P. 4, note 2, to be read thus: “That is, towards Tristão da Cunha, Gama being at that time 400 miles to the N.N.W. of these islands”. P. 9, note 3. _Instead of_ “Antº”, _read_ “dentº” (dentro). P. 15, note 1. _Instead of_ “Rio do Infante”, _read_ “Rio de Infante”. P. 16, line 10. _Read_ “when setting a bonnet we discovered the mast was sprung ... and ... secured it with lashings”. P. 22, line 8. _Instead of_ “when putting the ship about”, etc., _read_ “in tacking towards the other ships, which were astern, Coelho”, etc. P. 23, note 4. _Add_ “Aljofar, in Portuguese, means seed-pearls”. P. 73, line 17. _Instead of_ “August 23”, _read_ “August 24”. P. 79, line 14. _Instead_ of “Biaquotte”, _read_ “Biaquolle”. P. 80, note 1. For the identification of the Ilhas de S. Maria, see p. 200. P. 92, line 13. _Add_ “and left at once”. P. 148, line 20, and P. 175, line 60. The pilot was Pero Escolar, not Escovar. A Pero Escovar is mentioned by Barros (t. I, part 1, p. 143) jointly with João de Santarem, as having made discoveries on the Gold Coast in 1471. He was a “cavalier” of the King’s household. Another Pero Escovar went as pilot to the Congo in 1490. This latter may possibly have been our man. P. 161, line 24. _Instead_ of “D’Alberti”, _read_ “D’Albertis”. P. 167, line 17. _Instead of_ “Rodriguez”, _read_ “Rodrigo”. P. 167, line 29. _Instead of_ “Diogo de Vilhegas”, _read_ “Diogo Ortiz de Vilhegas”. INTRODUCTION. The discovery of an ocean route to India, in 1497-98, marks an epoch in the history of geographical exploration no less than in that of commerce. It confirmed the hypothesis of a circumambient ocean, first put forward by Hecataeus, but rejected by Ptolemy and his numerous followers; and, at the same time diverted into a new channel the profitable spice trade with the East which for ages had passed through Syria and Alexandria. In consequence of this diversion Venice lost her monopoly, and Lisbon became for a time the great spice-market of Europe. But Portugal was a small country whose resources were hardly even equal to the task of waging the continuous wars with the Moors in which she had so unwisely been engaged for generations past. And when, in addition to her African forces, she was called upon to maintain great fleets in the distant East, in order to enforce her monopoly of the spice trade, at first in the face only of the Moors, and afterwards in that of powerful European rivals, her resources speedily came to an end, and she found herself exhausted and helpless. It may well be asked whether Portugal would not be happier now, and richer, too, had she never had the opportunity of dwelling upon these ancient glories; had the wealth of the Indies never been poured into her lap, only to breed corruption; and had her strength not been wasted in a struggle to which she was materially unequal, and which ended in exhaustion and ruin. [Illustration: Vasco da Gama.