Major (Richard Henry)

Contemporary English writer, who died in London in June 1901. He was a member of the Royal Geographical Society and in charge of the distribution of maps and charts at the British Museum. His work published in 1868 under the title The Life of Prince Henry of Portugal became well known in our country, serving as a true tribute to the memory of Infante D. Henrique and also constituting an undisputed homage paid to the maritime odyssey carried out by the Portuguese in the 15th century. Major considers the legend of Machim as historical truth, triumphantly refuting the assertions of the English writer, Dr. Alvaro de Azevedo, and dedicating to this subject some of the most interesting pages of the book Saudades da Terra. Dr. Rodrigues de Azevedo's irrefutable argumentation reduced the Machim case to the proportions of a charming and poetic legend, devoid of the slightest hint of historical foundation. Major published another work entitled The Discoveries of Prince Henry the Navigator and their results (London 1877), and his first work was translated into Portuguese by José Antonio Ferreira Brandão.