemo . . . J

70

70

100

55

95

Cabo Formoso to R. do Padrao,)

310

270

600

250

140

Congo to Cabo do Lobo.

120

110

210

128

64

Cabo do Lobo to Monte Negro.



80

70

44

59

Monte Negro to Cabo do Padrao



120



113



Cabo do Padrao to Cape oft



390



230



Cape of Good Hope to Dias'l



200



181



Total . .



2,070

2,800*

1,879



* Inclusive of 220 leagues for the distance between Monte Negro
and Cabo Ledo.

On examining the above tables it will be found that
whilst along the Guinea coast, from the Gambia to the
Cabo formoso (Niger), the latitudes differ from the truth
to the extent of only about two degrees, and the excess in
distances only amounts to 20 per cent., these errors rapidly
increase as we follow the coast to the south. The island
of S. Thome,1 the true latitude of which is 15' N., is placed
by Behaim in lat. 7° 30' S, while the River Congo is placed
19°, the Monte negro 22° 20' beyond the true position;
the distance as measured on the Globe exceeds the truth
to the extent of over a hundred per cent.

Lower Guinea.

If we now turn to the delineation of South Africa on
the Globe we cannot fail being struck with its general
resemblance to the map of Henricus Martellus. It is only
on comparing the nomenclature of the two that we
discover striking differences. We then discover that the
Monte negro which Behaim places in lat. 38° S. is not
the Cavo de speranca of Martellus, as has been rashly
supposed by certain critics,2 but corresponds to the Monte
negro of the latter, which we know to be in lat. 15° 40' S.
It was upon this cape that Cao, in the course of his second
voyage, erected one of his padroes, which has been
discovered since in situ. We find further that the cavo
ledo and San bartholomeo viego of the Globe, which seem
to mark the furthest reached by Dias in 1487, are in reality

1 St. Thome 2° 30' N. according to Soligo, 1° N. according to Pacheco
Pereira (' Esmeraldo,' p. 15).

2 The " Caput bona spei " of Ghillany's and Jomard's facsimiles is not
to be discovered on the Globe.

meant to represent the furthest reached by Behaim
himself when he sailed in the company of Cao in 1485.8

The place names along the coast to the south of the
Cabo de S. Catharin .as far as the Monte negro agree, as
a rule, with the names to be found on the few surviving
charts of the age of the Globe. A few names are peculiar,
but this is natural, as the small scale on which these maps
are drawn made it impossible to introduce every name to
be found on the original charts, and copyists or compilers
did not agree in the selection they made. It is remarkable,
however, that the name of the famous kingdom of Congo
should be looked for in vain upon the Globe, although its
discovery and the establishment of intercourse with its
powerful ruler constituted the most important event of
Cao's two voyages, and an embassy from him was staying
in Portugal when Behaim left for Nuremberg. It is
curious, too, that the flag at the mouth of the Rio do
Padrao should fly from the north bank, when any visitor
to the river must have known that Cao's padrao was
erected to the south.

The Southern Extremity of Africa.

Once we have doubled the Cape of Monte negro the
place names are as puzzling as the names inserted upon
Juan de la Cosa's chart,4 which are supposed to represent
the nomenclature bestowed by Vasco da Gama. Close to
Cabo Ledo there is a Rio do requiem, which seems to owe
its name to some tragedy, such as Cao's supposed death.
Other names remind us of the voyage of Bartholomew
Dias. A Rio do Bethlehem takes the place of Juan de la
Cosa's Rio da Nazareth; the Angra de Gatto may
represent the Angra das Vaccas of the same author, for as
Behaim writes " patron " instead of " padrao " he may
fairly be supposed to have written " gatto " (cat) instead
of " gado " (cattle); the " Rio dos Montes " reminds us of
the " terra dos montes," the Roca of the " baia da Roca "
(Algoa Bay) of Cantino's chart. Lastly there is the
enigmatic " San bartholomeo viego " and an Oceanus maris
asperi meridionalis," which has been supposed to be
connected with the gales experienced by Bartholomew
Dias when doubling the Cape of Good Hope.

Upper Guinea.

If we leave the South and direct our attention to
Upper Guinea we shall find that, although the coast lines
are drawn but roughly, there are not wanting indications
that the author of the Globe had some personal knowledge
of this part of Africa. He alone knows the name of the
king from whose country pepper was brought to Portugal

3 See p. 24.

4 Juan de la Cosa accompanied Columbus and Alonso de Hojeda on
their voyages to the West, 1493-1500, and on his return he compiled the
map which bears his name, and facsimiles of which have been published
by Santarem, Jomard, A. Vassano and in Nordenakiold's ' Periplus.'
J. de la Cosa was killed in a fight with Indians near Cartagena, 1509.

E 2