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 observed towards the south a fixed spot in the horizon, like a small 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 ifland 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. Thefe throve fo profperoufly in this new country, that the benefit of cultivating them was immediately perceived, and the fugar and wine

u) Historical relation of the firft difcovery 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 coast, ventured into the open fea. In confequence of taking this courfe, Gilianez, who commanded one of prince Henry's fhips, doub led Cape Bojador, the boundary of the Portuguese navigation upwards of twenty years, and which had hitherto been deemed unpaffable. (1433) This fuccessfull voyage, which the ignorance of the age placed on a level with the inoft famous exploits recorded in history, opened a new sphere to navigation, as it difcovered the vast continent of Africa, ftill wafhed by the Atlantic ocean, and stretching 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 Paes Baffi, p. 180. 181,

Aftonifhed at what they difcovered there.

Hitherto the Portuguese had been guided in their discoveries, 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 nofes, thick lips, and all the peculiar features which are now known to diftinguifh the race of negroes. This furprifing alteration they naturally attributed to the influence of heat, and if they should advance nearer to the line, they began to dread that its effects would be ftill more violent. Thofe dangers were exag→ gerated, and many other objections against attempting farther discoveries were proposed by

fome of the grandees, who, from ignorance, from envy, or from that cold timid prudence which rejects whatever has the air of novelty or enterprise, had hitherto condemned all prince Henry's schemes. They represented, that it was altogether chimerical to expect any advantage from countries fituated in that region which the wisdom and experience of antiquity had pronounced to be unfit for the habitation of men; that their forefathers, fatisfied with cultivating the territory which Providence had allotted them, did not wafte the ftrength of the kingdom by fruitless projects, in quest of new fettlements; that Portugal was already exhausted by the expence of attempts to difcover lands, which either did not exift, or which nature deftined to remain unknown; and was drained of men, who might have been employed in undertakings attended with more certain success, and productive of greater benefit. But neither their appeal to the authority of the ancients, nor their reafonings concerning the intereft of Portugal, made any impreffion upon the determined philofophic mind of prince Henry. The discoveries which he had already made convinced him that the ancients had little more than a conjectural knowledge of the torrid zone. He was no less fatisfied that the political arguments of his opponents with refpect to the intereft of Portugal were malevolent and illfounded. In thofe fenti- ›

ments he was ftrenuoufly fupported by his brother Pedro, who governed the kingdom as guardian of their nephew Alphonfo V. who had fucceeded to the throne during his minority; and inftead of flackening his efforts, Henry continued to pursue his difcoveries with fresh ardour. (1438)

Papal grant to Portugal of what countries it fhould difcover.

But in order to filence all the murmurs of oppofition, he endeavoured to obtain the fanction of the highest authority in favour of his operations. With this view, he applied to the Pope, and reprefented, in pompous terms, the pious and unwearied zeal, with which he had exerted himfelf during twenty years, in difcovering unknown countries, the wretched inhabitants of which were utter ftrangers to true religion, wandering in heathen darkness, or led aftray by the delufions of Mahomet. He befought the holy father, to whom, as the vicar of Chrift, all the kingdoms of the earth were fubject, to confer on the crown of Portugal a right to all the countries poffeffed by Infidels, which fhould be difcovered by the induftry of its fubjects, and fubdued by the force of its arms. He intrea ted him to enjoin all Christian powers, under the highest penalties, not to moleft Portugal while engaged in this laudable enterprise, and to prohibit them from fettling in any of the