The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-13

possessions. An imaginary line was
to be drawn from pole to pole. 100 de-
gress 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 the
Tordeselhas was made in l49i, giving
to Portugal all lands east of an imag-
mary line drawn $50 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, ig-
noring completely all other nations.
Ferdnando de Magalhaes, or. as we
write it, Ferdinand Magellan, and Ruy
FaleirO, both Portuguese subjects. who
had differences with their king on ac-
count of some petty pensions, offered
their services to Spain. Both had
served two years with Albuquerque
and knew all about the Portuguese pos
sessions 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 shorter passage
Portuguese and would prove that Mol
uccas. rich spice islands. were within
Spanish territory; Charles V had a
small fleet fitted out and sent Magel-
Ian with his companion in charge, well
equipped for those days. He went
south against the express stipulations
of the treaty and discovered the straits
which bear his name. His fleet crossed
no r1 hn
LadrOnes and the then unknown Phil
ippines, inspected the Moluccas, and
returned by way of Cape of Good Hope
Magellan lost his life, ard out of the
five vessels which comprised his fleet
only one returned, under the COM
mand of Sebastian del caro-, who
brought MaRellans written report of
the expedition and map of the route
showing that all of the spice islands
and the whole of the Indian ocean
were within the 1SO degrees belonging
tc Spain under the treaty of Tordesel-
has. In the map Magellan had delib-
erately cut forty degrees of longitude
and brought the whole archipelago
within Spains half of the world. He
concealed the fact that the number of
miles in degree of longitude decreases
toward the pole.
Portugal protested and declared war
which continued two years, when the
celebrated congress of notahilties"
was held in small frontier town to
discuss the matter and discover the
real facts. Portugal was at Il manifest
disadvantages Magellan was the first
and only man who had sailed around
the world, and his map of the south
a.
tant. Spain refused to give up her al
legged rights, and Portugal held on 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
17la degrees of Spanish sea which she
held. \ new line was drawn from
pole to pole, starting from the La
drones. This division gave to Portu-
gal all west and south of the line,
which was supposed to he $50 degrees
from the other line drawn, $50 leagues
west of Cape de Verde. This treaty
was approved by Pope Julian II in the
bun Ea quoe pro bono pacis, and the
matter was settled.
Years afterward "A Spanish expedition
discovered the Philippines, so named
allcr Inlnp ~ VINO was tntn Ming OF
Spain. These islands. though many
degrees within Portugals line, We're
taken possession of by Spain, Portu-
gal protested, and would undoubtedly
have obtained possession of them had
it not been for the disaster 10 the Por-
tuguese arms in Africa, which threw
Portugal into the hands of Spain,
where she remained for sixty years
This period is known in Portuguese his
tory as the "siXty years Of captivity"
When Portugal finally rcgained 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
through laches rather than by right.
Had Portugal retained them it is more
than likely that they, like many other
OF her eastern possessions, would have
fallen into the hands of the English,
and their whole history would have
been changed