196 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Soctety. 
V.—THE PLETTENBERG Bay STONE. 
This is an inscribed stone preserved in the South African Museum, 
where it has been for many years. From information derived from 
old residents, for which I am indebted to Mr. W. Groom, I believe 
that it was removed from Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town about the 
year 1860 at the request of Sir George Grey, and it is further stated 
that the monument or stone originally stood on a sandhill about 
3 miles south of the present village of Plettenberg. 
The stone now in the Museum bears a Portuguese inscription, 
which has recently been deciphered and translated by Mr. Donald 
Ferguson as follows :— 
Inscription. 
AAS ie PERDEL 
ANA ee 
\\\ WO: bre Fi 
ZERNO- DVAS- EM 
mm 
TBARACO\ES| tis 
Translation. 
HERE WAS LOST 
THE SHIP SAN GONZALES 
YEAR 1630 
THEY MADE TWO 
Boats. 
The inscription is cut on the face of a rudely cubical block of 
sandstone, which has been broken across, and on the fractured 
surface at right angles to the inscribed face is a peculiarly shaped 
Cross. 
The block measures about 19 x 12 x 12 inches. 
The inscription obviously refers to a Portuguese ship, the Saé 
Goncalo, which was wrecked, on its way home from India in 16380, 
