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Updated: May 2, 2025
In this bull, following the vague language of Columbus, the great discoverer, the New World is called the Indies, slightly distinguished, in grammatical number only, from India in south-eastern Asia. In the bull, as reported by Herrera, all that should be discovered to the west and south of the meridianal line from pole to pole is granted to the crown of Castile and Leon.
At length, after tedious negotiations, a congress took place at Tordesillas, in which, after long debates, it was agreed on the 7th June 1473 , that the meridianal line of division should be established 370 leagues farther west than that mentioned in the Popes bull from the islands of Cabo Verde; all to the west of which was to belong to Spain, and all eastwards to Portugal; yet leaving it lawful to the subjects of Spain to sail through the seas thus allotted to Portugal, following their direct course; but neither party to trade or barter beyond their own limits.
The pope answered, that he had ordered a meridianal line from pole to pole on purpose to mark out what belonged to each of the sovereigns; and again issued another bull on the 26th of September of the same year, in which he granted to the kings of Spain all that should be discovered and conquered in the islands to the east, west, and south, not already possessed by any other Christian prince.
The closing years of the last century were those of rapid progress in the art of navigation, and Captain Vancouver gives this striking summary of testimony: "By the introduction of nautical astronomy into marine education, we are taught to sail on the hypothenuse, instead of traversing two sides of a triangle, which was the usage in earlier times; by this means the circuitous course of all voyages from place to place is considerably shortened; and it is now become evident that sea officers of the most common rate abilities who will take the trouble of making themselves acquainted with the principles of this science, will, on all suitable occasions, with proper and correct instruments, be enabled to acquire a knowledge of their situation in the Atlantic, Indian or Pacific Oceans, with a degree of accuracy sufficient to steer on a meridianal or diagonal line, to any known spot, provided it be sufficiently conspicuous to be visible at any distance from five to ten leagues.
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