316 APPENDIX. 



month of March an opportunity favourable for continuing his 

 voyage to the north and along the east coast of Africa. 



Indeed, Barros {Decade IT, liv. 1, ch. 1) furnishes a useful 

 indication. Tristan da Cunha had learnt, without doubt by the 

 information of Ruy Pereira, that the coasts of Madagascar were 

 much indented, that the waters of its harbours had little depth ; 

 judging therefore that his ship the San-Iago, was too great 

 for the exploration which he projected, he gave over the command 

 of it to Antonio de Saldhanha, and went on board the Santo- 

 Antonio, commanded by Joao da Veiga. 



This detail has been brought forward by Barros, because it 

 concerns the principal personage of the expedition ; but it is 

 evident that the same measure, prompted by the same motives, 

 would have been taken for the vessel of Alfonso d'Albuquerque, 

 the Cirne, of wliich, at various times, thei'e is question in this 

 historian. 



From thenceforth the objection which we have raised ceases to 

 exist ; and there is nothing impossible in the supposition of some 

 cruises undertaken by Diogo Fernandes Pereira, captahi of the 

 Cirni. 



According to what we have said as to the date of the wintering 

 of the fleet of Tristan da Cunha and of Alfonso d'Albuquerque at 

 Mozambique, it appears that the island of Santa-Apollonia could 

 be discovered on the 9th February 1507. 



So, then, if the island Santa-Apollonia was not sighted in 1506, 

 the islands of Reunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues were, in all 

 probability, discovered by Diogo Fei'nandes Pereira. Reunion, on 

 the 9th February 1507, and called Santa-Apollonia; Mauritius 

 and Rodrigues at some days' interval from the 9th February 

 1507. From this year, 1507, dates the name of Cirne given to 

 Mauritius, and that of Diogo Fernandes given to the island 

 Rodrigues under the alteration Domigo Friz. 



At tlie commencement of 1509, Diogo Lopes de Siqueira saw 

 the island Rodrigues, to which his name was applied under the 

 alteration Don Galopes or Don Galope. 



In April 1512, Pierre Mascarenhas, provided with information 

 furnished by the preceding expedition, discovered them (the 



