Encouraged by this commencement of successful progress, Don Henry sent the same fleet back next year, with orders to extend their discoveries 150 miles farther to the south, and even more if they found it proper; and promised to enrich all who should embark in this navigation.  They went again; and, although they obeyed the instructions of the prince, they could not improve the discoveries.  Yet, firmly persuaded by the strength of his own judgment, that people and habitations would certainly be found at length, Don Henry continued to send out his caravels from time to time, and they came at length to certain coasts frequented by the Arabs of the desert, and to the habitations of the Azanaghi, a tawny race.  Thus the countries of the negroes were discovered; and different nations afterwards, which will be mentioned in the following relation.

Thus far the preface of Cada Mosto, as given in the collection of Astley, from the edition of Ramusio, with which we must be satisfied in this work, as that in the royal library is inaccessible for our use.  The present version has been carefully formed, by a comparison of Astley, with the original in Ramusio, and with the summary by the Reverend James Stanier Clarke, in his curious work on the progress of maritime discoveries, which only gives a selection of what he considered to be its most material parts.  In this edition, the narrative style of Cada Mosto, in his own person, is restored as much as possible.  It may be noticed, that Alvise is the Portuguese form of the name Louis, or Lewis.

In addition to the two voyages of Cada Mosto himself, there is a third voyage included in the present chapter, performed by Piedro de Cintra to the same coast, the narrative of which was communicated to Cada Mosto by one who had accompanied Cintra, and had been clerk to Cada Mosto in the two former voyages.

[1] Astley, Col. of Voy. and Trav.  I. 573.  Clarke, Prog. of Marit.  Disc. 
    I. 235.

[2] According to De Faria, as already mentioned in Chap.  II.  Sect.  I Cape
    Non was doubled, and Cape Bojador discovered in 1415, many years
    before the death of King John.  The present recapitulation by Cada
    Mosto has been left in his own words, without insisting on the
    exactness of his chronology.—­Astley.

SECTION I.

Voyage of Cada Mosto from Venice to Cape St Vincent:  He enters into the service of Don Henry, and sets out for the New Discoveries:  Relation of the Voyage to Madeira and the Canaries; with some Account of these islands, and their Inhabitants.