The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea | Page 8

want of knowledge concerning
the periodicity of the winds in those regions, they met with many
disappointments and mishaps.
In Bernardo della Torres' attempt, many islands were discovered, and,
after sailing seven hundred leagues in their estimation, the wind failing,
they were compelled to return to the Philippines.
Meanwhile the attempt at colonisation had been a failure and the fleet
had sailed away and reached the Moluccas, to which islands della Torre
repaired.
In the year 1545 the San Juan was despatched again.
She was now commanded by _Inigo Ortiz de Retez, Gaspar Rico_
being still the pilot. They sailed from Tidor in the Moluccas, in the
beginning of the year, and made extensive discoveries on the north
coast of Os Papuas, or Papua, which discoveries will be seen on the old
Spanish chart in the next chapter.
One of the three great Papuan rivers, the river now called the Amberno,
was discovered and was named the _S. Augustino_, and formal
possession was taken in the name of the King of Spain.
CHAPTER V.
THE FIRST MAP OF NEW GUINEA.
Had the Portuguese and Spanish known the map of New Guinea as we
know it nowadays they would, no doubt, have described it as a Guinea

fowl, Bird of Paradise or some such creature, as delineated above, in
the same way as they described Java and other islands in these seas.*
[* Celebes was likened to a spider, Ceram to a caterpillar, etc., etc.]
The map of Nova Guinea, shows, however, that their ideas were like all
original ideas concerning shapes of countries--imperfect.
Nevertheless, some of the principal features of the Portuguese and
Spanish discoveries in Papuas and New Guinea, up to the year 1545,
are clearly discernible.*
[* The original Portuguese and Spanish documents that were used in
the compilation of this map have been lost or have not yet come to light.
Our copy dates from the year 1600.]
It will be noticed that Gilolo is now placed in its correct position,
twenty degrees to the west of where it was placed before in Ribero's
map.
It is now in the Portuguese sphere where it should be.
The Portuguese discoveries in New Guinea occupy what might be
described as the fowl's head and neck. They come under the name of
OS PAPUAS, and the islands where Menezes is said to have
sojourned--_hic hibernavit Georg de Menezes_--in the year 1526.
The three nameless large islands, between Os Papuas and Nova Guinea
represent, no doubt, the Misory Islands and Jobi of modern charts.
The Aru Islands are also charted, and the Tenimber or Timor Laut
group is indicated (although it bears no name) as having been the
sojourn of Martin Alfonso de Melo,* a Portuguese navigator, whose
name has not been otherwise recorded, as far as I know, in the history
of maritime discovery in these parts.
[* Martin afonso de mela, on the chart.]
SPANISH SPHERE.

The Spanish portion commemorates the expedition of Inigo Ortiz de
Retez with Gaspar Rico, in the San Juan, in the year 1545; some of the
names being the _Rio de S. Augustino_; the island of Ortiz, _I de Arti_;
the port of Gaspar Rico and the _I. S. Juan_, named after their little
ship; the cape named Ancon de la Natividad de Nustra Siniora, being
the term of their voyage which, according to Juan Gaetan, one of
Villalobos' pilots, who wrote a description of it, extended to six or
seven degrees of south latitude, must represent the modern Cape King
William, or thereabouts.
CHAPTER VI.
JAVE-LA-GRANDE. THE FIRST MAP OF AUSTRALIA.
The maps that I am going to describe in this chapter are beautiful
specimens of medieval work; they are, however, somewhat startling,
for they reveal, in a most unexpected and sudden manner, nearly the
whole of the coasts of Australia discovered, yet, without any narrative
of voyage to prepare us for the fact.
They stand alone, therefore, as the most important documents hitherto
come to light bearing on the early discovery and mapping of Australia.
They belong to a type of manuscript Lusitano-French, or
Lusitano-Spanish planispheres, which is represented by several
specimens, all of which are copies from a prototype which has either
been destroyed or has not yet been found.
As the original model, or prototype, is of a date anterior to 1536, they
may be considered collectively notwithstanding the apparent later date
of some of them.*
[* Desliens' bears the date 1566; see pages 70-71.]
The Australian portion, or Jave-la-Grande, of the oldest one, given here
first, is taken from a large chart of the world, on a plane scale, painted
on vellum, 8ft. 2in. by 3ft. 10in., highly ornamented with figures, etc.,
and with the names in French.

At the upper corner, on the left hand, is a shield of the arms