FIRST LETTER FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA

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aukepalmhof
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FIRST LETTER FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:32 pm

The first letter from Southern Africa was, as far as we know, posted by a Portuguese captain Pedro d’Ataide in May 1501 near Aguada de Sao Bras (now Mossel Bay). D’Ataide commanded one of the ships of Pedro Alvares Cabral's fleet.

Cabral sailed in March 1500 with a fleet of thirteen ships from Portugal destined for India. Bartolomeu Dias and his brother Diogo were both commanders of a ship in this fleet. To make as much use as possible of the trade winds, Cabral first set course for the South American coast, they made a landing in Brazil. From there the fleet took an eastern course.

On May 24, his fleet in position south-west of Cabo Tormentose (Cape of the Storm, later named Cape of Good Hope), the fleet ended up in a cyclone, in which four ships were lost, including Bartolomeu Dias ship.

On his return voyage from Indie, Captain d’Ataide in May 1501 dropped anchor by São Bras to take fresh drinking water. This spring by Aguade de São Bras (water place of St Blaize) was already known by the Portuguese sailors from 1488.

D’Ataide wrote a letter here describing the severe storm in which Dias was lost with his ship, and he also reported the situation in the east. He put the letter in an old shoe, which he hung on a milkwood tree (Sideroxylon inerme) near the water place, expecting that someone from a passing ship would find this letter.
And it was right because the historic letter was found on July 7, 1501, by Captain João da Nova on his way to India.

Wikipedia has on this post office tree:
The Post Office Tree in Mossel Bay is believed to be 600 years old. The Post Office tree, which still stands about 1000 feet from Santos Beach, is considered the first (unofficial) post office in South Africa. It was declared a provincial heritage site in 1938 and is marked with a plaque reading: “This post office tree stands near the fountains where the Portuguese navigators regularly drew water at Aguada de São Bras (now Mossel Bay) from 1488 onwards. In May 1500 Pêro de Ataíde, captain of a homeward-bound ship of Pedro Cabral’s fleet, left a message here which was found on 7 July 1501 by the outward bound ships of João da Nova. According to tradition the message was placed in an old shoe and tied to a tree”. The letter described the loss at sea of four ships from the expedition of Bartolomeu Dias, and warned of hostilities encountered on the Indian coast. In 1962 SAPO, the South African postal service, erected a mailbox at the tree in the shape of a shoe, and items posted from there are canceled with a special stamp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideroxylon_inerme
Ciskei 1991 25c sg 181/185 scott167a to f.
Attachments
1991 Map-showing-Sao-Bras.jpg
1991 Damaged-ship-at-Cabo-Tormentoso.jpg
1991 Pedro-D-Ataide-at-Sao-Bras.jpg
1991 Leaving-letter-in-boot.jpg
1991 Joao-da-Nova-finds-letter.jpg

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