Jaume Ferrer Monument

Jaume Ferrer, was an adventurer and mariner hailing from Majorca, known to have lived during the 14th century. In the year 1346, he embarked on a daring expedition from Majorca, aiming to discover the fabled "River of Gold." Unfortunately, the results of his ambitious undertaking, as well as his ultimate destiny, remain shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, his hometown of Palma in Majorca pays homage to his memory.

Jaume Ferrer remains a mysterious figure, known primarily for his 1346 expedition as a Majorcan captain in search of the legendary "River of Gold" along the West African coast. Unfortunately, little information exists about Ferrer or the outcome of his journey. Recent research tentatively suggests that Jaume Ferrer may be the same person as "Giacomino Ferrar di Casa Maveri," a second-generation Genoese immigrant residing in Majorca.

The Catalan Atlas of 1375, attributed to the Majorcan cartographer Abraham Cresques, provides the most substantial evidence of Ferrer's expedition. In the bottom-left corner of the map, a vibrant Aragonese-flagged vessel is depicted, accompanied by a note stating that "Jacme Ferrer" set sail on August 10, 1346, in an uxer, with the intention of finding the "Riu de l'Or" (River of Gold). An uxer refers to a single-masted, square-rigged, oar-powered cargo galley commonly used for transporting horses.

Based on the ship's location on the map (below the Canary Islands), it is inferred that Ferrer likely sailed past Cape Bojador. During that time, Cape Bojador represented the navigational limit beyond which European ships were reluctant to venture. If Ferrer survived the journey and returned, his achievement would predate the famous successful passage of Cape Bojador by the Portuguese explorer Gil Eanes in 1434, nearly a century later.

A fragment of additional information is found in a note discovered in the secret archives of the Republic of Genoa in 1802. The note mentions an expedition led by "Joannis Ferne," a Catalan captain who departed from "the city of the Majorcans" on July 10, 1346, aboard a galleass. However, this vessel was never heard from again. The note describes the expedition's objective as the search for the Riu Auri (River of Gold), as it was believed to be a gathering place for "aurum de paiola" (possibly referring to gold nuggets, although 'Paiola' has also been interpreted as the name of a river island depicted in the 1367 Pizzigani map). According to the note, the people residing along the river shores were engaged in gold collection, and the river was large and deep enough to accommodate the largest ships.

The "River of Gold" mentioned by trans-Saharan traders refers to the Senegal River, which flowed through the heart of the gold-producing Mali Empire. The Genoese note also refers to it as Vedamel, most likely derived from the Arabic term "Wad al-mal" (river of treasure), or possibly a transcription error of "Wad al-Nill" (river of Nile, as the Senegal was also known as the 'Western Nile'). The term Vedamel may have also been the origin of Budomel, used by early Portuguese explorers in the 15th century to refer to a Wolof statelet on the Grande Côte, located south of the Senegal River.