The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XVI, No. 6 [‎362v] (77/232)

650 the VOYAGES OF DIOGO CAO AND BARTHOLOMEU DIAS, 1482-88.
he himself found by observations with a quadrant that the Grold Coast was under
the equator.*
The earliest map to which we are able to refer is to be found in a codex A collection of pages, usually gathered into quires, and bound between covers. which
originally belonged to the family of Count Cornaro-Piscopi, then found its way
into the Palace of the Doges, and may now be consulted in the British Museum
(Eg. 73).f The volume contains 35 charts by various draughtsmen, collected in
1489. The charts which concern us are numbered 30 to 33 (originally 28-31).
No. 30 is a chart of the Atlantic coast from Cape Finisterre to Cape Verde, and is
stated to be by Cristoforo Soligo, a Venetian cosmographer +—that is, Soligo copied
it from some Portuguese original. Nos. 31-33 give a delineation of the entire
coast from Portugal to the “ ultimo padrao,” set up by Cao on Cape St. Mary in
lat. 13° 26' S. In character these charts resemble No. 30, and I venture to ascribe
them to Soligo or Seligo as copyist, not author.§ They were evidently drawn
immediately after Cao’s return from his first voyage in 1484 or 1485.
Hie charts are furnished with scales, but are still without parallels. A legend,
written right against the mouth of the Niger, tells us “ hie non apar polus,” but
this invisibility of the pole-star is not borne out by the scale of the chart. Assum
ing 75 Italian miles to be equal to one degree, the following latitudes would result
from measurements made upon the charts :—
Lisbon, assumed
Cape Verde
Cape Palmas ...
Niger mouth ...
Cape Lopez
Congo mouth ...
38°-70N., 9°-17W.
15°-37 N., 16°-02 W.
6°-17N., 3 a 66W.
9°-24 N., 10°-93 W.
2°-97 N., 15°-13 E.
4° - 43 S., 19°-41 E.
-rt-VLUill pusinuu.
38°-70 N., 9°T7 W.
14°-75 N., 17°-53 W.
4°-35N., 7°-45W.
5°-00N., 5° 00 E.
0°-60 S., 8°-73 E.
6 ° 07 S., 12°15 E.
Our second map is by Henricus Martellus Germanus. It is one of many in
a manuscript, ‘Insularium illustratum,’ now in the British Museum (Add. MS.
lo,/60). It is a map of the world very roughly drawn and without a scale, and is
dated 1489, and thus shows the discoveries up to the return of Dias 1488. The
author appears to have been an Italian, or if a German (Heinrich Hammer) he lived
m Italy. Count Lavradio published a facsimile of this map of the world in 1863
Behaim’s famous globe is next in date, viz. 1492. As its author claims to have
commanded one of the ships of Cao’s second expedition, it might have proved of
exceeding value had not the delineation of the south-west coast of Africa been
intentionally falsified in order to make the Nurembergers believe that their clever
townsman had doubled the cape and sailed a considerable distance beyond it.
The remaining cartographical materials available are the chart of the world bv
.uande la Cosa (1500); a chart by an unknown author, now in the possession
of Dr. Hamy (1502); a chart which Alberto Cantino caused to be designed at
Lisbon for his patron, Hercules d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (1502); and a chart by
Nicolas de Canerio of Genoa (1502). For an account of these charts, I refer to
A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama,’ published by the Hakluyt
Society in 1898, pp. 205-211.|| ^
+ iii ’ Serie B ’ No ' 8G1: Serie C > Nos. 246 and 499.
nava,r <t m e!“89Ct28 PPe ’ ^ '*'*>■ * 88 * Alberti, • Le caatruzione
S ThftffV 1)61 rT 1 delle scoperte Afri cane di Aloise Cadamosto,’ pp. 21-23.
Cape Verde HeTr^O mM- T ^ ^ ^ aUth ° r " 8een from the '^at on No. 30
i The ® nZ r i ^ thG 80Uth ? f Li8bon > on No. 31 only 1750 miglie.
renrinle 1 1 r * Henr y s an( l Cantino’s charts which accompany this paper are
reprinted by kind permission of the Hakluyt Society. P P