NIST O RT of the 
induced Pedret Mafcarenhas to attack Bantam * which he 
took, and plundered, though George Albuquerque had at- 
tempted it in vain. Java Major lies South-Kail from the 
Peninfula of Malacca , having Sumatra , Borneo , and Celebes , 
lying before it. Authors vary as to its Dominions •> but the 
inoft moderate allow it nine hundred Miles in Circuit. The 
Air is generally efteemed more wholibme than in any of 
the Xfles before mentioned, the Country exceedingly fruitful, 
and the Coaft abounding with good Ports. It is not in- 
tended here to enter farther into the Defcription of Places 
than to render what we have to fay as to the Hillary of 
them, clear and intelligible. 
The Javanefe pretend, that they are defcended from the 
pure and unmixed Race of the old Inhabitants of China , 
who retired thither when their Country was over-run by the 
Tartars \ and on this they very much value themfelves *, 
but before the Portugueze came there, they had not only 
mixed with other neighbouring Nations, but were alfo be- 
come Mohammedans . The whole Ifiand at that Time was 
cantoned out among a Number of little Princes, fome 
more, fome lefs powerful ; but moll of them Mailers of 
fome Force by Sea. All this corroborates what has been 
before fo often obferved, that thefe Nations did not grow 
better by their Commerce with the Europeans , but were ac- 
tually declining from what they had been when firft vifited 
by them, and have been finking lower and lower ever 
fince. 
The Portugueze Generals faw plainly enough, that they 
had not Force fufficient to keeD this Ifland, and therefore 
they contented themfelves with making a new King of 
Bantam , v/hen they had taken it, and accepted from him 
an annual Tribute. Panarucan , a fmall City, the Capital 
of a little Principality of the fame Name, and withal a com- 
modious Port, owed much to their Protection, and was 
raifed to one of the principal Marts of the whole Country, 
where they not only dealt in Rice, Pepper, and other Com- 
modities of the Hand, but alfo in Gold, precious Stones, 
and Spices brought from other Places, and more efpecially 
from the adjacent Hands. But fince the Dutch became 
Mailers of Batavia , and the Emperor of Materan , and the 
King of Bantam have divided the Ifland between them, this 
Place is become a Filhing Village, and all its Trade is en- 
tirely loll. 
20. There is fome Difpute as to the Time, and even as 
to the Perfon. who firft vifited the Coaft of New Guinea. 
•Some fay, that this Coaft was firft difcovered by Alvarez 
de Saavedra in the Month of May 1 529, as he was return- 
ing to New Spain from a Voyage he had made for Difco- 
.veries. He fell in with this Continent in the Latitude of 
two Degrees South, and ran Eaft along by it above five 
hundred Leagues to the End of the Month of Augujl. The 
Coaft was clean, and of good Anchorage : The People 
black, with curled Hair, naked to the Waift, and covered 
from thence to their Feet. Saavedra having failed four or 
live Degrees to the South, returned again unto the Equi- 
noctial, and having paffed it, difcovered towards the North 
an Illand, on which he bellowed the Name of IJla de los 
Pintados , that is, The Ifland of painted People ; for he 
found the Inhabitants white, and each of them marked in 
bis Body with an Iron. They could not underftand the 
Language they fpoke, which was very guttural ; but by the 
Signs they made, they apprehended that they came from 
China. 
There came off a Boat full of thefe People in a hollile 
manner, threatening the Spaniards , and throwing Stones 
at them , but Saavedra would not fuffer his People to fire 
upon them by any means. A little beyond this Bland they 
difcovered many others low and flat, covered with Palm- 
Trees and Grafs, fo that they made a very pleafant Ap- 
pearance, and therefore Saavedra called them Los Jar dines, 
or the Gardens *, they were very full of People, who feemed 
to them by their Countenances, and the Manner of wearing 
their Hair, to be defcended from the Chinefe •, but by their 
long Continuance there, were become barbarous, and even 
forutilb, Jiving without Law, that they may live without 
Labour, cloathed only with a white kind of Stuff, which 
they make of Grafs. They eat Cocos inllead of Bread, 
pulling them before they are ripe, and burying them in the 
Sand, from whence, after fome Days, they take them our*. 
and lay them in the Sun, where they open of themfelves. 
They likewife eat Filh, which they take in a kind of Boats, 
called Paraos , made of Pine-wood, which is driven on that 
Coaft at certain times of the Year, they know not from 
whence, or how. The Tools with which they make thefe 
Boats are made of Shells. What appeared to Saavedra the 
moll ftrange was, that thefe People had never feen, nor 
had any Notion of Fire, till they came upon their Coaft* 
and then they Ihewed the utmoft Terror and Apprehenlfon 
at the Sight. Saavedra would have returned from hence to 
New Spain , but met with fo many Difficulties in his Paf~ 
fage, that worn out with Grief and Care, he died, and 
his People brought his Ship back to the Moluccas . 
This gave an Opportunity to the Author we have taken 
this Account from to learn all thofe Particulars •, and this 
Writer deferves the more Credit, as he was a Man of Di- 
flindlion, and Governor of the Spice-Ijlands for the Portu- 
tugueze. His Name was Antonio Galvano , the fame who 
■ took fo much Pains to introduce Chriftianity into the Illand 
of Celebes , and who has written an exadl Account of all the 
Difcoveries made by the Spaniards and Portugueze both in 
the Eaji-Indies , and in the IV eft. But we mull not appre- 
hend from his Account, that this Southern Continent was 
abfolutely unknown, till this Difcovery of it by Saavedra , 
becaufe it is certain from his own Account, that the Inha- 
bitants of the Moluccas were very well acquainted, with it 
before the Portugueze came amongft them, and carried on 
a confiderable Trade thither ; but this Part of the Coaft on 
which Saavedra failed was unknown to th e Europeans before. 
While this Antonio Galvano commanded at Ternate , there 
was a famous Pirate, who with a Squadron of Paraos , did 
a great deal of Mifchief on the Coaft of the Land of Papoas , 
which is the Country fince called New-Guinea , and at lall 
began to threaten the Subjects of the Portugueze in the Mo* 
luccas. To reprefs the Violences committed by this Rover,, 
Galvano fitted out fome Barks that were fent him by the 
King of Tidor, and having manned them with a few Por~ 
tugueze , and with the Auxiliaries from the neighbouring 
Hands, he fent them under the Command of Ferdinand 
Vinagrez , a Prieft, in Quell of this Pirate, with whom 
they came up, and after a fmart Engagement, in which 
the Pirate and his Brother were both killed, dellroyed fome, 
and difperfed the reft of his Squadron. 
After obtaining this Victory, he was fent to the Country 
of Papoas , where he was kindly received by feveral Princes, 
and converted fome of them and their Subjects to the Chrif- 
tian Faith, which was fo great a Satisfaction to the worthy 
Governor, that he inllituted a kind of Seminary, in which he 
bred up abundance of young Men brought from all thefe 
Countries, inftrufting them himfelf in the Chriftian Reli- 
gion, and in all forts of Literature that were at that Time 
ftudjed in Portugal. 
It is obferved by the Portugueze Hiftorians, that while 
other Governors increafed their Fortunes, this Man flu- 
died only to increafe his Reputation and the Number of 
his Mailer’s Subjects, by his wife and gentle Government, 
which had fo good an Effecft, that Multitudes of Chri- 
ftians expelled and banilhed by Mohammedan Princes, 
throughout the Indies , repaired to him in the Moluccas , 
where he was fo entirely beloved by all the Princes of 
thofe Hands, that they joined together in a Reprefentation 
to the King of Portugal , fetting forth the many Advanta- 
ges that would accrue to the Portugueze , as well as them- 
felves, if Antonino Galvano was continued in this Govern- 
ment for Life •, but before this Reprefentation was well 
framed, the Governor of the Indies fent George Caftro to 
fucceed him, which, in the Space of a few Years, pro- 
duced fuch a Change in their Affairs on this Side, that 
Maffeus , and other of their Hiftorians, have declined giv- 
ing us an Account of them. 
It was the removing this worthy Man, that hindered 
all the Southern Continent from being thoroughly known ; 
for, by his Candour, Humanity, and wife Government, he 
eftablilhed a new Face in that Part of the World, of 
which the Portugueze never had any Idea, either before 
or fince *, and if he had remained there but a few Years, 
would have done more towards the Converfion of thofe 
Nations by his own Virtue and Piety, than ever could be 
effeded by an Army of Million aries. But what he was 
