Evening star., 1899-03-18
PORTUGAL's MISFORTUNE.
How That Country Came to Lose the
Philippine Islands.

From the Brazilian Bulletin.
We who see Portugal in the period of her
decay and almost total eclipse cannot -un-
derstand how so small nation, occupying
so Insignificant portion of Europe-"only
a veranda," as one of her writers has said
should cut so important figure in the
worlds history as she did in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries.
Early in the eleventh century Prince
Henry, ''the navigator" of Portugal, OBJ
tanned from Pope Eugenius " bull which
| gave to Portugal all discoveries between
Cape Hun, in Morocco, and India. In 1472
st. Thomas, Annobon and Princes Islands
were added. When the equator was passed
| and Fernando Po gave his name to an is
land in the Blight of Biefra, he seized 500
leagues of the African coast and the King
of Portugal took the title of Lord OF
Guinea"
Very early in the days of discovery and
conquest, toward the end of the fifteenth
century, the most Catholic sovereigns of
Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella and his
equally Catholic majesty, John III of Por
tugal, fell out about the ownership of the
land yet to be discovered.
Like faithful children of the church they
referred the whole matter to the holy
father at Rome, Pope Alexander VI. a
Spaniard, who cut the Gordian knot by Civ
ing them the earth and setting the limits
of their respective possessions. An i'm
aginary line was to be drawn from pole to
pole, 100 degrees west of the Azores or the
Cape de Verde Islands; all west of this line
was to belong to Spain, and all east of it to
Portugal. King John was not satisfied, and
the treaty of Tordeselhas was made in 1884
giving to Portugal all lands east of an i'm
aginary line drawn 800 leagues from the
most western point of the Cape de Verde
Islands and-all south Of the Cape of Good
Hope. To Spain was allotted all lands west
OF this line, ignoring completely all other
nations.
Fernando do
it, Ferdinand Magellan, and Ruy Faleiro,
both Portuguese subjects, who had differ
ences with their king on account of some
petty pensions, offered their services to
Spain. Both had served two years with
Albuquerque, and knew all about the Por-
tuguese possessions in the east.
Magellan represented to Charles v who
then ruled over Spain, that he was sure the
world was round. a theory then credited by
few. He declared his ability TO find a short
er passage to the east than any known to
the Portuguese, and would prove that the
Moluccas, rich spice islands, were within
Spanish territory, Charles V had small
fleet fitted out and sent Magellan with his
companion in charge, well equipped for
those days. He went south against the
express SIiDula tions of the treaty and dis
covered the straits which bear his name.
His fleet crossed the broad southern ocean
passed the Ladrones and the then unknown
Philippines. inspected the Moluccas, and re-
turned by way of Cape OF Good Hope
Magellan lost his life, and out of the five
vessels which comprised his feet only one
returned, under the command of Sebastian
del Cano, who brought Magellan's written
report OF the expedition and a map of the
route, showing that all of the spice islands
and the whole of the Indian ocean were
within the $50 degrees belonging to Spain
under the treaty of Tordeselhas. In the
map Magellan had deliberately cut forty
degrees of longitude and brought the whole
archipelago within Soains half of the
world He concealed the fact that the num-
ber of miles in degree of longitude de-
creases toward the pole
Portugal protested-and declared war
which continued two years, when the cele-
DRAFTED congress of nota biities'' was held
IN a small frontier town to discuss the mat
ter ana discover the real facts Portugal was
at manifest disadvantage Magellan was
the first and only man who had sailed
around the world, and his map of the
southern seas was the only document ex-
tant. Spain refused to give up her alleged
rights, and Portugal held to the islands
The matter was finally compromised by an
indemnity of 100000 cruzados of the gold of
Molucca, which Portugal paid to Spain for
the supposed 171s degrees of Spanish SEES
which she held A new line was drawn.
from pole to pole starting from the La
drones. This division gave to Portugal all
west and south of the line which was sum-
posed to be $50 degrees from the other line
Drawn. 36o leagues west of Cape de Verde
rms treaty was approved by Pope Julian III
IN tne pun la quoe pro bono pacis. and the
matter was settled
Years afterward a Spanish expedition dis
covered the Philippines, named after
Phiiip IL, who was then King of Spain
Ihese islands, though many degrees within
PortugaIs line, were taken possession of Soy
Spain. Portugal protested and would nm
doubtedly have obtained possession of them
mad IL not been for the disaster to the Por-
tuguese arms in Africa. which threw Por-
tusal INTO the hands of Spain, where she
remained for sixty years This period is
known in Portuguese history as the ..sixty
years of captivity"
When Portugal finally regained her inde-
penoence she was much weakened, and was
more interested in settling the boundaries
north and south of her valuable South
american colonies; SO the Philippines re-
NAMED with Spain through laches rather
than by right. Had Portugal retained them
II is more than likely that they like many
other of her eastern possessions would
nave fallen into the hands of the English
ana their Whole history would hauo hna,,