Perched on the net

Juan of Persia

2010-08-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

In the late XVI ruled the Persian Empire by Shah Abbas I, who organized in 1599 an embassy of fifty people with the goal of visiting the Pope of Rome and European courts.

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The ambassador sent to Europe was Husain Ali Beg accompanied by four secretaries, one of them Beg Uruch will be established in Spain, took the name of Juan de Persia and wrote the story of the journey.

With the embassy were two Portuguese friars and the adventurer Sir Anthony Sherley, who had previously made the trip from Scotland.

The expedition, on the backs of mules and camels went to the shores of the Caspian, in a first attempt to cross the sea, a storm came close to sink, threw overboard jewelry groceries and household goods to lose weight, back to the bank, they made a second successful attempt, they arrived inTurkmenistan and then to the mouth of the Volga, upstream rallied and came to Moscow where they were received by the court.

When they leave Moscow, reached the Dwina and followed the river north, sailed to Archangel in the Arctic Ocean, there navigated out circling northern Scandinavia up to the German city of Emden.

They were received by the German princes, passed through Kassel and Leipzig, penetrating into the region of Bohemia to its capital Prague. Returning to Germany, visited Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich.

After crossing the Alps, visited Verona, Florence and were received by the Pope in Rome, here was added to the expedition the Catalan friar Francisco Gual.

They entered in Spain by Catalonia, and in Barcelona were greeted by the Duke of Feria, where they were amazed by the cleanliness and order of its streets, they visited the monastery of Montserrat and then left for Zaragoza, Valladolid was finally reached on July 3, 1601 where they were received by King Philip III.

Uruch Beg, Ali Quli Beg and Beg Bunyad took respectively the names of Don Juan, Don Diego and Don Felipe of Persia

They marched from the court and through Segovia, El Escorial, Aranjuez and Badajoz, Portugal entered head to Lisbon and from there started back to their country by boat through the Straits of Hormuz.

Atlantic atolls.

2010-01-31T01:06:00.001-08:00

Atolls are circular reefs with a central lagoon, that have their origin in volcanic islands. The reef was formed on the slopes of the volcano: when it collapses, leave a reef mass surrounding a central lagoon

The circle may be complete or partial, and may have channels connecting the lagoon with the sea, many of them have circular shapes others are irregular.

The atolls are found in tropical waters where temperatures do not drop below 18º, and promote the coral development.

Atolls take millions years to form, the vertical growth of coral is 1mm a year, in the Atlantic Ocean there are very few atolls, because this ocean is youngster compared with the Pacific or Indian oceans.

At first there was a single continent named "Pangea" and when the different continents drifted apart, the waters of the primeval ocean invaded the gap between Europa, America and Africa. That's why in the young Atlantic Ocean has so few atolls.

Video about "Pangea" Produced by Numaga.com

In the Atlantic Ocean atolls are far from large river fresh water, almost all are in the Caribbean where currents are warmer than those of the African coast

See Atlántic atolls in a larger map.

In the Caribean, Misteriosa bank y Rosalind bank completely submerged.

In Mexico Banco Chinchorro is the largest in the northern hemisphere, it has three keys inside and a total area of 800 km² and also near the mexican coast Alacranes with five islets Pérez, Desertora, Pajaros, Chica y Desterrada.

In Venezuela, Aves de Barlovento, Aves de Sotavento y los Roques.

Aves (Wikipedia commons)

In Brasil atoll das Rocas 265 kms from the brasilian coast and 142 from Fernando de Noronha Is., this atoll has two islets Cemeterio and Farol Key where there is a lighthouse.

Atoll das rocas. (Wikimedia commons)

In Bahamas Hogsty Reef near Inagua Is.

In Belice there are some coastal atolls Tourneffe, Lighthouse and Glower.

In Colombia near coastal of Nicaragua the atolls, Serrana, Serranilla, Bajo de Alicia completely submerged, Petrel Is., Quitasueño, Roncador, Courtown y Albuquerque.

In Bermuda islands, the coral is formed despite its latitude due to the warm Gulf stream, but its structure is not the same of the tropical atolls.

Alboran Island.

2010-01-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

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There is an unknown island in the middle Mediterranean, 96 kms. from Almeria, 55 kms from Melilla, it's elongated in shape and 600 meters length, situated at 35º 56'29"N - 3º 02'10" W.

It's surface is volcanic and exceeds eight hectares, it was known in ancient times by pirates and corsairs.

Today in the southern part of the island there is a automatic lighthouse in a ruined building square, there is also a heliport and a cemetery with three graves.

There are many underground caves.

The first of October 1540, over its waters was a battle, where the Spanish galleys defeated the Berber pirates.

On the island they nest a large number of birds and the surrounding sea area is full of fish.

It has no inhabitants, but the Spanish naval forces visit it often to patrol the area.

In the northern, 100 meters from the main island there is a small islet called Cloud Is.

Alberni and Fages

2010-01-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

"Miquelets" like "Almogavars" were mercenary volunteers, irregular forces, engaged in combat, banditry and looting, were common during the "segadors" (harvesters) war in 1640, recruited in the Catalonian interior mountains, Miquelets took his name by the fame of its chief "Miquelot de Prats". They defended the Austrian dynasty cause against Bourbon King Philip V, fought in defense of Barcelona in 1714 and were disbanded after the city defeat.

From Encaramado a la red

In 1762 King Carlos III in order to get more troops for the seven years war, returned again to equip troops with people of the Catalonian mountainous regions and thus the "Companyia Franca de Voluntaris de Catalunya" was formed.

In 1763 with the Paris Treaty signing. peace came and military authorities plan to send colonial troops to reinforce the defense of Havana, but finally decided it was better to send them to New Spain to defend the border of the Apaches. Between the enrolled officers were Pere Alberni and Pere Fages.  

Pere Alberni i Teixidor was born in Tortosa in January 30th, 1747. in 1762 he joined the light infantry regiment with headquarters in Barcelona, then move to join the "Compañia Franca de Voluntaris de Catalunya".  

Pere Fages i Beleta was born in Guissona in 1734, he study in the new university of Cervera and in 1762 was enlisted as an ensign in the "Compañía de Voluntaris de Catalunya."    The Catalan volunteers left Barcelona harbour, and sailed to Cadiz in May 1767, led by their captain Agustí Callis, among his officers were Pere Alberni and Pere Fages commanded a hundred men. They reached the port of Veracruz on the Atlantic coast of Mexico and were included in the expedition of Domingo Elizondo to San Jose de Guaymas in Sonora region.

There, they were commissioned to fight against Indian tribes in Sonora Pacific coast, from Guaymas posts, and Pitic (now Pitiquito), participated in combat against Pimas and Seri Indian tribes that refused to submit to the Spanish rule, the fiercest battles took place in Cerro Prieto, north of Guaymas.    

Pimas and Seri are now tribes almost extinct, only a few hundred members, living from farming or fishing.

The Seris live in two towns in the desert coast of Sonora: Desemboque, Pitiquito municipality, and Punta Chueca, municipality of Hermosillo, and Pina tribe lives among the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in the municipality of Yecora.  

After the campaign the catalan company marched to Guadalajara and Mexico City.    Volunteers under the command of Pere Fages were enrolled in the expedition of Gaspar de Portola, in order to colonize the Upper California, new territory discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542.   Two ships made the journey from La Paz, Pere Fages got in the "San Carlos", the other ship was the "San Antonio", together left La Paz in the first months of 1769 and soon were lost at sea, They took hundred ten days to reach San Diego bay, continuing overland, the expedition arrived in Los Angeles on August 2th, and reached Santa Barbara on 19th, on September 13th, they were in San Simeon, following the Salinas River arrived at San Francisco on October 31th.

The expedition began the long road back from Los Angeles to San Diego in early in 1770.    In April of these year a second expedition was undertaken by sea and land, the ship "San Antonio" went by sea and Portola, Rivera, Fages and some soldiers of "Companyia de Voluntaris de Catalunya" with other regular troops came by land.

The explorers set out from San Diego following the same route as last winter and arrived in Monterrey in late May, found the cross erected last year and reached the beach to Punta Pinos, there awaited the arrival of the "San Antonio" who came by sea.

The June 3th, 1770 Gaspar de Portola native from Os de Balaguer, Pere Fages from Guissona, and the Majorcan friars Joan Crespi and Juniper Serra, founded the city of Monterrey, Portola went back to San Diego by ship, leaving Pere Fages the command, to build the "presidio".  

In 1772 the catalan volunteers company, was divided into two sections, each composed with approximately 80 men, respectively commanded by Alberni and Fages. 

In California, Pere Fages and the company, took care of the missions and "presidios" of San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Gabriel and others,

Fages was appointed California Military Governor, and explored around the bay of San Francisco and San Jose river valley.

In 1774 Fages he was removed from office as a consequence of having met and discussed with Juniper Serra.  

In 1776 Pere Fages commanded the second company, ended his mission as military governor in California, Fages was appointed commandant of the mining district of Pachuca de Soto (100 kms. north of Mexico City) state of Hidalgo , taking care to appease the protest of the miners.

The year 1778 the volunteers went to Santa Cruz de Terrenate "presidio", overlooking San Pedro Valley, near San Agustin de Tucson in Arizona, its ruins can be seen near the present town of Tombstone. In a hundred meters square, was a church and barracks for the troops, stores and houses, with a population estimated then about 300 inhabitants.

The Apaches in their expansion towards the south had moved the Pimas tribe, the war between the Spanish and Apaches had begun in 1775, the Apaches in their attacks against missions and settlements, used to practice the surprise and ambush, taking horses, weapons and ammunition.

In July 1776 the Apaches attacked the mission of St. Madeleine Church burning and killing their inhabitants, other missions such as San Xavier de Bac or San Agustin de Tucson felt threatened.

In 1777 the Spanish forces defeated the Apaches in "La Tinaja", but attacks and looting continued, reinforcements of catalan volunteers arrived with Pere Fages in front, increasing the regular defense forces under the Pedro de Allende orders.  

In 1779 the company had to repel several Apaches attacks, and although the security of the area improved, the Apaches from the mountains of Arizona did not stop to loot and attack "presidios" and missions, becoming travel in the area very dangerous without armed guards.    In 1780 the Apaches stolen uniforms and disguised as Spanish soldiers attacked a tribe Pima village near the Gila River.

The devil's path began in Caborca (Mexico) and ran for 450 kms. to get to the prisons in Arizona (USA), much of it flowed through the desert of Sonora, in 1781 the tribe of the Yumas cut the Colorado River path to intercept the overland route between Mexico and Arizona.

In 1782 Catalan volunteers, in order to struggle the Yuma tribe, came to Colorado River. Spanish forces restored the way and rescued some hostages that have been captured in an indian attack against the mission of Concepción, the hostages were taken to San Gabriel in Upper California.    

At that time battles between Apaches and soldiers were very unequal, the war purpose was to exterminate the Indians, killing and burning their villages and crops. While the indian tribes only had rudimentary weapons bows and axes, the soldiers were protected with heavy leather jackets and had muskets and shotguns.

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The morning May first 1782, 600 Apaches surrounded the Tucson "presidio" and launched their attack against the fence but two dozen soldiers with the help of a cannon been enough to thwart the attack.  

The Catalan companies captain, Agustí Callis died in 1782, and Pere Alberni took command of the first company.

In this year of 1,782 Pere Fages was appointed California's governor, leaving the troops on the border, went to San Diego to open a new route between Arizona and the coast, passing through Santa Barbara in October came to reside in Monterrey from there only with about 300 soldiers defended a territory populated by 50,000 indigenous people.

As Fages ruled Upper and Lower California, the Catalan volunteers continued the struggle against the Apaches from San Agustin de Tucson and Santa Cruz de Terrenate, Under Esteban Sola, company commander, monitored the border from the Indian attacks.

Apache attacks prevented the continued development and colonization, and caused casualties among the settlers at last the authorities decided to abandon the Santa Cruz "presidio".

Since 1785 Pedro Nata succeeded in the command Esteve Vinolas Sola, that he had also taken part in the struggles against the tribes Seri, in Pitic and Buenavista.

In war operations Catalan volunteers often fought beside the presidial troops, and leather jacket soldiers assigned to the "presidios".

In 1789, stationed in Chihuahua, held new battles with the Apaches.

In 1791 Pere Fages resigned as governor of California.

From Encaramado a la red

The first company under Pere Alberni orders was assigned to San Blas a shipyard in the Pacific Coast, where the sea expeditions went to California, Oregon, northwestern Canada and Alaska.

Received orders to leave for the west coast to the issuance of Eliza, the expedition departed in 1790 but Alberni was arrested during the trip as consequence to required appropriate clothing and pay for their soldiers.  

The fleet was composed for three ships, the "San Carlos" commanded by the catalan Salvador Fidalgo Lopegarcia, "Princesa Real" commanded by Manuel Quimper , and "Concepcion" led by Francisco de Eliza the expedition chief. They sailed to San Lorenzo de Nootka (now Port Alberni in Vancouver Island), and built Fort Sant Miquel where they stayed the winters of 1791 and 1792.

They installed a defense gun battery, Alberni befriended Machine, the Haida Tribe chief, who inhabited those lands. In his spare time Alberni performed a small dictionary of the tribe Haida language.

Salvador Fidalgo was born in Seu d'Urgell, accompanied by eleven men, were assigned to set up a defensive position in Nuñez Gaona now Neah Bay in the Juan de Fuca, strait then named "Estrecho de Aguilar" .

With the issuance of Fidalgo, Catalan volunteers arrived Alaska explored Sitka and Kodiak Island, founding the cities of Valdes and Cordova, at last planted a large cross in Orca Inlet.

On his return from Canada in 1793 Pere Alberni was appointed as head of San Juan de Ulua fort.

In 1796 he was appointed garrisons chief guardian of Monterrey, San Francisco and San Diego.

At the end of the eighteenth century many of the Catalans had died or had retired and were replaced by soldiers from other regions

Pere Fages retired in Mexico, died in 1796.

Pere Alberni died in California on 11 March 1802 and was succeeded in command by Josep Font.

Early, in the new XIX century the remains of the Catalan volunteer companies ceased to exist, absorbed by other units.

Portuguese discoveries.

2009-12-28T02:14:00.000-08:00

Among early peoples navigators and discoverers, were Greeks, Phoenicians, Vikings, and Chinese, but I want to speak today about the expeditions that were not Spanish but Portuguese and since the fifteenth century, discovered the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

In the year 1415 during the reign of John I of Portugal, his son Prince Henry the Navigator conquered Ceuta, At that time began the Portuguese idea of discovering the world. In the southern tip of Portugal, in the Cape St Vincent, the Prince Henry founded the school of Sagres, a meeting point for geographers and navigators where were characters like the Mallorquin cartographer Jefuda Cresques, Amerigo Vespucci or Columbus.

DO IPAAR Castelo de Sagres. Símbolo dos descobrimentos portuguese e centro de ciência e tecnologia do século XV

In 1418 Gonzalez Joao Zarco and Vaz Teixeira Tristao furnished a ship, arrived on the island of Porto Santo and the following year along with Bartolomeu Perestrello they reached Madeira.  Between 1424 and 1433 the Prince Henry dispatched thirty expeditions to Africa.  Cape Bojador (26 º 07 'N) in the African continent at the eight of the Canary Islands was discovered by Gil Eanes who could not surpass it until the following year along with Afonso Gonçalves Baldayo.

Beyond Cape Bojador, the sailors and cartografers of the Sagres school hoped to turn east to circumnavigate Africa, ignorant the immense dimensions of the continent, who would have thought that they not had reached, the "Cabo Tormentosos" or of Good Hope, at the southern tip of the continent, until 1487.

Santa Maria, the island of the Azores closest to Portugal was discovered by Diego de Silva in 1427, Sao Miguel the largest of the archipelago was discovered by Gonçalo Velho Cabral in 1432, and the outlying islands of Flores and Corvo would not be discovered until 1452 by Diogo de Tieves.

Antao Gonçales and Nuño Tristao arrived at White cape (21 ° N) in 1441, in a second trip reached Cape Verde and Rio de Oro, the Portuguese expedition brought Indians who had been taken captive in previous trips and exchanged them for slaves and gold dust. This is the origin of the river name.

In 1444 a fleet of six caravels went to sea, commanded by Lanzarote with Nuño Tristan and Gonzalo Sintra reached the islands of Tider and Noar, with orders to find slaves and goods for trade.

In 1445 an expedition commanded by González de Cintra reached beyond Rio de Oro. but when they approached near the banks, the caravel stay dry and the crew were killed by coast tribes.  

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Antonio de Noli, an Italian who emigrated to Portugal discovered some of the Cape Verde islands, and established a factory in Santiago. Cape Verde Islands also were explored by Diogo Gomes, Vicente Dias and Alvise Cadamosto.  In 1446 Alvaro Fernandes arrived in Sierra Leone.

Infante Dom Enrique

In 1460 Prince Henry the navigator died and the explorations decreased for the rest of the reign of King Alfonso.

In 1470 and 1471 Joao de Santarem and Pero Escobar came to the Gulf of Guinea.

Ruy de Sequeira crossed the Ecuador in 1471, and the German cartographer Martin Behaim, serving the Portuguese crown, swept the coast of Africa to draw new maps of the continent.

In 1472 Fernao do Poo arrived in Guinea and visit the island of Bioko.

Since 1481, King Alfonso died, his successor John II continues the expeditions, Diego Acambaya and Diogo Cao traveled along the coast of Guinea to the Congo.

Diogo Cao in 1482 sailed up the Congo river to the first cataract.

But the Portuguese also organized overland journeys like Pero da Covilha and Afonso de Pavia, in 1487 began their journey by land, throughout Europe and across the Arabian peninsula, reached Goa and Calicut in India.

In 1487 Bartolomeu Dias in command of three ships went to the Africa coast, and after suffering a major storm, sailed beyond the southern tip of the continent, putting it the name of "Cabo Tormentoso", which after was called Good Hope. They had finally reached the end of the continent, and could thence, hitting the road east toward India and the Moluccas.

Vasco de Gama accompanied by Bartolomeu Dias with four ships and 150 men left Lisbon on July 8th, 1487, bound for Africa, reached the Cape of Good Hope after five months at sea. The fleet arrived in Mozambique on March and heading up the east coast of the continent, arrived in Mombasa, where found people with white cotton clothes, that handled sailing sloops to cross the sea, and speaking Arabic.

From little further north in Malindi on the coast of Kenya, an Arabic navigator named Bi Ahmad Majid, helped them cross the Indian Ocean and reached Calicut, where they anchored in May.

Back in Lisbon Vasco de Gama was acclaimed and rewarded for his discoveries. Since then, subsequent travels were authentic military expeditions in order to establish forts and conquer the territories discovered.

Vasco de Gama still made two more trips to Goa and Cochin.

King Manuel I of Portugal, secretly commissioned Duarte Pacheco Pereira in 1498 to cross the Atlantic to the new land of America, before ending this year Duarte arrived somewhere between the Marañon and Para in the Brazilian coast, from there continued to the mouth of the Amazon.

With regard to the further discoveries in the new continent, Pedro Cabral with ten rattles, three ships and 1,300 men, left Lisbon on March 9th, 1500, and pushed by storms, reached the current state of Bahia in Brazil in May, crossed the Atlantic again, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, thence to Mozambique and finally to the Indian continent, who had already discovered Vasco de Gama.

Meanwhile in the North Atlantic Gaspar de Corte Real came to the coast of Newfoundland in 1500.

Mapa de Diogo Ribero 1529.

Fernando de Norohha an island off the coast of Brasil, was possibly discovered in 1500 by Gaspar de Lemos, who was in command of one of the ships of the expedition of Pedro Cabral, and it was some years after when Fernao de Noronha saw the island that bears his name.

There were also dramatic discoveries, the April 20th, 1511 San Pedro caravel commanded by Manuel de Castro wrecked on the dangerous rocky islets of San Pablo and San Pedro in mid-Atlantic.  

Tristao da Cunha in 1506 discovered the archipelago that bear his name in the South Atlantic and also the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.  

Afonso Albuquerque, Antonio Abreu and Francisco Serrao explored lands and seas beyond India, arrived in Malacca, the Moluccas islands where they picked up the priced species and Gomes Sequeira on 1525 even went further to the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean.  

Other Portuguese expeditions explored the world serving the Spanish crown, was also Portuguese Fernao de Magallahes Admiral, which started the expedition around the world, completed later by Juan Sebastian Elcano.  

Portuguese were Pedro Fernandes de Queiroz and Luis Vaez de Torres, who in 1605 crossed the Pacific Ocean to reach the New Hebrides, now archipelago of Vanuatu, Torres continued later to the south coast of New Guinea to spot the northern coast of Australia.

The epic of the Portuguese navigators could have been much higher, the big mistake of King John was to ignore the proposal of Christopher Columbus, The Admiral had gone to Lisbon before offering their services to the Spanish crown, but the king did not heed to your project, others say the king secretly sent a vessel to cross the ocean without success, this plans, discredited the proposition of Columbus.

The world would have been Portuguese, if that day of 1484, when Columbus met with King John I, the admiral's plans had been accepted.

Selvagens Islands.

2009-12-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

There are some unknown islands, about 280 kms. (175 mi), south of Madeira and 165 kms. (105 mi) north of the Canaries, we can find the Selvagens Islands, on 30° 01' 35"- 30° 09' 10" N / 15 ° 52' 15 "-16 ° 03' 15" W, with a volcanic soil, its surface reaches 3 km2.

It is said that these islands could be the mythical Gorgonides, its discovery is attributed in most sources a Diogo Gomes de Sintra in 1438, although it appeared in the 1339 Majorcan portolano of Angell Dulcert marked with the flag of Genoa and also in the planisphere drawn by Abraham Cresques, probably by reports of the expeditions of Roger de Rovenach.

The Ilhas Selvagens were privately owned until 1971, when were sold by Luiz Rocha Machado to the Portuguese government, are now an archipelago of Portuguese sovereignty and report administratively to Funchal. Its territorial waters are disputed by Spain.

The archipelago consists of three islands and fifteen islets, divided into two groups, the main island and the largest in the archipelago, is Selvagem Grande, with a plateau of about 100 mts. altitude and three high peaks, Tomozelos 137 mts, Atalaya 163 mts. where the lighthouse is now automatic operating and the smallest Inferno.

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Portin das Cagarras is a major bay where anchorage, near Ilha Selvagem Grande is the small Ilheu Sinho, to the northwest Palheiro do Mar and Palheiro da terra with a small adjacent islet.

South of the archipelago are another group, Selvagem Pequena (also called large pita) the second largest island, with the Pic Veado 49 m. there where a geodesic station and three islets, to the southwest llhéu Grande, Ilhéu do Sul, and Ilhéu Pequeno.

The third island in size is Ilhéu de Fora (also called Small Pitao) that has an adjacent islet, heading north, Ilhéu comprimido, Ilhéu Redondo, and three islets together, the Ilhéus do Norte.

It is a wildlife nature reserve since 1971, an excellent place for birdwatching and observe the abundant flora of Macaronesia,.

The archipelago are only inhabitated by a couple of guards, and sometimes by scientific expeditions.

You can find some photos of Selvagens islands here.

In addition to Selvagens can also be found south of Madeira, the Desert Islands, which we describe another day.

Fray Marino in Tobi island.

2009-12-10T10:07:00.001-08:00

The archipelago of Belau (Palau), is in the Pacific Ocean, near the Philippine coast ,was discovered by Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, who had traveled around the world with Magallahes.

After the death of Admiral, Espinosa and his sailors came on April 6th, 1522 from Tidore, tries to return to America via the Pacific ocean and on their journey they saw one of the islands of Belau archipelago, probably Sonsorol.

He was also sighted the archipelago by Ruy Lopez de Vilalobos in 1543, when he was traveling from Mexico to Luzon and was seen by Francis Drake in the summer of 1579.

These islands together with the Carolinas and the Marianas were Spanish until its sale to Germany in 1899, for the price of 25,000,000 pts.

550 km. South of Koror the capital of Belau, are the southwest islands, Sonsorol with an adjacent island Fana, further south are Pulo Anna, Merir, Hotsarihie and Tobi (Hatohobei) an island surrounded by a marine reef, with an area of 600 square meters and twenty people.

The twenty islanders speak the "Tobian" language, that can be understood in part by the residents of the Sonsorol island, language that is totally different from "Palauan" spoken in the northern islands of Belau.

The tobian's living from fishing, taro, copra, and what little they grow for their livelihood.

The Tobi sovereignty extends to the reef Hotsarihie (Helen Reef), which covers an offshore area slightly more than 163 km², there on the central island of only 0.03 km² three men stand guard to prevent fish poaching and to ensure the conservation of the reef.

Also extended its dominion over Pieraurou (Transit reef), which reads as its constitution, should be at 132 º 32 'and 2 ° 47', this island simply does not exist, instead there is only water, is a phantom island.

Trying to understand their way of life of the inhabitants. I discover they are catholic and have spanish names, like Pedro, Victor, Emilio, Nestor or Fernando.

Henry Wilson took, the first extended contact with the northern Palauans, command of the "Antelope", in August 1783 coming from China, sank in one of the northern islands of the archipelago, they lived on the islands for three months until they could build a new boat and return to China, the interesting relationship of the shipwreck and life with the Indians can read in google books.

In 1836 Horace Holden and his crew were shipwrecked on the whaler "Mentor" near Kayangel reef in the northern archipelago, pursued by the Indians, sailed to reach Babeldaob island, six months later three Palauan and three sailors managed to escape and dragged by a storm, finally arrived to the island of Tobi, there were treated like slaves, until two years later, in November 1834, Holden and one of his companions, could reach with a canoe, the English ship Britannia, that passed near the island. You can read this History in google books.

With the Spanish domination came the Capuchin friars, after the sale of the islands to Germany in 1899, the Spanish were replaced by German Capuchins.

In 1914 the Japanese, allies of the British in the first world war, invaded the islands in order to integrate the archipelago to the rising sun empire, practiced a policy of immigration and cultural domination. The Capuchins left the islands and arrived the Jesuits were already established in Japan.

Fray Marino de la Hoz del Canto, born in 1886, was ordained as a Jesuit missionary and set off with 22 other colleagues to the east, came to the Belau islands in 1921 with Indalecio Llera, Jose Gogenola and Emilio José Villar and toured together the north islands, preaching Catholicism.

In 1930 Marino de la Hoz moved to the southern islands, first to Sonsorol and then to Tobi, where he converted most of the population and gave the baptism to the Indians.

Moved in those faraway places, Marino avoid the Spanish civil war (1936-39), but when World War II, came he found himself living on the wrong side.

In 1941 the Japanese hostilities broke out with the attack against Americans at Pearl Harbor (Bahia de Quimper) and the Jesuits Marino de la Hoz, Elias Fernandez and Emilio Villar immediately suffered the consequences of war and were first deported by the Japanese to Koror capital of Babeldoab.

When the American fleet was approaching the Pacific archipelago of Belau, the Japanese moved the missionaries into a Ngatpang in the north of the island of Babeldoab, never heard of them, so it is assumed that the Jesuits were victims of Japanese troops, along with some American pilots and a palauan family that had supported them.

Belau Islands were conquered by American troops in 1944, and were in the UN escrow until it gained independence the first of October 1994.

Despite having done some searches, they could not find the bodies of dead Jesuits.

You can read here the teachings of Father Marino.

Bouvet Island

2009-10-04T14:27:00.001-07:00

Index

2008-10-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

Blogs
Encimbellat a la xarxa ; Encaramado a la red ; Perched on the net.

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Posts

1- Joan Perez discoveries.- First european navigator on Canada west coast.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Post Engl; Photos 1; Map 1; Google Engl. map; Google earth.

2. Ilhas Selvagens.- Uninhabited archipelago between Canary and Madeira Islands.

Post Cat: Post Esp; Post English; Google Engl. map.

3. Alberni i Fages.- American Catalan battles against Apaches.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Post English; Drawings 1, 2, Google Engl. map.

4. Alborán Island.- One Island in the midle of the Mediterranean.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Post English; Google map.

5.Sinibaldo de Más.- Ambassador on the celestial empire.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Drawings 1 2; Google map.

6. Un mundo de Islas.- A collection islands of the world.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Maps 1 2 3 4; Google map

7. Allá lejos en Cochin-china.-Unusual events in Southeast Asia.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2 3 4; Google map.

8. Tristan da Cunha.- South Atlantic Island.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1; Drawings 1; Videos 1.

9. Virrey Amat.- Explorations in Tahiti and Eastern Islands.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2; Google map; Google earth.

10. Salvemos Tuvalu.- Pacific islands.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2; Map 1; Videos 1.

11.Francisco Mourelle.- Expedition to the Tonga Islands.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1; Maps 1 2 3 4 5; Google map Google earth.

12. Crusoe, Selkirk, Pitman y Serrano.- Castaway.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Google map; Drawing 1.

13.Costa este.- Dicoveries in North America.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Maps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

14.Formosa.- Spanish and Dutch in Taiwan.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2 Google map

15.-Pitcairn.- Dicoveries in Pitcairn archipelago.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Google earth map; Google maps 1 2 3 4

16 Solomon Islands.- Expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña, 1.568.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2 3; Google map.

17. A confident of Kamehameha.- Francisco Marín a sailor in Hawai.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1 2; Google map.

18. High Islands.- Islands with high mountains.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photo 1; Google map.

19. Enrique around the world.- The first voyage round the world

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1, 2;

20. El tornaviaje.- Charting a practicable route for ships returning from East-Asia.

Pos Cat; Post Esp; Photos 1,2,3

21. Diego Ribero Map 1529.- World map by Diego Ribero.

Pos Cat; Pos Esp; Diapositives;

22. La flota de Indias.- Across the Atlantic.

Post Esp; Post Cat; Photo1; Google map.

23. Rui González de Clavijo.- Embassy to the Tamorlan empire.

Post Esp; Post Cat; Google map.

24. Tabarca.- A island near Santa Pola.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photo1; Google map.

25. Marquesas islands first discovery.-

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photo1; Google map.

26. Aurora the lost islands.- Disappeared islands in south Atlantic ocean.

Post. Cat; Post Esp; Photo 1,2,3,4,5,6,7; Google earth map.

27. Pedro Páez (I).- A Jesuit in Etiopía.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photo 1; Google map .

28. Bouvet Island.- A norwegian island in the south atlantic ocean.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Posr Engl; Video 1.

29. Nukuoro and Kapingaramangi.- Islands ignored by treaties.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Photo; 1, 2, Google map.

30. Fray Marino in Tobi island.- Un jesuita en las islas Belau.

Post Cat; Post Esp; Post Engl; Slides; Books; 1, 2 Photo; 1, 2.

31. Portuguese discoveries.- Territories explored by portuguese.
Post Cat; Post Esp; Post English; Google map; Photo; 1, 2 Book; map;

32. Atlantic atolls.- Why there are few atolls in Atlantic Ocean ?
Post. Cat; Post Esp; Post English; Google map; Photo: 1, 2.

33. Al Quty.- Moorish family expelled from Spain.
Post Cat; Post Esp; Google map; Photo 1, 2, 3

34. La armada del mar del sur.- Trade in the South american Pacific coast..
Post esp; Google map; Photo 1, 2

35. Juan de Persia.- Embassy of Persia during de reign of Philip III.
Post Esp; Post Cat; Post Engish; Google map; Book;

36. Serendip.- A stunning island..

Post Esp; Post Cat; Photo 1, map

37. IIsla de Maians.- An island in front of Barcelona.

Post Esp; Post Cat; maps 1, 2

Joan Perez discoveries.

2007-07-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Joan Josep Pérez Hernández, born in Majorca by the year 1725, and died at sea in the vicinity of San Blas on November 3rd, 1775, served the Spanish Navy as a pilot on the route between the Americas and the Philippines,

In 1768 he was appointed lieutenant and assigned to the ship San Antonio in order to explore the high California, left San Lucas in February and came to San Diego in April 1769.

Image of the frigate Santiago, Langara Island near the Haida tribal canoes. Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, George Miller © 1997.

The Spanish wanted to discover the Northwest Passage through the Strait of Anian, that had been first discovered by Lorenzo Ferrer Maldonado in 1588 and by Juan de Fuca, also called Apostolis Phokas Ioannis Valerianos in 1592.

The first explorers of the American coast in the Pacific Ocean, were Chinese junks and also possibly Japanese fishermen.

Joan Josep Perez was the first European to see the coast of British Columbia, in 1773 the Viceroy of Mexico, Antonio Maria Bucarelli Ursua ordered to sail to Monterey aboard the ship "Santiago" (also called "Nueva Galicia") a three-masted frigate of 25 meters in length and 225 tons, one of the largest built in the shipyards of San Blas (near today's Puerto Vallarta) on the mexican coast, the second officer was Juan Jose Martinez, the ship was also blessed by the Mallorcan Fray Junipero Serra.

On 24th January 1774, they stopped twenty-five days for repairs in San Diego, and arrived at Monterey on May 8th, 1774, Fray Junipero stayed in Monterrey, continued as priests of the Catalan expedition Fray Juan Crespi and Fray Tomas de la Peña.

They left the port of San Carlos in Monterey on June 3rd, 1774, after losing sight of the shore opened the statement with the instructions of Virrei Bucarelli, orders were reaching the 60th parallel north, which is at the height of the peninsula Kenai south of Anchorage, record all the places where can install ports and colonies and take possession in the name of Spain.

For 30 days sailed north through the rain and fog until the parallel 52, which jumped to the ground near three islands that gave them the name of Santa Margarita, now known as Queen Charlotte Islands, and gave the name at the entrance of Juan Perez, today known as Dixon entrance.

Ver English Juan Perez en un mapa más grande

On 22 July they came at 55 º 17' and discovering the port of Bucarelli.

On August 6th, landed on Vancouver Island and came in to contact with the Haida tribe, with whom they exchanged several tools for furs, among the things that stayed the Indians had two tablespoons of the second officer José Martinez, spoons later were found by Admiral Cook and served to confirm the arrival to these shores of Majorcan sailor.

On his journey along the Pacific coast, arrived at Nootka Sound, called the mount Olympus cerro Nevado de Santa Rosalia, covered the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington and Canada, described the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the North Pacific coast, arrived back in Monterrey on August 27th, 1775.

The Spanish authorities were unhappy with the issue, because Perez had not reached 60 degrees north and had not established any colonies.

It was organized a second expedition with three ships, the Sonora (also called Felicidad) in command of Juan Francisco de la Bodega Quadra, the Santiago was in charge of Bruno de Heceta, and San Carlos that only had to accompany the others to Monterey.

On this expedition Joan Josep Perez Hernandez was the pilot of frigate Santiago at Heceta orders, left San Blas on March 16th, 1775, after a stop in Monterrey, heading north, discovered the mouth of the Columbia river, and the island called now Prince of Wales, as well as a mountain which they called San Jacinto, discovered "cabo Engaño" now cape Cook, farther north they saw Guadalupe Bay now Port Mary, landed at the "puerto de los Remedios" (near Cross spund) south of Bucarelli, and also saw the islands of "San Blas", "Santa Margarita", "Santa Cristina", "Santa Magdalena" and "San Agustin".

On June 11th anchored at a port which they name the Holy Trinity, a week later on 19th hoisted the anchor, and on July 13th, they arrived at 47 º 20'.

On the 12th of August reached 49 º 30', two days later on 14th, arrived to Point Gray, now know Vancouver.

In a small island south of Cape Alava, were attacked by Indians who killed some sailors who had landed on earth to collect firewood, this action discourages Heceta that decided to return, while Bodega Quadra continued toward the north, Perez on board the Santiago went back to Monterrey where he arrived on October. In November one, sailed to San Blas, and died at sea on November 3rd, 1775, his body was thrown to the sea.

Other explorers such as Cook or Vancouver, were more notoriety in the North Pacific, but Joan Josep Perez Hernandez was the first of the europeans explorers, later was followed by Salvador Fidalgo Lopegarcia who founded the city of Cordova on the coast of Alaska and Pere Alberni from first "Companyia Franca de Voluntaris Catalans", who spent the hard Canadian winters in San Miguel Bay in Nootka sound.