[8. E. DAWSON] THE LINES OF DEMARCATION SOI 



Two years later, A.D. 1497, Vasco de Gama led the first Portu- 

 guese expedition to India and, following in his track, a swarm of ad- 

 venturous s'ailors and soldiers very quickly opened up all the eastern 

 regions. India, China, Siam, Malacca, Java, Borneo, Sumatra and the 

 archipelago of islands were visited to an unknown extent; for the Portu- 

 guese were- very reticent and made it a capital offence to communicate 

 to foreigners a map of their discoveries in the East. Still, the news of 

 the wonderful riches of those lands spread over western Europe. The 

 ships returned witli cargoes, 'and successful captains made establish- 

 jnents, and successful sailoirs brought home mai'vellous tales. From 

 all this Spain was excluded ; for on the west, to the north and south, 

 stretched the interminable barrier of Americ'a, and all search for an 

 opening through it had been in vain. Secure in her monopoly Portu- 

 gal Avas therefore anxious only to stretch her demarcation area west- 

 \v'ai'd over Brazil. 



Among the Portuguese adventurers who had returned from the 

 farthest East was Ferdinand Magellan — the greatest sailor of those 

 days. In resentment for personal affronts he renounced his allegi'ance 

 and passed over to Spain. His knowledge and experience led a Spanish 

 expedition through the strait, which still bears his name, and lacross 

 the great South Sea to the coveted Spice Islands in the East. In 1521, 

 one of his captains, Sebastian El Cano, returned by way of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. The world had been circumnavigated — the farthest 

 East had been reached by sailing on a western course, and for the 

 second time, the Portuguese hope of a monopoly of eastern trade was 

 shattered. _ 



We have seen in our enlightened age the United States on the 

 brink of war with Great Britain because they supposed the latter held 

 against a Spanish power an inconceivably minute and valueless portion 

 of one half of what was in dispute in 1531. But Spain and Portugal 

 did not go to war in 1521 ; . although their people were kindred 

 in speech. They resorted to negotiation instead. It is very re- 

 markable that there was no blustering. Perhaps it was the absence 

 of newspapers — perhaps it was the want of free representative institu- 

 tions; it is sufficient to say that the convention, called the Junta of 

 Badajoz, met in 1524, as explained in previous pages, and endeavoured 

 to settle the question. 



The Portuguese then saw their error in shifting westward the 

 Pope's line of demarcation ; for the principle of prolonging the line of 

 Tordesillas round the globe had become established and the further 

 west the line was placed upon the Atlantic, the greater would be the 

 extent of territory in the far Bast to be brought within the Spanisli 



