On This
Account, And Constrained By Contrary Winds, Lopez Sailed Along The Coast
In Quest Of A Place Of Safety;
And, in four or five degrees of latitude,
he found a small island called Sarangam by the natives, which he
Took
possession of by force, and named it Antonio after the viceroy of Mexico.
Ruy Lopez, and his people remained here a whole year, during which many
things occurred worth notice; but as these are treated of in other
histories, I refrain from mentioning them, confining myself entirely to
discoveries.
In the month of August of the same year, 1548, Ruy Lopez, sent Bartholomew
de la Torre in a small ship to New Spain, to acquaint the viceroy of his
proceedings. Torre went first to the islands named _Siria, Gaonala,
Bisaia_, and many others, in 11 deg. and 12 deg. N. lat. where Magellan and de
Castro had both been formerly, and where the latter baptized many of the
natives; and the Spaniards called these the _Phillipinas_, in honour of
the prince of Spain[104]. In these islands Torre procured provisions, and
wood and water, whence he sailed for several days with a fair wind, edging
towards the north-east, till he came right under the tropic of Cancer. On
the 25th of September, they came in sight of certain islands, which they
named _Malabrigos_, or the evil roads; beyond which they discovered _Las
dos Hermanas_, or the Two Sisters; and beyond these again, four islands
which they called _las Volcanes_. On the second of October they came in
sight of _Farfana_, beyond which there is a high pointed rock, which
throws up fire in five places. Sailing in this manner, for some time, in
16 deg. of north latitude, they were obliged by continual contrary winds, to
bear up again for the Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight
of six or seven additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them.
They found also an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or
16 degrees of north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with
beautiful well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any
other of the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments,
which was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country.
These people likewise had barks or vessels of forty-three cubits long, by
two fathoms and a half in breadth, constructed of planks five inches broad,
and which were rowed with oars. The people told the Spaniards that they
were in use to sail in these vessels to China, which was not above five or
six days sail from thence, and offered to supply them with pilots, if they
were inclined to go thither. Several of these barks, handsomely decked,
came off to the Spanish ship, in which the master, and other principal
people, sat on a high platform, while the rowers sat underneath, who were
_blackamoors_ or negroes with frizzled hair. Being asked whence they had
these negroes, they answered that they were brought from certain islands
near Sebut, where there were abundance to be had. The Spaniards wondered
much at finding negroes in this place, being above 300 leagues from the
nearest land of the negroes. It is therefore probable that these people
were not originally natives of this part of the world; but that they have
been scattered somehow in various places over the circuit of the earth, as
they are found in the islands of Nicobar and Andaman, in the bay of Bengal.
From thence, for the space of 500 leagues, we do not know of any other
black people: Yet Vasco Nunnez de Valboa pretends to have discovered them,
when he went to explore the coast of the South Sea, in a country which he
named _Quareca_; but there never were any found in New Spain, Castilia del
Oro, or in Peru.
In the year 1544, Don Gutierre de Vargas, bishop of Placenza, the cousin
of Mendoca, sent a fleet from Seville to the straits of Magellan,
instigated by the advice of the viceroy. Some said that this fleet was
destined for the Moluccas, others for China, and others again, that it was
meant only to explore the coast from the straits along Chili to Peru.
However this may have been, the fleet was unable, from contrary winds, to
get through the straits, except one small bark which got into the South
Sea, and sailed along the whole coast, till it came to _Chirimai_ and
_Arequipa_, which is above 500 leagues, which were now explored; all the
rest of the coast having been formerly discovered by Diego de Almagro,
Francis Pizarro, and their people, at various times[105].
In January of the year 1545, Ruy Lopez de Villa Lobos, formerly mentioned,
came with his Spaniards to the isle of _Moro_[106], and the city of
_Camato_, where he was well received by the kings of Gilolo and Tidore,
and the people of the country; for I, Antonio Galvano, had then left the
Moluccas; and they put the governor Don George de Castro to much trouble,
and great expence. In the same year, 1545, Ruy Lopez de Villa Lobos, sent
another ship from Tidore for New Spain, under the command of Ignatius
Ortez de Rotha, and having Jaspar Rico as pilot, with orders to attempt
the passage by the south side of the line. Ortez sailed to the coast of
Papua, which he explored; and, as he knew not that Saavedra had been there
formerly, he challenged the credit and honour of the discovery. Finding
the natives of a black colour, with frizzled hair, he named the country on
that account New Guinea. Thus, the memory of Saavedra was then almost lost,
as every thing is apt to fall into oblivion, unless put upon record, and
illustrated by writing.
In June of this year, 1545, one Pedro Fidalgo, a Portuguese, sailed in a
junk from the city of Borneo; but being driven to the north by contrary
winds, he fell in with a large island, the south extremity of which lay in
nine or ten degrees of north latitude, while it stretched to lat.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 44 of 219
Words from 44166 to 45203
of 224388
