No
Remarkable Star Was Found Near The South Pole, By Which To Ascertain The
Southern Ordinal Point, Or To Estimate The Latitude.
Instead of an
antarctic polar star, two clusters of small stars were observed, having
a small space between them,
In which were two stars of inconsiderable
size and lustre, which seemed to be at no great distance from the pole,
by the smallness of the circle they described in their diurnal course.
When at the distance of 20 deg. from the south pole, they saw a high island
to which they gave the name of Cipangue; and at 15 deg. another equally
high, which they named Sinnodit.[4] They sailed in one gulf; or
stretch of sea, at least 4000 leagues, and made their longitude, by
estimation or reckoning, 120 deg. W. from the place of their original
departure. By this time they drew near the equinoctial line, and having
got beyond that into 13 deg. N. latitude, they made for the cape called
Cottigare by old geographers; but missing it in that old account of
its latitude, they understood afterwards that it is in the latitude of
12 deg. N.[5]
[Footnote 4: The text is evidently here erroneous, as Magellan entered
the Pacific Ocean in lat. 47 deg. S. and there is not the smallest reason to
suspect he had been forced into the latitudes of 70 deg. and 75 deg. S. Instead
therefore of the south pole, we ought probably to understand the
equator. As these two islands were uninhabited, the names given them
must have been imposed by Magellan or his associates. Cipangue is the
name given to Japan by Marco Polo, and is of course a singular blunder.
The other is unintelligible, and the voyage is so vaguely expressed, as
even to defy conjecture. - E.]
[Footnote 5: This cape Cottigare in the South Sea, in lat. 12 deg. or 13 deg. N.
is utterly unintelligible, unless it refer to the southern part of Guam,
Guaham, or Goad, one of the Ladronea, which they soon discovered, and
which is actually in 13 deg. N. - E.]
On the 6th March, 1521, they fell in with a cluster of islands, being
then in lat. 12 deg. N. and 146 deg. of west longitude from the place of their
first setting out.[6] These islands were called by Magellan Islas de
los Ladrones, or the islands of robbers, and are called in modern
geography the Ladrones or Marian islands. They here went on shore to
refresh themselves, after all the fatigues and privations of their
tedious voyage through the Pacific Ocean; but the thievish disposition
of the islanders would not allow them any quiet repose, as they were
continually stealing things from the ships, while the sick and worn-out
mariners were endeavouring to refresh themselves on shore. Resolving
therefore to deliver themselves from the disturbance of these pilferers,
they marched a small party of armed men into the interior of one of
these islands, where they burnt some houses, and slew some of the
natives. But, though this correction awed them a little for the present,
it did not mend their thievish disposition; for which reason they
resolved to seek out some other place, where they might enjoy some
repose in safety.
[Footnote 6: By the reckoning in the text, the longitude of the Ladrone
islands, which they now discovered, would be 151 deg. 25' W. from
Greenwich. But their true longitude is 216 deg. 30' W. Their latitude is
between 13 deg. and 20 deg. 50' N. - E.]
No order or form of government was observed to subsist among these
natives of the Ladrones, but every one seemed to live according to his
own humour or inclination. The men were entirely naked, the hair both of
their heads and beards being black, that on their heads so long as to
reach down to their waists. Their natural complexion is olive, and they
anoint themselves all over with cocoa-nut oil. Their teeth seemed
coloured artificially black or red, and some of them wore a kind of
bonnet made of palm leaves. The women are better favoured and more
modest than the men, and all of them wore some decent coverings made of
palm leaves. Their hair was black, thick, and so very long as nearly to
trail on the ground. They seemed careful industrious housewives,
spending their time at home in fabricating mats and nets of palm leaves,
while the men were occupied abroad in stealing. Their houses are of
timber, covered with boards and great leaves, and divided within into
several apartments. Their beds are of mats laid above each other, and
they use palm leaves by way of sheets. Their only weapons are clubs, and
long poles headed with bone. Their food consists of cocoa-nuts, bananas,
figs, sugar-canes, fowls, and flying-fishes. Their canoes are oddly
contrived and patched up, yet sail with wonderful rapidity, the sails
being made of broad leaves sewed together. Instead of a rudder they use
a large board, with a staff or pole at one end, and in sailing, either
end of their canoes is indifferently used as head or stern. They paint
their canoes all over, either red, white, or black, as hits their fancy.
These people are so taken with any thing that is new, that when the
Spaniards wounded several of them with their arrows, and even pierced
some quite through, they would pluck out the arrows from their wounds,
and stare at them till they died. Yet would they still continue to
follow after the ships, to gaze upon them as they were going away, so
that at one time they were closely surrounded by at least two hundred
canoes filled with natives, admiring those wonderful contrivances.
The 10th of March, the Spaniards landed on the island of Zamul, about
30 leagues from the Ladrones.[7] Next day they landed on Humuna, an
island not inhabited, yet well deserving of being so, where they found
springs of excellent water, with abundance of fruit-trees, gold, and
white coral.
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