_ 63 _ Seram, together with Ambon is 63 leagues long, 15 wide and 14 round; Borneo 175 leagues long and 460 round; Batochina [Halmahera] of the Moluccas 240 in circumference, and the Great Island of the Papuans, bordering New Guinea is 125 leagues long. It lies 70 leagues east of Batjan, which is 20 leagues from Ternate in the north of what we call the Maluco. The two principal islands of Japan are 140 leagues long and six across. I omit other islands belonging to the King of Japan because there are many of them and they are small. Along this coast, there are also many rich and fertile provinces with powerful kings. Some of these at first sought to resist our power, which compelled and obliged them to make peace treaties so that they would be considered less unreliable, and others agreed that fortresses could be built in the ports. Some handed them over, and those who resisted had them taken from them, others become vassals of our Lord the King, and other brothers in arms. The rest were subdued so that they cannot possess fighting-ships or sail without permission from our viceroys or captains, where there are any. For this reason, we had at first many strong fleets which guarded the sea and confronted rebels on land, but in the course of time they
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