Read Online Over the Edge of the World: Magellen's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurence Bergreen
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hemisphere, he was to treat them well and to make treaties with their leaders. Only if they were belligerent could Magellan subject them to punishment, as a warning. But this was not in any sense a slaving expedition. Magellan was to go in search of spices and lands, and nothing else, and when he reached the Spice Islands, his instructions were to “make a treaty of peace or commerce with the king or lord of that land” before he attempted to load the goods onto his ships.
Although the king warned Magellan to be careful in his dealings with Indians (“Beware you do not trust the natives because sometimes, on account of going unarmed, disasters happen”), the orders insisted that Magellan treat them fairly. “You shall not cheat them in any way, and . . . you shall not break [the deal]. . . . You shall not consent in any manner that any wrong or harm be done to them . . . ; rather, you shall punish those who do harm.”
And on a sensitive point, Magellan and Faleiro had to see to it that the crew members had no contact with local women. “You shall never consent to have anyone touch a woman . . . the reason being that in all those parts the people, on account of this thing over and above all, might rebel and do harm.” That order would prove impossible to enforce, as would another clause prohibiting the use of firearms; members of the expedition were forbidden to discharge them in newly found lands lest they terrify the Indians on whose goodwill they would depend. It was another well-intended but impractical edict; if the men had weapons, they would use them.
The orders spelled out what Magellan should do in the event that one of the ships became separated from the fleet: “They should wait a month at the place agreed before and leave a sign which will consist of five rocks put on the ground forming a cross on both sides of the river, and another cross of sticks. You will also leave something written in a receptacle buried in the ground indicating the time and date the ship came by.”
The orders also covered minor, but important matters. Sailors, for instance, had permission to write whatever they wished in their letters home; fortunately for future historians of this voyage, there was to be no censorship. Blasphemy, on the other hand, was forbidden aboard ship (Magellan found it impossible to enforce this directive), as were card and dice players. Since these items were ubiquitous aboard the ships of discovery, it is unlikely that Magellan bothered to discourage games of chance, but he may have succeeded in preventing professional gamblers and cardsharps from enlisting in the crew and fleecing the other crew members during the voyage.
In addition to Magellan and Faleiro, the co-commanders of the expedition, a copy of these orders was sent to Cartagena, in his capacity of inspector general. And it is possible that Cartagena, with his exalted impression of his role, took these orders to mean that the king of Spain now considered him equal in rank to Magellan.
K ing Manuel made one more attempt to subvert the Armada de Molucca. He sent his agent, Sebastián Álvares, a factor, to Seville, with orders to undo Magellan’s resolve. On July 18, 1519, Álvares secretly reported that the officials at the Casa de Contratación “cannot stomach” Magellan. The artful spy spoke vaguely but provocatively of disputes between the Casa de Contratación and Magellan concerning the sailors’ salaries. And he recounted his own efforts to persuade Magellan to call off the expedition: “I went to the lodgings of Magellan, where I found him arranging baskets and boxes with victuals of preserves and other things”—delicacies to be enjoyed by the expedition’s leaders rather than the crew. Álvares began a carefully rehearsed argument to persuade Magellan to abandon his nefarious scheme. I wished to recall to his memory how many times, as a good Portuguese and his friend, I had spoken to him, and opposed the great error he
Although the king warned Magellan to be careful in his dealings with Indians (“Beware you do not trust the natives because sometimes, on account of going unarmed, disasters happen”), the orders insisted that Magellan treat them fairly. “You shall not cheat them in any way, and . . . you shall not break [the deal]. . . . You shall not consent in any manner that any wrong or harm be done to them . . . ; rather, you shall punish those who do harm.”
And on a sensitive point, Magellan and Faleiro had to see to it that the crew members had no contact with local women. “You shall never consent to have anyone touch a woman . . . the reason being that in all those parts the people, on account of this thing over and above all, might rebel and do harm.” That order would prove impossible to enforce, as would another clause prohibiting the use of firearms; members of the expedition were forbidden to discharge them in newly found lands lest they terrify the Indians on whose goodwill they would depend. It was another well-intended but impractical edict; if the men had weapons, they would use them.
The orders spelled out what Magellan should do in the event that one of the ships became separated from the fleet: “They should wait a month at the place agreed before and leave a sign which will consist of five rocks put on the ground forming a cross on both sides of the river, and another cross of sticks. You will also leave something written in a receptacle buried in the ground indicating the time and date the ship came by.”
The orders also covered minor, but important matters. Sailors, for instance, had permission to write whatever they wished in their letters home; fortunately for future historians of this voyage, there was to be no censorship. Blasphemy, on the other hand, was forbidden aboard ship (Magellan found it impossible to enforce this directive), as were card and dice players. Since these items were ubiquitous aboard the ships of discovery, it is unlikely that Magellan bothered to discourage games of chance, but he may have succeeded in preventing professional gamblers and cardsharps from enlisting in the crew and fleecing the other crew members during the voyage.
In addition to Magellan and Faleiro, the co-commanders of the expedition, a copy of these orders was sent to Cartagena, in his capacity of inspector general. And it is possible that Cartagena, with his exalted impression of his role, took these orders to mean that the king of Spain now considered him equal in rank to Magellan.
K ing Manuel made one more attempt to subvert the Armada de Molucca. He sent his agent, Sebastián Álvares, a factor, to Seville, with orders to undo Magellan’s resolve. On July 18, 1519, Álvares secretly reported that the officials at the Casa de Contratación “cannot stomach” Magellan. The artful spy spoke vaguely but provocatively of disputes between the Casa de Contratación and Magellan concerning the sailors’ salaries. And he recounted his own efforts to persuade Magellan to call off the expedition: “I went to the lodgings of Magellan, where I found him arranging baskets and boxes with victuals of preserves and other things”—delicacies to be enjoyed by the expedition’s leaders rather than the crew. Álvares began a carefully rehearsed argument to persuade Magellan to abandon his nefarious scheme. I wished to recall to his memory how many times, as a good Portuguese and his friend, I had spoken to him, and opposed the great error he
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