Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

— 25 —

Prince Henry's discovery of Madeira and of the islands of
St. George, Fayal and Pico, one of which was settled by
" Germans of Flanders," the ' Chronicle' continues as
follows:—1

" In the year 14832 John II., King of Portugal, a man
of lofty mind, despatched certain galleons (galeas), well
found, on a voyage of discovery to the south, beyond the
Columns of Hercules, to Ethiopia. He appointed two
patrons (captains) over them, namely Jacobus3 canus, a
Portuguese, and Martinus Bohemus, a German, a native
of Nuremberg in Upper Germany, of good family, who
had a thorough knowledge of the countries of the world
and was most patient of the sea (situ terre peritissimum
marisque patientissimum), and who had gained, by many
years' navigation, a thorough knowledge beyond Ptolemy's
longitudes to the west.4

" These two, by favour of the gods, sailed, not far from
the coast, to the south, and having crossed the equinoctial
line entered another world (alterum orbem) where looking
to the east their shadow fell southwards, to the right.6
They had thus by their diligence, discovered another
world (ahum orbem) hitherto not known to us, and for
many years searched for in vain by the Genoese. Having
thus pursued their voyage they came back after twenty-
six months6 to Portugal, many having died owing to the
heat. As evidence of their discovery they brought with
them pepper, grains of paradise, and many other things,
which it would take long to enumerate. A great quantity
of this pepper was sent to Flanders, but not being
shrivelled like the oriental pepper and of a longish shape,
preference was given to the true pepper."

A Summary of the two Accounts.

These two accounts may be combined as follows :—
In 1484 two caravels, commanded by Diogo Cao and
Martin Behaim, were despatched by King John. They
traded with the Jalof and the people of the Gambia, and
sailing east " found " the Guinea Islands, including the
Insula Martini. Having crossed the Equator, a feat
attempted in vain by the Genoese for many years, they
discovered another world. Sailing south as far as 37°,
they reached a Monte negro, the extreme Cape of Africa,
where, on January 18, 1485, they set up a column.
Doubling this cape they sailed east another 260 leagues,

1 Latin original, f.290 ; German translation, f.385x.

2 A misprint for 1484 or 1485?

3 Jacobus, Diogo, James and Jack are synonymous.

4 This claim to be an experienced navigator is absurd, for Behaim's
first experience of the sea was made in 1484. Of his further experience
up to 1490, we know nothing.

6 The inhabitants of the tropical zone are, of course, Amphiscii, whose
shadow at noon is thrown to the north or south according to the position
of the sun. Behaim's statement is applicable only to inhabitants of the
southern temperate zone.

6 In the Latin " vicesimo sexto mense," but in the German translation
" in dem sechzehenten monat." Dias is said to have come back after an
absence of 16 months 17 days.

as far as Cabo Ledo, when they turned back. King
Furfur's Land, where grows the Portuguese pepper,
seems to have been visited on the homeward journey in
1485. After an absence of 19 (26 or 16) months, they
were once more at Lisbon, having suffered heavy losses
from the great heat, and bi'inging with them grains of
paradise, pepper and probably also cinnamon (said to
have been discovered beyond King Furfur's Land) in
proof of the discoveries they had made.

Behaim's account examined.

It is quite conceivable that Behaim's townsmen in the
centre of Germany believed this account of his African
voyage, but Behaim himself must have been aware that
he was misleading them with a view to his own glorification
. Even though he had made no voyage to the Guinea
coast at all, and took no special interest in geographical
exploration, he must have known that the islands of
Fernando P6, do Principe and St. Thome, as well as the
Guinea coast as far as the Cape of Catharina in latitude
1° 50' South,7 had been discovered in the lifetime of King
AfFonso, who died in 1481. Genoese, and also Flemings,8
certainly took a small share in the trade carried on along
the coast discovered by the Portuguese, but since the
days of Teodosio Doria and the brothers Vivaldi, in 1291,
no Genoese vessels had started with a view of tracing the
coast of Africa beyond the Equator. Behaim, if he really
joined Cao in an expedition to Africa, must have known
that his companion, in 1482, had discovered a mighty
river and the powerful kingdom of the Mani Congo, and
that in the course of a second expedition, in 1485, Cao
traced the coast as far as a Cabo do Padrao, quite six
degrees beyond the Monte negro of his globe. He must
have known that Dias, in 1488, returned with the glorious
news that he had doubled the southern cape of Africa,
12 degrees to the south of this padrao, and explored the
coast for 120 leagues beyond, when the ocean highway to
India lay open before him. Behaim is silent with reference
to these facts, and any person examining his globe, and
not conversant with them, would naturally conclude that
it was Behaim, and his companion Cao, who first doubled
the southern cape of Africa.

Grains of Paradise, Pepper and Cinnamon.

As to the grains of paradise, the pepper and also
cinnamon, which were brought to Lisbon as " evidences "
of discovery, a few words may be said.

Grains of Paradise, or Malaguetas, are the seeds of
Amomum granum Paradisi, Afz, and as early as the

' Here, on the chart of " Ginea Portugalexe," 1484, is shown the " tree
marking the furthest discovered in the time of Fernam Gomez," whose
trading monopoly, granted in 1469, expired in 1474.

8 Pacheco Pereira, ' Esmeraldo,' p. 54, tells us of a ship manned by
thirty-four Flemings, which was wrecked on the Malagueta coast and its
crew eaten up by the natives.

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