figafetta’s voyage round The world. 407

m his time the Flemilh language was entirely loft among the inhabitants, who fpokethe Portuguefe only; though they received with partiality fuch individuals as camefrom the Low Countries, whom they regarded as the countrymen of their anceftors.

As Criftoval Colon refided in Portugal from 1471 to 1484, and as it appears veryprobable he was acquainted with Martin Behaim # , I think it right to point out pre-cifely the origin of the opinion that the latter participated in the difcovery of America ,and even of the Straits of Magellan .

Colon, a native of Terra Roifa, in 1471 married the daughter of the captain of aPortuguefe veffel, called Bartolomeo Pereftrellaf, whom Prince Henry of Portugal had employed on his firft expedition to the Indies. This young lady was denominatedPhilippine Moniz Pereftrella. Colon, who thus became poffeffed of the nautical chartsand journals of his father in law j, fet fail for Africa, and from divers caufes drew theconclufion that by failing conftantly weftward, acrofs the Atlantic Ocean , new coun-tries would be difcovered. In 1482 he laid his project before the fenate of Genoa,his country §, but it was difregarded. In 1483, he confequently addreffed himfelf toDon Juan II. King of Portugal , who, in his conception, was likely to comprehend ittnore fully ; but at this court he was equally unfuccefsful, as the projedt of Colon^'as formed, as pretended there, wholly on the reveries of Marco Polo refpectingCipangu, that is to fay, Japan j|.

In Vafconcellos^f are found the reafons which prevented Diego Ortiz, hilltop of Ceuta, .as well as the cofmographers Rodrigo and Jofeph, front countenancing the propofitions ofColon : their objections are chiefly to be attributed to the perfect ignorance of the Portu-guefe at that time of the countries in the weftern part of the globe **.

This circumftance feems to prove that Martin Behaim , who at this period was atLifbon, was intimate with Rodrigo and Jofeph, and well known to Colon himfelf, en-

* Poffibly it might he from Behaim that Colon learnt that the fea had one day call on fhore at theAzores two dead bodies with extraordinarily large faces.

t Barros relates (Dec i. lib. i. cap. 2.) that this Pettftrtlla was firft a gentleman belonging to thec °urt of Don Juan, brother of Don Henry, and that, fome little time before the beginning of the year£43°) the latter entrufted him with a veffel and people to colonize the ifland Porto Santo. Murr.

he name Pereftrella, it is highly probable, was given him in addition to that of Moniz, on account of hisExcelling in obfervance and knowledge of the polar ilar, and fleering his veffel by its guidance, Pereftrella',ln Portuguefe meaning, by the tlar. Eng. Tr.

J This no doubt gave rife to the tale, that a certain captain of a fliip, driven by the winds on to acountry utterly unknown, died in the houfe of Criftoval Colon, and bequeathed to him the journal andc arts of his voyage. Gomera cites this as a faft; Hift. de las Ind. parti, fol io a. Oviedo, in his.ft Gen. de las Indias. Salamanca, 1545. lib. iii. cap ii fol. 3. a. infills upon this being merely an'ovention on the part of its author, copied by Benzon ; while, on the other hand, Stuvenius has carried■ e point fo far, not only to accredit the ftory, but even as to affume that this captain was Behaim himfelf.v tuvenius, de Novo Orbis Inventore, c^p. vi. parag. v. and vi. p. 46.)

S Herrera, Hift. de las Indias Oeeidentalcs, Dec. i, lib. i. cap. 7.; and Mr. Robertfon, Hiftory of

•iUlt**-

iitrica,

H Barros, As Dec. iii. primeiras de Afia. Dec. i. lib, iii. cap. 2.

J^Tida del Re Don Juan el Segundo de Portugal. Madrid , 1639, lib. fv.

Colon had previoufly carried on a correfpondence by letter in 1474, with Marco Polo , on the dif-un ^ nown countries in the weftern part of the globe. Marco Polo conceived that the firft landsjj . w ould be difcovered would be Cathay or China , and the empire of the Great Cham See Herrera,exlr'h*' l'b. i. cap. 2. p. 3 and 4.; and in faft the reprefentation of this country on the globe of Behaim ^ 1 lts no intervening fpace between Europe and Afia weftward, Cathay being placed oppofite to. the°tes lflands.

con 16 .^ arco P°l° alluded to in the preceding note, if the ftatement be not altogether a very grofs mif-on the part of Mr. Murr, of what he had read, cannot be the Marco Polo whofe Travels arecent,! ^ mce died before the end of the 13th century, his travels taking place in 1250 to 1270, twotunes before, Eng. Tr.

tertained