Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.Major, Richard Henry
History
Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.
Major, Richard Henry
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels
Now, after 1516 or 1517, Spain began to dispute with Portugal the
possession of the Moluccas, as being situated within the hemisphere
which had been allotted to them by the bull of pope Alexander VI,
dated the 4th of July, 1493. This pope, in consequence of the
disputes which had arisen between the courts of Lisbon and Toledo,
had arranged that all the discoveries which might be made on the
globe to the east of a meridian one hundred leagues west of the
Azores and Cape Verde Islands (which he seemed to think lay under
the same meridian), for the space of a hundred and eighty degrees of
longitude, should belong to the Portuguese; and that those to the
westward of the same meridian, for the same space, should belong to
the Spaniards. This division has been since called the line of
demarcation of Pope Alexander VI. Don John II, however, who was then
king of Portugal, being dissatisfied with this bull, which seemed to
deprive him of considerable possessions in the west, made another
arrangement in the following year with Isabella and Ferdinand of
Spain, by which this line was pushed further west, and definitely
fixed at three hundred and seventy leagues to the westward of the
Cape Verde Islands. This agreement was signed the 4th of June, 1494;
and it was arranged that, in the space of ten months, persons should
be sent out who were well informed in geography, to fix exactly the
places through which this line should pass.
This engagement once entered upon, no more consideration was given
to the sending out competent persons to the places indicated, and
the two governments continued their discoveries, each on its own
behalf. Under the guidance of Cabral, the Portuguese, on the 9th of
March, 1500, discovered Brazil, which lay in their own hemisphere.
Under the guidance of Vincent Yanez Pinzon, the Spaniards had in
this same or preceding year, sailed along the whole of this coast as
far as the embouchure of the Oronoco. After this time the line,
without further examination, was reckoned to pass by the mouth of
the Marañon, or river of the Amazons, which had been already
explored, and it is in this part that it is found traced on the
Spanish maps of Herrera. The Portuguese, while they took possession
of Brazil, continued their discoveries towards the east, and reached
the Moluccas, where they established themselves, as we have said, in
1512. The proprietorship of the spices which the possession of these
islands gave them, produced such considerable profits, that it soon
excited the jealousy of the Spaniards. The latter pretended that the
Moluccas were in the hemisphere which had been allotted to them.
This idea was particularly suggested to them by Magellan, who, being
discontented with the treatment of king Emanuel, in having refused
him an increase of allowance, took refuge about the year 1516 in
Spain, and offered his services to the government of Charles V. Not
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account