BRAZIL VISITED. 



213 



factors to undertake communications with the savages. Cabral 

 carried a hat blessed by the Pope and deemed to possess miracu- 

 lous virtues. Among the captains were Bartholomew Diaz and 

 his brother Diego. The specific object of the expedition was 

 to obtain permission from the Zamorin of Calicut to establish a 

 trading station there, the Portuguese promising in return to 

 furnish him the same articles which the Moors furnished him, 

 and on more advantageous terms. 



The squadron set sail on the 9th of March, 1500. It will 

 appear almost incredible that, in order to avoid the calms known 

 to prevail at that season off the coast of Guinea, they pro- 

 ceeded so far to the west that, late in April, they touched 

 at the continent now known as South America ; where, how- 

 ever, Yanez Pinzon had been before them. Cabral gave to it 

 the name of Land of the Holy Cross ; but this, as well as the 

 name given by Pinzon, was subsequently changed to that of 

 Brazil, from a species of dye-wood w T hich grew in abundance 

 there. The inhabitants were friendly, and exchanged parrots 

 of brilliant plumage for bits of paper and cloth. Cabral put 

 two of his criminals ashore and left them, with instructions to 

 inquire into the history of the country and the customs of its 

 inhabitants. He also sent one of his vessels back to Lisbon 

 with intelligence of the discovery. 



The fleet left Brazil on the 2d of May, steering to the south- 

 east, in order to double the Cape. A terrible comet visible day 

 and night, a storm which lasted three weeks, a water-spout 

 reaching to the clouds, — this latter being a phenomenon which 

 the Portuguese had never before seen, — now menaced and har- 

 rassed them in quick succession. Four vessels were lost, and 

 among them that of Bartholomew Diaz, with all on board. The 

 rest were severely injured ; but Cabral was rejoiced to find that 

 during the storm he had weathered the redoubtable promontory. 

 Encountering some Moorish vessels laden with gold, he seized 

 them, but not until the crews had thrown a portion of the pre- 



