Till-: DISCOVERY OF THE MASCARENE ISLANDS. 313 



his return from India, for when he arranged to return to Portugal 

 and had reached Sumatra, at Cape Cory, learning that Francois 

 d' Almeida, whose part he had taken against Alfonso d 'Albu- 

 querque, had set out for Portugal, and fearing the indignation of 

 the new Viceroy, Maffee says, " he set sail from Travancore, in 

 January 1510, and keeping away from the west coast, he left on 

 the riglit hand India and Arabia, and passed the Cape of Good 

 Hope." Castanheda says likewise that Diego Lopez sailed direct 

 to the Cape of Good Hope, passing to the south of the Maldives. 



Unless we had for the island of Rodrigues other motives for 

 conclusions, yet more valuable than those we have just stated, we 

 should say that this island was discovered by Diego Lopes de 

 Siqueira at the commencement of the year 1509, or at the com- 

 mencement of the year 1510. 



In spite of this consideration, exclusive of every other island, we 

 cannot prevent ourselves from remarking that the 9th February, 

 the day of Sainte Appoline, could be included in the tinte of tliis 

 voyage of Diego Ijopes, either by Madagascar to Cape Comorin, or 

 from Travancore to the Cape of Good Hope. 



The Second Circumstance. — The fleet of Fernand Soares, as w^e 

 have said, left Cochin in December 1505 ; arrived incidentally at 

 the Island of Madagascar on the 1st of February 1506. During 

 its passage it would have been possible to meet with our islands ; 

 but the 9th February is beyond the limit of the time indicated, 

 and according to the narration of Fernand Lopez de Castanheda, 

 Fernand Soares and Ruy Freirio, who arrived at Madagascar on 

 the 1st February, were still on the south side of that island, which 

 they had not left on the 17th of that month. 



Was there a delayed ship which, separated from its consorts, 

 might have discovered the island Santa Apollonia on the 9th 

 February, and again rejoined Fernand Soares on his way to 

 Lisbon 1 For it should be remembered that Castanheda and 

 Osorius, in their account of the discovery of Madagascar, only 

 mention two ships, that of Fernand Soares and that of Roderic 

 Freirio ; although, according to Barros, there should have been 

 three of which he names tlie captains, and the name of Frederic 

 Freirio does not appear among them. The silence of the his- 



