TEE PORTUGUESE AND TEEIR FOLLOWERS. 21 
Dieppe liacl succeeded in reaching the Gold Coast 
and founding colonies therein ; but of this we have no 
satisfactory proof. It was really Prince Henry, “ the 
Navigator,” as he is called, son of John I. of Portugal, 
who initiated the modern period of African exploration. 
When at the siege of Ceuta he heard from the Arabs of 
the countries on the west coast and of the people of 
Guinea. From 1415 onwards he sent out almost every 
year an expedition to push down the west coast ; but 
at first the progress was slow. The islands of Porto 
Santo and Madeira were discovered in 1418-20 ; but it 
was not till 1433 that Gileanez passed Cape Bojador, 
MAP OF THE MARGARITA PHIL0S0PHICA 
A.r>. 7.503 
which at the time was a feat that called forth the 
greatest surprise and admiration. The expeditions were 
kept up after Prince Henry’s death, and gradually one 
headland after another was passed, till, in 1471, the 
Portuguese navigators reached the Gold Coast, and built 
Elmina, which stands even at the present day. One 
great quest of these early navigators was the residence 
of Prester John, a mysterious Christian potentate, 
supposed to reside somewhere in central Africa, and 
who was regarded as almost divine. Needless to say, 
no such potentate existed, but the belief in him served 
to promote exploration, and so was beneficial. It is 
said that expeditions even went so far into the interior 
as Timbuctoo in search of the monarch, without finding 
him. 
