Dias 500

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Cachet: The cachet shows a painted scene of Mossel Bay, with two Portuguese caravels anchored in calm water close to shore. Rolling hills covered in fynbos and low coastal scrub frame the bay in the foreground, while distant mountains rise softly in the background under a pale sky. Above the illustration the name "Dias" appears in gold script, with the dates "1488-1988" printed below it in plain black type, marking the five hundredth anniversary of his voyage. Around the oval image itself the words "Bartolomeu Dias, Mosselbaai · Mossel Bay · 1488" curve in a complete circle.

Info card

DIAS 500 King João of Portugal sent Bartolomeu Dias on a voyage of exploration in 1487. No written document describing the voyage has survived but Dias doubtless carried instructions to round Africa and complete the discovery of a sea-route to India. Inscriptions on early maps and a knowledge of saints' days make it possible to establish a partial chronology of his voyage. 16c stamp Cabo da Boa Esperança Dias discovered and named Cabo da Boa Esperança (the Cape of Good Hope). He may have raised a padrão there on 6 June 1488. He certainly raised a padrão at Lüderitz on 25 July, and arrived back in Portugal in December 1488. There is no contemporary portrait of Dias. This stamp portrays him with an astrolabe and the Cape peninsula, the Cabo da Boa Esperança, in the background. The astrolabe was used to determine the altitude of the sun and other celestial bodies in the calculation of latitude. 30c stamp Kwaaihoek Memorial Dias entered the present Algoa Bay and on an islet that he named Da Cruz raised a timber cross. He was forced to end his exploration at the Rio do Infante (probably the Keiskamma River), but the coast ran to the north-east and there was a warm current — sure signs that he had penetrated far into the Indian Ocean. On 12 March 1488, the naming day of St Gregorius, he erected a limestone padrão at the present-day Kwaaihoek. Fragments of this beacon were discovered in 1938 and the Padrão de São Gregorio was reconstructed and declared a national monument. It is now in safekeeping in the Library of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. This stamp shows a replica of the reconstructed padrão. It was erected on the original site in 1941. 40c stamp Caravels 1488 Dias commanded three caravels. One, a supply ship, was left in a bay, probably in south Angola. This stamp depicts two caravels in full sail. The design is bordered by the legend Bartolomeu Dias — National Festival 1488-1988 — Nasionale Fees 1488-1988, which features on the other three stamps as well. 50c stamp Martellus Map 1489 This stamp features the Martellus map from c. 1489, the earliest map to record Dias's discoveries. The original is in the British Library, London, to whom acknowledgement is made. Early in January 1488 Dias was a short distance south of the Orange River and, because of the prevailing southerly winds, then steered seawards. At latitude 38° or 39° he would have found favourable winds for sailing to the east. Finding no land, he steered north and sighted a cape near the Gourits River, which he named Vaca. Coasting eastwards, he named a prominent headland after São Bras (St. Blaize) on 3 February and dropped anchor in what is now Mossel Bay. Here, for the first time, Europeans met indigenous inhabitants of the southern tip of Africa. Commemorative cover The commemorative cover depicts two caravels at anchor in Mossel Bay, where Dias landed on the festival day of St Blaize. The bay was named the Aguada de São Bras (watering place of St. Blaize) because of the freshwater spring he found there. The famous Post Office Tree, a milkwood used in 1500 as the first "post office" in South Africa and today a national monument, is depicted on the left. The Mosselbaai date-stamp shows an astrolabe. Text compiled with the assistance of Prof Eric Axelson. DIAS 500 Koning João van Portugal het Bartolomeu Dias in 1487 op 'n ontdekkingstog gestuur. Geen geskrewe verslag wat die reis beskryf nie het die see gehad om die seeroete na Indië oor Afrika te probeer voltooi. Die inskrywings op ou kaarte en 'n kennis van heilige dae maak dit moontlik om die verloop van sy reis gedeeltelik te bepaal. 16c-seël Cabo da Boa Esperança Dias het Cabo da Boa Esperança (Kaap die Goeie Hoop) ontdek en dit dié naam gegee. Dit moontlik het hy op 6 Junie 1488 'n padrão hier opgerig. Hy het wel op 25 Julie by Lüderitz 'n padrão opgerig en in Desember 1488 in Portugal aangekom. Daar bestaan geen kontemporêre beeltenis van Dias nie. Dié seël toon 'n voorstelling van hom met 'n astrolabium en die Kaapse skiereiland, die Cabo da Boa Esperança, op die agtergrond. Die astrolabium is gebruik om die hoogte van die son en ander hemelliggame te bepaal vir die berekening van die breedtegraad. 30c-seël Gedenkteken Kwaaihoek Dias het Algoabaai aangedoen en 'n eilandjie wat hy Da Cruz genoem het. Hy was verplig om sy verkenning aan die Rio do Infante (waarskynlik die Keiskammarivier) te staak, maar die kuslyn het noord-oos geloop en daar was 'n warm seestroom — seker tekens dat hy die Indiese Oseaan ver binnegedring het. Op 12 Maart 1488, die naamdag van St. Gregorius, het hy 'n kalkklip-padrão by die huidige Kwaaihoek opgerig. Stukkies van die baken is in 1938 ontdek en die Padrão de São Gregorio is gerekonstrueer en tot 'n nasionale gedenkwaardigheid verklaar. Dit word in die biblioteek van die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, bewaar. Dié seël toon 'n replika van die gerekonstrueerde padrão. Dit is in 1941 op die oorspronklike terrein opgerig. 40c-seël Karvele 1488 Dias was in bevel van drie karvele. Een, 'n voorraadskip, is vermoedelik in 'n baai in suid-Angola agtergelaat. Dié seël toon twee karvele met volle seile. Die ontwerp word omring deur die woorde Bartolomeu Dias — Nasionale Fees 1488-1988 — National Festival 1488-1988 wat ook op die ander drie seëls verskyn. 50c-seël Martellus-kaart 1489 Dié seël toon die Martellus-kaart uit c. 1489, die oudste kaart waarop Dias se ontdekkings verskyn. Die oorspronklike kaart is in die British Library, Londen, aan wie erkenning betoon word. Vroeg in Januarie 1488 was Dias net suid van die Oranjerivier en as gevolg van die heersende suidewind het hy toe dieper see-in gevaar. Op die 38ste of 39ste breedtegraad sou hy gunstig vir die vaart oos gehad het. Toe hy geen land vind nie, het hy noord gedraai en 'n kaap gesien naby die Gourits-rivier, wat hy Vaca genoem het. Hy het koslangs oos gevaar en op 3 Februarie 'n prominente landpunt na São Bras (St. Blasius) vernoem en daarna in die huidige Mosselbaai anker gegooi. Hier het Europeërs en inheemse bewoners van die suidpunt van Afrika mekaar die eerste keer ontmoet. Gedenkkoevert Die gedenkkoevert toon twee karvele voor anker in Mosselbaai, waar Dias het die feesdag van St Blasius geland het. Die baai is Aguada de São Bras (waterplek van St. Blasius) genoem na aanleiding van die varswaterfontein wat hy daar aangetref het. Die bekende Poskantoorboom, 'n melkhout wat in 1500 as die eerste "poskantoor" in Suid-Afrika gebruik is en tans 'n nasionale gedenkwaardigheid is, word in die linkerhoek uitgebeeld. Die Mosselbaai-datumstempel toon 'n astrolabium. Teks opgestel met die medewerking van prof. Eric Axelson.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 3 February 1988 in Mossel Bay, exactly five hundred years after Bartolomeu Dias anchored there in 1488. The four stamps, illustrated by B. Rowers, depict Dias himself with an astrolabe, the Kwaaihoek memorial, two caravels under full sail and the 1489 Martellus map, the earliest surviving map to record his discoveries. Dias named the bay Aguada de São Bras after the freshwater spring he found there on the feast day of St Blaize, and it was here that Europeans first made contact with the indigenous inhabitants of the southern tip of Africa. The bay later became home to the Post Office Tree, a milkwood used from 1500 as an informal mail drop for passing ships, which still stands today as a national monument.

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