48 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 



mankind with the hope of being able to pass all the ancient 

 barriers, and to throw light upon regions hitherto unkno\vn. 

 A small power, long sunk in apathy and political degrada- 

 tion, started first in this career, and took the lead for a cer- 

 tain time of all the European states. Portugal, during the 

 reign of its kings John and Emmanuel, stood pre-eminent 

 in enterprise and inteUigence. Prince Henry, in particular, 

 a younger son of John I., devoted all his thoughts and his 

 whole life to the promotion of naval undertakings. No 

 idea, however, was yet entertained of the new worlds which 

 were afterward discovered by the daring spirit of Columbus. 

 The ioc.il position of Portugal, its wars and expeditions 

 against Miwocco, led to the idea that the western border of 

 Africa was the best field for discovery. The information 

 respecting this coast was still very limited ; so that the 

 passage of ('ape Bojador by GiUanez, in 1433, caused a 

 surprise and admiration almost equal to what were after- 

 ward excited by tbe discovery of America. A rapid pro- 

 gress was afterward made along the shore of the Sahara, 

 and the Portuguese navigators were not long in reaching 

 the fertile regions watered by the Senegal and the Gambia. 

 The early part of this progress was dreary in the ex- 

 treme. The mariners saw only naked rocks and burning 

 sands, stretching immeasurably into the interior, and afford- 

 ing no encouragement to any project of settlement. Be- 

 yond Cape Blanco, however, Nuno Tristan, in 1443, dis- 

 covered the island of Arguin ; and notwithstanding the 

 disaster of Gonzalo da Cintra, who, in 1445, was killed by 

 a party of Moors, the Portuguese made it for some time 

 their principal establishment. The country was far from 

 presenting a brilliant aspect, though it was visited by cara- 

 vans of the " Brabariis and l^uddaias" (the people of 

 Bambarra and Ludamar), who gave a very favourable re- 

 port of the interior regions. Besides the expected accession 

 to the power and splendour of the monarchy, the Portu- 

 guese cherished another object still more fondly. They 

 hoped to open an intercourse with a prince, or person, of 

 whom they had heard much under the mysterious appelki- 

 tion of Prester John. This singular name seems to have 

 been first introduced by travellers from Eastern Asia, 

 where it hail been applied to some Nestorian bishop, who 

 held there a species of sovereignty ; and as soon as ru- 



