PORTUGUESE AND SPANIARDS 69 



comparison with these, is Maluco less wealthy, or ought to 

 be held in less esteem." " They sailed by the noble island 

 of Java ; and they ran their course East, sailing between 

 it and the Island of Madura. . . . Beyond the Island of JaVa The Portu 

 they sailed along another called Bali ; and then came also j[{^g ^he 

 unto others called Anjano, Simbiba, Solor, Galao, Mauluca, Northern 

 Vitara, Rosolanguin, and Arus, from whence are brought i^an 

 delicate birds which are of great estimation because of Java to 

 their feathers ; they came also to other. islands lying in the rus ' 

 same parallel on the South side in 7 or 8 degrees of latitude. 

 And they be so near the one to the other that they seem at 

 first to be one entire and main land. The course of these 

 islands is above 500 leagues. The ancient cosmographers 

 call all these islands the name of Javas ; but late experience 

 hath found their names to be diverse as you see. Beyond 

 these islands, it is said, there are others which are inhabited 

 with white people, going arrayed in shirts, doublets, and 

 slops, like unto the Portugals, having also money of silver. 

 The governors among them do carry in their hands red 

 staves, whereby they seem to have some affinity with the 

 people of China." Galvano then tells how " d'Abreu and 

 those that went with him took their course toward the 

 North," to Ternate ; " the first Portugals that came to the 

 islands of Cloves." The voyage led to the settlement of the 

 Portuguese in the Moluccas. Serrano went to live and 

 trade in Ternate ; and from Ternate he wrote to his old 

 friend Magellan, once more in Portugal, " giving him to 

 understand that he had discovered yet another new world, 

 larger and richer than that found by Gama." Magellan 

 resolved to find a way thither by a shorter route. 



Thus, by the beginning of 1512, Portuguese seamen 

 had sailed along the Northern coasts of the string of islands 

 from Java to Arus. They were already very near indeed 

 to the coast of Australia. But, before we consider the 

 question whether they saw that coast, we will follow 

 another story. 



1 Columbus 



For, while the Portuguese had been groping their way seeks to 

 round Africa towards the Marco Polo paradise, Columbus g^by 6 

 had been dreaming of a short cut. He had diligently read, sailing West- 



