A History of Agriculture in India v2.c72.s3.3

v2.c72.s3.3

‘The Portuguese discoveries of the fifteenth century,’ remarks Trend, ‘were undertaken by methodical men, gifted with a cool, political intelligence and a lucid vision; precise in their view of the practical objectives, of which they had made an exact and detailed study. They had a far-reaching plan, prepared by men with an exceptional capacity for organization, and with nothing of the unconscious adventurousness attributed to them later. Every year ships went to Africa with orders to go as far south as they could without losing sight of the coast. The greatest obstacle was Cape Bojador, some way north of the Tropic of Cancer, and the subject of terrifying legends. There the land seemed to fall away in an immense curve, and there was a wide stretch of white spray, giving the idea that the ocean from there onwards was always on the boil from the torrid heat of the sun. This cape was passed in A.D. 1434, and the commercial exploration of the West African coast led to the colonization of the Atlantic islands: Madeira (A.D. 1420), the Azores (A.D. 1437) and Cape Verde Islands (A.D. 1446). Plans for the first expeditions were prepared by the group of pilots, mathematicians and cartographers whom "the Navigator" gathered round him. Under John II, the later voyages were worked out by other expert groups, including the cosmographer Martin Behaim of Nuremberg. The second half of the fifteenth century brought fresh discoveries, including the mouth of the Congo (A.D. 1485). Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope (A.D. 1487) and Vasco da Gama finally reached the west coast of India in A.D. 1498.