406 ficafetta’s voyage round the world.

of the Azores lllands: et In the diplomatic archives is found that, in 1449, the King,Alphonfo V. granted permiffion to Don Henry to fend colonies to the feven iflands ofAzores , which had already been difcovered. Thither Iheep and horned cattle hadalready been tranfported, in confequence of orders from the fame Infant , on board thefleet of Admiral Gonzalez Velho. In 1457, King ceded to his nephew DonFernan all the iflands hitherto difcovered, with full jurifdiclion, but with fome reftric-tions. In 1460, the infant Don Henry ceded to Don Fernan, his nephew and adoptedfon, the iflands of Jefus and La Graciofa, retaining thofe only belonging to the orderof Chrift, of which he was the protector. The King ratified this ceflion at Lifbon onthe 2d September, the fame year.”

Antonio Herrera, in his defcription of the Azores iflands, publiflied in 1582 and1583, page 161, makes mention of their difcovery, but fays nothing of MartinBehaim .

In an old Dutch chart by Juft Dankerts, the ifland Fayal is placed immediatelybelow that of Flores. It owes its name of Fayal to the number of beech-treesupon if.

For the different difcoveries, it is obfervable that foreigners were in general pre-ferred * * * * § : “ Hence” fays Barrosf, “ Antonio de Nolle, a fellow-countryman of Colon,was employed on occafion of the difcovery of the ifland of Sant Jago, near Cape Verd,to the capitancy or government of which his fucceflors were in part appointed ; a cer-tain Jean Baptifte, a Frenchman, was entrufted with the government of the iflandMayo; and Job Dutra (the Portuguefe manner of writing the name of De Huerter),the father-in-law of Martin Behaim, with that of Fayal .” For this reafon, near theifland Fayal, flags are painted on the globe of Behaim , with, on them, the arms ofthe city of Nuremberg, and thofe of the family of Behaim .

In the life of the infant Don Henry J a very detailed account is afforded of the dif-covery and population of the Azores iflands, in which however no mention is made ofMartin Behaim . The perfon on whom, at that time, the ifland Fayal was bellowed isftated to be (page 335.) Jorge de Ultra, a Fleming of noble extradlion; and it is fur-ther Hated that it was he who firft founded a colony there, the property in which wasceded to him by the Infant .

According to the molt recent account we poflefs of the ifland Fayal §, its prefentpopulation is fifteen thoufand, difperfed through twelve parilhes, a third part of thenumber in Horta , a town fituate on the weftern fide, with an excellent port. Theinhabitants are reckoned to be an honeft race, careful, laborious, and generally betterclad than thofe of Madera. In this ifland wheat is cultivated, maize, and excellentflax, which grows to an unufual height.

It is not improbable that the name of Horta , given to this town, is derived frontHuerter, who planted the firft colony on the ifland Fayal ; notwithftanding this termmay be interpreted alfo to mean the Town of Gardens. Linfchoten || obferves, that

pretentions of thofe who attribute the honour of the difcovery to Amerigo Vefpucci and Martin BehaiWfby L.Tozen. (In German.) Gottingen , 1761. 8vo. _ ,

* For the plained reafon ; the Italians and Flemings, being the chief navigators and mod experiencefeamen, had the moft ample knowledge at this time of the fea. Eng. Tr.

f As Decadas iii. primeiras de Alia de Joano de Barros, 1. iii. cap. ii. fol. 56. Lifbon, 1628.

I Vida do infante D. Henrique, efcrita per Candido Lufitano. (Father Jofeph, of the Congregateof Oratorians .) Em. Litboa, 1758. 4to.

§ Afforded by Forfler in the 2d vol. of the Voyage of Captain Cook round the World, in the y ear*772 to 1775. H Navig. cap. xcvii. p. 118. .