, a distinguished Portuguese navigator, is celebrated as the discoverer
, a distinguished Portuguese navigator, is celebrated as the discoverer of the Cape of
Good Hope. He was employed by king John II. of Portugal, on a voyage of discovery on the coast of Africa, and
in 1486 he had traced nearly a thousand miles of new
country, and after encountering violent tempests, and
losing the company of the victualling vessel which attended
him, he came in sight of the cape that terminates Africa;
but the state of his ship, and the untoward disposition of
his crew, obliged him to return without going round it.
He named it, on account of the troubles which he had
undergone in the voyage, “Cabo Tormentoso,
” or the
“Stormy Cape.
” He returned to Lisbon in December
Cabo del
Bueno Esperanza,
” or the “Cape of Good Hope.
”