18 



FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE 



" V. A. deste Porto Seguro da vosa Ilka da Vera Cruz. Hoje, Sesta feira 

 " primeiro dia de Mayo, 1500. P. V. de Caminhar* 



On the 2d of May, this fleet sailed from Porto Seguro, and proceeded on its 

 voyage to India, leaving two degradados behind, who were seen lamenting and 

 crying upon the beach, and the men of the country comforting them, demon- 

 strating that they were not a people devoid of pity.f One of them soon learnt 

 the idiom of the Indians called Tupininquins. He served as interpreter to the 

 first Portuguese who arrived there, and afterwards returned home. Some of 

 the Portuguese writers are piqued at the Spanish authors, Berredo and 

 Antonio Galvum, for pretending, as they say, that their countryman, Vincente 

 Yanez Pinson first discovered the Brazil ; and they bring, as testimony against 

 the Spaniards, the following statement of Robertson. " Vicente Yanez Pin- 

 " son, one of the admiral's companions in his first voyage, sailed from Palos 

 " with four ships ; he stood boldly towards the south, and was the first Spa- 

 «* niard who ventured to cross the equinoctial line ; but he seems to have landed 

 " on no part of the coast beyond the mouth of the Marignon, or River of the 

 ** Amazons." Robertson does not make a positive assertion that Pinson did 

 not land upon any other part of the Brazilian coast, nor does he enter into par- 

 ticulars or give any dates. The river Amazons is the north-western boundary 

 of the Brazil ; and even if he only landed at the mouth of this great river, he of 

 coarse landed upon the Brazilian territory, and was unquestionably the first 

 discoverer of it. Conceding to the Portuguese the passage which they adduce 

 from Robertson, it offers no contradiction to the circumstances and dates 

 already detailed of Pinson's voyage, which show him to have anticipated the 

 Portuguese at least three months in this discovery. Cabral despatched Gaspar 

 de Lemos from Porto Seguro, to announce to the King this new land, which 

 had been taken possession of in his Majesty's name. It is said that Lemos 

 coasted northward as far as Cape St. Roque, to ascertain the extent of this ter- 

 ritory which they had considered an island. Emanuel was so delighted with 

 the discovery of Vera Cruz, that he resolved to send out another squadron to 

 explore more minutely its extent ; and it appears that three caravels were ordered 



* " I kiss the hands of your Royal Highness from this secure port of your island of Vera Cruz. 

 " To-day, Friday, first day of May, 1500. P. V. de Caminha." 



t " L'altro giorno che fu alli dua di Maggio del derto anno 1500 I'armata fece vela pel camino 

 " per andare alia volta del capo di Buona Speraza, Li quali comincioro no a piangere, et gli 

 " huoraini di quella terra, gli confortavano, et mostravano havere di loro pieta." — Ramuzku 



