B a n d a
Islands*
C h in e s e .
P o r t u g u e s e .
pier, the Burning IJle, and was, when he palled by it in?
1699 * , a moft fierce volcano..
The' Ifcwsfo iflands lie in about Lat. 40 30 V Ihnth, and are included
under the general name o f the Spicy Iflands. Their
names are Gonnipo, Banda (which gives name to the whole
group) Lontane, Poolaway:, and Poolorqan. Thele, and the
neighboring Moluccas, were difcovered at the fame time, in 1511,
by Francis Serrano, and Antonio I f Abreau, who were fent'on
that fervice by the great Albuquerque ; they fpent fome years
in the difcoveiy.- The Portuguefe, to deter other nations from
paying attention to thefe fources o f wealth and luxury, gave
out that they were fearcely approachable by reafon. of the ihal-
lownefs of the feas t Pigafettadifproved the report, by founding,
the coafts, and finding 3. depth o f a hundred and. two hundred;
fathoms.
T h e Chinefe were the firft who had made themfelves mailers
o f thefe iflands.. The Japans and the Malayan Moors next fuc-
ceeded, and with them were introduced the religion and language-
of Mahomet, which in thefe and the Moluccas found their moft:
remòte but wonderful, extent. The Portuguefe arrived after
them at the period juft mentioned- Argenfola reprefents fome
of the kings of thefe little iflands as incredibly powerful, and
afferts, that they could eolleitively raife above a hundred and
twenty thoufand fighting men.. The prince o f Ternate was;
the-moft potent ;: he was lord of feventy-two iftes.
T h e Portuguefe, by violence or treachery, eftabliilied themfelves
in thefe valuable poffeifions. The Spaniards indeed laid
* V o p g e S j j i i..g . 1 8 0 .
dame.
■tlame to them under the falfe pretence that they were firft difcovered
by Magellan ; the Spanifh fleet, in the reign of Charles
V. failed to the Moluccas : the Portuguefe were engaged in war
with the king o f iernate, and the monarchs o f iidor and Gilolo,
who fided with the Spaniards; hut about that time John III.
thought proper to make his brother-in-law Charles a prefent o f
three hundred and fifty thoufand ducats, on condition the Por-
tuguefefhould remain in quiet polfeilion till the fum was repaid.
Notwithftanding this, Charles offered them to fale to Henry VII.
but the bargain never took plaoe.
I t is ridiculous to coniider that Charles V, clamed thefe iflands
b y virtue o f the famous line of ,demarcation, by -which Pope
Alexander VI. in 1493, divided, by his infallible power, between
the Spaniards and Portuguefe, all countries which fho.uld be ,diifi-
icovered on the .fide of a certain meridian drawn by his holinefs
from pole to pole, allotting one part to Ferdinand and Ifabel of
Spain, tihe other to John II. of Portugal, and their fucceffors ft.
This Alexander -did in hopes o f preferving peace in the world,
¡but the effedt proved the reverie. I , muft refer to Oforio, and
others who have treated on the fubjedt.
T h e Hutch, after fome unfuccelsful attempts, for the difpovery
o f a north-eaft paffage.to the Eajl Indies, determined to follow
the courfe of the enterprizing Portuguefe. I n 1595 they refolved
to ih.are in the rich-adventure; four ihips, .with no more than
two hundred .and forty-nine men, failed from the Texet on April
nil; they faw the Cape of Good Hope on Auguft 4th; .touched
at Madagafcar, and.-on January rft, 1546, reached the ftreights
* Dfofio, ii. 268.
X a o f
D u t c h .