Michael Ross has kindly agreed to our adding his article The Mysterious Eastland Revealed (The Globe #53 (2002), Ross, M, ‘The mysterious Eastland revealed’, p.1-22.) as another Tasman related ‘resource’ on this site. It was an internationally peer reviewed paper that won the Estelle Canning prize on presentation.
It is proposed above that when Tasman and his officers referred to “the charting of the Portugese”, they meant specific charting attributed by the author to Hernandus Galego, who though he served the Spanish King, and served as a pilot under the Spaniard Mendana in 1576, was Portugese by birth. I was not aware that Mendana’s expedition was generally believed to have come so far south, but even if it did, and Tasman and his officers knew this, would they have referred to such discoveries of a Spanish expedition as “the charting of the Portugese”, simply because one Spanish officer was Portugese. Wouldn’t this be like saying the Italian’s discovered the West Indies on the basis that Columbus was an Italian?
Robert
Your comment is based on assumtptions you have personally made….and I note, without any supporting evidence.
I find it academically concerning that you make assumptive statements about my paper, which is of course refereed, without even floating your theory with me as a fact checker.
I can only comment that readers need to be aware of your approach while they evaluate the evidence I have presented.
If you presented evidence to support your personal therories it might contribute to a valid research discussion. If you do not do so that speaks volumes.