324 Henry Stevens's Historical and Geographical 
and by friendly intercourse with the kings of those islands, re- 
duced them to Christian subjection and brought back letters 
and tribute to Cesar. Hence these kings and their people came 
under the protection of Charles V. Besides this, the Spaniards 
claimed that the Moluccas were within the Spanish half, and 
were therefore doubly theirs. Accordingly great preparations 
were made to dispatch a fleet of six new ships to the Moluccas, 
to establish and protect trade. The Council of the Indies ad- 
vised the Emperor to maintain this fleet there, and to take the 
Spiceries into his own hands, and carry on commerce and nav- 
igation thither through his own exclusive channels, either by 
e strait recently discovered by Magellan, or by some hidden 
one which must soon be disclosed (if any reliance could be 
placed on the geographers) in a more direct line through some 
one of the Isthmuses; or, failing that, by opening communica- 
tion from the coast of the Pacific. 
Matters thus waxing hot, King John of Portugal begged 
Charles V. to ag dispatching his new fleet until the disputed 
iscussed and settled. Charles, who boaste 
that he had rather be right than rich, consented, and ihe sa 
i d all the 
ematicians, astro 
of the land, among whose names were many honored now as 
Gomez, Diego Ribero, etc. They were empowered to send for 
and papers, and did in reality have before them pilots, 
E bulls, treaties, royal grants and patents, log books, maps, — 
© S 
Papal 
charts, globes, itineraries, astronomical tables, the fathers of 
the church, ancient geographies and modern geographers, navi 
gators with their com ited uadrants, astrolabes, mathematl: — 
cal instruments, ete. Oa two months they fenced, eyphe 
debated, oo protested, discussed, bled, 
almost foug at, yet they could agree upon nothin 
ereas 
ed, quarreled and 
£ 
