voyages to Brazil and to the coast of Africa, the main source of Portugal’s lucrative trade in the 15th century. Discovery of Brazil In relation to the Discovery of Brazil, it presents information on the second chapter of the first part, saying: "Como no terceiro ano de vosso reinado do ano de Nosso Senhor de mil quatrocentos e noventa e oito, donde nos vossa Alteza mandou descobrir a parte ocidental, passando além a grandeza do mar Oceano, onde é achada e navegada uma tam grande terra firme, com muitas e grandes ilhas adjacentes a ela e é grandemente povoada. Tanto se dilata sua grandeza e corre com muita longura, que de uma arte nem da outra não foi visto nem sabido o fim e cabo dela. É achado nela muito e fino brasil com outras muitas cousas de que os navios nestes Reinos vem grandemente povoados." Translation into English: "As in the third year of your reign in the year of Our Lord one thousand four hundred and ninety-eight, whence your Highness sent to discover the western part, passing beyond the greatness of the Ocean sea, where such a great land is found and navigated, with many large islands adjacent to it and is heavily populated. Its grandeur expands so much and runs with great length, that one art or the other has not been seen, nor its end and end known. It is found in it very fine Brazil with many other things that ships in these Kingdoms are heavily populated." It is the first portuguese manuscript that mentioned the coast of Brazil and the abundance of brazilwood (Cesalpina echinata) in existence at the time. In the South Atlantic, among the Oceanic islands presented with their latitudes are: A ilha de Sam Lourenço (Fernando de Noronha); A ilha d'Acensam (Trindade Island); A ilha de S. Crara (Santana Island, off Macaé) and; O Cabo Frio Also in the South Atlantic, the other islands of Saint Helena and what is currently called Ascension Island have been omitted. A secret manuscript The manuscript was so rare, in fact, that in 1573 a copy was secretly sent to Philip II of Spain by the Italian spy Giovanni Gesio, under the service of the Spanish ambassador in Lisbon. For the mission, Gesio was regally rewarded with a copy as the payment for his services, a copy of which is now at the library of