46 DISCOVERIES OF 1502. 



Michael Cortereal, grand door-keeper of the 

 king Don Manuel, seeing himself thus deprived 

 pf a hrother for whom he entertained the warmest 

 affection, would not entrust the task of sendmg in 

 search of him to any other, and therefore he him- 

 self set sail with three vessels from Lisbon, on the 

 10th of May, 1302. 



Antonio Galvam informs us that, upon their 

 reaching the coast, they discovered many rivers and 

 openings, and each vessel entered a separate one, 

 with the understanding that they should all meet at 

 a certain point on the 20th of August. Two of the 

 vessels did so meet, but Miguel de Cortereal did 

 not appear, nor was any thing more ever heard of 

 him ; and the only memorial of his and his bro- 

 ther's fate is the name of Coi^tereal given to the 

 country. 



When these two vessels returned to Lisbon with 

 the melancholy news of the loss of this second 

 Cortereal, there remained yet a third brothei', 

 Vasco Eanes, master of the household, and one of 

 the privy council of king Don Manuel, who im- 

 mediately prepared to set out in search of his lost 

 brothers ; but no entreaty, no influence, could ob- 

 tain the king's consent, who constantly replied 

 that in this undertaking he had already lost two 

 of his most faithful servants and valuable friends, 

 and was resolved at least to preserve the third ; he 

 very readily, however, granted leave for other 

 vessels being prepared and dispatched on this 



