BY JAMES R. m'cLYMONT, M.A. 47 



the actual names and outlines of the South American coasts, 

 with which, in some charts, the purely imaginary outlines of 

 the Terra Australis of previous geographers are combined. 

 Only the east coast of South America is inverted and so 

 becomes the west coast of " Jave la Grande," whilst the east 

 coast of " Jave la G-rande," less salient in its physical features 

 than the west coast, and therefore less easily identified, may 

 be either inverted or simply transferred from the west coast 

 of South America, or may be, as Le Testu says, "all 

 imaginary." In some of these charts, as in the Dauphin map 

 (about 1530), one of those of Jean Eotz (1542) and that of 

 Desceliers (1550), the eastern coast-line ceases or becomes a 

 vague featureless line at about 35 deg. S. The chart of 

 Desliens (1566) prolongs that coast to about 65 deg. S., and 

 gives to this prolongation features as specific as to the northern 

 part of it. 



By inverting the western coast line of " Jave la Grande " 

 we find the following coincidences with the east coast of 

 South America. Beginning from the north we have a 

 " Grant Baye," and another unnamed inlet, probably 

 representing the mouths of the Amazon and Tocantins. "R. 

 Grande " in some of the charts forms a strait between " Jave 

 la Grande " and an island named " Jave ;" in that of Desliens 

 it is a deep bay and unnamed. " Baye Bresille " in about 18 

 degrees S., may coincide with Porto Seguro, immediately to the 

 south of which place, and in the same latitude as the "Baye 

 Bresille," a "R. da Brasill" is marked on these charts. To the 

 French sailors is due this name " Brazil," as the distinctive 

 appellation of the country whence they brought brazil- 

 wood to Europe. ■' The French alone," says La Popeliniere, 

 " called it ' Terre de Bresil,' in ignorance of what is above 

 narrated," — (namely, that Cabral had called it " Vera Cruz ") 

 — "because they found brazil-wood there in abundance, 

 although it is only in one part of it, and that produces many 

 other woods as well." Les trois mondes, iii. p. 16. verso. A 

 number of names cluster round the vicinity of Cape Frio and 

 Cape St. Thome, such as C. Quiesco in Desliens, C. de Sr 

 Drao, and C. de Grace in the Dauphin chart. The last is 

 probably a Norman sailor's reminiscence of his native Havre 

 de St. Francoyse de Grace ; the second may be mis-written 

 for the name of some merchant adventurer — " sieur," in the 

 language of the time. The next notable feature is the 

 Havre de Sylla, between 25 deg, and 30 deg. S., 

 apparently intended for Eio de Janiero. Desliens marks a 

 Golfe des Tsles in from 40 deg. to 45 deg. S., resembling the 

 Gulf of St. Mathias. If we so understand it, and if Havre 

 de Sylla represents Eio de Janiero, then the Eiver Plate has 

 been omitted. A parallel to this would be found in the 

 voyage of Diaz de Solis, who sailed along these coasts from 



