— 106 — 
Juan de Lisboa lying so far to the South, may possibly 
have been what is now called “ Amsterdam Island.” 
In some of the early charts, an island holding the position 
of Bourbon is designated under the name of “ Drmobaz” and 
‘ Cerne ’ under that of “ Dinaroby ; ” in others of rather later 
date, Cerne is also named under the following : Ilhada Cirne ; 
Do Sirne; Do Cirn: Le Arone ; le Arene ; Cygnoea ; and the 
geographers of the 16th century have mentioned, what I 
fancy from its position, must be intended for Mauritius, un- 
der the following names : Ilha Draarco ; Alhadaarco ; Dala- 
dladarco ; Y Daladia ; Y Darca ; I de l’arca ; Do Aro ; x\lia- 
doro ; Aldabarne ; Adarno ; Area ; Atces ; Atques. These 
strange names are not found in the Portuguese Historians, 
but only in their charts, and exemplifies that tendency to cor- 
ruption of names of which Dr. C. Regnaud has given an in- 
teresting instance in the “ Quelques mots sur le veritable nom 
de l’lle Diego Garcia.” (See Transact. 1860, p. 280.) 
The Ilhas de Mascarenhas give their name to a group of 
islands near the Equator ; and tracing the route of the ear- 
liest Portuguese navigators, these, it seems to me, must have 
been the islands they came across in the Viceroyship of their 
first governor in India, Almeyda; and not Bourbon, which lay 
quite out of their track, which was to Coast Africa all the 
way, visiting Natal, Cape Corrientes, Quiloa, Mombaza, up 
to Aden, at which point they seemed to have kept a strict 
watch on all merchant ships, which they obstructed in their 
passage up the Red Sea, importing by this way their commerce 
into Europe. They then crossed over to the Coromandel and 
Malabar Coasts, and naturally came early upon Taprobana 
or Tapropana, now Ceylon ; from this island they directed 
their course through the straits to Bantam and the various 
spice islands, China etc. On the return voyage they followed 
the same route, unless driven by contrary winds, as they were 
invariably in pursuit of other ships richly laden with similar 
merchandise to what they carried, and which were steering 
their course to the Red Sea. It was only by chance that the 
West Coast of Madagascar was visited by Soarez, his ship 
having been driven too far Eastward in making his way up 
Mozambique Channel to Quiloa, Juau de Nova is, I fancy, 
