EARLY PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA. 



69 



Philippa of Lancaster, a sister of King Henry IV of England. 

 Having fought the battles of Portugal against the Moors in 

 North Africa, this great Prince realised that he could render 

 his countrv better service in a different field, and soon retired 





Prince Henry the Xavigator. 



into his estates at Sagres, in the South of I'ortugal. There he 

 founded the school where mathematics, cosmography and nautics 

 were taught, where astronomical observations applicable to navi- 

 gation were made, and hydrographic charts were drawn, where 

 instruments for the observation of the sun and the stars were 

 manufactured, and particular attention was devoted to imi^-oving 

 r.aval construction. 



From the Sagres School came the seamen who, under Dom 

 Henrique's personal direction, discovered a number of islands,, 

 amongst which were Madeira and the Azores, and it was owing 

 to his initiative, and with his monetary assistance, that com- 

 panies were formed for the settlement of the discovered lands. 

 Let me recall the interesting fact that the Prince himself selected 

 the first colonists of Madeira, that he provided them with vines 

 and sugar cane brought from Cyprus and Sicily, and that within 

 twenty-five years of its discovery the island was able to maintain 

 not only the natives, but also a Portuguese population of eight 

 hundred souls, and was exporting more than 500 tons of sugar 

 per annum. 



