FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39  
40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>   >|  
chart in the next chapter. One of the three great Papuan rivers, the river now called the Amberno, was discovered and was named the _S. Augustino_, and formal possession was taken in the name of the King of Spain. CHAPTER V. THE FIRST MAP OF NEW GUINEA. Had the Portuguese and Spanish known the map of New Guinea as we know it nowadays they would, no doubt, have described it as a Guinea fowl, Bird of Paradise or some such creature, as delineated above, in the same way as they described Java and other islands in these seas.* [* Celebes was likened to a spider, Ceram to a caterpillar, etc., etc.] The map of Nova Guinea, shows, however, that their ideas were like all original ideas concerning shapes of countries--imperfect. Nevertheless, some of the principal features of the Portuguese and Spanish discoveries in Papuas and New Guinea, up to the year 1545, are clearly discernible.* [* The original Portuguese and Spanish documents that were used in the compilation of this map have been lost or have not yet come to light. Our copy dates from the year 1600.] It will be noticed that Gilolo is now placed in its correct position, twenty degrees to the west of where it was placed before in Ribero's map. It is now in the Portuguese sphere where it should be. The Portuguese discoveries in New Guinea occupy what might be described as the fowl's head and neck. They come under the name of OS PAPUAS, and the islands where Menezes is said to have sojourned--_hic hibernavit Georg de Menezes_--in the year 1526. The three nameless large islands, between Os Papuas and Nova Guinea represent, no doubt, the Misory Islands and Jobi of modern charts. The Aru Islands are also charted, and the Tenimber or Timor Laut group is indicated (although it bears no name) as having been the sojourn of Martin Alfonso de Melo,* a Portuguese navigator, whose name has not been otherwise recorded, as far as I know, in the history of maritime discovery in these parts. [* _Martin afonso de mela_, on the chart.] SPANISH SPHERE. The Spanish portion commemorates the expedition of Inigo Ortiz de Retez with Gaspar Rico, in the _San Juan_, in the year 1545; some of the names being the _Rio de S. Augustino_; the island of Ortiz, _I de Arti_; the port of Gaspar Rico and the _I. S. Juan_, named after their little ship; the cape named _Ancon de la Natividad de Nustra Siniora_, being the term of their voyage which, according to Juan Gaeta
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39  
40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Guinea

 

Portuguese

 
Spanish
 

islands

 

Martin

 
Gaspar
 

Islands

 

Papuas

 

original

 

discoveries


Menezes
 

Augustino

 
charted
 

Tenimber

 

navigator

 

Alfonso

 

sojourn

 
Papuan
 

modern

 

hibernavit


sojourned

 
PAPUAS
 

called

 

nameless

 

rivers

 
recorded
 

Misory

 
represent
 
charts
 

maritime


island
 

voyage

 

Natividad

 

Nustra

 

Siniora

 

afonso

 
discovery
 

history

 

SPANISH

 

SPHERE


chapter

 

portion

 

commemorates

 
expedition
 
shapes
 

countries

 

GUINEA

 

imperfect

 

Nevertheless

 

CHAPTER