lians showed one hundred
and eighty-three. Both were measured eastward with a difference of
forty-six degrees.

At adjournment of this meeting they agreed to meet upon the thirtieth
upon the bridge of Caya to discuss and examine everything needful
for the negotiations.

May 30. Monday, on the said bridge. The judges for Portugal presented
the following notification, read by Francisco de Melo: that because of
the differences in the globes they believed it necessary to investigate
and make certain of the longitudes in question. For this they proposed
four methods, namely: The first, on land by taking distances from
the moon to some fixed star, as might be agreed upon; the second, to
take the distances of the sun and moon in their risings and settings,
and this upon land having its horizon above the water; the third by
taking a degree of the sky without any limit for sea and land; and the
fourth, by lunar eclipses. "Let us examine the method that we must
use," they say, "and let us consider how to end the negotiation. If
the time remaining seems short, it should be prorogued as long as may
be necessary and for such prorogation we notify," etc., and they did
notify Acuna and Acevedo to prorogue it for all of June.

Acevedo gave his vote [the same as in the records of possession]. Acuna
said that he heard it, and Don Fernando Colon read immediately the
following writ, which in brief showed the subterfuges of the judges for
Portugal, the differences between the said judges and the globes which
they presented concerning the distance from the meridian of La Sal
eastward to Maluco, for they say it is one hundred and thirty-seven
degrees but in one globe there were one hundred and thirty-four
degrees and in another one hundred and thirty-three, a difference
which proved falsehood; that both word and drawing showed their
[the Castilians'] truth, and reasons and experience proves the said
distance to one hundred and eighty-three degrees, and by way of the
west one hundred and seventy-seven. The principal matter could have
been determined in the time set; and this proposition of methods,
which would require a long time, proved that they wished to delay
matters. Neither was one month sufficient for the examination by these
methods foreign to the spirit of the treaty, and they were opposed to
this thing. They notified the Portuguese deputies to vote definitely
on the demarcation and ownership at four o'clock in the afternoon
on th