A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
[2] This is erroneous, as it was discovered in 1446 by Denis Fernandez,
nine years before.--Clarke.
[3] It is necessary to be cautious with respect to these early voyages,
which, having gone through various transcriptions and translations,
are liable to numerous errors. In our best charts, this sand bank,
intermixed with sunk rocks, extends two miles out to sea.--E.
[4] Called the Birds islands, or the Magdalens.--Clarke.
[5] In Ramusio these fish are called Orate vecchis, and in Grynaeus
Ostreas veteres.--Astl.
[6] This appears to indicate the gulf between Cape Emanuel, near the isle
of Goree, and the Red Cape.--E.
[7] The river named Barbasini is above eighty-five miles S.S.E. from Cape
Verd, measuring to its northern entrance, and forms a small island or
delta at its mouth, having another entrance about eighteen miles
farther south. There is a small island named _Fetti_, off its northern
entrance, of which no notice is taken by Cada Mosto. The natives on
this part of the coast, to the north of the Gambia, are now called
Barras.--E.
[8] From the sequel, I am apt to conclude that this second river is the
Barbasini of our charts; and that the river named Barbasini in the
text of Cada Mosto, is that named _Joall_ in modern charts.--E.
[9] Cada Mosto betrays strange ignorance of the previous discoveries of
the Portuguese, considering that he had resided some time with Don
Henry at Sagres. This fine river was discovered in 1447, nine years
before, by Nuno Tristan, who ascended it some way, and was slain there
by the poisoned arrows of the Negroes. Perhaps even Don Henry was
misled by the name of Rio Grande which it then received, and confused
the Venetian in his search for the Gambia.--Clarke.
[10] From this it would appear, that Gambra or Gambia is the name of the
country, not of the river. Johnson says that the natives always call
it _Gee_, which merely signifies the river.--Astl.
[11] The centre of the mouth of the Gambia is in lat. 13° 30' N.--E.
[12] It may be noticed, that during the whole of his narrative, Cada
Mosto constantly speaks of Spain, and the Spanish language, as if
forgetting that the ships and crews were Portuguese.--Clarke.
SECTION VIII.
_The Second Voyage of Cada Mosto, in 1456, to the coast of Africa, in
which the Cape de Verd Islands were Discovered_[1].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account