Relaçaõ que trata de como em cincoenta e oito gráos do Sul foy descuberta huma ilha por huma náo franceza, a qual obrigada de hum temporal, que lhe sobreveyo no Cabo da Boa Esperança, foy a parar na dita ilha /
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Language Notes: | In Portuguese. |
| Published: |
Lisboa :
[publisher not identified],
[approximately 1752 or 1753?]
|
| Subjects: |
| Item Description: | Probably an original Portuguese work, not a translation. In two parts, each with a title page. No imprint date; approximately 1752 per vendor; the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal gives 1753 as the date. Small woodcut of a ship at sea (with an island in the background) on both title pages. "Com as licenças necessarias." "The first and only edition of what purports to be a translation of two accounts of exploration, but is in fact an original Portuguese work of popular fiction. The first tells of a French ship that set sail from Nantes in 1752 and, blown off course while rounding the Cape of Good Hope, landed at an unrecorded island at 58 degrees South. It contains vivid descriptions of a ferocious wild animal that lived on the island, whose back was like a serpent, whose front was like a lion without a mane, and which was covered with shells. Attacked by these animals, the shore party fled and landed elsewhere on the island. There they discovered pale humans who wore leaves for clothing; the author describes their reaction to the Frenchmen and their method of hunting wild animals. The second part offers a more detailed description of their appearance and dress, and how they hunt the savage beasts on the other end of the island. The ship eventually made its way to Mozambique. The Portuguese translation of the island's name is Isla dos Bichos (Creature Island). We suspect this is an imaginary voyage, since the monsters are suspiciously similar to those described in several fantastic accounts of beasts ravaging Turkish dominions: see, for example, Relaçam de hum formidavel e horrendo monstro silvestre, que foy visto, e morto nas visinhanças de Jerusalem, 1726. It is suggestive that neither Gonçalves Rodrigues or any of the online catalogues which cite this work give an original author, nor do they cite any original title in French."--Vendor's website, 9/4/20. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 8, 8 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm (quarto) |
| Place of Publication: | Portugal -- Lisbon. |