hands of the negroes.

In this year 1447, a Portuguese ship, in coming through the Straits of
Gibraltar, was forced a great way to the westwards by a violent tempest,
and came to an island having seven cities, the inhabitants of which spoke
the Portuguese language, and they inquired of our mariners if the Moors
still infested Spain, whence their ancestors had fled to avoid the
distresses which occurred subsequent to the death of Don Roderigo, king
of Spain. The boatswain of this ship brought home some of the sand from
this island, and sold it to a goldsmith in Lisbon, who procured from it a
good quantity of gold. Don Pedro, who then governed the realm, being made
acquainted with this circumstance, caused the whole to be recorded in the
house of justice[12]. Some think that this island belonged to what is now
called the Antilles or New Spain; but though their reasons for this
opinion are good, I omit them here, as not connected with my present
purpose.

In the year 1449, King Alphonso granted license to his uncle, Don Henry,
to colonize the Açores, which had been formerly discovered. In the year
1458, this king went into Africa, where he took the town of Alcaçer; and
in the year 1461, he commanded Signior Mendez to build the castle of
Arguin, in the island of that name, on the coast of Africa. In the year
1462, three Genoese gentlemen, of whom Antonio de Noli was the chief, the
others being his brother and nephew, got permission from Don Henry to
take possession of the Cape de Verde islands, which some believe to be
those called Gorgades, Hesperides, and Dorcades, by the ancients. But
they named them Mayo, Saint Jago, and Saint Philip, because discovered on
the days of those saints. Some call them the islands of Antonio. In the
year following, 1463, that excellent prince, Don Henry, died; having
discovered, by his exertions, the whole coast of Africa, from Cape Non to