The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. IIZurara, Gomes Eannes de
History
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Vol. II
Zurara, Gomes Eannes de
Guinea (Region) -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800
Once more we have seen that the first two portolani plainly influenced
by Prince Henry's discoveries are the Valsecca[275] of 1434-9 and the
1448 map of Andrea Bianco, drawn in London; and that the 1436 Bianco is
probably a copy of a thirteenth-century work, showing no clear evidence
of the new explorations. As to the Bianco of 1448, we may here add a
word to what has been already said. On this example we find the west
coast of Africa end suddenly with Cape Rosso, or Roxo, immediately south
of Cape Verde, and "from this point the coast is drawn straight eastward
in a style which indicates that the country beyond is unknown;" the
"outline of this southern shore of Africa being delineated according to
the maps of the Macrobius type." The work of 1448 is frequently copied
in following years; as, for example, on several designs of Gratiosus
Benincasa (1435 to 1482), wherein the west coast of Africa, from Ceuta
to Cape Verde, "has the same contours and the same names."[276] All of
these charts are believed by Nordenskjöld to be copies of the same
Portuguese original. On the other hand, "Benincasa's Atlas of 1471 is
widely divergent as regards the legends, and extends much further
south.[277] It reproduces the discoveries along the coast down to Pedro
de Sintra's voyage of 1462-3, and seems in part to be based on direct
information from Cadamosto."[278]
[Footnote 275: The Valsecca Map delineates the West African
coast to Cape Bojador (C. de Bujeteder). Beyond this the
outline of the coast is "suggested" for a distance about as
great as from the Straits to Bojador, but with no names or
legends except "Plagens arenosas," "Tarafal," "Bujeteder," and
at the extreme south, "Tisilgame."]
[Footnote 276: This is especially true of the Benincasa of
1467. Nordenskjöld gives twenty-eight parallel names from this
and the Bianco of 1448 between Bojador and Capes Verde and
Rosso.]
[Footnote 277: To Rio de Palmeri, immediately beyond Cape St.
Anne.]
[Footnote 278: This may be seen, as Nordenskjöld suggests
(_Periplus_, p. 127), by comparing the names on the lower part
of Benincasa's West Africa with the following names occurring
in Cadamosto's account of De Sintra's voyage: Rio di Besegue,
Capo di Verga, Capo di Sagres, Rio di San Vicenzo, Rio Verde,
Cape Liedo, Fiume rosso. Capo rosso, Isola rossa, Rio di Santa
Maria della nave, Isola di Scanni, Capo di Santa Anna, Fiume
della palme, Rio de Fiume, Capo di monte, Capo Cortesi, Bosco
di Santa Maria. Benincasa, however, appears to have access to
other sources besides Cadamosto, as many of his names are not
found in the latter.]
Lastly, a more special notice must be taken of the great map of Fra
Mauro, 1457-9.
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