Spice Islands, and Java, to the Cape of Good Hope and Brazil. It is
difficult to believe that the Javanese, Malays, Chinese, or Arabs had any
knowledge of Brazil in South America, although the Malays and Arabs had
rounded the Cape of Good Hope, coming from the east side, of course. I am
inclined to think that the term Brazil mentioned by Albuquerque refers to
Australia, which had been called _Brasilie Regio_ from an early date--a
date prior to the discovery of Brazil in the year 1500. See, on this
subject, my paper in the proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of
Australasia under the heading "Is Australia the Baptismal Font of
Brazil?" Vol. VI., No. 1, Sydney, N.S.W.]

But, after all, until the very date of the expedition which resulted in
the first discovery can be ascertained, the question of nationality of
the first discoverers is a much more interesting one.

Having no other documentary evidence except these old charts, the first
conclusion drawn was that as they are all written in French, the French
were the discoverers in spite of the fact that no French claim had been
made.

The late R. H. Major, the author of "Early Voyages to. Australia," having
thoroughly considered the possibility of a French claim, came to the
conclusion that such a claim was untenable. Being somewhat shaken,
however, in his first belief of a Portuguese discovery, he was led to
adopt a Provençal theory to explain certain words which on these old
Gallicized charts, were neither Portuguese nor French. The whole subject
was in this state of incertitude and confusion, when, a few years ago,
having occasion to examine minutely these old documents, I discovered on
the oldest of them a phrase in Portuguese, which, curiously enough, had
escaped the notice of all the learned critics who had made a special