George Collingridge I. In Quest of the Spice Islands II. Voyages to the Spice Islands and Discovery of Papua III. The Spice Islands in Ribero's Map IV. Villalobos' Expedition and Further Discoveries in Papua V. The First Map of New Guinea VI. Jave-la-Grande, The First Map of Australia VII. Pierre Desceliers' Map VIII. Desliens' Map IX. Mendana and Sarmiento Discover the Solomons X. Mendana in Search of the Solomon Islands. An Early Map of the Solomons XI. Queiroz's Voyage. A Spanish Map of the B

Of the many books which have been published on subjects relating to Australia and Australian History, I am not aware of any, since my late friend, Mr. R. H. Major's introduction to his valuable work, "Early Voyages to Terra Australis," which has attempted a systematic investigation into the earliest discoveries of the great Southern Island-Continent, and the first faint indications of knowledge that such a land existed. Mr. Major's work was published in 1859, at a time when the materials for suc

Ten years ago, Mr. George Collingridge published "The Discovery of Australia."--a large quarto volume, bulky, erudite and expensive. It took its place as a valuable contribution to the literature of the country, and remains the world-accepted authority on the important and interesting subject with which it deals. But it was in nowise suited to the general reader--being designed more for the scholar than for the person who desired to conveniently possess himself of authentic information relating

The discovery of a continental island like Australia was not a deed that could be performed in a day. Many years passed away, and many voyages to these shores of ours were undertaken by the leading maritime nations of Europe, before the problematic and mysterious TERRA AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA of the ancients became known, even in a summary way, and its insularity and separation from other lands positively established. We must not be astonished, therefore, at the strange discrepancies that occur in e

Statue of Prince Henry What was the relative position of European nations in the arena of maritime discovery at the beginning of the sixteenth century? Portugal was then mistress of the sea. Spain, too, indulging in an awakening yawn, was clutching with her outstretched hands at the shadowy treasure-islands of an unfinished dream. England had not yet launched her navy; Holland had not built hers. Portugal had already buried a king--the great grandson of Edward III. of England--whose enterprise h

Sebastian del Cano Whilst the Portuguese and Spaniards were fighting for the possession of the "Spicery," as they sometimes called the Moluccas, the old dispute about the line of demarcation was resumed in Spain and Portugal. It was referred to a convocation of learned geographers and pilots, held at Badajoz, on the shores of the Guadiana. Those learned men talked and argued, and their animated discussions extended over many months; but no decision was arrived at. Sebastian del Cano, who had bee

I must now say a few words about the official map of the world, alluded to on page 16. It is by Ribero, and will be found on pages 28 and 29. The date of this map is 1529. The portion reproduced shows the Spice Islands, and a glance at this part of the world brings vividly to our minds the intense desire of each contending party to possess a region that yielded the wealth that is here described. The map is Spanish, and Spain has allotted to herself the lion's share, planting her flag in the mids

After various treaties, signed at Segovia, Seville and Zaragoza, the King of Spain renounced at last, his claim to the Spice Islands, for the sum of 350,000 ducats. But this agreement did not interfere with other possessions of the Spanish crown, nor did it prevent the Spaniards from making fresh conquests within the limits which had been allotted to them. Meanwhile the Portuguese were more active in their explorations. Making the Spice Islands the centre of their enterprise, under the guidance

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.* 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

The maps that I am going to describe in this chapter are beautiful specimens of medieval work; they are, however, somewhat startling, for they reveal, in a most unexpected and sudden manner, nearly the whole of the coasts of Australia discovered, yet, without any narrative of voyage to prepare us for the fact. They stand alone, therefore, as the most important documents hitherto come to light bearing on the early discovery and mapping of Australia. They belong to a type of manuscript Lusitano-Fr

This is a map of the same type as the one I have just described. It forms part of another large manuscript planisphere, draughted and illuminated by Pierre Desceliers, a priest of Argues near Hâvres, and it bears in bold characters an inscription to that effect with the date 1550. At first sight the most, remarkable feature of this map is the display of descriptive matter contained in cartouches spread here and there between the illuminations. These, however, do not refer to Australia but are de

His is another planisphere, of the same school of map-makers. I give it here in its entirety, in order to show how the Australian portion stands, in all these maps, with reference to other countries. It will be observed that, for accuracy, Australia compares favorably with, for instance, North America, named on this map, La Nouvelle France. Besides its beautiful execution there is nothing to call for special notice unless it be that three Portuguese flags are shown as flying over Australian shor

With the hope of making fresh discoveries and in pursuance of their object to establish a trade between the Spice Islands and their newly acquired colonies on the western shores of America, the Spaniards continued to send out expeditions whenever an opportunity offered. Ever widening their sphere of action, they now looked forward to the southern regions of the Pacific Ocean as the land of promise, the El Dorado of their dreams; Saavedra's Isla de Oro and Retez's and Gaspar Rico's discoveries we

Twenty-six years had elapsed since the Sarmiento-Mendana voyage, and now Mendana was sent out again with instructions to found a colony at the island of San Christobal , in the Solomon Group; and from thence to make another attempt to discover the Great Southern Continent, the Java Maior, that formed such a conspicuous feature on the maps of the period, and was beginning to attract the attention of other countries besides Spain. Mendana's fleet was composed of three large vessels and a frigate.

We come now to the most important expedition that ever set out in search of Australia. We have reached the year 1605, in the month of December, of which Queiroz, this time the commander of another Spanish fleet, set sail from the coast of Peru with the object of renewing the attempt at settlement in the island of Santa Cruz, and from thence to search, for the "continent towards the south," which he believed to be "spacious, populous and fertile." The intentions of navigators and the instructions

TORRES' DISCOVERIES. I shall give here Torres' account from that portion of it that has come to be intimately connected with Australian discovery. As there was a misunderstanding, to say the least of it, between Queiroz, the Portuguese, and his lieutenant Torres, the proud Spaniard, the second in command during the voyage we have just read about, it will be just as well to hear both sides of the question, and thus be able to form a more correct opinion of what really happened on the occasion of

1492. Discovery of America, by C. Columbus. Marco Polo's. "Java-Major" appears on Martin Behaim's globe. 1497. Cape of Good Hope rounded by the Portuguese. 1502. Second Portuguese fleet sails for India. 1503. Third Portuguese fleet sails for India. 1504. Three Great Portuguese fleets dispatched to. India. 1511. The Spice Islands discovered by the Portuguese. 1519-22. Magellan's Expedition Round the World, sent out, from Spain. Sebastian del Cano, in the Victoria, puts in at Timor. 1525. Garcia J