Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-10
LOST THE PHILIPPINES,
HOW PORTUGAL WAS DEPRIVED OF
THE ISLANDS BY SPAIN.


Into tho Hands of Great Britain.
We who see Portugal in the period
of her decay and almost total eclipse
cannot understand how so small
nation, occupying so insignificant a
portion of Europe, 'only veranda
us one of her writer's has said-should
cut so important figure In the
w, rlds history as she did III the tf=
teenth and sixteenth centuries.
Early in the eleventh century Prince
Henry, ''the navigator" of Portugal,
obtained from Po, Eugenius " a
bull which gave to Portugal all dis
coveries between Cape Hun, in Mo-
rocco, and India. In 1872, st. Thomas
Annobon and Princes islands were
added. When the equator was pissed
and Ferr ando Po gave HIS name to an
island .e Blight OF Biefra he seized
900 leagues of the African coast and
the King OF Portugal took the title Of
Lord Of Guinea. p"
Very early in the days of discovery
and conquest, toward the end of the
fifteenth century. the most Cathollc
sovereigns of Spain, Ferdinand and
isabella, and his equally Catholic
majesty, John II of Portugal, .iell out
about the ownership cf land yet to be
discovered.
Like faithful children Of the church
they referred the whole matter tothe
Holy Father at Rome, Pope AleSan-
der VI, a Sruniard, who cut the
Gordian knot by giving them the earth
and setting the limits OF their respect:
tive possessions, All imaginary line
was to be drawn from pole to pole, 100
degrees west of the Azores or the
Cape lie Verde islands; all west of
this island was to belong to Spain,
and all east of it to Portugal. King
John was not satisfied, and the treaty
of Tordcselhas was made in 1894, CIV
ing to Portugal all lands east OF an
imaginary line drawn $50 leagues
from the most western point of the
Cape tie Verde islands and all south
of the Cape of Good Hore. 70 Spain
was allotted all lands west OF this lihe,
ignoring completely all other nations:
Fernando lie Mngalbaes, or, as We
as we write it, Ferdinand Magellan
and Rur Falciro, both Portuguese SUB
lects, who had differences with their
king or account of some petty pen:
sions, oti'sre Their services to Spain:
Both had served two years with Al
buquerlue, and knew ill about the
Portuguese possessions IN the east.
Magellan represented to Charles Y.
who then ruled over Spain, that he
was sure the world was round-a
theory then credited by few. He de-
clarcd his ability TO find shorter
ras sage TO the East than any known
to The Portuguese, and would prove
that the Moluccas. rich spice islands,
were within Spanish tie ritory. Charles
V had small feet fitted out and sent
Magellan wifi his companion i'll
charge, we'll eq1ipred for those days.
He went south against the express
stipulatioas of the treaty and tliscov.
cred 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 returned by way of
Cape of Good Hope.
Magellan lost his life. and out of
five vessels which comprised his feet,
only. one returned, under the com:
mand of Sebastian del Cano, who
brought Magellan's written report of
the expedition and map of the route,
showing thai ali OF the spice islands
and the whole of the Indian ocean
were within the $50 degrees belong
ing to Spain under the treaty of Tor
deseihas. In the map Magellan had
deliberately cut 10 degrees OF longi-
tude and brought the whole archipela-
go within Spain's half Of the world.
He concealed the fact that the number
OF miles in degree of longitude de-
creases towards the pole.
Portugal protested and declared war,
which continued two years, when the
celebrated Congress OF Notabilities"
was held in small frontier town to
discuss the matter and discover the
real facts. Portugal was at a mani
fest disadvantage. Magellan WAS the
first and only man who had sailed
alound the world, and his map of the
southern seas was the only document
extant. Spain refused to give up her
alleged rights and Portugal held on to
the islands. 1he matter WAS finally
compromised by an indemnity of go,
600 cruzados of the gold OF Molucca,
which Portugal paid to Spain for the
supposed A l-2 degrees of Spanish
sea which she held. A new line WAS
drawn frome pole to pole, starting
from the Lalrones. This division
gave to Portugal all west and south of
the line, which was supposedto be $50
degrees from the other line drawn,
36 leagues west Of Cape de Verde.
This treaty was approved by Pope
Julian IL in the bull, Ea que pro bono
pacis, and the matter .'as settled.
Years atterwa"' Spanish expedi-
ton T.. Il the Philippines, so
named after Philip Ii, who was then
King OF Spain. These islands, though
many degrees within Portugal's line,
were taken possession of by Spain.
Portugal protested, aud would un
doubtedly have obtained possession
of them had it not been for the disas.
ter to the Portuguese arms III Africa,
which threw Portugal 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 final V regained her
independence she was much Weakened,
and was more interested in settling
the boundaries north and south of her
valuable South American colonies, so
the Philippines remained with Spain