AGRUPAMENTO
DE
ESTUDOS
DE
CARTOGRAFIA ANTIGA
XXVIII
SECCÃO
DE
COIMBRA
THE
QUARTI
PARTITU
EN
COSMOGRAPHIA
BY ALONSO
DE
CHAVES.
AN
INTERPRETATION
BY
URSULA LAMB
JUNTA
DE
INVESTIGAÇÕES
DO
ULTRAMAR
COIMBRA
• 1969
THE QUARTI PARTITU EN COSMOGRAPHIA
BY
ALONSO DE CHAVES
— AN
INTERPRETATION
by
URSULA
LAMB
The subjec o his pape is he manusc ip
en i led:
«Qua i Pa i u
en
Cosmog aphies
by Alonso de Cha es (1), which is on deposi in he Lib a y
o he Royal Academy o His o y in Mad id. I consis s o 150 olios bu
he ex is no comple e in all sec ions, i.e. he able o con en e e s o pa s
o which only a i le o e en a blank page appea in he manusc ip . Some
selec ed passages o his book and a b ie desc ip ion we e
published
by
Cesa eo Fe nandez Du o in
1895
(2). The e exis s an unpublished ansla ion
in o English o pa ou in he Yale His o ical manusc ip collec ion made
by Edwa d Lu he S e enson in 1929, and e e ence o i appea s in se e al
mode n wo ks (3).
My acquain ance wi h he book came abou because o a conce n wi h
he pilo -examina ions un by he Casa de Con a ación in Se ille and wi h
he li e a u e which migh e lec he con en o he cu iculum o e ed o
s uden pilo s. An a emp will be made o show ha his documen was
he deposi o y o he ma e ial augh in Se ille, especially o he pilo s o he
Ca e a
de Indias and ha i s ands poised on he di iding line be ween
(1) Full i le o he manusc ip , Qua i Pa i u en Cosmog aphia p a ica i po o o
nob e
llamado Espeio de Na egan es: Ob a
muy
u ilissima i cõpendiosa en oda la A e
de Ma ea i mui neccesa ia i de g an p o echo en odo el cu so de la na egaciõ, p incipal-
men e
de Espana. Ago a
nue amen e
o denada y
compues a
po Alonso de Cha es
cosmo-
g apho
Dela
Mages ad Cesa ea del empe ado y Rei
delas
espanas Ca lo quin o Sempe
Augus o:
Dell collegio
dela compa
de Jesus de Monso io, Real Academia
Biblio eca
de
la
His o ia,
MS
9-14-1
2791.
(2) Cesa eo Fe nandez Du o,
«De
algunas ob as desconocidas de
Cosmog a ia
y Na egacion y singula men e de la que
esc ibio
Al onso de Cha es a p incipios de
siglo
x i».
Rep in , Re is a de Na egacion y
Come cio,
Mad id, 1895, 46
pp..
(3) Li e a y es a e o Edwa d Lu he S e enson in he Yale His o ical Manusc ip
Colle ion.
imp o isa ion and o ganiza ion o bo h scien i ic eaching and p ac ices.
In addi ion, he manusc ip con ains he ea lies p ese ed example o pa
o a
Pad on
Real, which was he cen al p oduc o he Casa's mos impo an
scien i ic en e p ise.
Ce ainly he au ho o he
Qua i Pa i u
was ep esen a i e o he
cosmog aphic es ablishmen . Alonso de Cha es was bo n be o e he beginning
o he six een h cen u y and died in his nine ies in 1599. He spen his en i e
p oduc i e li e ime as a cosmog aphe in he se ice o he Casa de
Con a-
acion
a Se ille. His wo k was well enough ega ded by he c own o ha e
him pu in cha ge o he examina ion o pilo s and o cha s in
1528,
and o
b ing him he i le o Royal Cosmog aphe . He was a membe o he Jun a
appoin ed o se e wi h He nando Colon cha ged wi h he compila ion
o a
Pad ón
Real in 1529. Du ing he absence o he Pilo Majo Sebas ian
Cabo , on his expedi ion o he La Pla a, he scien i ic wo k o he Casa ell
upon he cosmog aphe s Diogo Ribei o and Alonso de Cha es. Upon
he dea h o Ribei o in 1533 Alonso de Cha es alone was o a while in cha ge
o eaching and he examina ion o cha s and ins umen s. In
1552
he was
made Pilo Majo , and he ook o e he
cd ed a
o Cosmog aphy e en ually
succeeding his own son. Alonso de Cha es ook pa in all aspec s o he
aining and examina ion o pilo s which he had by and la ge de eloped,
w i ing
a
p ecis abou he p ac ices he es ablished in
1556.
The c own
allowed
him o e i e only when he was o e nine y, despi e his ea lie eques s o
be pensioned, and he was g an ed a deg ee o g udging ecogni ion which
was excep ional in an epoch o no o ious oyal ing a i ude. So much su ices
o es ablish he pi o al ole o he au ho o ou manusc ip in he cosmog aphic
en e p ise o he Casa de Con a ación. I is he con en ion o his pape
ha he Qua i Pa i u dese e a compa able place.
The ou pa s o he manusc ip con ain a summa y o p ac ical knowledge
o he p o essional pilo , ha
is;
he ex is ample and p ecise in he nume-
a ion o obse ed and eco ded ac , i is limi ed in explana ion o wha
is use ul o an unde s anding o he phenomena wi h which pilo s ha e o
deal, and i is ca e ul in ins uc ions o he making and use o ins umen s
and he conduc o ships.
The book se a pa e n o la e A es by b inging i s he calenda ios
which became ou ine in all simila ex s. Pa wo o he book conce ns
nau ical ins umen s and b ings ins uc ions o hei use. The ins umen s
gi en a e: compass, cha , ma i ime as olabe, quad an , balles illa, lead
and line and sand clock. The e a e also ables o scales and measu es in
use among cosmog aphe s. Pa wo p esen s he six een h cen u y concep s
o he uni e se in e ms o P olomeic as onomy and A is o elian physics
as commonly p esen ed in cosmog aphies o he epoch. I also con ains
a eco d o eclipses om 1539-1560, wi h ables adjus ed o he me idian
o Se ille. The e is ano he able o he
«miles
con ained by each deg ee
o longi ude wi h e e ence o each pa allel o la i ude s a ing om he
equinox».
In his chap e he con o e sy o e he six een and se en een-mile deg ee
o longi ude is men ioned. Book i e o his pa is he unusual one which
was p in ed by Fe nandez Du o in 1895 along wi h o he selec ed exce p s
om he wo k which a e he only ones e e o ha e been published. This
sec ion discusses all ex an in o ma ion a ailable o sailo s o p edic ing
he wea he . The ma e ial is collec ed om ancien au ho s as well as om
pilo obse a ions. As many da a a e applicable o wea he inland as a e
use ul a sea. The mos signi ican con ibu ion o his passage is he e o e
he impo ance i a aches o he obse a ion and epea ed eco d o phenomena
and no o hei na u e. Fe nandez Du o used he ex o a discussion o
ma ine s hymes abou
whea he
om he poin o iew o li e a y, his o ical,
and e hnological in e es , which, howe e , does no make he poin abo e.
The Thi d Pa discusses he basic p oblem in na iga ion o how o
know whe e he ship is and how o s ee om he e o he desi ed po . This
sec ion p esen s he p oblem o compass declina ion (so called by Cha es
and no a ia ion), which was hen a he cen e o scien i ic deba e. Book
wo o Pa Th ee con ains a discussion o cu en s and ides.
Cha es'
in e p e a ion o he o igin and na u e o ocean cu en s pe suaded him ha
he e would ha e o be an open no he n passage om A lan ic o Paci ic
and ha a solid and pe manen sepa a ion o he oceans could no be assumed
no was he e knowledge enough o deny his heo y, he said. His ea men
o ides is ho ough and does no appea in such de ail in any o he la e
Spanish A es. I con ains an analysis o idal low as obse ed on a ious
coas s and an explana ion based upon he phases o he moon. In
addi ion
he e is he p ecise desc ip ion o an ins umen designed o ell he s a e
o he ide a any la i ude a any ime. This desc ip ion is no illus a ed
and I ha e no ound he ins umen men ioned among hose ca ied by
Spanish pilo s o he ca e a. Tides we e no majo p oblem o he Ca ibbean
and o p ac ical pilo s he expe ience wi h he ampli udes o ides in a ious
la i udes and o he peculia i ies wi h idal cu en s in es ua ies, bays and
s ai s, was mo e han a ma ch o an ins umen which me ely coun ed
ime.
The di e ence be ween he heo e ical sa is ac ion and he use o
ins umen s o he ca e a pilo s which was a majo ba le g ound be ween
cosmog aphe s
and pilo s a his ime in Se ille (4), s ands nowhe e be e
e ealed han in he design and subsequen obscu i y in o which his
«ins u-
men o
gene al de
ma eas»
was allowed o all.
The Thi d Book o Pa Th ee b ings discussion abou wha o do in a
shipw eck. He e om he i s , Alonso de Cha es is mo e p ac ical han
o ins ance Ped o de Medina. The la e ad ises he d oning sailo o
emembe he yea , mon h,
day,
and hou o he acciden in o de o es ablish
his loca ion, while Cha es ad ises he man o shou , and o ind a plank o
(4)
URSULA LAMB,
«Science
by Li iga ion: Compass and Cha be o e he
Law,
1545-46»
pape ead be o e he Socie y o he His o y o Disco e ies, Blooming on ILL.
Oc obe 1965, o be published in
Te ae
Incogni ae,
No 1.
ba el
o
hold on o.
I
his sounds i ial,
i is
cha ac e is ic
o
he
a i ude
o i s hings i s , which
is so
e eshing
a
cha ac e is ic
o he
manusc ip .
Unde
six
addi ional headings Cha es b ings
he
ocabula y used
o
desc ibe ships
and
hei pa s
and he men who
se e
in
hem, o ice s c ew
and hei du ies. This passage
was
published
by
Fe nandez Du o
and has
led
o
cha ac e ize
he
manusc ip
as a
ocabula y
o
nau ical dic iona y
(5).
The e
is
u he mo e included
a
chap e
on he
conduc
o
wa a e
a sea.
This ea ly mode n discussion supe ceded
he
s a men conce ning
na al
wa
in
he
«Sie e Pa idas»
o
Al onso
he
Wise (Pa idas
II,
Ti ulos
24 and 25,
ley XXLV;
and
Ti ulo XXV,
leyes
1-14).
Cha es'
chap e
is he
i s
o
discuss
he
use o
i ea ms
a sea and
ea s
he
ac ics
o
na al wa a e
by
squad ons
on
he
open
sea.
(Coas al de ense
had
been discused
by
Mosen
Diego
de
Vale a
on
comission
by he
Ca holic Kings
in
1497). Cha es ini ia ed
he
eaching
o he
cá ed a
o
na al
wa and
a ille y which
was o be
ounded
in
he
Se ille School
in 1576 and
whose i s incumben
was
And es
de
Espinosa.
The Fou h Pa , p ope ly called
«espeio
de
na egan es»
is a
de o e o
desc ibing
he way o and
om
he
Indies, ha
is as in a
mi o looking om
wo sides.
The
de o e o consis s
o an
alphabe ic lis
o
place names which
a e gi en hei
«al u as
y
leguas»
i.e.,
posi ion,
and
dis ance
and
di ec ion
o
he
nea es po s
o
e e ence.
I is he
con en ion
o
his pape ha
he
de o e o
o
Cha es
is in
ac
as
close
an
app oxima ion
o he
ea lies
Pad on
Real
as has ye
been encoun e ed. This in e p e a ion es s upon
he
sequence
in which
he
pad ones we e manu ac u ed
and
upon wha Cha es says
abou Pa
ou
in his
manusc ip .
In
esume
he
de o e o seems
o be he
Indies sec ion
o he
book which Cha es used
o he
examina ion
o
pilo s
and cha s be o e
he
« isi a»
o he
Casa
de
Con a ación
by he
licenciado
Sua ez
de
Ca ajal
in 1540.
F om in e nal da a,
he
manusc ip
can be
said
o be
closse
o he
yea
1539.
Fe nandez Du o places
i
be ween
1520
and
1539
because hose
a e he
yea s
o he
au eo
núme o.
Bu
chu ch es i als
a e gi en only
o he
yea
1540 and
eclipses om
he
yea
1539.
S e enson
placed
he Ms in 1537
because
he
added
a
yea
o he
o de
by he
c own
o make
a
Pad on Real
a he end o
1536
when pape s we e
o be
newly ga he ed
oge he
o he
pu pose
(6). His
e e ence
is
O iedo
y
Valdes.
The e
ce ainly
was in use o
examina ions
a
Real Pad on
in
Janua y 24 h,
1540,
when Ped o
de
Medina
was
gi en access
o i by
cedula.
In
Oc obe
o
ha yea
an
o de
was
gi en ha
all
cha s
had o be
based upon
he
Pad ón,
(5)
H. C.
WOODBRIDGE,
«A
en a i e bibliog aphy
o
Spanish
and
Ca alan Nau ical
Dic iona ies, Glossa ies
and
Wo d
Lis s»,
The
Ma ine 's
Mi o ,
1951, ol. 37, p. 64.
(6) This
is
also
he
yea when
he
cosmog aphe
San a C uz
was o be
u nished wi h
all
he
da a conce ning
he
Pad on Real
o his
Isla io.
See he
edi ion
o
San a C uz
by
F.
Ma a
Ca iazo.
GONZALO FERNANDEZ
DE
OVIEDO
Y
VALDES,
La
His o ia
gene al de las Indias, Mad id,
1851-1855,
4
ols.;
ol.
2, p. 114
alludes
o he map
«pain ed»
by
Alonso
de
Cha es,
1536.

and he appoin men o he Jun a by Ca ajal o
a
e ision o he Pad on
da es om he same yea . I is p obable ha
he
manusc ip by Cha es
was no published because i s in o ma ion, pa icula ly in pa ou , was
supe ceded and no because i was censo ed.
As o he manu ac u e o he espeio Cha es
says:
« ha
i is due o he
au ho » qual asismismo
ho deno y compuso con sola su indus ia y abajo
el dho Alonso de Cha es Cosm. de S.M. Cesa ea. La
cual
ob a es ap o ada
po
los
o os cosmog aphos de su mages ad y con o me a o o y pa ece de
los
sabios y expe imen ados pilo os que
na egan».
The ex by Cha es is
p ac ically a copy o he empe o 's ins uc ions o Sua ez de Ca ajal ha
he should b ing oge he he mos ou s anding cosmog aphe s and he mos
expe ienced pilo s in o de ha hey migh pool hei knowledge and compile
and sign he co ec ed Pad on. I is sa e o assume hen ha he espeio
da es no ea lie han 1536 when he da a we e ga he ed o Cha es, and 1540
when e ision was abou o begin.
The manusc ip o he
Qua i
Pa i u con ains he e o e a pa o a
documen which has been e y elusi e despi e much sea ch. When used
in conjunc ion wi h he deposi ions by Falei o, Sebas ian Cabo and o he
pilo s in he amous legal qua el be ween Ped o de Medina and Diego
Gu ie ez,
(1545-46)
one migh ge an exac idea o he s a e o geog aphic
knowledge and he con o e sies conce ning speci ic poin s in he mid six een h
cen u y. I he espeio de na egan es o he Qua i Pa i u can indeed be
ega ded as he ea lies su i al o a Pad on Real, i o e shadows he es o
he manusc ip in impo ance.
Bu exclusi e discussion o his Pa Fou o o any o he sepa a e pa
o he manusc ip does no do jus ice o he whole. The manusc ip is unlike
o he Spanish ex s a comp ehensi e eco d o bo h he A e and
O icio
de
la Ma . I s ins uc ion is e lec ed in a manusc ip which comes as close
o an ac ual ansc ip o a pilo s examina ion as I ha e ound exce p ed in
he Apun es pa a una
Biblio eca Cien i ica
Española del
siglo
XVI by Felipe
Pica os e, (p. 348). O he wo ks jus ci e ca ego ies o subjec ma e bu
ha manusc ip b ings sample answe s, including misleading ones (as o wha
is longi ude and la i ude and whe he unde he A c ic pole hey could be
ound by he compass).
In addi ion o he ex ensi e co e age o disciplines, he manusc ip also
e e s o a wide geog aphic a ea. Men ion is ound o places on he No h
Sea coas as well as o Medi e anean po s. Tides a e discussed wi h e e-
ence o no he n la i udes and local p ac ice o co ec ing he compass,
(aguja de co ujo) is men ioned. The manusc ip hus calls o mind ha
while shipping o he Indies was e en ually concen a ed in wo lee s each
yea , he po o Se ille was choked wi h Eu opean coas al a ic all yea
ound. This is a good co ec i e o his o ians o he Ca e a de Indias o
o he Po uguese impe ial o ei os, o o he exclusi e s udy o Eu opean
shipping in isola ion om each o he . Cha es ook o his p o ince all
he sea lanes which c ossed he oceans — e en i he espeio p ope is limi ed
o
he A lan ic ou es. This Ve sa ili y has many implica ions. Fo emos
among
hem is ha he accep ed ac s om wha e e qua e hey came.
Th ough
his manusc ip b ea hes a eedom o inqui y in na al ma e s
which
was o su i e he eedom o publish o some
ime.
The
wo k on his aspec and o he s aised, howe e , is all o be
done,
and
so is he analysis o he en i e manusc ip in he ligh o ime place and
ci cums ance
o i s w i ing and o he audience which i was mean o each,
as
well as o i s place in con empo a y li e a u e. I hough i jus i iable
o
p esen esea ch unde way a he han conclusions o his dis inguished
audience
as long as acquain ance wi h he
Qua i Pa i u
is no gene al among
schola s.
DISCUSSÃO
R. A.
SKELTON.
—Fo
he explo a ion and mapping o No h Ame ica in he second
qua e o he
x i
cen u y, he de o e o o Cha es is a signi ican documen , which was
ci ed by Ha isse only a second-hand h ough O iedo, and abs ac ed by Phelps S okes
and Ganong om an (unpublished) ansc ip o F. C. Wiede . I is o be hoped ha ,
e en i we mus wai o a c i ical edi ion o he whole manusc ip , he de o e o may be
published in ull, pe haps sepa a ely, as soon as possible.
A.
TEIXEIRA
DA
MOTA.—De emos
es a g a os a au o a
pelo
exame que ez do
in ul-
ga esc i o de Alonso de Cha es e po nos e mos ado a g ande impo ância e
signi icado
de que se e es e. Fazemos o os po que possa em b e e
se
o almen e publicado, pa a
melho
conhecimen o das a es e
ciencias
do homem do ma em meados do
seculo
x i.
Nes e momeh o em-nos ao espi i o, pela sua
a inidade
com a de Alonso de Cha es, a ob a
de
um
a adis a
ná ico po ugues coe o, o
P.e
Fe nando Oli ei a, cujos abalhos cons-
i uem uma e dadei a
enciclopedia
ma i ima, ja que
neles
se ocupa de a e de
na ega ,
ca og a ia nau ica, cons ução na al, o ganização da ida a bo do e a e da gue a no ma .
O co ejo en e os dois a adis as de e pe mi i
u eis
conclusões sob e as
semelhancas
e
di e encas
nas
ecnicas
ma i imas de Po ugueses e cas elhanos, e ap o ei amos es e
momen o pa a anuncia que a Secção de Lisboa do Ag upamen o de Es udos de Ca o-
g a ia An iga abalha na edição da
«A e
Náu ica»
do
P.e
Fe nando Oli ei a, es ando
ja concluida a sua adução pa a po ugues.
A au o a salien a mui o jus amen e o in e esse da ob a de Alonso de Cha es, pa a
o melho conhecimen o da o ganização e ac i idade da Casa de Con a ación de
Se ilha,
no campo da nau ica e cosmog a ia, nomeadamen e no espei an e as
uncoes
do pilo o-mo
e
cosmog a os
e as
ques oes
de ensino e espec i os exames. Tambem nes e campo se
a igu a
que pode á se mui o
signi ica i a
a compa ação en e o que se passa a nes es
domínios
na Casa de Con a ación, de Se ilha, e nos
A mazens
da Guiné, de Lisboa, ja
que ambem e a nes es que se
cen aliza a
a
admissao
e exame de pilo os, o seu ensino e
a elabo ação da
«ca a
pad ão
d'el-Rei»,
pe cu so a lusi ana do
«pad ón
eal».
Assim,
apon amos que em 1559 e
1592
o am p omulgados em Po ugal
« egimen os
do
cosmóg a o-
-mo »,
cujo es udo emos em
cu so,
os quais
lancam
mui a
luz
sob e a impo an e
ques ao
do ensino e exame de pilo os, es ando
ligados
aqueles dois egimen os os nomes p es igiosos
de Ped o
Nunes
e João Bap is a
La anha.
Em
conclusao,
o es udo de U sula Lamb e da
maio
opo unidade e ab e-nos
impo -
an es pe spec i as pa a o melho
conhecimen o
de ques ões que
e n
andado um an o
esquecidas.
W.
WASHBURN.
— The Socie y o he His o y o Disco e ies o he Uni ed S a es
in ends o publish a new edi on o Ped o de Medina a
Cosmog aphia
edi ed by U sula
Lamb who discusses he aining and examina ion o pilo s and he legal ques ions ela-
ing o he licencing o pilo s in he in oduc ion o he book.
F. MADDISON.
— Can you gi e a disc ip ion o he
ins umen o
gene al de ma eas ?
How did i wo k?
U.
LAMB.
— The disc ip ion o he ins umen o gene al de ma eas comes in wo pa s.
One:
a desc ip ion o he manu ac u e o a ci cula ide- able which consis s o ou con-
cen ically moun ed wheels which mo e inside one ano he . Ac oss he ace o he wheels
mo es a
«cuad an e»
o 90°. Two: gi es se e al examples o he use o he ins umen a
a ious imes and la i udes. I did no a i s ealize he impo ance o he appea ance
o he ins umen , and my no es a e limi ed o pa one and a e ske chy. Pa wo would
explain some ambigui y in wha appea s e ched on he wheels, since in my no es wo wheels
ha e he zodiac ma ked on hem. I canno ge a mic o ilm and one will ha e o wai o
publica ion in Spain be o e he ins umen will ake i s p ope place in he li e a u e.
R
A.
SKELTON.
—
A e he e any places men ioned on he No h Ame ican con i-
nen in Pa ou ?
U.
LAMB.
— The de o e o does ha e poin s on he No h Ame ican con inen indi-
ca ed om
Baccalaos
o Flo ida — which is he en i e coas . Yale Uni e si y has a
ansc ip and ansla ion in o English o he de o e o in manusc ip which was made
by E. L. S e enson in 1929. This wo k was based upon a o ocopy made on pla es a
ha ime om a copy o he De o e o in he Palacio Real a Mad id. S e enson hough
he o he h ee pa s o he
Qua i Pa i u
we e los . The o o copy is in he manusc ip
sec ion o he New Yo k Public Lib a y.