THE DISCOVERY OF THE MASCARENE ISLANDS. 315 



The Cirne was the ship commanded by Alfonso d'Albuquerqne. 

 His pilot was Diogo Fernandas Pereira, who, in 1503, when 

 captain of the ship Setuhal, in the fleet of Antonio de Saldanlia, 

 had distinguished himself by his numerous captures and by the 

 discovery of the island of Socotora. 



In regard to the three names of ships, let us place the three 

 islands of the Indian Ocean which bear them, where they derived 

 the same names : Galega, Santa-Maria, or Sainie- Marie, and 

 Cirne. 



The islands Galega and Sainte Ma7'ie yet figure on our modern 

 charts ; Cirne is the name which various islands have borne, vi:., 

 Mauritius, Rodrigues, besides a little island situated to the north 

 of Madagascar, and which corresponds to the islet called Jean de 

 Nova. 



Can it be admitted that there has been in this triple coincidence 

 the simple effect of chance % Is it not, on the contrary, natural to 

 suppose that these islands have been discovered by the ships 

 Galega, Santa-Maria, and Cirne, which have given them their 

 names 1 



llodrigues is figured on the chart of 1529 of Diego Ptibero, 

 under the name of Domigo Friz. According to M. d'Avezac, 

 Friz is an abbreviated form of Fernandes. By adopting tlie 

 abbreviation for Friz, and the alteration Domigo in place of 

 Diogo, it may be conjectured that the two denominations, Cirne 

 and Domigo Friz, applied to the island Mauritius and to the 

 island Ptodrigues, proceed from the same conjunction of discovcr3^ 

 The ship Cirne having discovered both the two, Mauritius had 

 been named Cirne from the name of the ship ; and the island 

 Rodrigues has been named Diogo Fernandes from the name of tlie 

 celebrated pilot of the ship Cirne. 



It can be objected that the shi[), the Cirne, liad on board of her 

 Alfonso d'Albuquerque, the Captain-General of one of the two 

 squadrons placed, until after the projected expedition against the 

 island Socotora, under the superior orders of Tristan da Cunha ; 

 that Alfonso d'Albuquerque left Mozambique witli Tristan da 

 Cunha, who accompanied him to Madagascar, and that he only 

 left him to return to Mozambique, when he awaited until the 



