DISCONKRV OF TnK CAPE. 357 



one in the Museum of Auckland. New Zealand; but, 

 unfortunately, no legible trace of the inscription can be detected 

 on any of these. This padrao stood on Point Dias, at the 

 south-western point of Angra Pequena Bay. The second 

 padrao, that of Sao Filipe, is said to have been erected at 

 Cape Point. No trace of it has been discovered, and beyond 

 the mention of it in de Barros, the only evidence of it that 

 I have been able to find is in the shape of tiny drawings of 

 padroes inserted near Cabo de Boa Esperanga in the maps of 

 Cantino and de Canerio. 



Of the third padrao, de Barros writes as follows : — " Santa 

 Cruz, on the islet of that name, which is the last of the 

 landmarks set up by Bartholomeu Dias." Against this state- 

 ment must be set the positive evidence of the earlier and more 

 reliable authorities, the " Roteiro " and the maps of Martelus, 

 Cantino, and Dr. Hamy. All agree in placing the padrao 

 on or near the mainland to the east of Algoa Bay, and give its 

 dedication as Sao Gregorio, and not Santa Cruz. The question 

 of the ex'act site of this padrao is dealt with in a later section 

 of this paper ; but for the present purpose it is sufficient to 

 point out that the account given by de Barros is not trustworthy, 

 and in this particular point is not merely unsupported, but has 

 positive evidence against it. 



Ravenstein, licwever, makes the very valuable suggestion 

 that Dias erected a wooden cross an S. Croix as a sea-sign. 

 The evidence in favour of this is very considerable. 



In the first place, the. island was regarded by the contem- 

 poraries of Dias as having played on important part in 'his 

 discoveries, and the only reference to his voyage in Camoens is 

 concerned with his visit to it.* 



Again, it is most significant that in the " Roteiro " and in 

 the two ancient maps, which give their position (Cantino and 

 de Canerio), S. Croix and its smaller neighbours, Jahleel Island 

 and Brenton Island, are called Ilheos da Cruz. i.e.. the islands 

 of the Cross, and not the islands of the Holy Cross. The 

 name " Holy Cross " would imply a connection with the Church 

 Festival of the Invention of the Holy Cross, which is observed 

 on May 3, either that the island was discovered on that date — an 

 impossible explanation, as Dias had passed the Cape on his 

 'homeward journey by that time — or else that a padrao was 



* The Lusiads of Camoens, V. 65-9: 



" Aquelle ilheo deixamos, onde veio 

 Outra armada primeira, que buscava 

 O Tormentario cabo ; e. discoberto 

 Xaquelle ilheo fez seu limite certo." 



' We left that islet also, where was driven 

 That other fleet, the first that sought to find 

 The Cape of Storms, the which when they had found 

 That island was their voyage's utmost bound." 



J. J. AUBERTIN. 



