THE SPICE ISLANDS, IN RIBERO'S MAP.
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 midst of "Spice and everything nice" (see
Spanish hemisphere), and relegating the Portuguese flag to the Straits of
Sunda (see Portuguese hemisphere). For thousands of miles around,
ships--the seas are dotted with specimens similar to the two included
within our small area--fleets of them, converge towards, or sail away
from these spice-bearing islands. Every quaint old craft, whether light
caravel or crazy galleon, is underwritten with the legend, _Vengo de
Maluco_, I come from the Moluccas, or, _Vay a Maluco_, I go to the
Moluccas, as though that region were the only one on the face of the
globe worthy of consideration. And all that "Province of Maluco" bears
inscriptions denoting the particular product for which each island is
celebrated.
These are:--
Timor, for Sandal-wood; Java, for Benzoin;* Borneo and Celebes, for
Camphor; Amboyna, for Mace and Nutmegs; and last, not least, Gilolo, for
Cloves.
[* Benzoin, a fragrant gum-resin obtained from Styrax Benzoin, used in
pharmacy, and as incense.]
Let us now consider some other features of this map. The overlapping of
territorial boundaries to which I have alluded, is apparent here in the
repetition of the western coast line of Gilolo.
It will be seen that the Spanish map claims Gilolo and the other Spice
Islands, such as Ternate, Tidor, Batchian, etc., since they are set down,
in the western half of the world.
This is wrong, for those islands virtually fell within the Portuguese
sphere. I have purposely drawn your attention to these deceptions and
distortions on this Spanish map because on the first map of Australia,
which we shall consider by and by, we shall see that the Portuguese made
use of similar methods which they, of course, turned to their own
advantage.
For instance, they blocked the sea-way to the south of Java, and, in
other ways, restricted the approach to the Spice Islands to channels over
which they had control. Observe that the smaller islands of the East
Indian Archipelago, from Java to Flores, are not charted, although they
were well-known at the time. There must have been a reason for this, for
these missing islands are precisely those which we shall find grafted on
to the Australian continent (Jave-la-Grande) in the charts that we are
coming to.
Observe also that the south coast of Java is not marked. The reason for
this is obvious, the south coast was not known. Java, indeed, was
believed to be connected with the Great Southern Continent, and was
called _Java Major_, to distinguish it from Sumatra, which was named
_Java Minor_.
In proof of the Portuguese belief concerning the connection and size of
Java, I quote here what Camoëns, their immortal poet, says:--
_"Olha a Sunda* tao larger, que huma banda
Esconde pare o Sul difficultuoso."
Os Lusiadas._
Java behold, so large that one vast end
It, covers towards the South tempestuous.
[* Another name for Java.]
Towards the year 1570, however, practical Portuguese seamen had become
aware of a more accurate shape for Java, and Diego do Couto, the
Portuguese historian, describes its shape in the following manner:--
"The figure of the island of Java resembles a pig couched on its fore
legs, with its snout to the Channel of Balabero,* and its hind legs
towards the mouth of the Straits of Sunda, which is much frequented by
our ships. The southern coast, [pig's back] is not frequented by us, and
its bays and ports are not known; but the northern coast [pig's stomach]
is much frequented, and has many good ports."
[* Modern Straits of Bali.]