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.
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