^%.^% f^r. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k /, / ^ 1.0 I.I UilM WIS IL25 i 1.4 6" NJi& 1.6 ^ Photographic Sdaices Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)873-4503 x^^ \ •s? \ :\ 4^ 1^^ '4^ , i£^»,. -J ^■^^ ^J ^ V ; N^-* l# ^V*"" * f ■ ' V N.Dui.v J. Horsl.ur^h (SAFTAni^ J^A^SSHlS €@©1K. PUBLISIIEO liY OLU-ER <; UOYC, F,I!!NEL'Ri'.n / ClilCUMNAVKfATIOX UK TUV GLor. !■;. . .iSri" l-k ' '"',.'*, '¥* K1WU fflyi>, EDiKBUiir.ii- ^s 1 41 ""'•'««««* _j<" „mtt«5^W^<**V:^pi*k ■t^^i^ . *^ CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. ■pMMMMtWiMnn if It CANUE or THE TIINOA lai/ANDH. OLIVER & BOYD, EDINBURGH. «iu,^ ^' i -;^#r*faBar-- k. *■ Hr- CONTENTd. 1$ South Latitude attained (30th January 1774)— Dangerous 111. ness of Cook — Easter Island— Las Marquesas — ^The Society Isl- ands — The Tonga Islands— New Hebrides — Discovery of New Caledonia— Norfolk Island — Third Visit to New Zealand— Run across the Pacific— Survey of Tierra del Fuego and Staten Land —Discovery of New South Georgia and Sandwich Land — Return to the Cape of Good Hope— Adventures of Captain Furneaux>- Conclusion of the Voyage (30th July 1 77S) — Honours paid to Cook — His Narrative of Uie Expedition — Omaiin England...Page 342 CHAPTER XI. COOK*S THIRD VOTAOE— 1776-1780. Objects of the Expedition— Departure (12th July 1776)— Ker- guelen's or Desolation Island — Van Diemen^s Land — New Zealand — Mangeea, Wenooa-ette and Wateeoo — Palmerston Island — ^Transactions at the Friendly Islands — The i^ociety Isl- ands — Otaheite — Eimeo — Huaheine — Settlement of Omai there, and Notice of his Life — Ulietea — Bolabola — Cook sails north- ward — Christmas Island — Discovers thi- Sandwich Archipelago (18th January 1778)— Makes the Coa v)f New Albion— Noot- ka Sound — Cook's River — Behring's S; ait— Icy Cape — Pro- gress to the North arrested — Revisits the Sandwich Islands^ Reception by the Natives — Cook is worshipped as their God Orono — Sails from Karakaooa Bay, but is obliged to return to it — Hostile Disposition of the Natives — The Discovery's Cutter is stolen — Cook goes on Shore to recover it— Interview with the King — A Chief slain— Attack by the Natives — Death of Cook (14th February 1779) — Recovery and Burial of Part of his Re- mains — The Voyage is resumed — Death of Captain Clerke— The Ships reach China— Fur-trade — Arrival in England (4th October 1780) 397 CHAPTER XII. OBSERVA'f lOXS OK THE CHARACTER OF COOK. Honours pud to him — Personal Appearance— Temper and Habits — His Children and Widow— Enei^ and Perseverance— Self- education — His vast Contributions to Geography— Skill in deli- neating and fixing his Discoveries— Discovery of the Means of preserving the Health of Seamen— Advantages derived from his Voyages — Progress of Civilisation in Polynesiap— Conclusion..475 I ENGRAVINGS. PoRTHAiT of Captain Cook {jEtat. 44)— Engraved by Hors- burgh after Dance, To face the Vignette. Vignette — Canoe of the Tonga or Friendly Islands. JVIan of Tierra del Fuego, Page 141 View in the Island of New Caledonia, 155 Woman of Edward Davis* or Easter Island, 169 View of the Island of Otaheite, 227 Female Dancer of Otaheite, 259 Fac-simile of Cook's Observations of the Transit of Venus in I7H9. Engraved by Wright from the Original in the Posses- sion of the late Mr Cragg-Sraith, TofaceZW War-canoe of New Zealand, Page 324 Tupapowand Chief Mourner in Otaheite, 359 Monuments on Easter Island, 371 Man of the Island of Tanna, in the Archipelago of the New Hebrides, 381 Man of New Zealand, 385 Sledge of Kamtschatka, 396 Weapons of the New Zealanders, 403 Man of Sandwich Islands in a Mask, 432 Man of Nootka Sound, 436 Woman of Nootka Sound, 437 Man of Prince William's Sound, 440 Woman of Prince William's Sound, 441 Interior of a House in Oonalaska, 444 Natives of Nootka Sound, 474 Canoe of Oonalaska, 490 ^<« - ^r%M*nf*m^^ ^*^t * AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT N OF THB CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE, AND OK THE PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, FROM THE VOYAGE OF MAGELLAN TO THB DEATH OF COOK. ILLUSTRATED BY A PORTRAIT OF COOK, ENGRAVED BY HORSBURGH AFTER DANCE; A FAC- SIMILE OF HIS OBSERVATIONS OF THE TRANSIT OF VENUS IN 1769; AND TWENTY-ONE HIGHLY-FINISHED ENGRAVINGS BY JACKSON. EDINBURGH: OLIVER & BOYD, TWEEDDALE COURT; AND SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON. MDCCCXXXVI. FEB -1 'i9B6. 1045654 EKTERED IN STATIONERS* HALL. Printed by Oliver & Boyd, Tweeddale Court, High Street, Edinburgh. PREFACE. The object of the present Work is to give a com- prehensive History of the various Circumnaviga. tions of the Globe, and to describe at the same time the Progress of Discovery in Polynesia. The innumerable islands which are scattered over the vast expanse of the Pacific, have in all times excited the liveliest regard. In few regions of the earth does Nature present a more fascinating aspect, or lavish her gifts with more bountiful profusion. Favoured by mild and serene skies, the fertile soil of these insular territories produces the most luxuriant vegetation, which, with its many rich and varied hues, clothes the whole land from the margin of the sea to the summits of the loftiest mountains. As the voyager sails along their pic- turesque shores, he is refreshed by perfumes borne on the breeze, from woods which at the same time dis- play the bud, the blossom, and the mature fruit. Nor is the character of their inhabitants less cal- culated to inspire interest. In countries where the bread-tree affords " the unreaped harvest of unfur- rowed fields," where the people neither plough nor 6 PREFACE. SOW, nor do any work, their first visiters believed that they had at length discovered the happy region with which poets adorned the golden age. To later ex- plorers, as has been remarked by HumbcMt, " the state of half-civilisation in which these islanders are found gives a peculiar charm to the descrip- tion of their manners. Here a king, followed by a numerous suite, comes and presents the productions of his orchard ; there the funeral-festival embrowns the shade of the lofty forest. Such pictures have more attraction than those which portray the solemn gravity of the inhabitants of the Missouri or the Maranon." In every compendium of voyages, from the days of Purchas downwards, a prominent place has been assigned to the discoveries and exploits of those na- vigators whose course has led them to encompass the world, — whether in search of imaginary continents, in quest of warlike adventure, or in the peaceful pursuit of scientific knowledge. But the manner in which the History of Circumnavigation is given in most of the works alluded to, tends to repel rather than to invite the attention of the common reader. In the imperfect abridgments which have from time to time appeared, no endeavour is made to supply the deficiencies, or to illustrate the obscu- rities of the original narrative, by the light of more recent discovery. The mind is wearied by innu- merable repetitions, and perplexed by irreconcilable discrepancies. The vast extent, too, of some collec- PREFACE. 7 tions cannot fail to deter a majority of inquirers : in one of which (Bibliotheque Universelle des Voy- ages, par M. Albert Montemont, in-8°. Paris, 1833- 1835), the '' Voyages autour du Monde " occupy about twenty volumes. . < The excellent work of the late Admiral Burney may be said to be almost the only one in which an attempt has been made to digest this mass of crude materials in a methodical and connected narrative, possessing the advantages of perspicuous arrangement, and elucidated by the investigations of recent navi- gators. Of the '' Chronological History of the Dis. coveries in the South Sea" everyone must speak with I'espect, as of a book distinguished by great erudi. tion and by laborious research. It chiefly addresses itself, however, to the professional and scientific student ; and is, indeed, obviously rendered unfit for general perusal by the copiousness and minuteness of its technical details. Though bringing down the annals of maritime enterprise no farther. than to the commencement of the reign of George III., it occu. pies five volumes in quarto,— leaving the history of the short period comprehended between that epoch and the death of Cook (undoubtedly the most inte- resting of the whole) to be pursued in works ex. tending to more than three times the same amount. Nor must it be overlooked, that however excellent the performance of Admiral Burney may have been in its own day, it has now become in some measure antiquated, from the great accessions which geogra- 8 PREFACE. phical science has received since his work was sub- mitted to the public. To our knowledge of the Archipelago of Tonga and Feejee, great contribu- tions have been lately made by Mariner and D'Ur- ville. Otaheite and the Society Islands have been elucidated with singular fidelity by the Reverend Mr Ellis, as well as by Messrs Bennet and Tyer- man. The labours of the gentlemen just named, with those of the American missionary, Mr Stewart, of the officers of H. M. S. the Blonde, and of MM. Morineau and Botta, have greatly enlarged our ac quaintance with the Sandwich group. Much light has been thrown on New Zealand by the writings of Cruise, Rutherford, Yate, Earle, D'Urville, and the contributors to the Missionary Register. The Ladrone or Marian Islands, the Navigators', and the vast range of the Carolines, have been for the first time satisfactorily illustrated by the inquiries of Freycinet and Kotzebue. The voyager last men- tioned, as also his countryman Billinghausen, M. Duperrey, and Captain Beechey, have completed the discovery of the Low or Coral Archipelago ; and the researches of Dillon and of D'Urville have supplied much valuable information on the state and pro- ductions of the New Hebrides. . In preparing this volume, the greatest pains have been taken to turn to advantage the important in- vestigations of the writers just named ; and while much interesting matter has been derived from the collections of Debrosses, Dalrymple, and Burney, PREFACE. 9 ave in. lile the the work, it is hoped, will afford evidence that in no instance where they were accessible have the original authorities been neglected. For some valuable information embodied in the account of Cook's Voyages, which occupies so consi- derable a portion of these pages, the Publishers have been indebted to the relatives of his family. By the kindness of the late Mr Isaac Cragg-Smith, they were furnished with the original manuscript of the great voyager's Observations of the Transit of Venus, and a facsimile of this interesting relic ac- companies the book. It may also be stated, that the Portrait (engraved by Horsburgh after Dance) which is prefixed to the work was pronounced by Mrs Cook — now no more — to be the most accurate of all the likenesses of her illustrious husband. The scenery of the different countries visited by that eminent seaman, the appearance of the natives, as well as their dress and arms, are successfully illustrated by numerous beautiful engravings from the able hand of Mr Jackson. The present volume comprises the History of Cir- cumnavigation from Magellan to Cook, — a period of more than two centuries and a half, — and details the proceedings of those navigators who effected disco- veries in the Pacific during the same time. It will be followed by a second, bringing down the narrative to the present day; exhibiting a copious view of the recent French, Russian, and German voyages, hitherto but little known in this country ; and con. 10 PREFACE. taining a general Chart of the Pacific, the appear, ance of which has been postponed in order that it may embrace some late discoveries of which no au- thentic intelligence has as yet been promulgated. The achievements of three circumnavigators, — Drake, Cavendish, and Dampier, — seemed to de- serve a more minute description than was compatible with the design of this work, and an early Number of the Edinburgh Cabinet Library was devoted to an account of their lives and actions. To the for- mer impressions of that volume was prefixed a brief notice of some of the first discoveries in the South Sea, which, as it is rendered superfluous by the more ample details now given, has been withdrawn in the last edition, in order to make way for several inte- resting facts and illustrations, derived from various books that have appeared in Great Britain and on the Continent since it was originally issued. Edinburgh, June 1, 1836. '"Il m CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA — 1513. Geographical Knowledge of the Ancients — Their Ignorance of a Sea to the East of China— First seen by Marco Polo (1271- 1295) — Progress of Modern Discovery — Columbus (1492) — Pa- pal Bull of Partition (1494)— Cabral (1500)— Cabot ( 1497-1517) — Cortereal ( 1500)— Pinzon (1500)— Vasco Nunez de Balboa hearsof the South Sea— Its Discovery (26th Sept. 1513). ..Page IJ CHAPTER II. CIRCUMKAVIOATION OF MAOELLAK— 1519-1522. Magellan's Birth and Services — Proposals to the Spanish Court ac. cepted — Sails on his Voyage (20tli Sept. 1519) — Anchors at Port San Julian — Transactions there — Description of the Natives — Discovers the Strait (21st October 1520)— Enters the South Sea (28th November) — The Unfortunate Islands — The Ladrones (6th March 1521) — The Island of Mazaguaor Limasava — Zebu — Intercourse with the Natives — Death of Magellan (27th April) — His Character — Fleet proceeds to Borneo — Arrives at Tidore — The Ship Vitoria reaches Spain (6th Sept. 1622)— Fate of the Trinidad — Results of the Expedition 36 CHAPTER III. DISCOVERIES AKD CIRCUMNAVIOATIOXS FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY — 1522-1600. Expedition of Loyasa ( 1525) — Discovery of Papua or New Guinea ( 1526)— Voyages of Saavedra(1527-1529)— Of Villalobos (1542) V2 CONTENTS. -.Of Legaapi (1564)— Of Juan Fernandez (1563-1574)— Expe- dition of Mendana, and Discovery of the Solomon Islands (1567) —John Oxenham, the first Englishman that sailed on the Pacific (1676)— Circumnavigation of Sir Francis Drake (1577-1680)— Expedition of Sarmiento ( l.')79) — Circumnavigation of Cavendish ( 1686-1688)— His Second Voyage (1691)— The Falkland Islands discovered (1592)— Expedition of Sir Richard Hawkins (1593) — Second Voyage of Mendana (1595) — The Marquesas— Santa Cruz— Expedition of five Dutch Vessels (1698)— Circumnaviga- tion of Van Noort (1598-1601)— Retrospect Page 70 CHAPTER IV. CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES OF THE SEVEN- TEENTH CENTURY— 1600-1700. Voyage of Quiros (1605-1606)— La Sagitaria — Australia del Es- piritu Santo — Luis Vaez de Torres discovers the Strait between New Holland and New Guinea (1606) — Circumnavigation of Spilbergen (1614-161 7)— Of Schoutenand Le Maire (1616-1617) — Discovery of Staten Land and Cape Horn — Cocos,Good Hope, and Horn Islands — New Ireland — Expedition of the Nodals (1618)-DiscoveryofNew Holland by Dirck Hatichs(1616)-Cir- cumnavigation of the Nassau Fleet (1623-1626) — Voyage of Tasman (1642) — Discovery of Van Diemen's Land, of New Zea- land, and the Friendly Islands — Voyages of Hendrick Brower (1642) and La Roche (1675) — Expeditions of the Buccaneers (1683-1691)— Discovery of Davis' or Easter Island (1687)— Voyage of Strong, and Discovery of Falkland Sound (1690) — Retrospect 104 CHAPTER V. CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE EIGH- TEENTH CENTURY TO THE REIGN OF GEORGE III. — 1700 -1761. Circumnavigation of Dampierand Funnel (1703-1706), of Woodes Rogers (170ft-1711), of Clipperton and Shelvocke (1719-1722), of Ro^;ewein (1721-1723) — Easter Island — Pernicious Islands — Circumnavigation of Anson (1740-1744)— Objects of the Ex- pedition — Passage of Cape Horn — Severe Sufferings of the Crew —Juan Fernandez — Cruise on the American Coasts — Burning CONTENTS. 13 of Payta— Lossof the Gloucester — Tinian— Capture of the Ma- nilla Galleon — Return of the Centurion to England — Fate of the Wager Pa{?e 15^ CHAPTER VI. CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS OF BYRON, WALMS, AND CARTERET— 1764-17<>y. Voyage of Byron (1764-1766)— Its Objects— Vain Search for Pepys' Island— Discovery of the Islands of Disappointment, King George, Prince of Wales, Danger, and Duke of York — Circum- navigations of Wallis and Carteret (1766-1769) — Their Sepa- ration (1767) — Wallis discovers the Islands of Whitsunday, Queen Charlotte, Egmont, Cumberland, and Osnaburg — Arrives at Otaheite — Transactions there — Sails for Tinian — Anchors in the Downs (1768) — Carteret discovers Pitcairn's Island (1767) — Santa Cruz or Queen Charlotte's Islands — The Solomons — St George's Channel and New Ireland — New Hanover — Arrives at Spithead(176y) 195 CHAPTER VII. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF BOUGAINVILLE— 1766-1769. Project for colonising the Falkland Islands (1763)— Their Cession to Spain (1767)— Disputes with England (1769-1771)— Settle, ments abandoned (1772) — Bougainville discovers the Dangerous Archipelago (1768) — Maitea — Otaheite — Incidents during his Stay there — Takes a Native with him — 1 he Grand Cyclades or Australia del Espiritu Santo — Louisiade or the Solomons — Bouca — Choiseul and Bougainville Islands — Return to France (1769) — The Otaheitan in Paris — Voyage of Marion (1771) — Expedi- tion of Surville (1769) — Terre des Arsacides— Voyage of Short- land (1788)— New Geqrgia— Retrospect 244 CHAPTER VIII. LIFE OF COOK PREVIOUS TO HIS FIRST VOYAGE- 1728-1768. Birth and Parentage of Cook — His Education — His Indentures with a Draper — Apprenticeship on board a Collier — Volunteers into the Navy (1755) — Appointed Master of the Mercury (1759) 14 CONTENTS. His Serviccsat Quebec — Hairbreadth Escape — Hefirststudies Euclid — His Marriage (17^2) — Made Marine Surveyor of New- foundland and Labrador ( 1764)— Communicates an Observation of an Eclipse to the Royal Society ( 1767)— History of the Transits of Venus— Predicted in 1629 by Kepler — Discovery and Obser. vation of Horrox (1639)— First Appreciation of its Uses— Pro- fessor James Gregory (1663)— Dr Edmund Halley (1677-1716) His Exhortation to future Astronomers— Transit of 1761— Preparations for that of 1769— Proposal to send a Ship with Observers to the South Sea— Cook promoted tu the Rank of Lieu- tenant, and appointed to conduct it (25th May 1768) — His Choice of a Vessel— Sir Joseph Banks determines to join the Expedi- tion—Preparations and Instructions for the Voyage. ...Page 281 CHAPTER IX. FIRST CIRCUMKAVIOATIOK OF COOK— 1768-1771. Departure (26tli August 1768) — Adventure on Tierra del Fuego (16th January 17^9) — Discovery of Lagoon, Thrum Cap, Bow, The GruMps, and Chain Islands— Arrival at Otaheite— Observa- tion of the Transit and Incidents during their Stay — Discovery of the Islands of Tethuroa, Huaheine, UUetea, Otaha, Tubai, Bo- labola, Maurua, and Oheteroa — Makes the East Coast of New Zealand (7th August) — Affrays with the Natives — Doubles the North Cape — Discovers Cook's Straits, and circumnavigates the Islands— Sails for the East Coast of New Holland — Discovery of New South Wales (19th April 1770)— Botany Bay—Inter- course with the Natives^Port Jackson— Dangerous Position of x the Ship — Reaches the most northerly Point of Australia — Re- discovery of Torres' Strait — New Guinea — ^Timor — Batavia — Mortality among the Crew— Arrival in England (12th June 1771) 299 CHAPTER X. SECOND CIBCUMXAVIOATION OF COOK — 1772-1775* Objects of the Voyage— Departure (13th July 1772)— Search for Bouvet's Land — The Southern Continent — Aurora Australis — Arrival at New Zealand — Visit to the Low Archipelago — Otaheite — Huaheine — Ulietea — Re-discovery of the Tonga or Friendly Islands — Second Visit to New Zealand— Separation of the Ships — Search tor the Terra Australis resumed — Highest irst studies or of New- ienrationof le Transits and Obser* Jses — Pro- 1677-1716) of 1761- Ship with [ik of Lieu- His Choice e Expedi. ..Page 281 771. del Fuego Cap, Bow, -Observa- iDiscovery rubai, Bo- jt of New rabies the igates the iscovery Ly — Inter- 'osition of ^ Jia — Re- itavia — |2th June ..299 [75. -Search Lustralis Blago— Dnga or ition of [ighest CIRCUMNAVIGATION 07 THE GLOBR -,.;» CHAPTER I. Discovery of the South Sea. Geographical Knowledge of the Ancients — Their Ignorance of a Sea to the East of China — First seen by Marco Polo — Progress of Modern Discovery — Columbus — Papal Bull of Partition — Cabral— Cabot — Cortereal — Pinzon — Vasco Nunez de Balboa hears of the South Sea— Its Discovery. The existence of the vast ocean which separates the continents of Asia and America was never imagined by the ancients; nor^ indeed^ do they appear to have had any certain knowledge that Asia on the east was bounded by the sea. Homer had figured the world as a circle begirt by " the great strength of ocean," and this belief in a circumambient flood long continued to prevail. It was implicitly received by many geographers, and, being carried onwards with the advance of science, A 18 DISCOVERY OP THE SOUTH SEA. was from time to time reconciled to the varying theories and conjectures of the increased know- ledge of succeeding ages. Thus, long after the spherical form of the earth was taught, the exist- ence of its ocean-girdle was credited; and in the geographical systems of Eratosthenes, Strabo, JNIela, and others, the waters of the Atlantic were depicted as laving on the one hand the shores of Europe, and encircling on the other the mysterious regions of Scythia and India. Nay, so far had the speculations of philosophy outstripped the rude navigation of the times, that the possibility of crossing this unknown ocean was more than once contemplated. Having formed an estimate of the circumference of the globe, Aristotle conceived that the distance between the pillars of Hercules and India must be small, and that a communication might be effected between them. Seneca with more confidence affirmed, that with a fair wind a ship would sail from Spain to the Indies in a few days. But these notions were far from being universally received. Herodotus had early denied the existence of this circle of wa- ters; and those who maintained the affirmative, reasoned on grounds manifestly hypothetical, and beyond the narrow limits of their knowledge. Of the northern countries of Asia they knew nothing, nor were they acquainted with the extensive regions beyond the Ganges, — a vast space that they filled with their Eastern Sea, which thus commenced where their information stopped, and all beyond was dark. The progress of discovery at length brought to light the existence of lands in those portions of the globe supposed to be covered by the ocean ; but, proceed- ing with undue haste, it was next imagijied that f.' 1 DISCOVERY OP THE SOUTH SKA. 19 (.; ^^ Asia extended eastwards in an indefinite expanse. It was figured thus by Ptolemy, the last and great- est of the ancient geographers. He removed from his map the Atlantieum MareOrientale(tiie eastern Atlantic), which had so long marked the confines of geographical research, and exhibited the continent as stretching far beyond the limits previously as- signed to it. His knowledge did not enable him to delineate its eastern extremity, or the ocean be- yond : he was therefore induced to terminate it by a boundary of *' land unknown." With Ptolemy ceased not only the advance of science, but even the memory of almost all that had been formerly known. The long night which succeeded the decline of the Roman empire was now closing in, and a dreary space intervened before its shadows were dispelled by the dawn of a brighter day than the world had yet witnessed. • The first gleam of light came from the East, where the Arabs pursued the study of geography with the utmost ardour. Their systems again revived the be- lief in a circumambient ocean, which bound the earth like a zone, and in which the world floated like an egg in a basin. That portion of this belt of waters which was imagined to flow round the north-eastern shores of Asia, they called by the name of " The Sea of Pitchy Darkness." The Atlantic had by the Greeks been regarded as a fairy scene, where the Islands of the Blest were placed, in which, under calm skies, surrounded by unruflled seas and amid groves of the sweetest odour, the favoured of the gods enjoyed everlasting peace and happiness. This fable found no place among the Arabs, who bestowed on that ocean the name of " The Sea of Darkness," DI8C0VKRY OF THE SOUTH 8EA. and filled their imaginations with appalling pictures of its storms and dangers. Xerif al Edrisi, one of the most eminent of their geographers, who wrote about the middle of the twelfth century, ob« serves,-—" No one has been able to verify any thing concerning it, on account of its difficult and perilous navigation, its great obscurity, its profound depth and frequent tempests ; through fear of its mighty fishes and its haughty winds ; yet there are many islands in it, some peopled, others uninhabited. There is no mariner who dares to enter into its deep waters ; or, if any have done so, they have merely kept along its coasts, fearful of departing from them. The waves of this ocean, although they roll as high as mountains, yet maintain themselves without breaking ; for if they broke, it would be impossible for a ship to plough them." But the mystery of this " Sea of Pitchy Dark- ness" was at length removed. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, the celebrated Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, succeeded in penetrating across the Asiatic continent, and reached the far. thest shores of China. He brought back to Europe tales of oriental pomp and magnificence far beyond any previous conception. His work exercised the greatest influence on the minds of that age, which, prone to belief in marvellous stories, found unbound- ed gratification in the glowing descriptions of the wealth of those eastern countries ; the extent and architectural wonders of their cities ; the numbers and glittering array of their armies ; and, above all, the inconceivable splendour of the court of the great Kublai Khan, his vast palaces, his guards, his gay summer-residences, with their magnificent gardens L^ DI8C0VBRY OP THE SOUTH SKA. 21 watered by beautiful streams, and adorned with the fairest fruits and flowers. Among these vi. sions of immeasurable riches, a prominent place was occupied by the sea which was found to be the eastern boundary of China. He drew a picture of it, widely differing from the gloom and tempests with which the Arabs had invested its waters. He spoke of its extent, so great, " that, according to the report of experienced pilots and mariners who fre- quent it, and to whom the truth must be known, it contains no fewer than seven thousand four hundred and forty islands, mostly inhabited." As to their products, he told that no trees grew there that did not yield a fragrant perfume. He dwelt on the abundance of their spices and drugs, and summed up the whole by declaring, that " it was impossible to estimate the value of the gold and other articles found in these islands !" But all others were outshone by the more lavish splendours of Zipangu, the modern Japan. There, were to be found abundance of precious stones, and large quantities of pearls, some white, and others of a beautiful pink colour. The inhabitants were of a fair complexion, well made, and of civilized manners. " They have gold," it is said, " in the greatest plenty, its sources being inexhaustible; but astheking does not allow of its being exported, few merchants visit the country, nor is it frequented by much ship- ping from other parts. To this circumstance we are to attribute the extraordinary richness of the sove- reign's palace, according to what we are told by those who have access to the place. The entire roof is covered with a plating of gold, in the same man- ner as we cover houses, or more properly churches^ 22 DISCOVERY OP THE SOUTH SEA. with lead. The ceilings of the halls are of the same precious metal ; many of the apartments have small tables of pure gold, considerably thick ; and the win- dows also have golden ornaments. So vast, indeed," exclaims the Venetian, " are the riches of the palace, that it is impossible to convey an idea of them !"* Marco Polo was careful to explain, that the sea in which Zipangu and its neighbouring islands were placed was not a gulf or branch of the ocean, like the English or the Egean Seas, but a large and boundless expanse of waters. Thus early was the Asiatic margin of the South Sea made known; but more than two centuries elapsed before its opposite boundary was reached, or a European ship was launched upon its waves. The Atlantic shores of Africa were the first scenes of that career of modern discovery which charac- terized the spirit of the fifteenth century. The main object was the circumnavigation of that con- tinent, in order to open a direct path to India, the grand source of commerce and wealth; and, under the auspices of Prince Henry of Portugal, this end was pursued with a steadiness and perse- verance which produced the most important results. There was inspired a confidence, hitherto unfelt, in the art of navigation ; its capabilities were much advanced, and the range of its enterprise extended far beyond all previous limits. A passion for mari- time adventure was also spread throughout Europe, and men's minds were excited to daring under- takings and bold speculations. Attention was turn- * The Travels of Marco Polo, a Venetian, in the Thirteenth Century, translated from the Italian, with Notes by William Mars- den, F.R.S. London, 1818. 4to, p. 569, et seq. . - DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 23 ed to the unknown waters of the Atlantic, and imagination wantoned in figuring the wealth, the wonders, and the mysteries of the lands that were Iiidden in its bosom. The fables of antiquity were revived ; the Atalantis of Plato came again to be believed ; and to its classic fictions were add- ed the marvels of many a Gothic and monkish legend, and the visions of splendour seen in the glory of the setting sun.. Yet all these glittering fancies failed to tempt any mariner to sail boldly forth into the ocean, and explore the secrets of its depths. At length arose Christopher Columbus, — a man of whom it has been happily remarked, that the nar- rative of his life is the link which connects the his- tory of the Old World with that of the New. From the study of ancient and modern geographers he became convinced of the existence of lands which might be reached by sailing westward. He argued that the earth was a sphere, and, following Ptolemy, he assigned to it a circumference of twenty-four hours. He estimated that fifteen of these were known to the ancients, and that what remained to be explored was occupied by the eastern coun- tries of Asia and the sea seen by Marco Polo, which he believed to be identical with the Atlantic. He was therefore firmly assured, that, by proceeding westward across this ocean, he would arrive at the shores of the Asiatic continent and its neighbouring island of Zipangu, of which the glowing description left by the Venetian traveller seems to have con- stantly haunted his thoughts. After many years of doubt and disappointment spent in soliciting various princes to engage in the en. 34 DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. terprise, he at length set sail from Spain on the 3d of August 1492^ and on the 12th of October following landed on San Salvador, one of the Bahama Islands. After cruising for some time among this cluster, believed by him to be part of the great archipelago mentioned by Marco Polo, he discovered the island of Cuba, which he concluded to be a portion of the continent of Asia. He next visited the beautiful island of Hayti or St Domingo, and, having loaded his vessels with specimens of the inhabitants and productions of this new country, returned to Europe. In his third voyage, Columbus discovered the con- tinent of America, and looked upon it as the Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients, — the peninsula of Ma- lacca in modern maps. As he sailed along its shores, he received tidings of a great water situated to the south, and, conceiving that it must be connected with the Gulf of Mexico, determined to search for the strait or channel of communication. His la^t voyage was dedicated to this fruitless attempt ; and he died in the firm conviction that this southern sea was the Indian Ocean, and that the lands he had visited belonged to the eastern boundary of Asia. How very far did he under-estimate the grandeur of his achievements ! He thought that he had found but a new path to countries known of old, while he had in truth discovered a continent hitherto unimagined, yet rivalling the ancient world in extent. Who will not share in the regret which has been so elo. quently expressed, that the gloom, the penury, and disappointment which overcast his latter years, were visited by none of those bright and consoling hopes which would have flowed from the revelation of the future glory of " the splendid empires which were DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 25 to spread over the beautiful world he had discover- ed ; and the nations, and tongues, and languages, which were to fill its lands with his renown, and to revere and bless his name to the latest posterity !"^ To secure the possession of the vast countries discovered by Columbus, the King of Spain applied for the sanction of the Pope. Martin V. and other pontiffs had granted to Portugal all the countries which it might discover from Cape Bojador and Cape Nun to the Indies ; and the Portuguese mo. narch now complained that his neighbour in visiting America had violated the rights conferred on him by the Holy Father. While this complaint was under, going investigation, the court of Castile exerted its influence with Pope Alexander VI. ; and on the 4th of May 1493, a Bull was issued, which most materially influenced the future course of maritime discovery. By this important document, the head of the Catholic Church, " with the plenitude of apostolic power, by the authority of God Omnipotent granted to him through blessed Peter, and of the vicarship of Jesus Christ, which he exercises upon earth," assigned to the Spa. nish sovereigns " all the islands and main-lands, with all their dominions, cities, castles, places, and towns, and with all their rights, jurisdictions, and appurtenances, discovered, and which shall be dis- covered," to the west of an ideal line drawn from pole to pole, at the distance of a hundred leagues westward of the Azores. Thus did Spain at once acquire " an empire far more extensive than that * History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, by Washington Irving, vol. iv. p. HI, — an admirable book, in which industry of research, elegance and loftiness of thought and diction, have combined to rear a work, which, surpassing all others on the subject, will itself probably never be surpi^d. 26 DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. which seven centuries of warfare obtained for the Romans !"* This munificent grant was accompanied with one important injunction : Alexander adjured the sovereigns " by tlie holy obedience which you owe us^ that you appoint to the said main-lands and islands upright men and fearing God, learned, skilful, and expert in instructing the foresaid na- tives and inhabitants in the Catholic faith, and in teaching them good morals, employing for that pur- pose all requisite diligence." The terrors of Divine wrath were thundered against those who should in- fringe the papal grant. " Let no person presume with rash boldness to contravene this our donation, decree, inhibition, and will. For if any person pre- sumes to do so, be it known to him that he will in- cur the indignation of Almighty God, and of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul."t Even by orthodox princes, however, these threatenings were held light. As has been remarked by Purchas, " the Portugalls * Memoir of Columbus, by D. G. B. Spotorno, Professor of Eloquence in tbe University of Genoa, published in " Memorials of Columbus, or a Collection of authentic Documents of that cele- brated Navi^tor, now first published from the orij^inal Manu- scripts, by order of the Decnrions of Genoa. Translated from the ^anish and Italian." London, 1823. 8vo. + The orijrinal Bull may be consulted in Purchas, vol. i. p. 13-15. A translation from a copy exhibiting some variations, but of no OTeat consequence, is inserted in the " Memorials of Colum- bus above quoted, document xxxvii. p. 172 183. '1 his last has been followed in the quotations t^iven in the present work. 'J he copy in Purchas is accompanied by a chapter of "Animadversions on the said Bull of Pope Alexander," which cannot fail to {^ratify the curious in abuse and invective, in which it will scarcely yield the palm to any of the " flytinfjs" of our earlier Scottish poets, or to the controversial writings of Scaliger, Milton, or Salmasius. In one sentence Alexander is called " Heire of all the Vices of all the Popes," — " the Plague-sore into that Cbayre of Pestylence," . — " the Monster of Men, or indeed rather an incarnate Devill," — so necessarv did Purchas consider it " not to suifer this Bull to passe unbaited !** DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 27 regarded them not ; and not the Bull, but otlier com- promise stayed them from open hostilitie." By an agreement between the two nations of the Penin- sula, concluded in 1494, it was covenanted, that the line of partition described in the ecclesiastical document should be extended 270 leagues farther to the west, and that all beyond this boundary should belong to Castile, and all to the eastward to Portugal."' Thus their territories were defined with sufficient certainty on one side of the globe ; but the limits on the other were left perfectly vague, and be- came a fertile subject of dispute. Meantime, the Portuguese had achieved the grand object which they had so long laboured to attain. In 1486, Bartholomew Diaz reached the southern ex- tremity of Africa, which he named the Cape of Storms; but the Portuguese monarch gave it the more auspicious title of Good Hope. Eleven years after, Vasco de Gama doubled this dreaded pro- montory, and conducted a fleet to the rich shores of India, — an event which was destined to exercise on the career of American discovery more than an indirect influence, powerful as that was. The vast * This ag-reement (sometimes called the treaty of Tordesillas) was concluded on 7th June, but was not subscribed by Ferdinand till 2d July 1493, and by John not till 27th February 1494. It was confirmed by a Bull in ISOfi. The late Admiral Burney, whose work we will have occasion so often to mention with respect, writes of this Bf^eement, — " At the instance of the Portuguese, with the con- sent of the Pope, in 1494 the line of partition was by agreement removed 270 leagues more to the west, that it miffht accord with^ their possessions in the Brazils/^ — Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea, vol. i. p. 4. It is impossible to admit the existence of the motive here assigned ; for Brazil was not discovered by Cabral until six years after the date of the agree- ment. — Purchas, vol. i. p. 30. Robertson's Hist, of America, book ii. Irving's Columbus, iii. 147, and authorities there quoted. — It is proper to mention that Burney is by no means singular in this mistake. 98 DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. ' I > treasures which Portugal drew from countries where the harvest of the adventurer was prepared before he visited the field, mightily inflamed the avidity of Spain, and breathed a new spirit of ardour into her enterprises. Nor did the former kingdom fail to contribute her exertions towards extending the knowledge of the new continent. In the year 1500^ the second expedition which was fitted out for India, under the command of Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, standing westward to clear the shores of Africa, dis. covered the coast of Brazil, and took possession of it in name of the Portuguese crown. It has been well observed by an eminent writer on this subject, " that Columbus' discovery of the New World was the effort of an active genius, enlightened by science, guided by experience, and acting upon a regular plan, exe- cuted with no less courage than perseverance. But from this adventure of the Portuguese, it appears that chance might have accomplished that great de- sign which it is now the pride of human reason to have formed and perfected. If the sagacity of Co- lumbus had not conducted mankind to America, Cabral, by a fortunate accident, might have led them a few years later to the knowledge of that ex- tensive continent."* We have seen that even Portugal yielded but a scanty deference to the right which the Pope had usurped of bestowing the world at his will ; and Eng. land was still less inclined to acquiesce in such an as- * Robertson's History of America, book ii. Care must be taken not to overvalue the ments of Cabral. It should be recollected that his discoyerv was the result of chance ; and farther, that Brazil had been visitea some months previously by Diego Lepe, and still earlier by Vicente Yanez Pinzon, who was the first to cross the equator in the Atlantic. DISCOVBRY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 29 sumption of power. So early as 1497> an armament sailed from this country, conducted, under letters, patent from Henry VII., by John Cabot, a native of Venice settled at Bristol, and by his three sons, Louis, Sebastian, and Sanchez.* The object appears to have been to find a western passage northwards of the new Spanish discoveries, and by this route to reach India. In prosecution of this great scheme, Cabot, on the 24th of June 1497, approached the American continent, probably at Newfoundland; and his son Sebastian, in two successive voyages, performed in 1498 and 1517, explored a large ex. tent of the coast, from Hudson's Bay on the north as far as Florida on the south. Although unsuc* cessful in the attainment of their immediate purpose, these expeditions have justly entitled the English to the high distinction of being the first discoverers of the main-land of America, — Columbus not having seen any part of it till the 1st of August 1498. In 1500, three years after the first voyage of Cabot, Gas. par Cortereal, a Portuguese gentleman, under the sanction of King Emanuel, pursued the track of the Cabots with the same views. Sailing along the east coast of Newfoundland, he reached the northern extremity of that island, and entered the mouth of the St Lawrence, which, with no small show of probability, he concluded to be the opening into the * A late acute writer has started a question as to the compara- tive agency of John and Sebastian Cabot. (Memoir of Sebastiao Cabot. London, 1831 ; p. 42, et seq.^ This point has been amply considered in a previous volume of this Library, to which reference is made for a minute rtlation of the discoveries of the Cabots. — His- torical View of the Progress of Discovery on the more Northern Coasts of America, chap, i., and Appendix. Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. iX. L^t 30 DISCOVERY OP THE SOUTH SEA. ^i west that he was seeking. He proceeded also along the coast of Labrador, and appears to have advanced nearly as far as to Hudson's Bay. While England and Portugal were thus examin- ing the coasts of the New World, Spain, which had first opened the path, pursued it with unabated zeal and activity. The peculiar circumstances of that country afforded much encouragement to the spirit of adventure. The long war she had waged with the Moors, and the high and romantic feelings which animated that contest, fostered a strong de- sire of excitement, and an ardent love of enterprise, which found in the regions discovered by Columbus an ample and inexhaustible field. " Chivalry left the land and launched upon the deep; the Spa- nish cavalier embarked in the caravel of the disco- verer." Year after year her ports poured forth fresh expeditions, while national enthusiasm was almost daily excited by rumours of new countries far richer and more fertile than any previously known. The details of these navigations, however, more properly belong to another work ; and it will be sufficient in this place briefly to allude to their chief results. In 1500, Rodrigo de Bastides explored the northern coast of Tierra Firma, from the Gulf of Darien to Cape de Vela, from about the 73d to the 79th degree of west longitude. In the same year, Vi- cente Yanez Pinzon doubled Cape San Augustine, discovered the Maragnon or River of Amazons, and sailed northward along the coast to the island of Trinidad. The same active voyager engaged in seve- ral other expeditions ; and in one of these, in which he was accompanied by Diaz de Sol is, made known to Europeans the province of Yucatan. Almost con- DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 31 temporaneously with the first voyage of Pinzon, his townsman, Diego Lepe, pursuing nearly tiie same path, added hirgely to tlie knowledge of the coasts of Brazil. In 1512, Juan Ponce de Leon set sail in quest of the fabled island of Bimini, where flowed the miraculous Fountain of Youth, whose waters were of such wonderful power that whosoever bathed in them was restored to the vigour of early man- hood. Though this fairy region was in vain sought for, the important discovery of the blooming coast of Florida was achieved. In the succeeding year, 1513, the Spaniards at length reached that ocean of which they had heard many vague rumours from the natives of Tierra Firma. The honour of this discovery is due to Vas- co Nunez de Balboa, a man sprung from a decayed family, and who, first appearing in the New World as a mere soldier of fortune, of dissolute habits and of desperate hopes, had, by courage and intrigue, raised himself to the government of a small colony established at Santa Maria in Darien. In one of his forays against the native inhabitants, when in this command, he procured a large quantity of gold. While he was dividing the treasure among his followers, much disputing took place in the presence of a young cacique, who, disdaining brawls for what seemed to him so mean an object, struck the scales with his hand, and scattered the gold on the ground, exclaim- ing, " Why should you quarrel for such a trifle > If this gold is indeed so precious in your eyes, that for it you forsake your homes, invade the peace- ful lands of strangers, and expose yourselves to such sufferings and perils, I will tell you of a province where you may gratify your wishes to the utmost. 32 DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. ii Behold those lofty mountains \" he said, pointing to the south, " beyond these lies a mighty sea, which may be discerned from their summit. It is navi- gated by people who have vessels not aiuch less than yours, and furnished like them with sails and oars. All the streams which flow down the southern side of those mountains into that sea abound in gold ; and the kings who reign upon its borders eat and drink out of golden vessels. Gold is as plentiful and common among these people of the south as iron is among you Spaniards." l\om the moment in which he heard this intelligence, the mind of Vasco Nunez became occupied with this one object, and he stead- fastly devoted all his thoughts and actions to the discovery of the southern sea indicated by this chief. Many difficulties^ however, retarded the undertak- ing, and it was not till the Ist of September 1513, that he set forth, accompanied by no more than a hundred and ninety soldiers. After incredible toil in marching through hostile tribes, he at length approached the base of the last ridge he had to climb, and rested there for the night. On the 26th of September, with the first glimmering of light, he commenced the ascent, and by ten o'clock had reached the brow of the mountain, from the sum. mit of which he was assured he would see the pro- mised ocean. Here Vasco Nunez made his follow- ers halt, and mounted alone to the bare hill-top. What must have been his emotions when he reach- ed the summit ! Below him extended forests, green fields, and winding rivers, and beyond he beheld the South Sea, illuminated by the morning sun. At this glorious sight he fell on his knees, and ex. tending his arms towards the ocean, and weeping for DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH SEA. 33 joy, returned thanks to Heaven for being the iirst European who had been permitted to behold tliese long-sought waters. He then made signs to his com- panions to ascend, and when they obtained a view of the magnificent scene, a priest who was among them began to chant the anthem " Te deum laudamus/' all the rest kneeling and joining in the solemn strain. This burst of pious enthusiasm is strangely contrast- ed with the feelings of avarice to which, even in the moment of exultation, their leader surrendered his mind, when he congratulated them on the prospect " of becoming, by the favour of Christ, the richest Spaniards that ever came to the Indies." After this he caused a tall tree to be felled, and formed into a cross, which was erected on the spot whence he first beheld the western deep. He then began to descend from the mountains to the shores of the new-found ocean; and on the 29th of September reached a vast bay, named by him San Miguel, from the festival on which it was discovered. Unfurling a banner, whereon was painted a figure of the Vir- gin with the arms of Castile at her feet, he marched with his drawn sword in his hand and his buckler on his shoulder knee-deep into the rushing tide, and, in a loud voice, took possession of the sea and of all the shores it washed. He concluded the ceremony by cutting with his dagger a cross on a tree that grew in the water ; and his followers, dispersing themselves in the forest, expressed their devotion by carving similar marks with their weapons. Vasco Nunez then betook himself to pillage : He exacted from the natives contributions in gold and provisions ; and being told of a country to the south where the people possessed abundance of gold, and I 34 DISCOVERY OP THE SOUTH SEA. used beasts of burden, the rude figure of the lama traeed on the beaeh suggested to him the eamel, and confirmed him in the opinion tliat he liad reached *' the gates of the East Indies." Fnrmi the circum- stance of the ocean having been first descried from the Isthmus of Darien, which runs nearly east and west, it received the name of the South Sea, — a title which, however accurately applied to the part first seen, is employed with little propriety to designate the whole vast expanse of the Pacific. Tidings of this great discovery were immediately transmitted to Spain, and received with delight and triumph. But instead of rewarding so important a service, the court despatched a governor to supersede Balboa, who, by the perfidy of his successor, was publicly executed in 1517.* IMeantime the colony on the Darien continued to extend their knowledge of the western ocean, to make excursions in barks, and to form small settlements in the vicinity. Larger vessels were soon constructed ; and violently taking possession of some small islands in the Gulf of San Miguel, which they named the Pearl Islands, the Spaniards extorted from their conquered subjects a large annual tribute drawn from the treasures of the deep. As the hope decayed of finding a passage to India through a strait in the American continent, the de- sign was formed of establishing a regular intercourse by the Isthmus of Darien ; and a settlement was ac- cordingly fixed at Panama, whence vessels were to visit • The extraordinary career of Vasco Nunez de Balboa has of late been invested with a new interest by the eleg;ant meraoir of Don Manuel Josef Quintana, — an English translation of which, by Mrs Hodson, appeared at Edinburgh in 1832. i t' * • 'A IS ■mi EA. DISCOVERY OP TIIK SOUTH SEA. 'X) of the lama le t'amel, and > had reached 1 the cireum- iescried from arly east and 1 Sea, — a title the part first / to designate . Tidings of f transmitted md triumph, a service, the sede Balboa, was publicly continued to ;ean, to make 1 settlements constructed ; small islands y named the from their ibute drawn sage to India lent, the de- r intercourse nent was ac- s were to visit e Balboa has of g;ant memoir of on of which, by 4 the eastern shores of Asia. This scheme, however, failed of success. Within a month after the ships destined for the voyage had been launched, tlieir planks were so destroyed by worms as to render them quite useless. No better success had followed an attempt which was made in ITilTi to find an open- ing into the Austral Ocean, in more southern lati- tudes. The commander of the expedition, Juan Diaz de Solis, in exploring the country at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, fell into an ambus, cade and lost his life. Upon this disaster, the un- dertaking was abandoned, and the vessels returned to Spain. Such was the knowledge obtained of the South Sea prior to the year 1519. Its waters had indeed been discovered, and the highest hopes formed of its treasures as well as of the rich lands washed by its billows. But all attempts to explore its vast expanse had failed; and the seamen who boldly crossed the broad Atlantic were content to creep cau- tiously along the gulfs and creeks of this newly-reach- ed ocean. No strait had yet been found to connect its waves with those of seas already known and na- vigated ; it seemed to be hemmed in by inaccessible barriers ; and the great continent of America, which had been regarded as a main object of discovery, was now in some degree considered as an obstacle in the path to farther enterprise. 36 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. CHAPTER II. Circumnavigation of Magellan. Magellan's Birth and Services— Proposals to the Spanish Court ac- cepted — Sails on his Voyage — Anchors at Port San Julian — Trans- actions there — Description of the Natives — Discovers the Strait Enters the South Sea — The Unfortunate Islands — The La- drones — The Island of Mazagua or Limasava — Zebu — Inter- course with the Natives — Death of Magellan — His Character — Fleet proceeds to Borneo — Arrives at Tidore — The Ship Vitoria reaches Spain — Fate of the Trinidad — Results of the Expeditioni The glory of discovering a path to the South Sea, and of overcoming the difficulties which had hither- to impeded the navigation of its waters, is due to Fernando de Magalhanes, Magalhaens, or, as it has been more commonly written in this country, Ma- gellan.* He was by birth a Portuguese, and sprung from a noble family. He had served in India with much honour under the standard of the famous Al- buquerque, and had there made considerable acquire- ments in practical seamanship. To these were added no mean scientific attainments, and much informa- * In Hawkesworth's account of the first voyage of Captain Cook (Hawkes. Coll. vol. ii. p. 41, London, 1773), appears the following note: — " The celebrated > navigator who cliscovered this streight was a native of Portugal, and his name, in the language of nis country, was Fernando de Mufialhaens ; the Spaniards call him Hernando Magalhanes^ and the French Maf/euan, which is the orthography that has been generally adopted: a gentleman, the fifth in descent from this great adventurer, is now living in or near London, and communicated the true name of his ancestor to Mr [Sir Joseph] Banks, with a request that it might be inserted in this work." Ui I — Zebu — Inter- His Character — Phe Ship Vitoria r the Expedition! e South Sea, 1 had hither- rs, is due to or, as it has ountry, Ma- , and sprung 1 India with ; famous Al- ible acquire- 3 were added ich informa. of Captain Cook rs the following ed this streiffht anguage of nis aniards call him tn, which is the gentleman, the iviug in or near ancestor to Mr injjerted in this tion, derived from a correspondence with some of the first geographers and most successful navigators of those days. The grounds on which he projected his great undertaking have not been accurately record- ed. It has been supposed he was struck with the cir- cumstance that the South American continent trends still more to the westward in proportion as the higher latitudes are attained ; that he concluded from this, that in shape it was probably similar to Africa ; and that its southern extremity must be washed by an open sea, through which there would necessarily be an entrance into the ocean beyond. There have not been wanting persons, however, to ascribe the honour of this discovery to Martin Behem, — a distinguished geographer of that age, to whom also has been given the merit of having anticipated Columbus in finding the New World. But the pretensions set forth in be- half of this individual have been traced to an error in attributing to him the construction of a globe made many years after his death, which took place in 1506.* This date is fatal to his claim, as at that time the South Sea itself was not discovered. It must be re- membered, likewise, that for many years afterwards, the best mariners of Spain searched unsuccessfully for the strait in question, which they could hardly have missed, if, as is alleged, it had been laid down in the charts of Behem. Magellan first made an oifer of his service to his own sovereign, who, says Pray Gaspar,t " did not choose • Irving's Columbus. Appendix, No. xii. vol. iv. p. 205-212. See also Burney's Discov. in the South Sea, i. 45-48. + Conquest of the Philippine Islands. The principal authorities for the voyage of Magellan are Herrera, Barros, and Pigafetta. This last author, a native of Vicenza in Italy, accompanied the ex- pedition. From an imperfect copy of his narrative, an account was compiled by Purchas, vol. i. book i. chap. ii. The first perfect 38 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. to Iiear it, nor to give it any confidence, but dis- missed him with a frown and singular disgrace, very different from what was due to the proposal of Ma- galhanes, and the reputation he had acquired for his valour." Thus did Portugal, after having rejected the greatest honour in the career of discovery, — the finding of America, — spurn away the second, — the glory of the first circumnavigation of the globe. — Alagellan, accompanied by Ruy Falero, a native astrologer who was associated with him in the en- terprise, then determined to go to the Spanish court and tender the fame and profit of his undertak- ing to the Emperor Charles V. He arrived at Val- ladolid, where his majesty then was, about 1517, and his proposals were listened to with attention and respect. We are told by Herrera that he brought with him a globe fairly painted, on which he had described the lands and seas, and the track he meant to pursue, but carefully left the strait blank, that theymight not anticipate his design. This precaution (if the tale is to be credited) was a bitter satire on the little faith to be reposed in the honour of princes, but it was not used without good reason ; for Magellan had before him the example of John II. of Portugal, who, having gathered from Colum- bus the theory of his great project, with singular edition was published from a manuscript in the Ambrosian Library, by C. Amoretti : — " Primo Viaggio mtorno al globe terracqueo. Milano, 1800." This has since been translated into the French and English languages. In the " Historical Collection of the several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, by Alexander Dalrymple," London, 17^i^} will be found translations of Herrera, Barros, and Caspar, arranged in a manner that much facilitates a comparison between their varying statements. It is to ,be regretted that Dalrymple has only treated of the voyage of Magellan down to his entry into the Pacific. Burney has dili- gently examined all the authorities with his usual acumen and per- severance, and has woven the whole into a comprehensive and dis- criminating narrative. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. 39 meanness, secretly despatched a vessel to make the attempt, and rob the discoverer of his honours. The emperor, on considering the proposals of Ma- gellan, was so much gratified as to confer on him several distinctions. Articles of agreement were drawn out to the following effect : — The navigator, and his countryman, Ruy Falero, agreed to reach the Moluccas by sailing to the west ; it was stipulated that they were to enjoy a ten years' monopoly of the track which they explored, and to receive a twentieth part of all the revenue and profits, which, after de- ducting the expenses, should accrue from their dis- coveries. He was also to enjoy the title of Adelan- tado over the seas and lands he should happen to make known. Certain privileges of merchandise were conceded to him and his associate, including a fifth part of all that the ships should bring home in the first voyage : the emperor agreed to furnish for the expedition five vessels, two of 130 tons, two of ninety, and one of sixty ; and this fleet was to be victualled for two years, and provided with 234 men. These articles were concluded in Saragossa, and Magellan then repaired to Seville, where, in the church of Santa Maria de la Vitoria de Triana, the royal standard of Spain was formally delivered to him ; and he took a solemn oath that he would per- form the voyage with all faithfulness as a good vassal of the emperor. His squadron was composed of the Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Vitoria, the Concepcion, and the Santiago; but the period of sailing was retarded by the interference of the Por- tuguese king, who threw every obstacle in the way of the enterprise which he himself had not either the spirit or the generosity to encourage. He even en- 40 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. deavoured to entice IMagellan from the Spanish ser- vice by promises of more advantageous terms. Fail- ing in this, he is supposed to have countenanced va- rious reports which were circulated against the fame of the adventurer ; while others among his country- men predicted, that " the King of Spain would lose the expenses, for Fernando Magalhanes was a chat- tering fellow, and little reliance to be placed in him, and that he would not execute what he promised."* At length this renowned leader sailed from San Lucar on the 20th, or, according to some accounts, on the 21st of September 1519. His first destination was the Canary Islands, where he stopped to take in wood and water; and on the 13th December follow- ing he came to anchor in a port, which was named Santa Lucia, in 23^ degrees of south latitude, and on the coast of Brazil. This has sometimes been supposed the Rio de Janeiro of the Portuguese ; but modern observation does not confirm the opinion. The natives appeared a confiding, credulous, good- hearted race, and readily gave provisions in exchange for trifling wares ; half-a-dozen fowls were obtained for a king of spades, and the bargain was considered to be equally good by both parties. Pigafetta says, — " They»were very long lived, generally reaching 105 and sometimes 140 years of age." Weighing anchor on the 27th, the squadron sailed southward, and, on the 11th January 1520, reach- ed Cape Santa Maria on the Rio de la Plata, where they took in supplies. Near this place Juan Diaz de Solis about five years before had been mur- dered by the natives, on which account they kept at a distance from their visiters. Putting again to sea, • Herrera, dec. ii. lib. iv. cap. x. LLAN. e Spanish ser- terms. Fail- itenanced va- linst the fame g his country- lin would lose s was a chat- laced in him, e promised."* led from San me accounts, st destination )ed to take in jmber follow- 1 was named latitude, and aetimes been ;uguese; but the opinion, ulous, good- i in exchange ere obtained is considered ifetta says, — reaching 105 adron sailed [520, reach- e la Plata, I place Juan i been mur- they kept at CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. 41 and touching at diiferent places, the fleet, on Easter Eve, came to anchor in a port which was named San Julian; and there Magellan remained five months. Discontent, and at last open mutiny, broke out in his ships, the ringleaders being certain Spanish officers, who felt mortified at serving under a Portu- guese commander. The first step taken to restore order, however much it might accord with the cha- racter of that rude age, cannot be reconciled with our notions of honourable conduct : a person was de- spatched with a letter to one of the captains, with orders to stab him whilst he was engaged in reading it. This commission being unscrupulously executed, and followed up by measures equally prompt in re- gard to the other mutineers, the authority of the captain-general was soon fully re-established. While the fleet lay in this harbour, the Saatiago, one of the ships, made an exploratory cruise ; and on the 3d May, the anniversary of the Finding of the Holy Cross, discovered the river named Santa Cruz. Having advanced about three leagues farther to the south, the vessel was wrecked, though the crew, after suffering very great hardships, ultimately rejoined the squadron. The long period which they passed on that coast enabled the Spaniards to form an intimate ac- quaintance with the natives. They had at first con- cluded that the country was uninhabited ; but one day an Indian, well made and of gigantic size, came capering and singing to the beach, throwing dust up- on his head in token of amity. A seaman was forth- with sent on shore, and directed to imitate the ges- tures of this merry savage, who was of such immense stature, says Pigafetta, that a middle-sized Casti- iian only reached to his waist. He was large in 42 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. proportion, and altogether a formidable apparition ; his broad face being stained red, save a yellow circle about his eyes, and two heart-shaped spots on his cheeks. His hair was covered with a white powder. His clothing, formed of the skin of the guanaco,* covered his body from head to foot, being wrapped round the arms and legs, and sewed together all in one piece, like the dress of the ancient Irish. Shoes fabricated of the hide of the same animal, which made the feet appear round and large, procured for his whole tribe the name of Pata-gones, or clumsy- hoofed. The arms of this individual were a stout bow and arrows, — the former strung with gut, the latter tipped with flint-stones sharpened. He ascend, ed the ship of the captain-general, where he appear- ed quite at his ease, ate, drank, and made merry, till, seeing his own image in a large steel mirror, he started back in alarm, and threw down four Spa- niards. The good reception of this giant brought more tv the beach, who were taken on board and feasted, six of them eating as much as would have satisfied twenty seamen. The first Indian had pointed to the sky, as if to inquire whether the Eu- ropeans had descended thence ; and they all won- dered that the ships should be so large and the men so small. They were in general dressed and armed alike. They had short hair, and carried their arrows stuck in a fillet bound round their heads. They ran with amazing swiftness, and devoured their meat raw as soon as it was obtain- ed. These savages practised bleeding by rudely • The camelns huanncus of Linnaeus, a species of lama. This animal, described by Pigafetta as havina; the body of a camel, the legs of a stag, the tail of a horse, and the head and ears of a mule, excited great amazement among tlie Spanish seamen. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 43 cupping the part affected, and produced vomiting by thrusting an arrow pretty far down the throat of the patient. Magellan wished to carry home some of this singular race ; and European craft was basely opposed to Indian confidence and credulity. Fixing on two of the youngest and most handsome, he presented to them knives, glass beads, and mir- rors, till their hands were filled ; then rings of iron were offered ; and as they were eager to possess them but could not take hold of any more articles, the fetters were put upon their legs, as if to enable them the more conveniently to carry these ornaments away. On discovering the treachery, they vainly struggled for freedom, and shrieked to their god Setebos.* Besides these prisoners, the captain-ge- neral was desirous of securing two females, that the breed of giants might be introduced into Europe ; but though the women, whose stature was not so remarkable, were far from beautiful, their hus- bands betrayed considerable symptoms of jealousy ; and, as they were more seldom seen, an opportunity of entrapping them could not be found. It was therefore resolved to seize other two men, in the • <' They say," writes Pigafetta, " that when any of them die, there appeare ten or twelve devils leaping and dancing about the bodie or the dead, and seeme to have their oodles painted with di- vers colours, and that among others there is one seene bigger than the residue, who maketn great mirth and rejoycing. This great Devill they call Setebos, and call the lesse Cheleide?' — Pur- chas, vol. i. p. 35. It has been supposed that from this passage Shakspeare borrowed the demon Seteoos, introduced in the Tem- pest, act i. scene ii. : — " I must obey : his art is of such power, It would control my dam's god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him. There are other passages in the play of which the hint may have been taken from the narrative of Pigafetta. 44 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. hope of eflfecting an exchange. Force, liowever, was not so successful as stratagem, and it was with difficulty that nine of the strongest Spaniards threw them down. One of the savages broke loose even in spite of every eflTort to detain Iiim ; and in the end the plan failed, for the other made his escape, and Magellan lost one of his own men, who was shot with a poisoned arrow in the pursuit. His compa- nions, who fired on the runaways, " were unable," says Pigafetta, " to hit any, on account of their not escaping in a straight line, but leaping from one side to another, and getting on as swiftly as horses at a full gallop." On the 21st August, the fleet left Port San Julian, after taking possession of the country for the King of Spain by the customary ceremonial of erecting a cross, — the symbol of salvation, so often degrad- ed into an ensign of rapacity and cruelty in the fairest portions of the New World. Two months were afterwards passed at Santa Cruz, where the squadron was well supplied with wood and water ; and, on the 18th October, standing southward, they discovered Cape de las Virgines, and shortly afterwards the desired strait. After careful exa- mination of the entrance, a council was held, at which the pilot, Estevan Gomez, voted for return- ing to Spain to refit ; while the more resolute spirits recommended that they should proceed and complete their discovery.* Magellan heard all in silence, and • Gomez was by birth a Portuguese; and it has been alleged, that the insidious advice which he gave on this occasion, and his mutiny and desertion at a later period, were dictated by a desire to promote the interests of Portugal. See Memoir of Sebastian Cabot, p. 126. — Another motive for the treachery of Gomez has been assigned by Pig^etta, viz. that he had previously engaged -LAN. CIRCUaiNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. 45 ce, however, 1 it was with miards threw loose even in d in the end 3 escape, and ho was shot His com pa. rere unable," t of their not ig from one 'tly as horses San Julian, for the King 1 of erecting ften degrad- lelty in the Vo months where the and water ; southward, and shortly jareful exa- as held, at for return- olute spirits Qd complete silence, and then firmly declared, that were he, instead of the slighter hardships already suffered, reduced to eat the hides on the ship's yards, his determination was to make good his promise to the emperor. On pain of death, every one was forbidden to speak of the shortness of provisions or of home, — which, though a somewhat unsatisfactory mode of stifling the pangs of hunger or the longings of affection, equally well answered the purpose of the captain-general. Piga- fetta makes no mention of the council ; but says the whole crew were persuaded that the strait had no western outlet, and would not have explored it but for the firmness of Magellan. Two vessels were sent to examine the opening, and a hurricane coming on drove them violently thirty-six hours, during which they were in momen- tary alarm lest they should be forced ashore. The coasts more than once seemed to approach '/ach other, on which the voyagers gave themselves up for lost ; but new channels successively opened, into which they gladly entered. In this manner they were led on till they had penetrated the First and Second Gut, when the gale having abated, they thought it most prudent to retrace their course, and report what they had observed to the commander. Two days had already passed, and the captain-general was not without fear that his consorts must have been cast away in the tempest ; while smoke being ob- served on shore, it was concluded to be a signal made by those who had had the good fortune to escape. Just at this instant, however, the ships himself in the Spanish service, and had been appointed to, or pro- mised the command of, a small squadron, to sail on a projected en- terprbe, which was laid aside on the arrival of Magellan in Spain. 46 CIllCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. were seen returning under full sail, with flags flying ; as they came nearer, the crews fired their bombards and uttered shouts of joy. These salutations were • repeated by their anxious companions; and, on learning the result of the search, the whole squa- dron advanced, Iiaving named the land where the smoke was seen Tierra del Puego. On reaching the expanse into which the Second Gut opens, an inlet to the south-east was observed, and two vessels were despatched to explore it, while the others steered to the south-west. Estevan Gomez was pilot in one of the ships sent on the former service ; and, know- ing that Magellan no longer lay between him and the open sea, he incited the crew to mutiny, threw the captain into chains, and under the darkness of night put about the helm and shaped his course home- ward. This recreant had on board with him one of the giants, whom he calculated upon being the first to present at the court of Spain ; but the poor pri- soner pined under the heat of the tropical regions, and died on approaching the line. In the mean time, the commander of the expedition pursued the channel to the south-west, and anchored at the mouth of a river, where he resolved to wait the arrival of the other vessels ; he ordered a boat, however, to proceed and reconnoitre, and on the third day the sailors returned with the intelligence that they had seen the end of the strait, and the ocean beyond it. " We wept for joy," says Pigafetta, " and the cape was denominated II Capo Deseado, for in truth we had long wished to see it." Public thanksgiving was also made ; and after spending several days in a vain search for the deserter, and erecting several standards in conspicuous situations^ •J IMW CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 47 flags flying ; eir bombards itatioiis were • is; and, on wliole squa- d where the reaching the L^ns, an inlet I vessels were Ts steered to •ilot in one of and, know- en him and ly, threw the ness of night ourse home- li him one of (ing the first he poor pri- ical regions, II the mean pursued the it the mouth the arrival t, however, e third day e that they the ocean J Pigafetta, )o Deseado, ' Public T spending serter, and I situations^ the three remaining ships stood towards the western mouth of the strait, wliich they reached thirty-seven days after discovering Cape de las Virgines. JMa- gellan entitled this long-sought passage the Strait of the Patagonians, — a name which has been justly superseded by that of the discoverer. He found it to be so deep, that anchorage could only be obtained by approaching near to tiie shore; and estimated the length of it at 110 leagues. Pigafetta relates, that during the voyage he " talked with the Pata- gonian giant" on board of the captain-general's ship, and obtained some words of his native language, so as to form a small vocabulary, which, as far as sub- sequent inquiries aflbrd the means of judging, is substantially correct. It was the 28th of November when the small squadron gained the open sea, and held a northerly course, in order to reach a milder climate (the crews having already suffered severely from extreme cold), as well as to escape the storms usually encountered about the western opening of the strait. On the 24th January 1521, they discovered an island, which was named San Pablo in memory of the Patagonian, who had died, after being baptized, it is alleged, at his own request ; and on the 4th February another small island was seen, and called Tiburones, or Sharks' Island. The crews had now suffered so much from the want of provisions and fresh water, and from the ravages of the scurvy,* that, depressed • As Pigafetta describes the effects of this disease without nam- ing it, it is obvious that to its severity was then added the terror of a new ariJ strange visitation. " Our greatest misfortune," lie says, " was being attacked by a malady in which the gums swelled so as to hide the teeth as well in tlie upper as the lower jaw, whence 48 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. by their condition and prospects, they named these dis- coveries Las Desventuradas, or the Unfortunate Is- lands. Their sufferings, for three months and twenty days after entering the Pacific, were painful in the extreme. Nineteen died of scurvy ; and the situa- tion of the remainder, reduced to chew the leather found about the ship, and to drink putrid water, was in the highest degree deplorable. Even sawdust was eaten, and mice were in such request as to sell for half a ducat a-piece. Their only solace was a conti- nuance of delightful weather, and of fair winds which carried them smoothly onwards. To this circum- stance the South Sea owes its name of Pacific, — a title which many succeedingsearaen have thought it ill de- serves. On the 6th of March were discovered three beautiful andapparentlyfertileislands, inhabited, and therefore likely to afford succour to the fleet. The In- dians immediately came off in their canoes, bringing cocoa-nuts, yams, and rice. Their complexion was olive-brown, and their form handsome ; they stained the teeth black and red, and some of them wore long beards, with the hair of their heads hanging down to the girdle. On these poor islanders, whose pilfering propensities obtained for this group the ap. pellation of the Ladrones (or Thieves), the captain- general took signal vengeance for a small offence. A skiff was stolen from tlie stern of the capitana, or admiral's ship, upon which Magellan landed with ^ •' I 1 ;( those affected thus were incapable of chewing' their food. Besides those who died, we had from twenty-five to thirty sailors ill, who suffered dreadful pains in their arms, legs, and other parts of the body." Some years later, when the crews of Cartier were seized by the same disorder, it ap];)eared to them also equally novel and loath- some. — See Historical View of the Propfress of Discovery on the more Northern Coasts of America, p. 64. 6 iLAN. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. 4{) ined these dis- ifortunate Is- is and twenty tainful in the nd the situa. J the leather id water, was sawdust was as to sell for was a conti- winds which this circiim- cific, — a title ughtitillde- overed three ihabited^and et. Theln- )es, bringing plexion was they stained them wore tds hanging iders, whose roup the ap- the captain, [offence. A apitana^ or anded with food. Besides sailors ill, who er parts of the were seized by ovel and loath- scovery on the ninety men, plundered their provisions, and burnt fifty or sixty of their houses,' whieli were built of wood, having a roof of boards covered with leaves about four feet in length, probably those of the bana- nier {miisa pisam/). He also killed some of the na- tives, to whom the arrow was an unknown weapon, and who, when pierced by the shafts of the Spaniards, excited pity by vain attempts to extract them. They had lances tipt with fjsh-bone; and when the in- vaders retreated, they followed with about 100 canoes, variously painted, black, white, or red, and showed fish, as if disposed to renew their traffic ; but on getting near they pelted the people in the ships with stones, and then took to flight. The boats of these savages resembled gondolas, and were furnished * P. le Gobien, in his History of tlic Ladronc or Marian Islands, has asserted, that at the time Magellan arrived, the natives were aU tof^ether ignorant of fire, and that, when for the first time they saw it consuming their houses, they regarded it as an animal which attached itself to the wood, and fed upon it. This tule has been adopted by the Abbe Raynal, in his History of the East and West Indies, anil ever, was very early remarked by the President de Brosses, in Iiis " Histoire des Navigations aux Torres Australes," Pigafetta, cred- ulous and fabulous as he is, has made do mention of this circumstance. This alone might be held sufficient to disprove the unsupported as- sertion of Le Gobien. But, as Malte Brun has observed (English Translat. vol. iii. [). 618^, " tlie.^e Islands are, filled w'Uk volcanoes" — a circumstance of which Raynal was not aware, as he accounts for this supposed ignorance of fire, by assuming the fact that here there are " none of those terrible volcanoes, the destructive traces of which are indelibly marked on the face of the globe." Nor is this all ; a later French navigator remarks, " Les insulaires chez qui on assure que le feu etoit inconnu, avoient dans leurs langues les mots feu, bruierjcharbony braise, four^ f/riller, bouillir, &c.€tj'ahri~ quoient, avant Varrivte des Enropeens dans leurs ties, des po- teries evidemment soumises a Paction dufeu." — Voyage autour du Monde, execute sur les Corvettes de S. M. I'Uranie et la Phy. sicienne pendant les annees 1817-18-19 et 20. Par M. Louis de Freycinet.— Historique, tome ii. p. 166. See also pp. 322, 434. C m I \ i 50 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. with a sail of palm-leaves, which was hoisted at the one side, while, to balance it, a beam or outrigger was fastened to the other. Vessels of the same construc- tion were afterwards observed in the South Sea by Anson and Cook, who very much admired the in- genuity of the contrivance. From the 16th to the 18th of jMarch, other islands were discovered, form- ing the group then called the Archipelago of St Lazarus, but now known as part of the Philippines. The inhabitants were found to be a friendly and com- paratively-civilized people. They wore ornaments of gold ; and, though otherwise nearly naked, display- ed cotton head-dresses embroidered with silk. They were tattooed, and had their bodies perfumed with aromatic oils. They cultivated the land, and formed stores of spices ; they used harpoons and nets in fish- ing; and had cutlasses, clubs, lances, and bucklers, some of them ornamented with gold. On the 25th, the fleet left Humunu, the principal member of the group, and afterwards touched at some others in the same archipelago. At a small island named IMazagua, and supposed .to be the Limasava of modern charts, a slave on board, by name Enrique and a native of Sumatra, was able to make himself understood by the savages. He ac- cordingly acted as the iiiterpreter of Magellan in ex- plaining the reasons of this visit on the partof the Spa- niards, and in unfolding the terms of commerce and friendly intercourse which they wished to establish with them. IMutual presents were made, and cere- monial visits exchanged ; the captain-general doing every thing likely to impress the Indian king with the power and superiority of Europeans and the dignity of the emperor his master. For this purpose he :llan. I hoisted at the r outrigger was same construe- South Sea by mired the in- he 16th to the covered, form- lipelago of St le Philippines. nd!y and com- e ornaments of aked, display- thsilk. They (erfuraed witli id, and formed id nets in fish- and bucklers. On the 25th, nember of the ' others in the and supposed lave on board, itra, was able 'ages. He ac- igellan in ex- art of the Spa- ommerce and d to establish de, and cere- general doing m king with ■ans and the lis purpose he CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. '•'I y caused a sailor to be clothed in complete armour, and directed three others to cut at him with swords and endeavour to stab him. On seeing the mailed man remain unharmed amid this shower of steel, tile island- prince was greatly surprised, and remarked, that a warrior so protected would be able to contend with a hundred. " Yes," replied the interpreter, in the name of the captain, " and each of the three vessels has 200 men armed in the same manner." With this chief JMagellan formed a close friendship; and two Spaniards being invited on shore to inspect the cu- riosities of the country, the chronicler of the voyage was sent as one of them. They partook of an enter- tainment with the Rajah Colambu, as he was called, and were served in vessels of porcelain. The king's manner of eating was to take alternately a mouth- ful of pork and a spoonful of wine, lifting his hands to heaven before he helped himself, and suddenly extendhig liis left fist towards his visiter in such a manner that, on his first performing the ceremony, Pigafetta expected to receive a blow on the face. Seeing all the rest of the company go through the same gesticulations, the polite Vicentine conform- ed to the customs of the place, and having finish- ed his repast, was otherwise very graciously treat- ed, being introduced to the heir-apparent, and left at night to repose on a comfortable matting of reeds, with pillows of leaves to support his head. Among the luxuries of Mazagua were candles made of gums, rolled up in the foliage of the palm-tree. The sovereign was a remarkably handsome man, of olive complexion, with long black hair ; his body elegantly tattooed, and perfumed with storax and gum-benjamin. He was adorned with gold ear- rings, '^andon each of his teeth," says the narrator. 52 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. (( were three golden dots, so placed one would have thought his teeth had been fastened with this me- tal."* About his middle he wore a tunic of cotton cloth embroidered with silk, which descended to the knees ; around his head was wrapped a silken turban or veil ; while a dagger at his side, having a handle of gold and a scabbard of exquisitely- carved wood, completed the costume of this barbaric ruler. It was observed that his subjects enlivened themselves by constantly chewing betel and areca, mixed with a portion of lime. They acknowledg- ed one Supreme Being, whom they called Abba, and worshipped, by lifting their hands towards heaven. At this time was Magellan first seized with the violent desire of making proselytes, in which he easily succeeded. On Easter Day, a party landed to say mass, and all their ceremonies were exactly imitated by the natives. Some of the Spaniards afterwards received the communion ; which being ended, " the captain," says Pigafetta, " exhibited a dance with swords, with which the king and his brother seemed much delighted." A large cross garnished with nails and a crown of thorns was then erected on the top of a hill, and the Indians were told that, if duly adored, it would defend theni from thunder, tempests, and all calamities. The men then formed into battalions, and hav- ing astonished the savages by a discharge of mus- ketry, returned to the ships. Such were the first missionary labours among these islands ! Gold was seen in some abundance; but iron was obviously * Peron mentions small spots of silver on the fore-teeth of some of the people of Timor, fixed to the enamel by a kind of mastic, so firmly that he could not pick them off with his nails ; and the man who wore them ate before him without seeming to feel any incon- venience from their whimsical finery. 5LLAN. ne would have with this me- tunic of cotton I descended to apped a silken is side, having of exquisitely- of this barbaric jects enlivened itel and areca, ;y acknowledg- f called Abba, hands towards irst seized with es, in which he a party landed s were exactly the Spaniards ; which being " exhibited a king and his A large cross of thorns was d the Indians would defend all calamities. ons, and hav- large of mus- were the first ds ! Gold was was obviously fore-teeth of some kind of mastic, so ails ; and the man to feel any incon- CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 53 much more valued, »s one of the natives preferred a knife to a doubloon in exchange for some provisions. The commodities brought to the ships were hogs, goats, fowls, rice, millet, maize, cocoa-nuts, oranges, citrons, ginger, and bananas. At the request of the rajah, part of the Spanish crew went on shore to help him in gathering in his crop of rice ; but the poor prince, who had assisted on the previous day at mass .nd afterwards at a banquet, had yielded so far to intemperance that all business was deferred till the morrow, when the seamen discharged this neigh- bourly office, and shortly afterwards saw harvest- home in Mazagua. On the 5th of April the fleet sailed, the king at- tending it in his pirogue. Being unable to keep up with the squadron, he and his retinue were taken on board ; and on the 7th of the same month they en- tered the harbour of Zebu, — an island rendered me- morable by the first settlement of the Spaniards in the Philippines. The accounts which the captain- general had received of the riches and power of the sovereign, made it a point of good policy to im- press him and his subjects with the greatness of their visiters. The ships therefore entered the port with their colours flying; and a grand salute from all the cannon caused great consternation among the islanders, about 2000 of whom, armed with spears and shields, stood at the water-side, gazing with as- tonishment at a sight so new^ to them. An ambas- sador, attended by the interpreter Enrique, was sent on shore, charged with a message importing the high consideration which " the greatest mo- narch on earth," and his captain- general, Magellan, entertained for the King of Zebu. He also an- 54 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. iiounced tliat the fleet had come to take in provi- sions, and give merchandise in exchange. The prince, who acted through liis ministers, made the strangers welcome, though ]ie insisted on the payment of cer- tain dues. These, however, were dispensed with, in consequence of the representations of a Moorish merchant tlien in the island, who had heard of the Portuguese conquests in the East; and in a few days, every requisite ceremony being observed, a treaty offensive and defensive was formed. In manners and in social condition this people did not appear to differ from the natives of Mazagua. Their religion, it is true, whatever it was, sat but lightly upon them ; for in a few days Magellan converted and baptized half their number. The rite was administered on shore, where a rude chapel was erected. Mass was performed, and every ceremony was observed which could deepen the impression of sanctity ; among which, the firing of guns from tho ships was not forgotten. The royal family, the Kajali of Mazagua, and many persons of rank, were the first converts ; the king receiving the name of Carlos, in honour of the emperor. Among these sudden Christians were also the queen and ladies of the court. Baptism was likewise administered to the eldest princess, daughter of his majesty and wife of his nephew the heir-apparent, a young and beautiful woman. She usually wore a robe of black and white cloth, and on her head a tiara of date-leaves. '^ Her mouth and nails," adds Pigafetta, " were of a very lively red." One day the queen came in state to hear mass. She was dressed in a garment like that of her daughter, with a silk veil striped with gold flung over her head and shoulders ; and three young ELLAX. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 55 take in provi- ge. The prince, ie the strangers payment of eer- iispensed with, s of a Moorish id heard of the d in a few days, ;rved, a treaty .n manners and appear to differ r religion, it is iponthem; for and baptized iministered on 3d. Mass was )bserved which ictity ; among ships was not ih of Mazagua, first converts; 1, in honour of hristians were urt. Baptism dest princess, is nephew the woman. She ite cloth, and '' Her mouth a very lively state to hear t like that of ed with gold i three young >t girls walked before her, each carrying one of the royal hats. The attendants were numerous, wear- ing small veils and girdles, or short petticoats of palm-cloth. Her majesty bowed to the altar, and having seated herself on a cushion of embroidered silk, was with the rest sprinkled by the captain- general with rose-water, — " a scent," says the writer already quoted, " in which the women of this coun- try much delight." A cure performed on the king's brother, who after being baptized recovered of a dangerous ill- ness, completed Magellan's triumph. Pigafetta gravely relates, " we were all of us ocular wit- nesses of this miracle." By way of help, however, to the supernatural agency, a restorative cordial was immediately administered, and repeated during five days, until the sick man was able to go abroad. The fashionable religion of the court spread rapidly. The cross was set up, idols were broken, amid zeal- ous shouts of " Viva la Castilla !" in honour of the Spanish monarch, and in less than fourteen days from the arrival of the squadron the whole inhabit, ants of Zebu and the neighbouring islands were baptized, save those of one infidel village, which the captain-general burnt in punishment of their obsti- nacy, and then erected a cross amidst the ashes and ruins. Among other customs, the Zebuians drank their wine by sucking it through a reed. At an enter- tainment given by the prince, the heir-apparent, four singing-girls were introduced. One beat a drum, another the kettle-drum, the third two smaller instruments of the same description, and the fourth struck cymbals against each other ; and as they kept ! I 56 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. excellent time, the effect was pleasing. The kettle- drums were of metal, and in form and tone some- what like European bells. Other young women play- ed on gongs ; and the islanders had a musical instru- ment resembling the bagpipe, as well as a sort of violin with copper strings. Their houses were raised on posts, and divided into chambers, the open space below serving as a shed for domestic animals and poultry. Provisions were plentiful, and the Indians every where showed hospitality to their visiters, con- stantly inviting them to eat and drink. They ap- peared, indeed, to place much of their enjoyment in the pleasures of the table, at which they often re- mained four or five hours. Magellan availed himself of the submissive and respectful demeanour of these people, and exacted from them and the chiefs of the neighbouring islands a tribute, which seems to have been willingly paid. The King of Matan alone refused to acknowledge this new sovereignty, and with much spirit replied to the demand, that as strangers he wished to show them all suitable courtesy, and had sent a present, but he owed no obedience to those he had never seen before, and would pay them none. This an- swer greatly incensed the captain-general, now above measure elated with the success which had attended his late labours. He forthwith resolved to punish the refractory chief, refusing to listen to the argu- ments of his officers, and particularly to those of Juan Serrano, who remonstrated with him on the impolicy of his design. Accordingly, on the 27th of April, being a Saturday, which Magellan always considered his fortunate day, he landed with forty- nine of his people clothed in mail^ and began an at- LLAN. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 57 Tlie kettle- id tone some- ^ women play- nusical instru- 1 as a sort of jes were raised the open space I animals and id the Indians r visiters, con- k. They ap- enjoyment in they often re- ibmissive and and exacted Hiring islands k^illingly paid, acknowledge spirit replied ished to show mt a present, le had never e. This an- al, now above had attended 2d to punish to the argu- y to those of him on the on the 27th fellan always i with forty- began an at- tack on about 1500 Indians. The King of Zebu at- tended his ally with a force ; but his active services were declined, and his men remained in their boats. The battle between crossbows and musketry on the one side, and arrows and wooden lances on the other, raged many hours. The natives, brave from the onset, rose in courage when they became familiar- ized with the Spanish fire, which did comparatively little execution. A party of the latter was detached to burn a village, in the hope that the destruction of their houses would overawe and induce them to disperse ; but the sight of the flames only exasperated them the more, and some of them hastening to the spot, fell upon their enemies and killed two. They soon learned to take aim at the legs of the assailants, which were not protected by mail ; and pressing closer and harder upon their ranks, threw them into dis- order, and compelled them to give way on all sides. Only seven or eight men now remained with their leader, who, besides, was wounded in the limbs by a poisoned arrow. He was also repeatedly struck on the head with stones ; his helmet was twice dashed off ; a lance thrust between the bars wounded him in the temple ; and his sword-arm being disabled, he could no longer defend himself. The fight continued till they were up to the knees in water ; and at last an Indian struck Magellan on the leg. He fell on his face, and as the islanders crowded about him was seen to turn several times towards his companions ; but they were unable either to rescue him or re- venge his death, and made for the boats. " Thus," says Pigafetta, " perished our guide, our light, and our support !" Though the rash warfare waged with the un- 58 CIRCU3INAVIGATI0N OP MAGBLLAN. offending chief of IMatan cannot be vindicated on any principle of justice, the premature and violent death, in the very middle of his career, of a navi- gator and discoverer second only to Columbus, will ever be a cause of regret. jMagellan was eminently endowed with the qualities necessary to a man engaged in adventures like those in which he spent his life. He had a quick and ready mind, ever fer- tile in expedients, and never wanting in self-posses- sion. He possessed the rare talent of command; being no less beloved than respected by his crews, though Spanish pride and national jealousy made the officers sometimes murmur against his authority. He was a skilful and experienced seaman ; prompt, resolute, and inflexible; having a high sense of his own dignity, and maintaining it with becoming spirit. When, on one occasion, certain of the pilots remonstrated with him on the direction of his course, his only answer was, that their duty was to follow him, not to ask questions. In personal appearance, he was rather mean ; his stature was short, and he was lame from a wound which he had received in battle with the Moors. His former voyage to India, which he extended to Malacca, and the successful one he had just made, entitle him to be named the first circumnavigator of the globe. The unfor- tunate circumstances which led him to abandon his native country, in order to serve her foe and rival, long rendered his memory odious in Portugal. The only land, indeed, in which his fame was not acknow- ledged was the country which gave him birth. "The Portugall authors," says Purchas, "speake of him no- thing but treason, and cry out upon him as a traitor for sowing seeds likely to produce warre 'twixt Castile 5ELLAN. CinCUaiNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 50 e vindicated on tiire and violent ireer, of a navi- Columbus, will 1 was eminently sary to a man which he spent mind, ever fer- g in self-posses- of command; 1 by his crews, jealousy made )t his authority, man ; prompt, high sense of with becoming in of the pilots •n of his course, was to follow al appearance, short, and he ad received in •yage to India, the successful to be named The unfor- abandon his foe and rival, >rtugal. The s not acknow- i birth. "The ikeofhimno- as a traitor for twixt Castile and Portugall : Nor doe I in those thingos under- take to justifie him. But out of his whatsoever evill, God produced this good to the world, that it was first by his meanes sayled round : Nor was his neglect of his countrey neglected, or revengeful! mind unrevcnged, as the sequele manifested by his untimely and violent death." It is impossible to condemn jMagellan for carrying his rejected services to the Spanish court ; though the necessity of such a step must forever be deplored, both for his own and for his country's sake." Eight Spaniards fell with their leader,and twenty- two were wounded. During the heat of the engage- ment the King of Zebu sat in his balanghay, gazing on the combat, which had doubtless produced a con- siderable change in his notions as to the prowess of his new allies ; but towards its close he rendered some assistance which facilitated their re-embarkation. Though tempting offers were made to the people of Matan to give up the body of the captain-general, they would not part with so proud a trophy of vic- * A f^enerous feeling has hurried many writers into censures on the KinjT of Portuffai, the justice of which may perhaps be doubted. It must be recollected, that the proposal of Magellan to Emanuel went no farther than to undertake the doubtful search of a danger- ous pjissage to the Moluccas ; and that the Portuguese already en- joyed the monopoly of a safe and shorter route than that which he eventually explored. His majesty must also have been aware, that the discovery of a western passage to the Spice Islands was likely to give Spain an opportunity oi asserting a right to those valuable possessions, under the treaty of Tordesilias. These power- ful reasons of state-policy, in an age when selt-interest only was con- sulted in undertakings of discover}', ought surely to have been al- lowed some weight m favour of the Portuguese court, and, at any rate, to have obviated such obloquy as that of Dalrymple in the following sentence : — " Every public-spirited Portuguese must la- ment that oblivion has concealed the names of those ministers who merit the eternal execration of their country, for being instrumental in depriving it of the services of so great a man as Magalhanes." — Hist. Collect, of Discov. in the South Sea, vol. i. p. 4. CO CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGKLLAN. ■n tory. The result of this fatal battle put an end to the friendship of the new Christian king. He wished to make his peace with the offended sove- reign of Matan, and by means of the treacherous slave Enrique, who, on the death of IMagellan his master, refused, until compelled by throats, to con- tinue his services as interpreter, formed a plan for seizing the ships, arms, and merchandise. The officers were invited on shore to a banquet, where they ex- pected to receive, previous to their departure, a rich present of jewels, prepared before the death of Ma- gellan for his iMost Catholic Majesty. A party land- ed accordingly to the number of twenty-four ; but from certain appearances which met their eyes, Juan Carvallo the pilot, and another Spaniard, suspected treachery, and returned to the ships. They had scarcely reached them, when the shrieks of the vic- tims were heard. The ancliors being instantly raised, the vessels were laid close to the shore and fired seve- ral shots upon the town. At this time Captain Juan Serrano was seen dragged to the edge of the water, wounded, and tied hand and foot. He earnestly en- treated his countrymen to desist from firing, and to ransom him from this cruel and treacherous people. They turned a deaf ear to his prayers ; and he was thus left at the mercy of the islanders. Pigafetta re- lates that, " finding all his entreaties were vain, he uttered deep imprecations, and appealed to the Al- mighty on the great day of judgment to exact account of his soul from Juan Carvallo, his fellow-gossip. His cries were, however, disregarded," continues the narrator, " and we set sail without ever hearing af- terwards what became of him." This cruel abandon- ment of a friend is imputed to the hope which Car- SLLAN. le put an end ian king. He offended sove- lie treacherous i\iagellan his hreats, to con- ned a plan for iQ. Tlie officers v'liere they ex- parture, a rich death of Ma- A party land- nty-four; but leir eyes, Juan ard, suspected ;. They had eks of the vic- stantly raised, uid fired seve- Captain Juan of the water, I earnestly en- firing, and to lerous people, and he was Pigafetta re- were vain, he ed to the Al- exact account (v-gossip. His ontinues the T hearing af- uel abandon- e which Car- I CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. 01 vallo entertained of succeedin*; to the command on tile dcatii of Serrano, tiie captains of the otiier ships being already massacred. It is but justice to the people of Zebu to mention, that one narrative of tlie voyage imputes the iiidiseriminate slaughter of the Spaniards to a quarrel arising between them and the natives, for insultiji;Lf their women. Some years afterwards it was incidentally learned that, instead of beinu all murdered, eight of the Europeans were carried to China and sold as slaves. But the truth was never clearly ascertained. The armament of iMagellan next touched at the island of Bohol, where, finding their numbers so much reduced bv sickness and the battle of IMatan, they burned one of the ships, first removing the guns and stores into the others now commanded by Carvallo. At Zebu they had already heard of the IMoluccas, their ultimate destination. They touched at Chippit in iMindanao on their way, and afterwards at Cagayan Sooloo, where they first heard of Borneo. In this voyage they were so badly provided with food, that several times hunger had nearly compel- led them to abandon their ships, and establish them- selves on some of the islands, where they meant to end their days. This purpose appears to have been particularly strong after leaving the last-mentioned anchorage, where the people used hollow reeds, through which by the force of their breath they darted poisoned arrows at their enemies, and had the hilts of their poniards ornamented with gold and precious stones. The trees, moreover, grew to a great height, but none of the necessary supplies could be obtained. They therefore sailed with heavy hearts and empty stomachs to Puluan, where pro- visions being very abundant, they acquired fresh 'ti CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. courage to perst^vere in their voyage. Here a pilot was procured, with wliose assistance they steered towards JJorneo, which island tliey reached on the JHh July 1521, and anchored three leagues from the city, which was computed to contain 25,()()() ianii- lies. It was built within high-water-niark, and the Iiouses were raised on posts. At full tide the inha- bitants communicated by boats, when the women sold their various commodities. The rel igion of Bor- neo was the IMohainmedan. It abounded in wealth, and the natives are described as exhibiting a higher degree of civilisation and refinement than has been confirmed by subsequent accounts. Letters wer<; known, and many of the arts flourislied among them; they used brass coin in their commerce with one another, and distilled from rice the spirit known in the East by the name of arrack. Presents were here exchanged, and after the cere- monial of introduction, permission to trade was granted. Elephants were sent to the water's side for the Spanish embassy ; and a feast of veal, capons, several other kinds of fowl, and fish, was placed be- fore them on the floor, while they sat on mats made of palm. After each mouthful they sipped arrack from porcelain cups. They were supplied with golden spoons to eat their rice ; in their sleeping- apartment two wax flambeaux in silver candlesticks, and two large lamps with four lights to each, were kept burning all night, two men beingappointed to at- tend to them. The king was a stout man about forty. When admitted to an interview, the deputation first passed through a large saloon thronged with courtiers, and then into an ante-room where were 300 guards armed with poniards. At the extremity of the apart- ment was a brocade curtain, and when this was drawn CIRCUiMNAVlOATION OP MAGELLAN. 63 e. Here a pilot ice they steered ^ reached on tlie eagiies from tlje in 25, (HH) lanii. r-niark, and the II tide the inlia- ben tlie women I religion of IJor. nded in wealth, ibiting a higher t than has heen Letters wer*.' I'd among them; nerce with one ipirit known in after the cere- to trade was he water's side of veal, capons, was placed be- ; on mats made sipped arrack supplied with their sleeping- r candlesticks, to each, were ppointed to at- m about forty, eputation first with courtiers, re 300 guards y of the apart- his was drawn up the king was seen sitting at a table with a little child, and chewing betel, while close behind him were ranged his female attendants. No suitor was permitted to address his majesty personally, but communicated his business in the first place to a courtier, who told it to one? of a higher rank, who again repeated it to a still greater dignitary, who, in his turn, by means of a hollow cane fixed in the wall, breathed it into the inner chamber to one of the prin- cipal oflicers, by whom it was ultimately conveyed to the royal ear. The monarch received the Spa- nish gifts with merely a slight movement of the , liead, discovering no eager or undignified curi- osity, and returned presents of brocade, and cloth of gold and silver. The courtiers were all naked, save a piece of ornamented cloth round their waists. On their fingers they wore mrtuy rings ; and their po- niards had golden handles set with gems. The cur- tain of the royal saloon, which was raised when the ceremony began, dropped at the conclusion, and all was over. Pigafetta was told that the king had two pearls as large as pullets' eggs, and so perfectly round that, placed on a polished table, they rolled continually. The productions of Borneo were rice, sugar-canes, ginger, camphor, gums, wax ; fruits and vegetables in great variety; and among the animals were elephants, camels, horses, and buffa- loes, asses, sheep, and goats. The people were pe- culiarly skilful in the manufacture of porcelain, which constituted a principal article of their mer- chandise. Their pirogues were ingeniously formed, I and those used for state purposes had their prows carved and gilt. The Spaniards, who seldom or never left any 64 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. port they visited on good tei;ns with the people, in real or affected alarm for an attack, seized several junks in the harbour, in which they knew there was a rich booty, and kidnapped some persons of quality. The authority of Carvallo, which had never been respected, was now set aside by the choice of Espi- nosa as captain-general. Sebastian del Cano, a Biscayan, was also made a commander ; and the squadron forthwith commenced what more resem- bled a privateering cruise than a peaceful voyage of discovery and traffic, pillaging all the small vessels they met, and holding the passengers to ransom. Between the north cape of Borneo and the island of Cimbubon, they found a commodious port for ca- reening, — a labour which occupied them forty-two days. They were destitute of many things neces- sary for making repairs ; but the most serious in- convenience was the difficulty of procuring timber, which, although barefooted, they were obliged to drag from among the tangled and prickly bushes. It was among these thickets that Pigafetta found the famous animated leaf, the account of which tended so much at first to stamp his narrative with the character of fable. " What to me seemed most extraordinary," he says, " was to see trees, the leaves of which as they fell became animated. These I'eaves resemble those of the mulberry-tree, except in not being so long. Their stalk is short and pointed ; and near the stalk, on one side and the other, they have two feet. Upon being touched they make away ; but when crushed they yield no blood. I kept one in a box for ninti days ; on open- ing the box at the end of this time, the leaf was alive and walking round it. I am of opinion they 5 lGELLAN. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 65 th the people, in ;k, seized several ^ knew there was ersons of quality. Ii had never been e choice of Espi- ian del Cano, a aander ; and the hat more resem- eaceful voyage of the small vessels agers to ransom. and the island of ious port for ca- theni forty-two iny things neces- most serious in- rocuring timber, were obliged to [ prickly bushes, Pigafetta found ccount of which is narrative with me seemed most see trees, the came animated. 3 mulberry-tree, dr stalk is short one side and the being touched ed they yield no days ; on open- le, the leaf was of opinion they live on air." Subsequent travellers have observed a similar phenomenon, and some conjecture that it is moved by an insect within ; while others describe it as a species of bat, the wings of which exactly resemble a brown leaf with its fibres. Continuing their piratical voyage, they encountered a dreadful storm, and in their alarm vowed to set free a slave in honour of each of the three saints, £Imo, Nicholas, and Clare. The desired lights, the to- kens of safety, having appeared on the mast- heads, and continued to shine two hours, the storm abated, and the promised offering was made.* Touching at Sarrangan, they seized two natives, whom they compelled to act as their pilots to the long-sought Moluccas, which they at length reach- ed, and on the 8th November anchored at Tidore. They met with a hospitable and kind reception. The ships were visited by Almanzor, the sovereign of the island ; a traffic in spices was commenced, and a factory established on shore, whcie trade soon be- came brisk, the native productions being readily given in exchange for red cloth, drinking-glasses, knives, and hatchets. This king was a Moham- medan, to which faith the Moors, at a period com- paratively recent, had converted as many of the na- tive princes of the East Indian Islands as they had stripped of their power. The Moluccas, which had been discovered by the * It may be proper to explain, that the electric lights, which in stormy weather are frequently seen flickering^ on the tips of the masts, were believed to represent the body of Saint Elmo, and regard* ed as a sure sign that there was no danger in the tempest. When tlie lights were three in number, two of tnem were supposed to mark the presence of Nicholas and Clare. The appearance of these lambent flames was hailed with the chanting of utanies and orisons. m CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MAGELLAN. Portuguese in the year 1511, were found to he five in numher, lying on the west coast of a large is- land called Gilolo. They were named Tidore, Ter- nate, Motir, Bachian, and IMaquian. Their hest spices were nutmegs, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon, which grew almost spontaneously. The houses were built on piles or posts, and fenced round with cane hedges. The King of Bachian sent as a gift to the emperor two dead birds of exquisite beauty, which the natives called " birds of God," saying they came from Paradise. These animals, as well as the clove-tree, of which Pigafetta gives a description, are now well known. By the middle of December the cargoes were completed ; and the Spanish commander, ready to depart, was charged with letters and presents, consisting of the rarest productions of the island, sent to the emperor his master by the King of Tidore. When about to sail, the Trinidad was found unfit for sea ; and the Vi- toria proceeded alone on the homeward voyage, with a crew of forty-seven Europeans, thirteen Indians, and also Molucca pilots. These native ma. riners entertained the Europeans with many a mar- vellous legend. While steering for Mindanao, be- fore coming to the Moluccas, Pigafetta had heard of a tribe of hairy men, inhabiting a cape on the is- land Benaian, very fierce and warlike, and who were said to consume the hearts of their prisoners with lemon or orange juice; and he was now told of a people whose ears were so long, that the one served them for a mattress and the other for a coverlet.* * The classical reader will be amused by the coincidence between the narratives of the Molucca pilots and ihe wonders related by Strabo, who recounts this among other legends brought from tlie ICast by tlie fioldiers of Alexander the Great. ELLAN. CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 67 found to be five t of a large is. 3d Tidore, Ter- ti. Their best and cinnamon, The houses fenced round ichian sent as a Is of exquisite birds of God," tese animals, as gafetta gives a By the middle »leted ; and the t, was charged g of the rarest lie emperor his in about to sail, ; and the Vi- eward voyage, )eans, thirteen lese native ma- 1 many a mar- Mindanao, be- a had heard of ape on the is- and who were prisoners with now told of a he one served or a coverlet.* incidence between onders related by brought from tlie He was also informed of a tree, which gave shelter to birds of sufficient size and strength to pounce upon an elephant, and bear him up into the air. The Vitoria touched at different places in the voyage to Spain, and, after a mutiny and the loss of twenty-one men, passed the Cape of Good Hope on the 6th May 1522. Being reduced to the greatest extremity for want of provisions, the officers anchored in the harbour of Santiago, one of the Cape de Verd Islands belonging to the Portuguese, on what, ac- cording to their reckoning, was Wednesday the 9th July, but which, in fact, proved Thursday the 10th— a difference which was extremely perplexing at first, though a little reflection soon enabled Pigafetta to perceive the reason.* Some provisions were ob- tained before the quarter whence the ship had come was suspected ; but the truth being at length dis- covered, in consequence of a sailor offering some spices in exchange for refreshments, the boat was seized, and the people on board, seeing preparations making for an attack, crowded sail and escaped. Gn Saturday the 6th September 1522, after a • To illustrate the fact mentioned in the text, let us suppose a ; 5 ship sailing westward keeps jmce with the sun, it is evident that the crew woidd have continual day, or it would be the same day to }f them during their circumnavigation of the earth ; whereas the si people, who remained at the place the vessel departed from, would 5 nave a night in the mean time, and consequently must reckon a day more than the voyagers. If the ship sailed eastward, an opposite 'I effect would be produced; for, by constantly meetiiuf the sun every V morning at an earlier hour, a whole day is gained in the tour of the ' globe. Hence, if two ships should set out at the same time from ii any port, and sail round the world, the one eastward and the other westward, so as to meet again at the same port, they will be tbund '2 to differ two days in reckoning tlieir time at their return. — Keith ': on the Use of the Globes, p. 42. A beautiful illustration of the phenomenon will also be found in Sir J. F. W. Herschel's Treatise on Astronomy (Lai-dner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia), p. 137. 68 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. voyage of three years' duration, in which upwards of 14,600 leagues of sea had been traversed, Sebas- tian del Cano brought the Vitoria into San Luear, and on the 8th proceeded up the river to Seville. Pi. gafetta, from whom every historian of this remark- able voyage borrows so largely, concludes his narra. tive in language almost poe' *cal : — " This our won- derful ship, taking her departure from the Slraits of Gibraltar, and sailing southwards through the great ocean towards the Antarctic Pole, and then turning west, followed that course so long that, passing round, she came into the east, and thence again into the west, not by sailing back, but pro- ceeding constantly forward; so compassing about the globe of the world, until she marvellously re- gained her native country Spain." The crew on reaching Seville walked in their shirts, barefooted, and carrying tapers in their hands, to church, to offer thanks for their safe return ; eighteen men, out of sixty who sailed from the Moluccas, being all that came home in the Vitoria. The vessel it- self became the theme of poets and romancers ; but though some have asserted that she was preserved till she fell to pieces, Oviedo, a contemporary writer, states that she was lost on her return from a voy- age to St Domingo. The commander, Sebastian del Cano, escaped the neglect which was the common fate of Spanish discoverers. He was liberally re- warded, and obtained letters-patent of nobility, with a Globe for a crest, and the motto Primus me cir- cumdedisti (You first encompassed me). The Trinidad was less fortunate than her consort. After having refitted, she attempted to recross the Pacific, but was nearly wrecked ; and being driven i iELLAN. which upwards raversed, Sebas- into San Lucar, r to Seville. Pi. of this remark- ludes his narra. ' This our won- from the Slraits rds through the Pole, and then so long that, ast, and thence back, but pro. mpassing about narvellously re- The crew on irts, barefooted, ids, to church, ; eighteen men, Moluccas, being The vessel it- romancers; but J was preserved mporary writer, irn from a voy- r, Sebastian del as the common as liberally re- )f nobility, with Primtts me cir- me). han her consort. I to recross the id being driven CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP MAGELLAN. 69 back, the crew were made prisoners by the Portu- guese, whose jealousy of Spanish enterprise in these parts was now violently inflamed by the late trans- actions at the Moluccas. The voyage of ^Magellan was attended by the most important results ; it effected the communica- tion so long desired between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, and removed the barriers which had hitherto obstructed European navigation in the lat- ter sea. It opened a new path to the riches of In- dia and the spices of the contiguous islands ; and in fact achieved what Columbus and his companions had so long endeavoured to accomplish. It ascertain- ed the southern boundary of the American conti- nent, and the extent of the great sea which divides Asia from that portion of the globe. In its progress he discovered the Unfortunate Islands, the islands Saypan, Tinian, and Aguigan, four others of the group of the Ladrones, and the Philippines or Ar- chipelago of St Lazarus. He also demonstrated the spherical form of the earth beyond the possibility of doubt ; and accomplished what had baffled, even on the threshold, every previous navigator. 70 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END CHAPTER III. Discoveries and Circumnavigations from Magellan to the End of the Sixteenth Century. Expedition of Loyasa — Discovery of Papua or New Guinea — Voy. age of Saavedra — Of Villalobos— Of Legaspi— Of Juan Fernan- dez — Expedition of Mendana, and Discovery of the Solomon Islands— John Oxenham, the first Englishman that sailed on the Pacific — Circumnavigation of Sir Francis Drake— Expedition of Sarmiento — Circumnavigation of Cavendish — His Second Voy- age — The Falkland Islands discovered — Expedition of Sir Richard Hawkins — Second Voyage of Mendana — The Marque- sas—Santa Cruz— Expedition of five Dutch Vessels — Circum- navigation of Van Noort — Retrospect. All the seas and lands discovered by Magellan were declared by Spain to be her exclusive possession,—- an assumption which the other European States, es- pecially Portugal, were unwilling to acknowledge. The privilege of sailing by this track to the Moluccas, as well as those islands themselves, the principal ad- vantages gained by the recent discoveries, were claimed on the double title of the papal grant and the alleged cession by the native princes. But John III. the Por- tuguese monarch, was equally tenacious of his rights. The old dispute as to the boundary and partition line was renewed, and referred to a convocation of learn- ed cosmographers and skilful pilots, who met near Badajos, and parted as they met ; the commissioners of both crowns being alike obstinate in their claims. END OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 71 om Magellan to \tury. I^ew Guinea — Voy. —Of Juan Fernan- ry of the Solomon n that sailed on the ike — Expedition of -His Second Voy- Expedition of Sir ma — The Marque- Vessels— .Circum- Vlagellan were possession^—- ean States^ es- acknowledge. the Moluccas^ principal ad. I, were claimed nd the alleged I III. the Por- s of his rights. partition line ition of learn- i^ho met near ommissioners their claims. The respective governments were thus left to esta- blish their rival pretensions as they should find most convenient; and Spain, accordingly, lost no time in fitting out an expedition to secure the full bene- fit of Magellan's labours. This armament consisted of seven vessels, of which Garcia Jofre de Loyasa, a knight of St John, was appointed captain-general ; Sebastian del Cano and other survivors of the former enterprise going out under his command. The squadron sailed from Corunna on the 24th July 1525. Every precautioil having been taken to.ensure the success of the voyage, the fleet at first proceeded prosperously. But accidents soon occurred, and to the still imperfect state of nau- tical science we must impute many of the subsequent disasters of Loyasa. The captain-general was sepa- rated from the other ships ; the strait so lately dis- covered had already become uncertain; Sebastian del Cano's vessel was wrecked near Cape de las Vir- gines ; the others were injured ; one of them was forced to the southward,* and two, after suifering much damage, appear to have been conducted back to Spain. In short, it was April before they entered the sound ; the passage proving tedious and dismal, and the crew having suffered much from the ex- treme cold. Few natives were seen, and those who • The Spaniards claim an important discovery in consequence of this accidental circumstance. The San Lesmes, a bark commanded by Francisco de Hozes, is reported to have been driven to 55° south in the gale, and the captain affirmed that he had seen the end of Tierra del Fuego. Tliis a Spanish writer supposes to have been Cape Horn ; while Burney thinks it more probaoie that it was Sta- ten Land, the certain discovery of which is, however, of much later date. The extent of projecting land between the eastern entrance to the strait and Cape Horn makes it unlikely tliat it could have been seen by the crew of the San Lesmes. — Chron. Hist, of Discov. in South Sea, vol, i. p. 134. 72 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END lit appeared showed signs of a hostile disposition^ pro- bably from recollecting how their confidence was abused by their former visiters. On the 26th May, the fleet reached the South Sea, but was almost im- mediately dispersed in a storm. Two of the vessels steered for New Spain, and in their course endured much from want of provisions ; the sailors having little else to subsist on than the birds which they caught in the rigging. Of the two remaining ships, one ran aground at the island of Sanghir, after the crew had mutinied and thrown overboard the cap- tain, his brother, and the pilot ; while the other, which carried the admiral and his second in command, held north-west. Both these officers were now sick ; and, four days after crossing the line, being the 30th of July 1526, Loyasa died, and Del Cano, who had weathci'ed so many dangers, expired in less than a week. Alonzo de Salazar, who succeeded to the charge, steered for the Ladrones, and, in 14° north, discovered the island which he named San Barto- lome, the native appellation of which has been lately ascertained to be Poulousouk.* Between Magel- lan's Strait and the latitude now specified, thirty- eight of the seamen perished, and the survivors were so enfeebled that they thought proper to entrap eleven Indians to work the pumps. Salazar, the third commander, died ; and it was November be- fore they came to anchor at Zamafo, a port in an island belonging to their ally the King of Tidore. On reaching the Moluccas, disputes immediately arose between the Spaniards and the Portuguese governor settled at Ternate ; and a petty maritime • Voyage autour du Monde, par M. L. de Freycinet, Historique, tome ii. pp. 69, 70. E END disposition, pro, ' confidence was ►n the 26th May, t was almost im- vvo of the vessels r course endured le sailors having irds which they remaining ships, anghir, after the Tboard the cap, i^hile the other, nd in command, were now sick ; , being the 30th Cano, who had d in less than a icceeded to the d, in 14° north, ed San Barto- has been lately etween Magel- )ecified, thirty- survivors were oper to entrap Salazar, the November be- , a port in an ing of Tidore. s immediately le Portuguese >etty maritime fcinet. Historique, OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 73 warfare ensued, which was prosecuted several years with various degrees of activity and success, — the people of Tidore supporting their former friends, while those of Ternate espoused the cause of their rivals. In the course of this year, 1520, Papua was dis- covered by Don Jorge de Meneses, in his passage from Malacca to the Spice Islands, of which he had been appointed governor by the court of Portugal. About tlie same period, Diego da Rocha made him- self acquainted with theislands De Sequeira ; believ- ed to be a part of those which in modern times bear the name of Pelew, and belong to the extensive archipelago of the Carolines."" In the course of the following summer, the fourth captain- general of Loyasa's squadron died, as was alleged, by poison administered at the instigation of the Por- tuguese governor ; and shortly afterwards, his ship, which had been much damaged by repeated actions, was declared unfit for the homeward voyage. In the same season, the celebrated Hernan Cortes equipped three vessels for the Spice Isles, which sail- ed from New Spain on the eve of All Saints un- der the command of his kinsman Alvaro de Saave- dra. Two of them were almost immediately sepa- rated from the admiral, who, pursuing his course alone, after leaving the Ladrones, discovered on Twelfth Day a cluster of islands, to which, from this circumstance, he gave the name of Los Reyes, or The Kings.t The men were naked, save a • " Les lies qu'il [Diego da Rocha] norama Sequeira, neparois- sent etre autres, en effet, que les Matelotas, situees dans I'E. N. £. des Palaos."— Freycinet, in op. ot., tome ii. p. 76. j- They are included in the Caroline range, and are supposed to be identical with the Egoi Islands of the present maps. — Freycinet, tome ii. p. 76. if ^IH ' 'T ^1 R 1 1 t ^ 'iv u 11 ] ^ Kimli .ILL 74 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END piece of matting about their middle, — tall, robust, and swarthy, with long hair, and rough beards, They had large canoes, and were armed with cane lances. When Saavedra, after a run of little more than two months, reached the Moluccas, he was im- mediately attacked by the Portuguese, but supported by his countrymen, the residue of Loyasa's fleet, who had now built a brigantine. Having completed his cargo, he sailed for New Spain on the 3d June 1528, — an eastward voyage that for a series of years baffled the most skilful navigators. Land was reached, which the Spaniards named Isia del Oro, in the belief that it abounded in gold. There is, however, reason to conclude that it was Papua, afterwards called New Guinea, from the resemblance between the natives and the negroes on the coast of Africa. They were black, with short crisped hair, and had the features of that distinctive race of Polynesia, - ee termed Oceanic negroes, who are found in many of those groups which are scattered through- out the vast Pacific, sometimes mixed with the other great family by which these islands are peopled, but generally apart. Saavedra, finding the wind unfavourable, was obliged to return to the Mo- luccas ; nor was his second attempt to reach New Spain, in the following year, more fortunate. In this voyage he once more touched at Papua. When formerly there he had made three captives, two of whom, on again seeing the beloved shores of their native land, plunged into the sea while the ship was yet distant ; but the third, who was more tract- able, and had by this time been baptized, remained as envoy from his new friends to his ancient coun- trymen, and to establish an amicable traffic. When FIE END die,— -tall, robust, nd rough beards, armed with cane un of little more uecas, he was im- ?se, but supported iOyasa's fleet, who ing completed his he3d June 1528, es of years baffled tid was readied, del Oro, in the here is, however, apua, afterwards nblance between coast of Africa. !d hair, and had ce of Polynesia, 10 are found in Eittered through- !d with the other ds are peopled, tiding the wind irn to the Mo- )t to reach New fortunate. In Papua. When captives, two of shores of their while the ship was more tract- tized, remained s ancient coun- traffic. When OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURV. 75 the vessel neared the beach, he also left her, in or- der to swim ashore ; but, without being allowed to land, he was assailed and murdered, as an outcast and renegade, in presence of his Christian patrons. A group of small islands (part of the Carolines) in 7" north, were, from the circumstance of the natives being tattooed or painted, named Los Pin- tados. To the north-east of this cluster, several low ones, well peopled, were discovered, and named Los Buenos Jardines.* At this place Saavedra dropped anchor, and the inhabitants drew near the shore, waving a flag. A number of men came on board accompanied by a female, who touched each of the Spaniards in succession, and was from that circumstance supposed to be a sorceress brought for the purpose of discovering what kind of beings they were. Both sexes were light-complexioned and tattooed. The women were beautiful, with agree- able features and long black hair, and wore dresses of fine matting. Saavedra, on landing, was met by a promiscuous band advancing in a certain order, with tambourines and festal songs. To gratify the curi- osity of their chief, a musket was fired, which struck them with such terror that the greater part imme- diately fled in their canoes to a station three leagues distant, whence they were with difficulty induced to return. These islands afforded abundance of cocoa- nuts and other vegetable productions. The com- mander died soon after leaving the Good Gardens ;+ * " Nous reconnoissons dans les premieres [Los Pintados] une Portion des iles Ralik, et dans les secondes [Los Buenos Jardines] extr^mite nord des Radak, eroupe exptbre long-temps apres [ 1816-17] parle capitainerusse Kotzebue." — Freycinet,tomeii. p. 76. •f- To Saavedra is ascribed the bold idea of cuttinjr a canal I from sea to sea through tlie Isthmus of Darien. This project, i which has been often revived, very early engaged the attention of 76 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END and, after vainly attempting to reach New Spain, the ship once more returned to the Moluccas. After sustaining many varieties of fortune, the Spa- niards, finding that they could procure no reinforce, ments from their own country, consented to aban. don the settlement, on condition of being furnished with means to convey them home. They accord, ingly departed for Cochin in 1534, but did not reach Europe till 1537, after an absence of twelve years. " Though the honour," says Burney, " of sending forth the second ship that encircled the globe cannot be claimed by the Spanish nation, it is nevertheless a justice due to the memory of the few of Loyasa's and Saavedra's men who reached their native country, to notice them as the naviga- tors who the second time performed that tour."* Several voyages had in the mean time been at- tempted by private adventurers ; but they all proved abortive, and the passage by Magellan's Straits, as well as the schemes which began to be entertained for opening a communication through the Isthmus Spain. It is discussed in Jos. Acosta's History of the Indies,— who ur|;e8 against the design an opinion, that one sea being highcfr than the other, the undertaking must be attended by some awful calamity to the globe. Observations made under the patronage of Bolivar, and completed in IJ529, seem to show that the levels of the two oceans are difl'erent ; but as our ideas of a canal no longer imply a channel through which the waters of the one sea should flow into the other, the apprehensions that occurred to the Spanish historian have ceased to appal us. The chief obstacle is the enor* mous expense ; for it seems now to be sufficiently proved that either a canal or a railway is quite practicable (See Royal So- ciety Transactions for ItiSO ;— indeed, it is reported that the con- struction of the latter has been determined on by the government of New Grenada. A cut was in fact made in 1788, connecting a tri- butary of the San Juan with a branch of the Quito, and thus open- ing a communication between the Atlantic and the Pacific, during the rainy season, for the canoes of the country, which draw from one to two feet of water. * Chron. Hist, of Discov. in South Sea, vol. i. p. 161. .J& . IE END each New Spain, the Moluccas, fortune, the Spa. cure no reinforce, •nsented to aban. f being furnished e. They accord- •34, but did not ibsence of twelve ays Burney, " of lat encircled the Spanish nation, it le memory of the len who reached m as the naviga. d that tour." * an time been at- ut they all proved ?llan's Straits, as o be entertained []gh the Isthmus story of the Indies,— t one sea being higher ended by some awful inder the patronage of how that the levels of of a canal no longer the one sea should ccurred to the Spanish f obstacle is the enor- fficiently proved that :able (See Royal So- •eported that the con- on by the government 1 788, connecting a tri- )uito, and thus open, id the Pacific, during itry, which draw from >1. i. p. 161. OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTUttY. 77 of Darien, were abandoned, when, in 1521), the Em- peror Charles V. mortgaged or ceded to Portugal his right to all the islands west of the Ladrones, for 350,000 ducats (£108,181, 15s.) The discoveries now opening in other quarters likewise contributed to divert attention from this point. The peninsula of California was visited a few years afterwards. Its gulf and outer shores were examined by Cortes in 1530 ; new settlements were also every year ris- ing in j\Iexico and Peru, which engrossed the cares of the Spanish governor; and it was not till the year 1542, that, forgetting the cession to Portugal, a squadron was once more fitted out, destined for the Archipelago of St Lazarus. This was the work of lilendoza, viceroy of Mexico, and the command was intrusted to his brother-in-law, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos. He discovered the island of San Toinas, in latitude 18" 30' north, and a clus- ter, which he named El Coral. On the 6th Ja- nuary 1543, at 35 leagues from the Coral Isles, the fleet passed ten islands belonging to the group of the Carolines, and probably the same with Saavedra's Gardens. — The squadron coasted along Mindanao, and on reaching Sarrangan, an island near the south part of Mindanao, resolved to establish in it that settlement which was the chief purpose of their expedition. This the natives, though at first hospitable and friendly, stoutly opposed; but the captain-general, having already taken formal pos- session of all the islands for the emperor, deter- mined to make good his point, and, accordingly, at- tacking their forces, compelled them to retreat. Here the Spaniards raised their first harvest of Indian corn in the Philippines, — the name nov given by 78 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END Villalobos to the archipelago, in compliment to the Prince-royal of Spain. The inhabitant^ of several islands in a short time became more friendly ; traf* fie was established ; and thi 3 success once more ex- cited the jealous apprehensions of the Portuguese, and induced them to foment intrigues among the native chiefs who favoured the different European leaders. In the progress of events, the conduct of Villalobos was marked by perfidy to the allies he had gained, and by treachery to his sovereign. In despite of the remonstrances of his officers, he ac- cepted unworthy terms from the Poi tuguese, and provided himself a passage home in one of their ships. But his main object was defeated, for he died at Amboyna of sickness and chagrin, — thus eluding the vengeance of the country which he had betrayed. The commencement of a new reign is a period proverbial for energy and activity. Among the first acts of Philip II. was an order issued to the Viceroy of Mexico for the final conquest of the Philippines. The Fray Andres de Urdaneta, a ce- lebrated cosmographer and navigator, who, after sailing with Loyasa, had become a monk, was re- quested to accompany an expedition for this purpose ; and to him the honour was given of nominating the captain-general, his own profession forbidding him to hold any secular rank. His choice fell upon Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a person of great prudence, who sailed with four ships from Navidad in New Spain on the 21st November 1564. On the 9th January following, they discovered a small island, which they named De los Barbudos, on account of the large beards of the natives, and next morning a circle of islets, which were called De los Piazeres, from END OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 79 [ipliment to the taiJtc of several friendly; traf. I once more ex- tlie Portuguese, ues among the 3rent European the conduct of T to the allies s sovereign. In officers, he ac- Oituguese, and le of their ships. I, for he died — thus eluding B had betrayed. gn is a period Among the issued to the nquest of the rdaneta, a ce- ir, who, after nonk, was re- r this purpose; ominating the bidding him to I upon Miguel )rudence, who in New Spain ( 9th January d, which they t of the large ing a circle of iazeres, from the shoals which ran between them. A similar group were perceived on the 12th, named Las Her- raanas, or The Sisters ; and are supposed to be the same with the Pescadores and Arrecifes of modern charts. The squadron touched at the Ladrones, and without seeing other land made the Philip- pines, where, according to the sealed orders received from the king, they were to form a settlement. On the 13th of February, they anchored near the east part of the island Tandaya. The natives wore the semblance of friendship ; and an alliance was made with the chiefs, according to the customs of their country, the parties drawing blood from their arms and breasts, and mingling it with wine or water, in which they pledged mutual fidelity.* In this ceremony the captain-general declined to join, alleging that there was no person on the other side of sufficient rank to contract with him. The In- dians, however, c« uld not be w far ensnared as to become the dupesof European policy, remarking that the Spaniards gave " good words but bad works." The fleet sailed from place to place, but small progress was made in gaining the confidence of the people, who were now fully alive to the intentions of their visiters. One station after another was abandoned, and though a good understanding was established with the chief of Bohol, with whom Legaspi per- formed the ceremony of bleeding. Zebu was at last selected as the centre of colonization. There the Spa- niards carried matters in a higher tone than they had hitherto assumed. The tardiness of the people * The classical reader will not need to be reminded that Hero- dotus records similar customs as prevalent among the Scythians and other nations. 1 I ' !^ t i li ., 80 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END r : Mil to acknowledge the offered civilities of the voyagers was used as a pretext for aggression, and the foun. dation of the first Spanish colony in the Pliilip. pines was laid in the ashes of the sacked capital. Hostilities continued to be waged for a time be- tween the islanders and the invaders ; but at last a peace was concluded. The news of the settle- ment was carried back to America by the Fray Andres Urdaneta, the pilot-monk, who sailed on the 1st June, and on the 3d of October reached Acapulco, — an exploit highly extolled at the time, as the passage across the Pacific from west to east^ so necessary to facilitate the communication between the Philippines and the mother-country, had hitherto baffled every navigator. By following a course to the 43d degree of north latitude fair winds were obtained; and the homeward voyage long con- tinued to be made to New Spain by the same track, which acquired the name of Urdaneta's Pass- age. The occupation of Manilla soon followed that of Zebu, and became the insular capital of the Spaniards in the eastern world. Geographical discovery and maritime enterprise were now to receive a new spirit from that extraor- dinary career of conquest which, commenced by Her- nan Cortes almost contemporaneously with the voy- age of Magellan, had already extended over the great- er part of the western coast of South America. In the year 1563, Juan Fernandez, a Spanish pilot, in the passage from Peru to the new establishments in Chili, had stood out to sea in the hopes of finding favourable winds, and in his progress descried two islands ; one of which was called Mas-afuera, while the other received the name of its discoverer, and 7 3 END of the voyagers , and the foun. in the Philip. ( sacked capital. for a time be- ers; but at last s of the settle- ;a by the Fray who sailed on )ctober reached led at the time, a west to east, so ication between try, had hitherto ing a course to iair winds were yage long con- by the same Irdaneta's Pass- >n followed that capital of the time enterprise m that extraor- mencedbyHer- y with the voy- •d over the great- America. In the ish pilot, in the ablishments in )pes of finding ss descried two s-afuera, while Uscoverer, and OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 81 has since acquired much celebrity as the supposed scene of Defoe's romance of Robinson Crusoe. In the year 1567, Lopez Garcia de Castro, the vice- roy of Peru, fitted out the first expedition which sail- ed from that country expressly for the purpose of dis- covery. He intrusted the command to Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra, who departed from Callao, the port of Lima, on the 10th of January. Having di- rected his progress westward a distance which is variously stated by different writers, he reached a small island inhabited by copper-coloured savages, and named it the Isla de Jesus. Shortly after, he discovered a large shoal, which he called Baxos de la Candelaria (Candlemas Shoals), and from this de- scried an extensive land, for wliich he set sail, and anchored in a harbour, that received the appella- tion of Santa Ysabel de la Estrella (St Isabel of the Star). The inhabitants were of a bronze com- plexion, had woolly hair, and wore no covering save round their waists. They were divided into tribes, and engaged in continual warfare with one another. They seemed to be cannibals, but their usual food consisted of cocoa-nuts, and a species of root which they called venaus. Having first, with the characteristic devotion of the age, caused mass to be celebrated on these new-found shores, Men- dana constructed a brig large enough to carry thirty men, which was despatched to explore the neigh- bouring coasts. The result was the discovery of an archipelago consisting of eighteen islands, some of which were found to be 300 leagues in circuvitci'ence, though of several others no definite knowledge was obtained. The names of Santa Ysabel, Guadalcanal, Malaita, San Christoval, and El Nombre de Dios, 82 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE KND II :i were bestowed on the principal ones ; while the group received the general appellation of the Solomon Islands, from a belief that they had supplied the gold and treasure employed in the building of the Temple.* The air was extremely salubrious ; the fertile soil offered ample resources for a dense popula- tion, and the rivers washed down great quantities of the precious metals. This archipelago, however, was not explored without several rencounters taking place between the Spaniards and the savages, who fought with much valour. After this rapid survey, Men- dana returned to Peru in the beginning of March 1568. INIany years passed ere any farther knowledge of his discoveries was sought ; and their situation long furnished a perplexing theme for the discussion of geographers. In the year 1574, Juan Fernandez visited two small islands lying near the continent of America, which were named San Felix and San Amber. About the same period, a discovery is ascribed to him of a more doubtful character. Sailing from the coast of Chili, about the latitude of 40'' south, t he is reported • The minds of the early discoverers seem to have been con- stantly inflamed by the descri[ tion of the wealth of Solomon, wlio " made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones," and whose " drinking vessels Vi'ere of ^old, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were oT pure gold ; none were of silver : it was nothinjij ac- counted of in the aays of Solomon." — 1 Kin^s, x. 21, 27. The land of Ophir, from which the navy of Hiram brought gold and " great plenty of almug-trees, and precious stones," was the object of conti. nual search ; and Columbus, among his other dreams, believed that he found this source of Jewish splendour in Hispaniola and Veragua. — Irving's Columbus, vol. iii. p. 251, and vol. iv. p. 59. The true po- sition of Ophir is yet a questio vexata among geographers. It has been placed in India, in Arabia, in Africa, and even in Peru. Ety- mology, the never-failing support of such speculations, comes m aid of this last hypothesis with the expression " gold of Parvaim." -{• It is to be regretted that the learned Burney should have les- sened the value oi his important work by tlie loose and unscholarlike Z END ; while the group )f the Solomon id supplied the building of the salubrious; the a dense popula- at quantities of 0, however, was ters taking place ges, who fought i survey. Men- ning of March ther knowledge their situation r the discussion lez visited two nt of America, Amber. About )ed to him of a om the coast of t* he is reported to have been con- li of Solomon, who d whose " drinking ouse of the forest of it was nothinu; ac- 21,27. Theland it gold and " great the object of conti> T»s, believed that he )Ia and Veragua. — 59. The true po- ographers. It has ren in Peru. Etj-- ulations, comes in gold of Parvaira." y should have les- eandunscholarlike OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. «:5 to have reached, after a voyage of a month, tlie coast of a continent which seemed to be very fertile and well cultivated. The people were white, wore fine attire, and were of an amiable and peaceful disposi- tion. Several large rivers fell into the sea, and alto- gether it " appeared much better and richer than Peru." This country has been supposed by some to be New Zealand ; others are inclined wholly to discredit the voyage ; and the data are certainly too meagre to warrant the identification of this sup- posed continent with any of the islands in the Pacific known to geography. The year 1575 witnessed the first launching of a bark by an English seaman in the waves of the South Sea, — a feat which was accomplished by John Oxenham, a native of Plymouth. Landing on the north side of Darien, he marched across the neck of land; and having built a small vessel, he intrusted himself to the ocean, and steered for the Pearl Islands. There he captured two rich prizes, and returned with his spoil to recross the isthmus^ — an attempt in which he was slain. fashion of departing from the words of his author, even while pre- tending to quote literally. This practice has led him into numerous mistakes. Thus, in relating the discovery of Fernandez, he takes oc- c^ision to quote the Memorial of Doctor .Juan Luis Arias, published by Dalrymple (Hist. Coll. vol. i. p. 53), as to the following ef- fect : — " Arias says, ' The pilot, Juan Iv. 2 KND Captain Davis, and having met among certaine y knowen reia. rom the shoare, ights, in which his wonderful! ee must of ne- a[roup he seems they are now kland Islands.t led in reaching 3t immediately, rhaven in Ire- een persons re- ?land. Of the iiieh constitute history of this ing adventures, in a preceding ibrary.ij: nother expedi- zabeth. This kins, who sail- me 1593. In observed the o vindicate Davis' supposed was for- ist. Discov. vol. ii. id Dampier. For t intrepid seamen, gions of the north J, was doomed to is referred to the Seas and Regions. OP THE 81XTKENTH CENTURY. 09 islands fornxTly seen by Davis, though he appears to have considered them as altogether unknown. " The land," he says, " for that it was discovered in the reigne of Queene Elizabeth, my souereigne lady and mistris, and a maydtii queene, and at my cost and ndutiiture, in a perpetuall memory of her chas- titie, and remembrance of my endevours, I gave it the name of Hawkins' Maiden-land."* Sir Rich- ard reached the South Sea, and began to follow the example of his more illustrious predecessors, Drake and Cavendish ; but his fortune proved very different. On the 22d of June 1594, his ship was captured near Cape de San Francisco, and carried into Panama, in honour of which event that city was illuminated. This was the last voyage in the Pacific made by English navigators for many years. The course of our narrative accordingly turns again to the expe. ditions of the Spaniards. In 1594, Philip II., in a letter to the Viceroy of Peru, recommended " the encouragement of en- terprises for new discoveries and settlements, as the best means to disembarrass the land from many idle gentry;" and, in compliance with this sug- gestion, an armament was prepared next year to effect a settlement in the island of San Christoval, one of the Solomon archipelago, visited, as has been already narrated, in 1567* The fleet consisted of four vessels supplied with 378 men, of whom 280 were soldiers; it was commanded by Alvaro de Mendana, by whom the islands had been discover- ed, under the title of Adelantado, and the chief • Purchas, vol. iv. p. 1384, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) &^ // A% /, % «' 1.0 |^li£ K£ 1.1 l.-^KS IL25 i 1.4 III 1.6 Photografdiic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S8C (716)872-4503 4^ "4!^ 90 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END pilot was Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, — a name which afterwards became famous in the annals of nautical adventure. The adelantado was accom. panied by his wife, the Donna Ysabel Berreto, and, as was usual in those days, a certain number of priests sailed on board the armada. On the 16th of June 1595, Mendana, leaving Payta, pursued a course nearly due west until the 2l8t July, when he was in latitude 10° 50' S., and, by the reckoning of Quiros, 1000 leagues distant from Lima. On that day an island was discovered and named La Madalena ; and the adelantado, be. lieving it to be the land he sought, there was much rejoicing among the crew, and Te Deum laudamus was sung with great devotion. Next day, when they drew near the shore, there sallied forth in rude procession about seventy canoes, and at the same time many of the inhabitants made towards the ships by swimming. They were in complexion nearly white, of good stature, and finely formed ; and on their faces and bodies were delineated representations of fishes and other devices. The Spanish chroniclers extol the gentle manners and the beauty of these na- tives very highly. " There came," says Figueroa,* " among others, two lads paddling their canoe, whose eyes were fixed on the ship ; they had beautiful faces. * << Hechos de Don Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza Quarto Mar- qnes de Canete, por El Doctor Christoval Suarez de Figueroa. Afadrid, 1613." An almost literal translation of so much of this work as relates to Mendana's vova^ will be found in Dalrymple's Hist. Coll. vol. i. pp. 57-94, and 185-203. This translation has oeen used in the present account. There has been preserved another nanrative of the voyage in a letter written by Pedro Fernandez Quiros, the pilot-mayor, to Don Antonio Merga, and published by him in " Sucesos de las Philipinas. Mexico, I()09." This is also to be found in Dalrymple*s excellent work. OF THE SIXTEKNTH CENTURY. 91 and the most promising animation of countenance ; and were in all things so becoming, that the pilot, mayor (Quiros) affirmed nothing in his life ever caused him so much regret as the leaving such fine creatures to be lost in that country." Short as was the intercourse which the Spaniards had with these gentle savages, it was marked by bloodshed and vio- lence. When Mendana had passed the south end of La Madalena, he descried three other islands, and this circumstance for the first time convinced him that he was not among the Solomon group. He named these newly-discovered ones La Dominica, Santa Christi. na, and San Pedro, and gave to the whole cluster the title of Las Marquesas de Mendoza. A spaci. ous harbour was soon observed in Santa Christina, and named Port Madre de Dios ; and the fleet hav- ing been safely anchored, the adelantado and the Lady Ysabel landed. On this occasion mass was performed with much ceremony, the natives stand, ing silently by, kneeling when the strangers knelt^ and endeavouring generally to imitate their gestures. Prayers were then said, and in the name of the King of Spain possession was taken of the islands,— a for. mality which was completed by the sowing of some maize. A large party of soldiers being left on shore, soon fell into hostilities with the natives, drove them from their houses, and hunted them with slaughter into the woods. At length, on the 5th of August, the adelantado set sail from Las Marquesas — assuring the crews, that on the third or fourth day they would reach the Solomons. More than a fortnight passed, however, and no land was seen, till on the 20th they dis. covered four small and low islands with sandy 92 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END beaches, and covered with palms and other trees. These were named San Bernardo, and a similar one, descried nine days after, was, from its lonely situation, called La Solitaria. It has been conjec- tured to be identical with one of the Desventuradas of Magellan.* The ships passed on, pursuing the same course, but discontent and disappointment soon broke out on board. Of the land, long since predict- ed by the adelantado as near at hand, no signs had yet appeared ; and some of the crew scrupled not to say that they were going no one knew whither. Amid these murmurs of dissatisfaction, Mendana, we are told, went about with a rosary ever in his hand, wearing an air of devotion and severely re- prehending all profaneness of speech. On the night of the 7th of September, land was at length perceived ; and on that same night one of the vessels disappeared and was no more seen. At sunrise the land was ascertained to be an island of large extent ; and was forthwith named Santa Cruz. Another was seen to the northward, on which there was a volcano in great activity. When first observed, it had a regularly-formed peak ; but this was de- stroyed a few days after by an eruption of such violence as to be felt on board the ships, though at the distance of ten leagues. The natives were im- mediately recognised by Mendana as of a kindred race with the inhabitants of the Solomons, yet they appeared to speak a different language. Their hair was woolly, and frequently stained white, red, and other colours ; they had ornaments of bone or teeth round their necks, and used bows and arrows. Their warlike disp osition was evinced by their commenc • Buraey, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 175. — - * OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 93 ler trees. I similar ts lonely conjec- ituradas ling the ent soon predict- igns had d not to whither, endana, r in his Tely re- md was t one of jn. At iland of taCruz. h there ►served, i^as de. )f such ugh at jre im- indred 3t they ir hair d, and r teeth Their menc. ing an attack on the Spaniards. This was, indeed, quickly repelled ; but the ferocity of the savages and the cruelty of the voyagers kept up a continued warfare during their stay. The adelantado at length determined to form a settlement on the margin of a bay, which from its goodly aspect was named La Graciosa. The ground was soon cleared and several houses built. Sedition and mutiny, however, now made their appearance, and it was found necessary to punish three of the conspirators with death. The inhumanity of his people towards the natives reached at the same time a height altogether unprecedented. A chief, Malipe, whom Quiros calls " our greatest friend and lord of the island," was murdered by some of the crew, apparently without the slightest cause or pretext; though, to the honour of Mendana,it should be mentioned that he inflicted death on the perpetrators of this cruel ou trage. B ut this was among the last of his acts, disease and care having already reduced him to the utmost extremity. On the 17th of October, which was marked by a total eclipse of the moon, he made his will, leaving his authority to his wife. Donna Ysabel, and constituting her brother, Don Lorenzo Berreto, captain.general under her. He was so weak that he could scarcely subscribe his name to this document, and he only survived till mid. night. His character may be given in the words of Figueroa : " He was known to be very eager to ac- complish whatever he put hand to ; he was zealous for the honour of God and the service of the king ; of high mind, which had engaged him in the former voyages and discoveries ; good actions gave him plea- sure, and he detested bad; he was very courteous and sweet-tempered ; not too apt to give reasons, and 94 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END therefore not desirous of them ; more solicitous of works than words. He appeared to be well in re- gard to his own conscience. He never passed for high, so that it was the opinion that he knew more than he performed."* The melancholy rites of bu- rial were celebrated with suitable pomp. The cof- fin was borne on the shoulders of eight officers, and the soldiers marched with muskets reversed, and dragging their colours in the dust. Shortly after, the new captain-general was wound- ed in a skirmish with the natives, and died on the 2d November. The vicar soon followed him, — " a loss," says Figueroa, " such as the sins of these unfortunate pilgrims deserved ; it served as a stroke to tell them they were displeasing to God, when, after so many corporeal afflictions, he took from them their spiritual comfort." Continued misfor- tunes had now reduced the settlement to a state so helpless that twenty determined savages could have destroyed it without danger ; and the Donna Ysabel, bereft of her husband and brother, and dis- couraged by so many evils, resolved to abandon the projected colony. Having accordingly embarked all the settlers, and taken on board the corpse of the • Burney seems to have been disposed to look only on the dark side of Mendana's character : « His merits," it is observed, « as a navigator, or as a commander, have not contributed towards ren- dering him conspicuous ; and it is remarked in Figueroa that his death was lamented ONLY by his relations and his favourites.^* — Chron. Hist Discov. vol. ii. p. 162. This certainly is not a fair representation of Figueroa's statement, which runs flius :— « The governess and her friends were much affected by his death, othere were glad of it. It is to be supposed these were the worst people in the company^ to whom hts goodness gave offence ; for it is impossible for one who lives in ^«ad to love that which occasions his fear; and particularly when the wicked have the good to judge of their evil work8."--Dalrymple> Hist. Coll. vol. i. p. 190. OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 95 adelantadOj the three vessels which now composed the fleet set sail on the 18th of November^ after a stay at Santa Cruz of two months and eight days. It was intended to seek the island of San Chris- toval ; " but," says Quiros, " when we continued on the course two days and saw nothing, on the peti- tion of all the people, who spoke aloud, the governess commanded me to take the route for the city of Manilla." In their voyage thither, an island was discovered about thirty leagues in circuit, and cloth, ed with trees and herbage. No name seems at that time to have been assigned to it, and though its posi- tion is very imperfectly indicated, it may be conjec- tured to be one of the Carolines.* Two of the vessels reached the Philippines after much privation ; the third was found stranded on the coast with all her sails set, but her people were dead.t Shortly after this disastrous expedition, the Spa- niards were alarmed by the appearance of a new foe in the ocean which they had ever regarded as their own. This unexpected enemy was the Dutch, who, fired alike by hatred of the nation which had so long oppressed them, and stimulated by hopes of gain, determined to carry the hostilities, hitherto confined to the plains of the Low Countries, far beyond the bounds of Europe, and to attack the possessions of their former tyrants in India and the South Seas. In June 1598, five vessels left Holland for the * It is thus noticed by M. de Freycinet, apparently on the au- thority of'Texeira: — *' En ld9d,Qirtros, successeur de Mendana, fit la decouverte de Tile Hogoleu^ qui d^abord re^ut des Espagnols le nom de Quirosa^ puis celiu de Torres, d^un capitaine de cette nation.'* — Voyage autour du Monde. Historique, tome ii. p. 77* •)• Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. L p. 58^ note. 06 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END purpose of sailing to the East Indies by the Straits of Magellan, and cruising against the Spaniards on the coasts of Chili and Peru. On the 6th of the following April, they entered the Straits ; but in consequence of some unforeseen difficulties, they were obliged to winter in Green Bay, where they suffered much from cold and want, many of the men dying of hunger. They had also repeated conflicts with the natives, who are described as being of formidable stature, with red bodies and long hair, and animated with such implacable hatred against the Dutch, that they tore from their graves the bodies of some sailors, which they mangled or altogether removed. On the 3d of September, the squadron reached the South Sea, but was soon dispersed in a storm, and never again met. Sibald de Weert repassed the Straits, and after seeing some of the islands discovered by Davis, and which now received the name of Sibald de Weert, brought home to the Maes, in July 1600, the only ship that returned to Holland. Dirck Gherritz, in the yacht commanded by him, was driven to 64° south latitude, where he got sight of land, supposed to be the South Shetland Isles.* An Englishman, named William Adams, acted as chief pilot in the squadron, and the vessel in which he sailed stood over to the coast of Japan, where they were detained, but kindly treated. Adams built two ships for the emperor, and became so great a favourite, that he granted him a living " like unto a lordship in England with eightie or ninetie husbandmen" for servants ; but he failed to obtain permission to return home, though he greatly desired * This fact seems to have been little regarded, and does not af- fect the merit of Captam Smith's discovery m 1B18. G OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 97 to " see his poore wife and children, according to conscience and nature."* Finding that he could not prevail for himself, he interceded for his companions, who, being allowed to depart, joined a Dutch fleet under General Matelief. Their captain was killed in an engagement with the Portuguese off Malacca, after which all trace of them is lost. News of the death of Adams, at Firando in Japan, was brought to this country in 1621. Almost contemporaneously with this expedition, some Dutch merchants fitted out four ships under Olivier Van Noort, who sailed from Goree on the 13th September 1598, with objects similar to those contemplated by De Weert. A voyage of a year and seven days brought them to Port Desire, where they careened their three vessels, having pre- viously burned one as unserviceable ; and, according to Purchas, they took in this place penguins, to the number of "50,000, being as bigge as geese, with egges innumerable, which proved very refreshing to the diseased."t Some natives being observed on the north shore, the general landed with twenty men, and as the savages had disappeared they proceeded into the country. Five sailors left in charge of the boats strag- gled to some distance ; upon which about thirty Pa- tagonians, tall, fierce, tawny, and " painted to the degree of terror," attacked them, murdered three, and wounded another with an arrow. By the time the general and his party returned, the assailants had all fled, and none were again seen near the and does not af- * " William Adams, — ^his Voyage by the Magellan Straits to Japan, written in two letters by Tiimselte." — Purchas, vol. i. p. 128. ^ f Purchas, vol. i. p. 72. F m FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END place. After entering the Straits, the ships were approached from the south coast by a single man, who was pursued and ineffectually fired at. A more convenient opportunity, as the Dutchmen conceived, for revenging the death of their three comrades oc- curred at the smaller of the Penguin Islands. As the boats neared the land, about forty natives, thinking they came in search of the birds which abound there, threw some from the top of a cliff, made signs for them not to land, and discharged arrows when these intimations were disregarded. The Hollanders were not slow to retaliate with musketry; which soon drove the savages from the rock. They again rallied, however, on the side of a hill at the mouth of a cavern, and fought with the utmost determination until the destructive fire of the Dutch left not one man alive. In the interior of the grotto were found huddled together the women and children; mothers had placed their own bodies as a protection before their offspring, and many of both were wounded. The invaders committed no farther outrage, except carrying off four boys and two girls. One of the former having been taught to speak Dutch, afterwards informed his captors that they had exterminated the males of a whole tribe, — a deed, which, as it is related with- out any expressions of regret or pity, was probably nevfer regarded by the perpetrators as being in the least more atrocious than if they had cut down so many trees for the use of their squadron. Sibald de Weert's ship was seen in the Straits, and that com- mander made a request to be supplied with some biscuit ; but his countryman coolly answered, that he had no more than was sufficient for his own i-:. END the ships were y a single man, •ed at. A more men conceived, !e comrades oc- n Islands. As forty natives, le birds which top of a cliff, md discharged •e disregarded, retaliate with images from the on the side of ought with the ructive jBre of [n the interior together the i placed their heir offspring, The invaders t carrying off former having irds informed 1 the males of related with- was probably I being in the cut down so 3. Sibaldde nd that com- jd with some iswered, that for his own OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY^ 00 use, and if he should exhaust his stores, this was not a part of the world where bread could be pur- chased. Along the west coast of South America some prizes of little consequence were made, and when near the equator they stood across towards the Phi- lippines. At Guahan, in the Ladrones, about 200 canoes came off to barter, the people in them shout- ing, " Hierro, hierro !" (iron, iron !) and in their ea- gerness oversetting each other's boats, — a catastrophe which occasioned much confusion, but no loss of life, as they were all expert swimmers. The Dutch did not find them honourable in their transactions, as they covered baskets of shells with a thin layer of rice at top, and, if they had an opportunity, pulled a sword from the scabbard, and leaping into the sea, eluded, by diving, the bullets of the en- raged owners. The women were no less expert in such exercises than the men, as was ascertain- ed by dropping bits of iron, which they fetched up from the bottom. Thence Van Noort proceeded in a leisurely manner, capturing trading vessels, burning villages, and carrying off provisions as occasion served. His force was now reduced to two ships, the Mauritius and Eendracht. He learnt from some Chinese that the capital of the Spanish settlements was well fortified, and the harbour suf- ficiently protected. He therefore anchored off the entrance of the bay, to intercept the craft bound thither. After some time, the colonists sailed out to attack them ; when their admiral, De Morga, con- fident in a large superiority of numbers, ran directly aboard of the Mauritius, and, getting possession of the deck, pulled down the flag. The Holland- 100 FROM MAGELLAN TO THK END ers, however, continued to fight, though in a skulk- ing manner, when Van Noort, tired of this tedious and ineffectual warfare, told his men, that if they did not come out and encounter the enemy more vigorously, he would set fire to the magazine and blow up the ship. They did so accordingly, and drove the Spaniards back into their own vessel, which, having been damaged in boarding, soon af- ter went down. Most of the seamen were saved by the country-boats ; but numbers also were shot, knocked on the head, or killed with pikes by the Dutch, who refused quarter. The Eendracht, see- ing the colours of the Mauritius lowered, and think- ingthe captain-general had surrendered, took to flight, but was pursued and captured ; upon which, the pri- soners being conveyed to Manilla, were immediately executed as pirates. Without any farther adventure of consequence, and having added nothing to the knowledge of the South Sea, Van Noort brought his ship to anchor before the city of Amsterdam on the 26th of August 1601. This was the first circumnavigation performed by the Dutch, and was remarkable for the rigour with which discipline was enforced. In many of the Spanish expeditions mutinies broke out which could not be subdued without the sacrifice of se- veral lives; but here, although a spirit of insu- bordination was repeatedly displayed, it seems to have been uniformly checked before spreading to any considerable extent. Individuals who had been found guilty were put ashore at various points; and, among others, the second in command was left in Patagonia with a little bread and wine. Every thing of this nature was done with the sanction of a OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. ]0l council of war,* whose sentences were occasionally marked by no little severity : in one case they caused a seaman's hand to be pinned to the mast with a knife, where he was condemned to remain till he could re. lease himself by slitting it open. This cruel punish- ment was formerly usual in cases where an assault had been committed upon the pilot or commander. The voyage of Van Noort closes the long list of enterprises made in the sixteenth century ; and, be. fore passing on to the events of the seventeenth, it may not be improper briefly to glance at the pro- gress of discovery among the islands and along the coasts of the South Sea since the time when Vasco Nunez, from the mountain.peak of Darien, beheld " below him extended a vast chaos of rock and forest, and green savannas and wandering streams, while at a distance the waters of the promised ocean glit- tered in the morning sun."t * Blimey (Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 209) says, it does not appear who composed this tribunal ; but the ori^^inal account of the voya^ mentions that the " council of war^* gave a judgment which it also attributes to the " general and his officers.** This makes it sufficiently plain of whom the council in a Dutch fleet consisted ; and farther, one of the letters of William Adams states, that all tlie pilots in the squadron expressed in the council an opinion which so displeased the captains that they excluded "them for the future from their deliberations. — Purchas, vol. i. p. 129. ■f- Voyages of the Companions of Columbus, p. 173. Washing- ton Irving nas described this event, " one of the most beautiful and striking mcidents in the history of the New World," with even more than his usual elegance. It is in itself so picturesque as to be barely susceptible of farther embellishment from poetry, though Mr Irving considers that the fate of Nunez " might furnish a theme of wonderful interest for a poem or a drama." His great dis- covery has been happily alluded to in a beautiful sonnet by a young poet, whO) however, has confounded him with the conqueror of Mexico: — " Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken, 102 FROM MAGELLAN TO THE END The continent of America, constituting the western boundary of this vast ocean, had already been explor- ed from the white cliffs of New Albion, in 48° north latitude, to Cape Pilares on Tierra del Fuego, in 54° south. Some imperfect knowledge had been ob- tained of lands even still farther south : Drake had seen the promontory which afterwards received the dreaded name of Cape Horn, and the Dutch had descried the bleak islands now called New South Shetland. Magellan had laid open the strait which bears his name, and was then looked on as the only entrance from the Atlantic into the South Sea. Along the coast had been discovered several islands, the principal of which v/ere Chi- loe. Mocha, Mas-afuera, Juan Fernandez, San Fe- lix, San Amber or Ambrosio, Lobos, Los Gala- pagos, Cocos, San Tomas, and the Pearl Islands. The eastern boundary of the South Sea was less ac- curately known. Yet on that side the Japan Islands, Formosa, the Philippines or Archipelago of St La- zarus, Borneo, the Moluccas, Papua or New Guinea, had all been more or less minutely examined, and might be held to define with sufficient accuracy the eastern limits of the Pacific, from the latitude of 40° north to that of 10° on the opposite side of the equator. Southward of this all was unknown and unexplored ; and the geographers of the period, bold in their ignorance, delineated the capes, the gulfs, the promontories, bays, islands, and coast of a great continent extending from the vicinity of New Guinea to the neighbourhood of Tierra del Fuego, under the Or like stout Cortez^ when with eagle eyes He stared at the Pacific, and all his men Looked at each other with a wild surmise^ Silent, upon a peak in Darien." !| ! END ! ' ting the western I idy been explor. on, in 48° north el Puego, in 54° J had been ob- th : Drake had wards received and the Dutch w called New open the strait hen looked on lantic into the )een discovered lich v/ere Chi- andez, San Pe- bos, Los Gala- Pearl Islands. j Sea was less ac- ( Japan Islands, I I Jago of St La- •r New Guinea, examined, and at accuracy the the latitude of Jj site side of the ' ^ unknown and ? he period, bold pes, thegulfe, oast of a great )f New Guinea ego, under the eycsS n le, OP THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 103 name of terra australis nondum coonita. Of the innumerable clusters of islands with which the South Sea is studded, very few had been at this time discovered. Las Desventuradas, the Ladrones or Marians, the Sequeira or Pelew, and several others of the Carolines ; the islands of San Bernardo, Las Marquesas, Solitaria, the Solomons, Santa Cruz, and a few smaller groups, were all that were known of those countries and islands, the extent and number of which have at length claimed for them the rank of a fifth division of the globe. During this period the earth had been sailed round four times. Of these circumnavigations, the first was effected by Spaniards under a Portuguese commander; the second and the third by the Eng- lish ; and the fourth by the Dutch. J04 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES CHAPTER IV. Circumnavigations and Discoveries of the Seventeenth Century. Voyage of Quiros — La Sagitaria — Australia del Espiritu Santo-. Luis Vaez de Torres discovers the Strait between New Holland and New Guinea — Circumnavigation of Spilbergen — OfScliouten and Le Maire — Discovery of Staten Land and Cape Horn — Cocos,Good Hope, and Horn Islands — New Ireland — Expedition of the Nodals — Discovery of New Holland by Dirck Hatichs — Cir. cumnavigation of the Nassau Fleet — Voyage of Tasman — Dis- covery of Van Diemen's Land, of New Zealand, and the Friendly Islands — Voyages of Hendrick Brower and La Roche — Expedi. tions of the Buccaneers — Discovery of Davis' or Easter Island — Voyage of Strong, and Discovery of Falkland Sound — Retrospect. There had long been an abatement in the ardour of that passion for adventure which formerly inflamed the hearts of the Spanish nation, aflbrded to her chi. valrous youth so many harvests of gain, and extend, ed her sceptre over regions of great extent, wealth, and beauty. Avarice had become sated with the gold already obtained, or, chilled by the frequent disap- pointment of its eager hopes, had become suspicious and distrustful of future promises. Enthusiasm had been quenched by the misfortunes of those whose be- ginning had been the most prosperous and seemed most certain of success. Religious zeal had found, in the lands already explored, ampler bounds than it could occupy. National policy required rather the permanent security and improvement of conquered countries, than a search after new regions. There m II OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 105 had even arisen a superstitious feeling against the discovery of the South Sea, as if it had been an impious intrusion into the secrets of nature. The untimely fate of all who had been principally con- cerned in this great event was now recollected. It was told, that Vasco Nunez had been beheaded, — that Magellan had fallen by the hands of the infi- dels, — that his companion, the astrologer Ruy Fa- lero, had died raving mad, — and that the seaman De Lepe, who had first descried the Strait from the topmast, had abandoned Christ to follow Moham- med. But the spirit which had glowed so long was not wholly deacl, and we have yet to record the ac- tions of one of the most distinguished navigators whom Spain has produced. Undaunted by the hardships and ill success of the last voyage of Alvaro de Mendana, the pilot, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, returned to Peru, eager to engage in fresh adventures, -^nd, as one of his memorials expresses it, " to plough up the waters of the unknown sea, and to seek out the undiscover- ed lands around the antarctick pole — the centre of that horizon."* Arguing upon grounds which were received by many, even down to our own day, he asserted the existence of a vast southern continent, or at least of a mass of islands, the an- * Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. i. p. 98. The chief authoritiesfor the voyage of Quiros are his own memorials ^which are inserted in Dalrymple, vol. i. p. 1 45-1 74; and in Purcnas, vol. iv. p. 1427), tojyether with the relations of Fijjueroa and Torquemada (Monar- chy Indiana, Seville, 1615, and Madrid, 1723), both translated by Dalrymple, vol. i. p. 95-144. In Bumey's Cfhron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 467-478, Aopendix, No. i. was printed, for the first time, the " Relation of Luis Vaez de Torres, conceminjr the disco- veries of Quiros as his almirante. Dated Manilla, 12th July 1697 ;" translated by Mr Dalrymple from a Spanish MS. in his possession. J 06 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES tipodes of the greater part of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The viceroy, to whom he detailed his views, heartily approved of the project ; but the limits of his authority hindered him from furnishing means for its execution, and he therefore sent him to Spain with letters of recommendation to the king and his ministers. These were successful. Quiros left the court " with the most honourable schedules which had ever passed the council of state," and arriving at Lima and '' throwing into oblivion all that he had endured for eleven years in the pursuit of so important an object,"* he began to prepare for his long-cherished enterprise. Having built two vessels and a zabra (a kind of launch), the strongest and the best armed, says Torquemada, of any that had been seen on either sea, on the 21st of December 1605, he set sftil from the port of Callao, having under him, as se. cond in command, Luis Vaez de Torres.t Six Grey or Franciscan Friars accompanied the expe. dition; and, in conformity with their wonted re. spect for religion, guns were fired on the 25th during the day, and the ships were illuminated during the night, in honour of the solemn festival of the Nativity. On reaching the latitude of 26° south, Quiros considered it proper to pursue a more north- erly track, in opposition to the advice of Torres, who thought that by advancing to 30° south there was greater probability of finding the desired con- * Torqueniada. Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. L p. 104. ^ *|* Cook, in the introduction to his second voya^, falls into the singular mistake of representing Torres as commaiuler of the expe- dition, and Quiros only as pilot Voyage towards the South Pole, and round the World, in the years 1772-l77d> 3d edition. London, 1779.— Gen. Introd. p. xii. ml RIES Africa, and his views, e limits of ing means It him to the king > Quiros schedules tate/' and blivion all he pursuit >repare for [a kind of med, says on either e set sail oi, as se. •es.t Six the expe- onted re- the 25th uminated festival of 26° south, re north- f Torres, nth there ired con- 4. Ms into the 'f the expe. iouth Pole, !• London, OF THB SEVENTBENTH CENTURY. 107 tinent. On the 26th of January 1606, between the parallels of 24° and 25° south latitude, and 1000 leagues west from Peru, land was seen. It was a low flat island, with a sandy surface, here and there di- versified by a few trees, though apparently without inhabitants, and it received the name of La Encarna- cion. Three days after another island was discovered ; it was " plain and even h top," might contain about twelve leagues, and was called San Juan Bautista.* From this Quiros sailed in a north-westerly direction, and on the 4th of February saw an island or group of islands, encircled by a reef and having a lagoon in the centre. This land, which was about thirty leagues in circuit, received the name of Santelmo. The next day four other islands were seen ; they were barren and uninhabited, and resembled in all re- spects those previously discovered. They were call- ed Los Quatros Coronadas ; and two of a similar character, observed in the vicinity, were named San Miguel Archangel and Conversion de San Pablo. On the 9th of February an island was seen in the north-east, and, from the circumstance of being the tenth which had met their eyes, received the appellation of La Decena. It appeared to be like those previously inspected, and the ships passed on. The next day a sailor on the topmast gave the cry of " Land a-head I" to the great joy of all on board. " It was," says Torres, " a low island, with a point to the south-east which was covered with palm-trees ;"t "" " " " "^ -I ■ ■ - I I.. ■ .1. I ■ . ■ I . I — a^M 1^ ■ I • It may be proper here to state, that the memorial of Torres has preserved a totally different nomenclature of the lands from that given by Quiros, and that for obvious reasons we have adopted the names bestowed by the latter. t Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol, ii. p. 468, 108 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES and the columns of smoke which rose from different parts showed that it was inhabited. The zabra was directed to search for an anchorage, and having found it in ten fathoms the boats were sent to effect a landing. About 100 Indians were seen upon the beach making signs of joy ; but so great was the surf which broke upon the rocks, that the crews, with heavy hearts, abandoned their intention of landing and resolved to row back to the ships. " They were thus return- ing quite disconsolate," says Torquemada, " when a brave-spirited young man, Francisco Ponce, a na- tive of Triana, slighting the danger, got up, saying, that if they should thus turn their faces from the first perils which their fate presented, what hope could there be of success in the event ?" and with this threw himself into the sea and swam ashore. The islanders welcomed him with much apparent affec- tion, frequently kissing his forehead, and, encour- aged by the example now set them, some others leapt into the sea and swam to land. The natives were in colour mulattoes, well limbed, and of good carriage ; they were naked, and armed, some with lances of thick wood, burnt at the ends and about twenty-seven palms in length, some with swords of the wood of the palm-tree, and not a few with great clubs. They lived in thatched houses, situated by the margin of the sea among groves of palms. A person who appeared to be a chief had on his head a kind of crown made of small black feathers, but so fine and soft that they looked like silk. In one of the woods was discovered what seemed to be an altar, rudely formed of stones ; and " our people," says the Spanish chronicler, " solicitous where the Prince of Darkness had dwelt to place the royal OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 109 standard whereby the Prince of Light gave life to us, with Christian zeal cut down a tree with their knives, which they formed into a cross and fixed in the middle of the place."* The island was found to be divided by a narrow isthmus which was over- flowed at high water; its latitude was between 17" 40' and 18° 30' south, and its longitude, as computed from the different accounts, has been fixed by Bur- ney at 147° 2' west from Greenwich.t This discovery was named La Sagitaria, and has, by the most emi- nent geographers, been generally considered as iden- tical with Otaheite. This opinion has been founded on the coincidence of position, on the similarity of the isthmus, on the resemblance in extent and form, and, above all, on the circumstance that no other island, widely as the Pacific has now been searched, is known to which the description will at all ap- ply. But it must not be concealed that there are many and material objections to this theory. Torres expressly describes it as a " low island," — a remark which is quite irreconcilable with the moun- tain-peaks of Otaheite ; and even the account of the isthmus, in so far as regards its being overflowed at high water, does not agree. The other discrepancies are, that the shores of Sagitaria aflbrded no an- chorage, and that its smaller peninsula must have been at least eight Spanish leagues in extent, — facts which are altogether inapplicable to Otaheite.;}: Little weight, however, has been given to these re- marks, and the identity of the two islands is now * Torquemada. Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. i. p. 113. •I* Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 282. X Wales' Remarks on Mr Foster's Account of Captain Cook's Last Voyage round the World in the years 1 772-1 77o. London, 1778. Pp. 24, 25, 26. 110 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES generally admitted ; though, when all circumstances are considered, doubts may still be entertained as to the soundness of the conclusion. On the 12th of February, Quiros resumed his voyage, and, while yet in sight of La Sagitaria, saw a very low island, which he named La Fugi- tiva. On the 21st, another discovery was made of a plain and uninhabited spot, which was called El Peregrino. About this time a mutiny broke out on board his ship, headed by the chief pilot ; it be- ing the intention of the disaffected to make them, selves masters of the vessel and sail in a direct course to the Philippines. The only punishment which Quiros inflicted, was to send the pilot as a prisoner on board the vessel commanded by Torres. On the 2d of March, a level island was seen to the westward ; and on a nearer approach it was found to be inha- bited. The intercourse with the natives was un- fortunately hostile, and much blood was shed j but the beauty of their forms so struck the Spaniards, that they gave them the appellation of La Gente Hermosa. There is reason to believe that this is the same with the San Bernardo of Mendana. Quiros continued to sail westward in the parallel of 10^ south upwards of thirty days. Towards the end of that period frequent signs of land were ob- served, and on the afternoon of the 7th of April a high and black coast was discovered. They failed to reach it, however, before the 9th, when it was found to be inhabited : many houses were descried on the beach and among the woods; and on a small islet, which had been converted into a rude fort, were about seventy dwellings. This island- fortress was taken possession of by the Spaniards if OF THE 8BVENTEENTR CENTURY. Ill vrithout opposition, — the vicinity of Santa Cruz, and a knowledge of Mendana's transactions there, having taught the savages the fatal efficacy of fire- arms. The appellation of this country was Taumaco, and its inhabitants were apparently of diflTerent races, —some having a light copper-colour, with long hair, —others resembling mulattoes, — while a third class had the black skin and frizzled hair of the Oceanic negro. Their arms were bows and arrows, and they had large sailing canoes. From the chief, whose name was Tumay, Quiros obtained information of upwards of sixty islands, and, among others, of a large country called Manicolo. He determined to sail in quest of these, and on the 19th quitted Taumaco ; and, changing his course to the southward, reached an island which, in appearance and in inhabitants, resembled the one he had just left, and was by the natives denominated Tucopia. The voyagers still proceeded southward till they passed the latitude of 14°, at which point they pursued a westerly direction; and after one day's sailing, discovered a volcano sur- rounded by land, about three leagues in circuit, well wooded, and inhabited by black people with large beards. When near this island, which was named Nuestra Senora de la Luz, land was perceived to the westward; while in the south, and *' towards the S. E.** was seen " other land still larger, which seem- ed to have no end, and was full of great mountains." After some deliberation it was resolved to make for the island in the west, which received the name of Santa Maria; but, after touching there, Quiros de- termined to steer towards the high regions that lay to the south. On the 2d of May, he moved the vessels into a large bay, and, believing that he had at 112 CIRCDMNAVIOATIONS AND DISCOVERIES length discovered tlie great southern continent, gave it the name of Australia del Espiritu Santo. The bay, in honour of the festival on which they had fntered it, was named San Felipe y Santiago ; while a port far within, where they anchored, was called La Vera Cruz. This harbour, which could have contained above a thousand ships, was situated be- tween two streams, one of which was named Jordan and the other Salvador. Of these rivers one was equal in size to the Guadalquivir at Seville. " The strands of this bay," says Torquemada, " are broad, long, and clear ; the sea is here still and pleasant, for although the winds blow strong, within the bay the water is scarce moved. There are in all parts in front of the sea pleasant and agreeable groves, extending to the sides of many mountains which were in sight ; and also from the top of one, to which our people climbed, were perceived at a distance extremely fertile valleys, plain and beautiful ; and various rivers winding amongst the green moun- tains. The whole is a country which, without doubt, has the advantage over those of America, and the best of the European will be well if it is equal."* — " From the breaking of the dawn," says Quiros, " is heard through all the neighbouring wood a very great harmony of thousands of differ- ent birds, some to appearance nightingales, black- birds, larks, and goldfinches, and infinite numbers of swallows, and besides them many other kinds of birds, even the chirping of grashoppers and crickets. Every morning and evening were enjoyed sweet scents wafted from all kinds of flowers, amongst II m * Torquemada. Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. i. p. 137. 2 OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 113 them that of orange-flowers and sweet basil."* As the boats rowed towards this second £den, the islanders crowded to the beach, and endeavoured, by friendly signs, to prevent their landing. The Spa- niards, however, leapt on shore ; upon which a na- tive chief drew a line on the ground with his bow, and made signs that the strangers should not pass beyond it. But Luis Vaez de Torres, thinking this would appear cowardly, slept across the boundary, and strife instantly ensued. A flight of arrows, on the one side, was responded to by a discharge of musketry on the other, which killed the chief and several of his followers. From this time all peace was at an end ; the savages rejected every offer of conciliation, and by sudden ambuscade and open attack sought revenge for the blood of their leader. This ceaseless enmity, and the failure of provi- sions, determined Quiros to quit the place before a month had elapsed. He had, however, previ- ously taken possession of the country, in the name of the king, and founded a city under the title of La Nueva Jerusalen. The natives are described as black, corpulent, and strong. Their houses are built of wood and thatched, and they have plan- tations enclosed with palisades. They are possessed of musical instruments resembling the flute and drum ; they manufacture some sort of earthen ves- sels, and build large canoes adapted to long voy- ages. In endeavouring to quit the harbour of San Felipe y Santiago,, much stormy weather was en- • " Relation of a Memorial presented by Captain Pedro Fernan- dez de Quiros." Dalrymple, Hbt. Coll. vol. i. p. 170. 114 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES countered, and for some reasons, which cannot now be ascertained, Quiros parted company with his consort. After a vain search for the island of Santa Cruz, he agreed, in compliance with the opinion of his ofTicers, to sail for Mexico, where he arrived in the middle of October. Still thirsting after discovery and adventure, he once more repaired to the court of Spain, and continued there several years, beseeching the throne for assistance to pursue the search of new lands. So great was his importunity that he is said to have presented no fewer than fifty memo- rials. One of these, after discussing in glowing language the beauty and fertility of the Australia, thus concludes: — " Acquire, sire, since you can, acquire heaven, eternal fame, and that new world with all its promises. And since there is none who solicits of your majesty the rewards for the glad tid- ings of so great and signal a blessing of God, re. served for your happy time, I, sire, supplicate them, and as such my despatch, for the galleons are ready, and I have many places to go to, and much to pro- vide and to do. If Christoval Colon's conjectures did make him pertinacious, what I have seen, what I have felt, and what I offer, must make me so importunate."* The solicitations of Quiros were at last crowned with success, and in 1614 he set out on his way to Lima, in order to arrange another expe- dition. But this gratification he was doomed never to enjoy ; he died, while on his journey, at Panama. We now return to Torres, who, during two weeks after the departure of Quiros, remained in the Bay of San Felipe y Santiago. On leaving this he sail- * Dalrymple, Hist. Coll. vol. i. pp. 173, 174. I I I -'3 OP THK 8KVKNTKKNTH CKNTURY. 115 cannot now ly with his nd of Santa le opinion of e arrived in adventure, ' of Spain, eeching the rch of new that he is fifty memo- in glowing Australia, le you can, new world s none who le glad tid- )f God, re- icate them, I are ready, ueh to pro. conjectures seen, what ake me so ros were at set out on >ther expe- med never t Panama, two weeks n the Bay lis he sail. i. 'Si ed along the west side of the Australia del Espiritu Santo, which he found to be well watered and pos- sessed of many ports. He also ascertained that it was no continent,*but an island. He continued to steer to the south.westward, till he reached the 2P of south latitude, when he changed his i-ourse to the north.east, and in 11^= encountered what he be- lieved to be the eastern extremity of New Guinea. Being unable to weather this point, he directed his course to the westward, along the southern coasts, and having sailed through the strait between New Holland and New Guinea, which he was the first to penetrate, arrived at Manilla in May I6O7. Holland was now rising fast in the scale of ma. ritime importance, and gradually assuming that station which the Spaniards had so long occupied. Following the example first set by the English, the Dutch had already sent two fleets into the South Sea, as is related in the preceding chapter ; and, in pur- suing the course of the narrative, we now reach a period at which they hold the most distinguished place in the history of navigation and discovery. The cession of the JMoluccas by Spain to Portu- gal put an end for some time to the disputes be- tween these powers in the Pacific, and the union of the two crowns in 1581 prevented any renewal of the contests. The islands themselves, however, never wholly submitted to the dominion of either of those masters; and when the Dutch, in 1599, first visited Ternate, they found encouragement to establish a factory ; where, from that time, they steadily pursued plans for securing an exclusive trade. Their East India Company (established in 1602) fitted out six vessels, which, under George r 116 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES Spilbergen, sailed from the Texel on the 8th of Au- gust 1614, destined to penetrate through the Straits of Magellan to the South Sea, there to cruise against the Spaniards, and to strengthen the power of their countrymen in the Spice Islands. They were fur- nished equally for war or for trade ; and so ably was the expedition conducted, that the five largest vessels reached the Moluccas in sai^^ty, after defeating Ro- derigo de Mendoza with a greatly superior force near the American coast. The Peruvian admiral had boasted that he would make prisoners or slay the whole of his enemies : — " Two of my ships," he said, '' would take all England ; how much more those Hens of Holland, after so long a journey has spent and wasted them!"* In the encounter, the Low Country warriors betrayed nothing of the spirit of the fowl to which they were insultingly compared ; but the arrogant governor did not survive to en- counter the ridicule which he had justly merited, for his vessel, after escaping from the conflict, went down at sea. It was not to be expected that a Dutchman, whose orders were to employ himself in fighting and traffic, should deviate from the accustomed track in search of new lands, or spend much time in investigating the character and manners of the people ; his voyage accordingly pre- sents nothing that is now interesting in either of these respects, though the survey of the Straits of Magellan and of Manilla furnished to mariners bet- ter charts of these channels than any before execut- ed. On the 29th March 1616, Spilbergen arrived at the Moluccas, and till the end of the year conti- , . • Purchas, vol. i. p. 81. OVERIES OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 117 the 8th of Au. Ligh the Straits D cruise against power of their iiey were fur- nd so ably was ) largest vessels defeating Ro- ?rior force near admiral had Ts or slay the Jhips," he said, ich more those rney has spent Iter, the Low f the spirit of jly compared ; urvive to en- ustly merited, the conflict, » be expected re to employ [ deviate from lew lands, or character and lordingly pre- J in either of the Straits of mariners bet- )efore execut- ergen arrived le year conti- •I nued occupied with the affairs of his employers. He seems then to have left his own vessels, and, com- ing home in command of the Amsterdam and Zea- land, arrived on the 1st July I6I7. By the charter of the Dutch East India Company, no other merchants were allowed to pass round the Cape of Good Hope or through the Straits of Magellan to the Moluccas, — a prohibition supposed to be suf- ficient to secure to that body an exclusive trade in the spices. Many English pilots were, however, about this time in the service of the United Pro- vinces ; and by their means, it is probable, was the fact made known, that Drake had discovered an open sea to the south of Tierra del Fuego. Accordingly, ?bout the year 1613, some merchants, proceeding on this ground, imagined that a new passage might be found to India, and that they might thus acquire a right to participate in the gainful traffic to these regions. An expedition was accordingly planned, chiefly, as appears, by Isaac le Maire, a wealthy citizen of Amsterdam, and by William Schouten, a native of Hoorn, and an experienced mariner. Their object was not openly avowed : they obtained from the States-general the privilege of making the first four voyages to the places which they might discover, and formed themselves into an association under the name of the Southern Company ; but as the destina- tion of the vessels was not disclosed to the seamen, who were engaged to sail whithersoever their com- manders chose, the other merchants were displeas- ed because they could not penetrate the designs of their neighbours, and those who engaged in the en- terprise were derisively denominated Gold Seekers.* • It is proper to observe, that the details of the voyage of 118 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES Schouten, accompanied by Jacob le JMaire, the son of Isaac, in the capacity of supercargo, sailed from the Texel on the 14th of June 1615, with two ships, the Eendracht and Hoorn. It was not till the 25th of October, after they had crossed the line, that the crews were informed of the intentions of their leaders ; and when told that they were steering by a Schouten and Le Maire are in many instances involved in doubt. Two accounts of their voyage were published shortly after its com- pletion, written by the respective friends of the two navigators, and the discrepancies between these narratives, though they oo not affect the more important events of the voyage, involve the minuter details n much perplexity. There is sometimes a difference between their reckonings of from twenty-five to forty-five minutes of latitude ; they vary in their dates to the extent of eight or nine days ; and even while they agree as to the substance of events, they differ as to the order of their occurrence. In the following account, we have en- deavoured to reconcile their conflicting statements so far as possible ; and where that was not practicable, have generally given preference to the authority of the first-published account, the Journal of the Vopape of William Schouten, which appeared at Amsterdam in 1617) in the Dutch and French languages, oearing in the latter the title of " Journal ou Description du Merveilleux voyage de Guil- laume Schouten." It was translated into Latin by l)e Bry in 1 619, and an English translation appeared at London in the same 3'ear, and afterwards in Purchas, vol. i. p. 88-107. The second narra- tive of the voyage was printed at Amsterdam in 1622, under the title of *' Journal et Miroir de la Navigation Australe de Jacques Le Maire, Chef et Conducteur de deux Navires." In addition to these have appeared various other relations, to which it is not ne- cessary to advert, as they are of no authority, and contain nothing but what will be found in the two original authorities. But one ex- ception must be made from this judi;ment, — the " Navigation Aus- trale par Jac. le Maire et par W. Com. Schouten,'' said to be compiled from the Journal ot Adrian Claesz, and published in the '' Recueil des Voyages a rEtablissement de la Comp. des Indes Orient." Translations of the Journals of Schouten and of Le Maire, and of parts of that attributed to Claesz, are inserted in Dalrymple's Hist. Coll. vol. ii. p. 1-64. An able and critical narrative wul be found in Bumey's valuable work. This author, though he seems fre- quently to have preferred the account given by the friends of Le Maire, states with much candour that, " on comparison, the fact appears that the greater portion of the Navigation A iistrale de Le maire is taken irom the Jonmal du Merveilleux Voyage de W- Schouten, and that the editor has endeavoured to disguise the plagiarism by verbal alterations."— Chron. Hist. Discov. vol ii. p. 360. JOVERIES Maire, theson sailed from the 1 two ships, the till the 25th of line, that the tions of their e steering by a involved in doubt, lortly after its com- wo navirators, and fh they do not aflFect (the minuter details •ence between their Inutes of latitude ; or nine days ; and Its, they differ as to icount, we have en. 8 so far as possible; ly given preference he Journal of the d at Amsterdam in ng in the latter the : Voyage de GuiU byDeBryinl619, I in the same year, The second narra- n 1622, under the ustrale de Jacques ." _ In addition to which it is not ne- ad contain nothinjj ties. But one ex- * Navigation Aus- )uten,'' said to be 1 published in the Comp. des Indes I and of Le Maire, ed in Dalrymnle's I narrative will be JUgh he seems fre- he friends of Le iparison, tlie fact % Australe de Le V Voyage de W. I to disguise the Discov. vol ii. OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 119 new passage to the south of the Straits of Magellan, for the " Terra Australis" (probably the Australia del Espiritu Santo of Quiros), some of them, that they might not forget the name, wrote it in their caps with chalk. The ships were conducted into Port Desire, where, during the process of careening, the Hoorn was accidentally burnt. On shore were found multitudes of birds like lapwings. A man, stand- ing in one spot, could with his hands reach fifty- four nests, each containing three or four eggs. Thou- sands of these were carried on board and used as food, to the no small saving, doubtless, of the five cheeses, and other provisions, which had been ap- portioned to each sailor for the voyage.* On the main land some pools of fresh water were found, by following the direction in which certain animals with long necks, supposed to be harts, but probably horses, were observed daily to repair for the purpose, as was rightly conjectured, of drinking. On the summits of hills and on elevated rocks were observed piles of stones, which some of the people had the curiosity to remove ; and beneath, without any pit being dug, were found human skeletons, several of which, it is alleged, measured ten or eleven feet in length, and " the skulls," it is said in the description which accompanies the plates inserted in the " Journal du Merveilleux Voyage de Schouten," " we could put on our heads in the manner of helmets." On the 13th of January 1616, the Eendracht left Port Desire,t and stood to the southward. On the • *^ It was ordered that every man should have a can of beere a day, foure pound of bisket, and halfe a pound of butter (besides sweetsu(!t^aweeke,and five cheeses for the whole voyage." Pur- chas, vol. 1. p. 88. -j- When Sir John Narborough lay at Port Desire in 1H70, he 120 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES ?> 18th they saw the islands of Sibald de Weert (the Falklands), and two days after, at noon, passed the latitude of the entrance of the Straits of Magellan. It was now that the most critical part of their voyage commenced, and the winds, soundings, and appear, ances of the land and water, were observed and noted with the greatest minuteness. On the 24th, they came to the most easterly point of Tierra del Fuego, and saw another country still farther in the same di- rection, which they named Staten Land, in honour of the States of Holland. Passing through the channel, which afterwards in a meeting of their council was en- titled the Strait of Le Maire, the coast on the left was found to diverge towards the east, while that on the right turned west-south-west; and the mariners knew they had a wide sea before them, the colour of the water being blue, and long waves coming from the south-west. At last, on the 30th, they passed the most southerly point of Tierra del Fuego, which was discovered a relic of the visit of Schouten and Le Maire. " One of my men," he writes, " found a piece of sheet lead, which had this inscription engraven on it : — * MDCXV. EEN SCHIP EXBE EEN JACHT OENAEMT EEN- DRACHT EN HOORN GEARRIVEERT DEEN VIII BECEJVI. BER VERTROKEN MET EEN SCHIP D'EENDRACHT DEN X. JANUARY : MDCXVI. C. 1. LE MAIRE. S. W. C. SCHOVTS. AR. CLASSEN. I. C. SCHOVTS. CL. lANSEN BAN.' (f. €. MDCXV. A ship and a yacht, named Eendracht and Hoorn, arrived here on the 8th December. Departed with the ship Een- dracht 10th January MDCXVi.) In a hole of the post lay a tin box, with a sheet of written paper enclosed in it, but so eaten by the rust of the box that it could not be read. We found several pieces of board of the wreck of some ship that had been burned." — Journal kept by Captain John Narborough. Bumey, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. lii. pp. 334, 335. These fragments must have belong- ed to the Hoorn, which, as has been mentioned, accidentally took fire while being careened. There is a discrepancy of three da3's between the date of departure in the inscription and in the accounts of the voyage. RIES Weert (the passed the ' Magellan, leir voyage nd appear- and noted 24th, they del Fuego, e same di- i honour of le channel, icilwasen. he left was hat on the nersknew )ur of the I from the massed the ivhich was e. "One of lich had this lEMT een. II DECEM. ACHT DEX rSEJT BAN.' and Hoorn, B ship Een- st lay a tin so eaten by ind several sn burned." hron. Hist. ive belong, ntally took three days le accounts OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 121 named Cape Horn or Hoorn, in honour of the town of Hoorn in West Friesland, the birthplace of Schou- ten. The land was high and hilly, covered with snow. In some parts of this ocean, whales were so numerous that the pilots were incessantly obliged to alter their course in order to avoid running against them, while in others the sea-birds, unused to the sight of human beings, alighted in the ship and suffered themselves to be taken by the sailors. The weather was fre- quently tempestuous, and they never wanted rain or mist, snow or hail. On the 3d of February, they were in 59° 30', their greatest southern latitude, from which, standing north-west, they reckoned on the 12th that they had again attained the parallel of the Straits of Magellan, and consequently had effected a new passage into the Pacific Ocean ; for joy of which, an allowance of three cups of wine was dealt out to all the men. At Juan Fernandez they missed the anchorage, but obtained a little water, and were most success- ful in their fishing, the bait being caught the mo- ment it was dropt, so that those employed " con- tinually without ceasing did nothing but draw up" bream and corcobados. From this island, in a course north-west by north, they crossed the southern tropic, then stood north-west as far as 18° of south latitude. On the 10th of April was discovered a circular strip of land full of trees, with sea-birds perched on the branches, the interior having the appearance of being overflowed at high water. No marks of inhabitants could be perceived, but three dogs were seen, which, as the Dutchmen allege, could neither bark nor growl; and from this cir- cumstance it was denominated Honden or Dog J 22 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES Island. On the 14th, they came to another nar. row border well covered with wood, surrounding a salt-water lake in the middle, and styled it Son- der-grondt, or Bottomless, because they failed to ob- tain soundings. A great number of natives, of a copper colour, with long black hair fastened up behind, were seen ; some of whom pushed off in a canoe, and addressed themselves to the Dutch by signs and speeches, in which they became so emphatic as to overset their bark. Those on shore waved their garments and branches of trees, there- by inviting, as was supposed, the strangers to land. By and by their skiffs ventured nearer the ship, and one of them getting into the gallery, showed that he knew the value of iron, by drawing the nails from the cabin- windows and concealing them in his hair. As it was understood that hogs and fowls were plentiful, a party went ashore in the boat for the purpose of trading ; but immediately on their landing, about thirty islanders rushed from the woods and assaulted them. The discharge of three muskets soon put them to flight ; but from this in- auspicious beginning it was thought needless to at- tempt any farther to establish a friendly intercourse. The noses of these people are described as flat, " which," as Burney remarks, " is no part of the general character of the inhabitants of any of the islands at present known in the South Seas."* On the ]6th, our navigators filled four casks of water from an island resembling those previously visited, and which they named Waterlandt. Two days after, another being descried, some of the crew land- ed and ente red a wood, where, seeing a native with * Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 381. 3 RIES •Other nar. arrounding led it Son. liled to ob- itives, of a istened up ihed off in the Dutch became so leon shore ees, there- rs to land, the ship, y, showed g the nails iem in his and fowls le boat for y on their from the je of three m this in- less to at- itercourse. 1 as flat, art of the ny of the s."* On of water y visited, 'wo days rew land- tive with OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 123 what appeared to be a bow in his hand,* and having no arms themselves, they hastened back to the ship covered with black flies, which infested all on board tliree or four days. The name of Vlieghen or Fly Island was in consequence bestowed on the place. On the 8th of May, when out of sight of land, an Indian vessel was observed standing to the north, across the course of the Eendracht, from which three guns were fired as a signal that the other should lay to. It was strange that Schouten, who must have been aware that fire-arms were entirely unknown to many of these poor islanders, should have expected such a signal to be understood, or thought that, upon their failing to comply, he might justly use violence. The Indians at first paid no attention to the summons, and on its repetition made every endeavour to escape. A boat was, however, lowered with ten musketeers, who speedily out-manoeuvred the fugitives, and, when within half-range, mercilessly fired four shots among them, by which one was wounded, and immediately leapt into the sea. Fifteen or six- teen others, in terror blackened their faces with ashes, threw overboard their merchandise, which consisted of small mats and some fowls, and com- mitted themselves to the waves, one man carry- ing an infant with him. The Dutch found in the vessel eight women with three children at the * " They saw a savage who seemed to them to have a bow ia his hand," says the Journal of Schouten ; and it is remarked, in the description of an island auhseyuently visited (see below, p. 134), that '' these were the Jirxt bows we saw at the islands in the South Seas." The Navigation Australe of Le Maire speaks positively of having « perceived a savage man witli his bow in his hand, as if to shoot fish." But the observations of modem navigators tend, without exception, to establish tlie fact tlxat bows and arrows are not in use on Fly Island. 124 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES breast, and several others nine or ten years old, an aged man also, and the wounded youth who had returned on board; but no weapons of any kind. When the canoe had been taken alongside of the Eendracht, the boat returned to the assistance of the Indians in the water, of whom only two were saved, who pointed downwards, to signify that all the rest had gone to the bottom. They fell on their faces before their conquerors, kissing their feet and hands ; and on being presented with knives and beads, gave in return two mats and two cocoa-nuts, although they had little provisions left for their own use. Their whole stock offresh-waterbeing exhausted, they drank from the sea, and supplied their children with the same beverage. Towards evening, the Indians were put on board their canoe, " that were welcome to their wives, which claspt thtm about the necks, and kissed them;"* one of the women, however, appeared to be in much affliction, lamenting the loss of her husband. Their hopes of a prosperous traffic being blasted by this cruel disaster, the savages now steered a course the reverse of that they had for- merly held, on their return, no doubt, to the place whence they had adventurously sailed, quitting sight of land without any of the aids which render such a navigation safe. On the II th May, the ship anchored at Cocos Island, so named from the abundance of that species of fruit : another island lay about a league to the south.south.west. Canoes soon flocked to the place, and by degrees a few of the natives ventured on board, and being entertained with some tunes by a seaman who played on the fiddle, they danced and * PurchaS) vol. i. p. 96*. OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 125 Vf '* showed themselves joyful and delighted beyond measure." Numerous groups speedily resorted to the vessel, admiring every thing they saw, and pil- fering whatever they could carry oflF. " They won- dered at the greatnesse and strength of the shippe, and some of them crept downe behind at the rother (rudder), under the ship, and knockt with stones upon the bottome thereof, to proove how strong it was."* They brought for traffic plenty of cocoas, bananas, yams, and some small hogs, which were purchased at an easy rate for old nails and beads ; and so eager were they, that those in the outer ca- noes secured their commodities in their teeth, and dived under the rest, endeavouring to cut them out from the advantage of lying closer to the ship. The king of the southern island had sent a present to the Eendracht, and received one in return. The next day he came with a large assemblage of his people, ostensibly for trade, which was carried on as usual for some time ; but, on the striking of a drum, the whole of them, amounting to about 1000, set up a shout, and assailed the Hollanders with stones. The great-guns and musketry soon dispersed these rude warriors in consternation, and Schouten set sail^ naming their country Verraders or Traitors' Island. The voyagers remarked among them one man perfectly white. On the 14th, in searching for an- chorage near an island which they called Good Hope, from its presenting a fair promise of supplying their want of fresh water, an affray took place with the natives ; for which reason they again thought it ad- visable to continue their course. • Purchas, vol. i. p. 97. 126 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES On the 18th May, they were in latitude 16' 5' south, and on this day a general council was held to decide on the future direction of their voyage. Schouten represented, that though they were now at least 1600 leagues westward from the coast of Peru, they had discovered no part of the Terra Australis, and that no indications even of its existence had yet heen met with. There was, he stated, little likelihood of their success, and they had besides sailed much farther to the westward than was their original intention. The resuh of continuing in their present track, he said, must be that they would fall upon the southern coasts of New Guinea, and in the event of their not find- ing a passage on that side of the island, they must without doubt be lost, as the constant trade, winds would altogether preclude their return to the eastward.* He bade them remember also that their store of victuals was but small, and that there was little prospect of increasing it ; and concluded by asking, if it were not better, considering all these things, to alter their course and to sail northward, thus passing by the upper shores of New Guinea, and reach the Molucca Islands. This suggestion was at once adopted, and their line of motion changed to the north-north-west. Towards evening of the next day, they came in sight of land, divided apparently into two islands, distant from each other about a can- non-shot. They directed the ship towards them ; but, owing to contrary winds, it was not until the noon of the 21st that they got within a league's * This reasoning^ shows that Schouten was ignorant of the strait between New Guinea and New Holland, discovered bj' Luis Vaez de Torres. See above, p. 116. I |!:riks OF THE 8EVKNTKENTH CENTURY. 127 atitude 16' council was m of their hough they rd from tlie part of the even of its ere was, he , and they e westward le result of id, must be n coasts of r not find- land, they itant trade, ^turn to the that their t there was icluded by g all these northward, ruinea, and tion was at nged to the e next day, rently into )out a can- rds them; ; until the a league's it of the strait jy Luis Vaez distance. About twenty canoes instantly came off, filled with people much resembling the inhabitants of Good Hope Island. As they approached the vessel they made a great hallooing, which was in- terpreted by the navigators into a salutation of welcome, and answered with the sound of trum- pets and shouting. One of the natives, however, having been observed to shake his wooden assa- gai/ or spear in a warlike manner, and the theft of a shirt from the gallery having been discovered, a cannon and some muskets were discharged against them, by which two of the savages were wounded, and the whole put to flight, the linen (which be- longed to the president) being thrown into the sea. A boat which was afterwards despatched to search for a more convenient anchorage was attacked, and, in the conflict which ensued, six of the islanders were killed, several wounded, and one canoe cap- tured. On the 23d, the ship was drawn into a bay, and safely moored at about the distance of a stone's throw from the shore, and so near to a stream of fresh water that a supply could be procured by the boats within range of the guns. Here the adventurers remained seven days, holding a friendly intercourse with the inhabitants, and re- ceiving provisions from them, in return for knives, beads, nails, and trinkets. Immediately on their anchoring, these last flocked in vast numbers to the beach, and soon after came off to the ship in their canoes. Towards night an old man brought four bunches of cocoa-nuts as a present from the ariki or herico, the title by which, here as well as at Cocos Island, the chief or king was distinguished. 128 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONH AND DISCOVKRIES He n'fused to accept any pift in return, but in. vited the Europeans to go on shore. Accord injufly, on the morning of the next day, three of them land- ed, six of the natives having been first put on board the ship as hostages. They were welcomed with much ceremony, and found tlie sovereign seated on a mat in an open house or shed, called a belai/. On their approach, he joined his hands and bowed his head downwards, remaining in that position nearly half an hour ; when the Hollanders having at length put themselves into a similar posture, he resumed his usual attitude. One of his attendants, supposed to be a chief of high rank, kissed the feet and hands of one of the Dutchmen, " sobbing and crying like a child, and putting the foot of Adrian Claesz upon his neck." A present was given to the principal ruler, of two hand-bells, a red bonnet, and some trifling articles, all of which were received with much joy, expressed by repeated exclamations of " Awoo!" In return, the visiters were gratified with four small hogs. During the time the sailors were taking in water, " when any of the Indians came neere the boat, the king himselfe came thither and drave them thence, or sent one of his men to doe it." His subjects seemed to yield him implicit obe- dience, and to hold him in great awe. A native hav- ing stolen a cutlass, a complaint was made to one of the royal attendants, who instantly caused the cri- minal to be brought back and beaten with staves. The weapon was restored ; and the strangers were informed by signs, that if the ariki knew of it, the thief's head would be cut off. After this, says the Journal of Schouten, " we had nothing stolen from us, neither on the shore, nor in the ship. VERIES urn, but in. Accord I ugly, )f them land. put on board (Icoraed with jreign seated ailed a belay. s and bowed that position nders having ir posture, he s attendants, issed the feet sobbing and 3t of Adrian given to the bonnet, and ere received exclamations ere gratified le the sailors the Indians came thither s men to doe implicit obe- L native hav- ade to one of used the cri- with staves, rangers were knew of it, ;er this, says thing stolen n the ship, OF TIIK 8KVKNTEKNTII CKNTUIIV, 199 ! nor elsewhere ; neither durst they take a fish that we angled for." The re|M>rt of a musket produced great consternation among the islanders, and caused them to run off quaking and trembling. Their ter- ror was still greater at tlw! discharge of a cannon, which was fired at the desire of the king. They all with one accord, accompanied by his majesty, Hed to the woods ; " but not long after they came againe, scarce halfe well assured."* On the 25th, three of the navigators again tried to barter for hogs, but were unsuccessful. The king, however, ** after he had said his prayers, which he used to doe every time that they went on shore," showed much kindness towards them. On the 2(jth, Jacob le Maire landed, and made some tri- fling presents. He met with much respect, though he failed to procure a supply of stock. The ariki and his son bestowed upon him and his companion a headdress, consisting of feathers of various colours, which they themselves wore. This cap seems to have been a mark of honour peculiar to the king and his family; while every member of his council was distinguished by having a dove sitting on a perch beside him. On the evening of the 27th, some fish which had been caught during the day were present- ed to his majesty, who immediately devoured them raw, " heads, tails, entrails and all, with good ap- petite." The night closed in festivities, some of the Hollanders remaining on shore, and mingling in the moonlight dances of the natives. Two of the sailors performed a mock fight with swords, — a spectacle which excited much admira jn among the islanders. On the 28th, the voyagers, attended with trumpets^ " Purchas, vol. i. pp. 99, 100. ... -»■' ' 130 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES went on shore in state, to visit the king ; when they became spectators of an interview between him and a neighbouring prince. On the 29th, Le Maire, accompanied by three of the seamen, made an excursion into the interior of the country, having a son and a brother of the ariki for guides. They saw nothing worthy of remark, except a red earth used by the natives for paint, and seve. ral caves and holes in the mountains, with divers thickets and groves where they lay in ambush in time of war. On their return, the young nobles went with the captain on board his vessel, and evinced much satisfaction on being informed, that if a few hogs and yams could be obtained the ship would sail in two days. In the afternoon, the monarch, with sixteen of his attendants, appeared on deck with the donation of a hog and a basket of cocoa-nuts. He delivered these with much ceremony: having placed the basket on his neck, he prostrated himself, and in this posture offered his gifts to Le Maire, who raised him up, and sat down beside him. At the command of the ariki, his people lifted the Dutch officer and another, and placed them upon their shoulders as a token of reverence. The chief was then conducted through the various parts of the ship, expressing his wonder at what he saw. When led into the hold, " he fell down upon his face and prayed," — a ceremony which he performed when he first came on board. His attendants kissed the feet of the seamen, and placed them on their own heads and necks, in sign of an entire submission. In the evening, one of the Europeans having been suc- cessful in taking a quantity of fish, went to present some to the king, when he found a number of girls I mi SCOVERIES king ; when they Detween him and ied by three of the le intei-ior of the ;r of the ariki for )f remark, except paint, and seve. tins, with divers ly in ambush in lie young nobles his vessel, and informed, that if edthe ship would m, the monarch, ired on deck with 3t of cocoa-nuts, remony: having ostrated himself, 'ts to Le Maire, beside him. At lifted the Dutch lem upon their The chief was parts of the ship, iaw. When led on his face and formed when he ;s kissed the feet their own heads submission. In laving been suc- went to present number of girls m OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 131 dancing to the music of a hollow piece of wood like a pump, *' which made a noyse, whereat the yong wenches danced after their manner, very finely, and with a good grace, according to the measure of the noyse of the instrument."* The king, on the morning of the 30th, sent to the ship two small hogs. On the afternoon of the same day he received a visit from a neighbouring ariki, who was accompanied by 300 men, bring- ing with them sixteen hogs. As the stranger chief drew near to his brother sovereign, he began at some distance to perform straijge ceremonies, and bowing down his body fell to the ground on his face, and remained there *' praying" with a loud voice, and apparently with great fervour. The native prince advanced to meet his visiter, and went through the same forms. " After much adoe, they both rose up on their feete, and went and sate together under the king's belai/, and there were assembled together at least 900 men." In the afternoon the Dutch witnessed a kava-feast. A number of the people having chewed the kava (a sort of green herb) in their mouths for some time, deposited it in a wooden vessel ; they then poured water on it, and having stirred it, the liquor was partaken of by the arikis and their attendants. The islanders, says the Journal of Schouten, " presented that no- table drinke (as a speciall and a goodly present) to our men ; but they had enough, and more than enough, of the sight thereof."t On this occasion, likewise, the discoverers observed the manner in which these savages cooked their hogs. Sixteen were prepared for the present banquet as follows ; Purchas, vol. i. p. 100. flbid. i' 53'' i. 132 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES hnhg ripped up, the entrails removed, and the hair singed off, they were roasted by means of hot stones placed in the internal cavity. Each of the arikis presented to the foreigners one of the hogs thus dressed, along with a number of the same animals alive ; receiving in return " three copper beakers, foure knives, twelve old nayles, and some beades, wherewith they were well pleased." Early on the morning of the 31 st, preparations were made for sailing. After breakfast, the two chiefs came on board with six additional hogs. On this occasion they wore green cocoa-tree-leaves round their necks, which it was presumed was cus- tomary with them in taking leave of friends. They were entertained with wine, and received presents of various articles ; while a nail was bestowed on each of their attendants. Le Maire accompanied them on shore, when gifts were once more ex- changed. At noon the ship proceeded on her voyage, and the Hollanders bade adieu to the natives, on whose island they bestowed the name of Hoorn, in honour of the birthplace of Schouten. The inhabi. tants are described as of large stature and well- proportioned limbs. They ran swiftly, and were very expert in swimming and diving. Their com- plexion was a tawny yellow, approaching to the hue of bronze. Much care was bestowed on the dressing of their hair, and they arranged it in seve- ral different manners. The ariki had a long lock hanging down to his thighs, and twisted into knots ; his attendants wore two such locks, one on each side ; and some of the islanders had four or five. The females are described as having a very repul- sive appearance and being of small stature ; they SERIES and the Iiair of hot stones breigners one a number of eturn " three 1 nayles, and 1 pleased." preparations ist, the two al hogs. On a-tree-leaves led was eus- ends. They ved presents bestowed on iccompanied e more ex- i her voyage, natives, on •f Hoorn, in Theinhabi- i and well- , and were Their com- liing to the wed on the I it in seve- a long lock into knots ; ne on each )ur or five, very repul- ture; they OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 133 9i r %■ wore their hair cut closely to their heads. Such of the habitations as were seen along the mar- gin of the land, were of nearly a conical form, about twenty-five fett in circumference, ten or twelve in height, and covered with leaves. Their furniture consisted of a bundle of dried herbs re- sembling hay, which served for a couch, one or two fishing-rods, and sometimes a wooden club or staff. The hut of the ariki himself could boast no further decorations. " We could not perceive," says the Journal of Schouten, " that they worship- ped God, or any gods, or used any devotion, neither the one nor the other, but lived without care like birds in the wood."* It appeared to them also that the inhabitants subsisted on the spontaneous fruits of the soil : *' They neither sowe nor reape, nor doe any worke ; there the earth of itselfe yeelds all that they need to sustaine their lives, .... so that there men may plainly behold and see the golden world whereof the poets write."t . On leaving Hoorn, the adventurers pursued a north-westerly course, and on the 21st of June fell in with a group of small islands covered with trees. • Purchas, vol. i. p. 101. On this passage it must be remarked,' that the range of their observation was very limited, and can by no means be admitted as proof that these islanders had no religion ; though the " prayers," which the ariki is 30 often described as using, apparently meant, not devotional adorations, but words of ceremony. •|- Purchas, vol. i. p. 101. This passage may perhaps remind the reader of some lines in Lord Byron's poem ot*^" The Island ;'* " The bread-tree, which without the ploughshare yields Tlieunreap'd harvest of unfurrowd fields. ... lands .... Where all partake the earth without dispute, And bread itself is gather d as a fruit. Wliere none contest the fields, the woods, the streams, — The goldless age where gold disturbs no dreams !" 134 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES I !1 Some of the natives came off to the ship in canoes : they are described as in all respects resembling the inhabitants of the former place, except in their com- plexion, which was of a more dusky hue, and in their arms, which were bows and arrows, the first that the voyagers had seen in the South Sea. Some beads and nails were presented to them, who, hav- ing nothing to give in recompense, pointed to the west to signify that their king dwelt there, in a country abounding with every species of wealth. The next day, sailing in the same course, they pass- ed at least twelve or thirteen islands grouped toge- ther; and on the 24th discovered three low ones, which, from their being " very green and full of trees," they named the Green. Another was in sight, on which were discerned seven or eight hovels. This they named St John's, from their having seen it on the 24th of June, the nativity of the Baptist. On the morning of the 25th, they obtained a view towards the south-west of a high land, which they conjectured to be the point of New Guinea, but which in reality was the country since called New Ireland. About noon they drew near to it, and sailed along the shore in a north-westerly direction. The coast is describ- ed as very high and green, and of a plea&ant aspect. The inhabitants spoke v language totally different from that used by the natives of all the other places at which the vessel had touched. The ship's boat, when employed in sounding for an anchorage, was attacked by a party in canoes with volleys of stones thrown from slings ; but a fire of musketry speedily put the savages to flight. In the evening, after the vessel had anchored, some others came off, and addressed the sailors in a dialect which they '^ERIES OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 135 ip in canoes : sembling the in their corn- hue, and in ws, the first Sea. Some n, who, hav- inted to the i there, in a s of wealth, je, they pass- rouped toge. ee low ones, and full of was in sight, lovels. This ig seen it on tist. On the iew towards ' conjectured ich in reality kud. About ng the shore It is describ- i&ant aspect, lly different 1 the other The ship's I anchorage, 1 volleys of •f musketry he evening, rs came off, which they did not understand. They remained watching the ship all night, and the Europeans perceived signal- fires lighted along the shore. In the morning, eight skiffs arranged themselves round her ; one of them containing eleven, and the others from four to seven men each. The Dutch threw beads to them, and made friendly signs ; but the savages all at once com- menced an attack with their slings and other wea- pons. The assault was returned with discharges of caimon and muskets, whereby ten or twelve were killed. At the same time they captured four canoes, and made three prisoners, one of whom died shortly after he was taken ; and at noon the two others were carried towards the land in order to be exchanged for provisions. A pig and a bunch of bananas were thus procured, and one of the captives was set at liberty. Two days after, some of them came to the ship, but refused to ransom their countryman ; and on the evening of that day the Eendracht proceeded along the coast in a north-westerly direction. Se- veral islands were seen to the northwards ; and on the 1st of July she again came to anchor, having an island about two leagues long on the north, and the coast of New Ireland on the south. Here twenty- five canoes commenced an attack, but were repulsed, a number of the natives being killed, and one taken. Here, too, one of the Hollanders was wounded, " being," says the Journal, " the first that was hurt in all our voyage ;" and after him the captive was named Moses. They continued to sail along this coast till the 3d, when they lost sight of it ; and hav- ing passed several small islands, on the 6th they came in sight of the northern coast of New Guinea. About the middle of September, they arrived at the Moluc. 136 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES cas, whence, in the end of that month, they sailed to Java. On the 1st of November, while lying oflf Ja. catra, the Eendracht was confiscated by the Dutch East India Company, on the ground that the owners were not partners of that body, and had made the voyage without their leave. Their ship being thus taken from them, several of the seamen entered into the service of the Company, and the remainder em- barked for Europe on board the Amsterdam and Zealand, which sailed from Bantam on the 14th of December. Le Maire died a few days after leaving Java ; but the rest of the voyagers arrived safely on the 1st of July 1617, having been absent from their native country two years and seventeen days. The finding of this new passage into the Pacific excited much interest in Europe. To Spain it caused more alarm than anv of the hostile arma- ments which Holland had senf, forth against her South Sea possessions, and no Hme was lost in fitting out an expedition to explore the new discoveries of Schouten and Le Maire. The command was in- trusted to two brothers, Bartolome Gracia de Nodal and Gon9alo de Nodal, who, having engaged several Dutch pilots, set sail from Lisbon 27th September 1618. They followed the track of the late adven- turers, and in passing Cape Horn saw some small Tocky islands lying to the south-westward of that promontory, and named them the Isles of Diego Ra- mirez. They then steered southward, and, pene- trating the Straits of Magellan, completed the cir- cumnavigation of Tierra del Fuego, and arrived at Spain in July 1619. Contemporaneously with the discovery of Cape )VERIES they sailed (o eiyingoffJa. by the Dutch lat the owners »ad made the lip being thus n entered into emainder em- isterdam and on the 14th w days after ^agers arrived ? been absent nd seventeen OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 137 p the Pacific To Spain it lostile arma. agiainst her lost in fitting iiseoveries of and was in- eia de Nodal :aged several 1 September late adven- some small ard of that f Diego Ra- and, pene- ted the cir- l arrived at Horn, the Dutch effected another of still greater importance, — that of the vast island or rather conti- nent of New Holland or Australia. It does not«fall within the limits of this work to enter on the difficult question how far this country was known to the early Portuguese voyagers. Neither is it in our province to decide whether the honour of its discovery is not due to Luis Vaez de Torres, who, in sailing between New Holland and New Guinea, saw land on the south, which must have been part of this great island.* It may be doubted if the Portuguese were aware of the nature of the lands they are said to have visited ; it is certain, moreover, that Torres conceived them to be parts of a large archipelago ; and, at all events, these visits led to no beneficial result, and had passed into oblivion. The honour of discovering New Holland, therefore, so far as utility and the advancement of science are concerned, may be safely awarded to the Dutch. In October 1616, the ship Eendracht, com- manded by Dirck Hatichs (or, as it has been more commonly, but less correctly written, Hertoge), in her passage from Holland to the East Indies, dis- covered, in latitude 25°, the western coast of Aus- tralia, and called it Land Eendracht, — a name which it still retains. Only a few years elapsed after the completion of the voyage of Schouten and Le Maire before another armament left Holland for the South Sea. The truce which for twelve years had subsisted between Spain and the United Provinces having expired in 1621, both parties hastened to resume active hosti- ler measures, the Dutch, Among jarly 'See above, p. 115. i M 138 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES the year 1623, fitted out a naval armament against Peru ; and it is to the proceedings of this fleet that we have now to direct the reader's attention. It consisted of eleven ships, mounting 294 cannon, and supplied with 1637 men* of whom 600 were soldiers. The command was intrusted to Jacob I'Hermite, an officer who had acquired celebrity in the service of their East India Company; and the squadron, which, in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau, one of its chief promoters, was named the Nassau Fleet, sailed from Goree on the 29th April 1623. On the 11th August, they anchored off Sierra Leone, and remained there till the beginning of September. During their stay they experienced the fatal effects of that pestilential climate, from which Europeans have since suffered so much. They buried forty-two men, and many more suffered se- verely, among whom was the Admiral I'Hermite, who contracted a disease from which he never re- covered. After leaving this coast, they visited the islands of San Tomas and Annabon, at the latter of which they remaiiied till the beginning of Novem- ber. It was in their instructions, that they should not touch at any part of the South American conti- nent northward of the Hio de la Plata, and that they should penetrate into the South Sea by the newly-discovered Strait of Le Maire, which was considered to afford a more certain passage than the Straits of Magellan. It was the 1st of February before they made the Cape de Penas on Tierra del Fuego, and on the 2d they entered Strait Le Maire, which the Journal of the Voyage says they would not have known, had not one of the pilots who had previously passed through it recognised the high OP THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 139 mountains on Tierra del Fuego. Some of the ships anchored in two bays near the northern entrance, which they named Verschoor and Valentine, and are the same with the Port Mauritius of modem maps and the Bay of Good Success. Although the whole fleet had passed through tlie strait just described on the evening of the 2d of February, yet, owing to contrary winds, they were on the 14th still seven leagues eastward of Cape Horn. The next day, they doubled that promontory, and saw " a great gulf between that cape and the cape next to the west," whiclx they were prevented from entering by bad weather. On the 16th, Cape Horn lay to the eastward, and they discovered two islands, which, according to their reckoning, were distant to the westward four- teen or fifteen leagues. The following morning, they perceived that they had lost ground, and fear- ing that they should still fall to leeward, they en- tered a large bay and cast anchor. In this harbour, which was afterwards named Nassau Bay, they re- mained ten days. On the 23d, some boats, which were sent to procure water, were compelled by a sudden and violent storm to return, leaving nine- teen of the crew on shore wholly destitute of arms, of whom next day only two were found alive. The savages, it appeared, as soon as night came on, attacked them with clubs and slings, and kill- ed all except the two, who had contrived to con- ceal themselves. Only five bodies were discovered, some of which were cut into quarters, and others strangely mangled. Not a single native was seen after this unfortunate event. A party which had been sent to examine the neighbouring coasts re- . 140 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES ported that the Tierra del Fuego was divided into several islands ; that without doubling Cape Horn a passage into the South Sea might be effected, through the Bay or rather Gulf of Nassau, which was open to the east as well as to the west ; and that, through some of these numerous openings it was presumed ships might penetrate into the Strait of Magellan. Such parts of the Tierra del Fuego as were seen, appeared decidedly mountainous, though not wanting in many fine valleys and watered mea- dows. The hills were clad with trees, all of which were bent eastward, owing to the strong westerly winds which prevail in these parts. Spacious har- bours, capable of sheltering the largest fleets, were frequently observed between the islands. The na- tives are described as differing little in stature from the people of Europe, and as being well proportioned in their limbs. Their hair is long, black, and thick, their teeth " as sharp as the blade of a knife." They paint their bodies of different colours and with fan. ciful devices; their natural complexion, however, seemed to be as fair as that of a European. Some of them were observed to have one side of their body altogether white, and the opposite entirely red ; others were remarked with the trunks of their bodies white, and the face, arms, and legs, coloured red. The males were perfectly naked ; the females, who were painted like the men, wore only a little piece of skin about the waist, and a string of shells round their neck. Their huts were constructed of trees, in a conical form, having an opening at the top to let the smoke escape; the floor was sunk two or three feet below the level of the ground ; and the sides of the walls were covered with earth. Their }'74, and a more copious relation inserted in Valentyn's East Indian Descriptions. About 1771} however, a MS. journal of Tasman (supposed to be the original) fell into the hands of Sir Joseph Banks, and was found to be much more complete than any previous narrative. An English translation, executed in 177fi by tlie Rev. C. G. Woide, was published by Burney, — Chron. Hist. JDiscov. vol. iii. p. H3-1 10. The journal thus commences : — " Journal or Description by me, Abel Jansz Tasman, of a Voyage from Ba- tavia for making Discoveries of the unknown South Land, in the year 1642. May God Almighty be pleased to give His Blessing to this Voyage ! Amen.^' 144 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES The expedition, which was fitted out by him and his council, sailed from Batavia on the 14th August 1642. On the 24th November, they discovered An- thony Van Diemen's Land, so named, says Tasman, " in honour of our high magistrate, the governor- general, who sent us out to make discoveries:" they continued to coast along that island till the 5th December, when they directed their course to the eastward. On the 13th, a shore was discovered, to which Tasman gave the name of Staats or Staten Land, from a belief that it was a part of the country of tLe same name discovered by Schouten and Le Maire, to the east of Tierra del Fuego; but the name was afterwards changed into New Zealand. During his progress along the coast, he was attacked by the savages with that courage and ferocity which later navigators have so fatally experienced. For some time after leaving New Zealand the ships pursued a north-easterly course, till, on the 19th of January, they reached a high island, two or three miles in circumference, on which they bestowed the name of Pylstaart or Tropic-bird, from the number of these fowls which frequent- ed it. On the 21st, two more were discovered, distant from each other about a mile and a half. The northern was named Amsterdam, because, says Tasman, " we found plenty of provisions there ;" and to the southern they gave the title of Middle- burgh. By the natives, the latter is called Eooa, and the former Tongataboo; and the one last men- tioned is the principal of the cluster now called the Friendly Islands. Some of the savages approached in a canoe: they are described as exceeding the common stature of Europeans^ of a brown com- 7 ISCOVERIES d out by him and 1 the 14th August ^y discovered All- ied, says Tasman, te, tlie governor, liseoveries:" they and till the 5th eir course to the vas discovered, to Staats or Staten art of the country Schouten and Le go; but the name Zealand. During s attacked by tjie ocity which later ced. J^evv Zealand the iirse, till, on the high island, two on which they or Tropic-bird, which frequent- were discovered, mile and a half, am, because, says rovisions there;" title of Middle- called Eooa, and ! one last men- ?r now called the Images approached is exceeding the r a brown com- OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 14;"i plexion, and wearing no other dress than a slight covering round the waist. They called out loudly to the voyagers, who shouted in return, and after showing them some white linen, threw a piece over- board. Before the canoe reached the spot, the cloth had begun to sink ; but one of the natives dived in pursuit of it, and after remaining a long time under water brought up the linen, and, in token of his gratitude, placed it several times on his head. They also gave them some beads, nails, and looking-glasses ; these the islanders applied in like manner, and in re- turn presented a small line, and a fishing-hook made of shell like an anchovy. The Dutch in vain tried to make them understand that they wanted fresh water and hogs. In the afternoon, however, they were observed in great numbers running along the shore displaying white flags ; these were con- strued as signs of peace, and returned by a similar token hoisted on the stern. On this, a canoe bear- ing white colours came oflf to the ship. It contain- ed four individuals with coverings of leaves round their necks, and with their bodies painted black from the waist to the thigh. From the nature of their present, which consisted of some cloth made of the bark of a tree, and from the superiority of their vessel, it was conceived that they came from the chief or sovereign. The officers bestowed upon them a mirror, a knife, spikes, and a piece of linen ; a glass was also filled with wine, and hav- ing been drank off, was again filled and offered to the natives; but they poured the liquor out, and carried the glass on shore. Shortly after, many canoes arrived to barter cocoa-nuts for nails. A grave old man, who, from the great respect paid to 146 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES him, seemed to be a leader, also came on board, and saluted the strangers by placing his head upon their feet. He was presented with a piece of linen and several other articles, and conducted into the cabin. On being shown a cup of fresh water, he made signs that there was some on the island. In the evening, one of the natives was detected in the act of steal- ing a pistol and a pair of gloves ; but the mariners contented themselves with taking the things from him " without anger." Towards sunset, about twenty canoes came from the shore and drew up in regular order near the ship ; the people that were in them called out several times in a loud voice, " Woo, woo, woo !" upon which those who were on board sat down, and one of the skiffs came alongside with a present from the king, consisting of a hog, cocoa- nuts, and yams. A plate and some brass- wire were given in return. The exchange of provisions for nails continued until night, when the savages went back to the shore, leaving only one of their number. The following morning, they resumed their station, and the barter was renewed. This day, several females appeared, and it was observed that the elder women had the little finger cut off from both hands. The meaning of this custom the Dutch could not discover; but, as appeared to them, it was confined to the more aged individuals.* The wonders of the ship were * Later voyagers have found that this is by no means the case. " The most singular circumstance which we observed among these people was, that many of them wanted the little finger on one and sometimes on both hands ; the difference of sex or age did not exempt them from this amputation; for even amongst the few children whom we saw running about naked, the greater part had already suffered this loss. Only a few grown people, who iiad pre- served both their little fingers, were an exception to the general rule." — Forster's Voyage round the World, vol. i. p. 435. Of the origin of this remarkable usage, forster speaks in the following sen- ^iiir'MJi«i,ain»i '— -*''~ ' ■ "Sfe ►VERIES on board, and ad upon their of linen and nto the cabin. he made signs 1 the evening, e act of steal- ' the mariners e things from mnset, about d drew up in e that were in voice, " Woo, ^ere on board longside with a hog, cocoa- ass- wire were jrovisions for savages went ;heir number, their station, jveral females elder women hands. The not discover; i to the more he ship were > means the case, yed among these inger on one and c or age did not imongst the few j^reater part had jle, who liad pre- I to the ^neral .p. 435. Of the he following sen* OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 147 M 11 m shown to the natives ; and one of the great guns was fired, which at first occasioned a considerable panic among them ; but, on perceiving that no harm followed, they quickly recovered their courage. The men sent on shore to procure water, found the wells so small that they were obliged to take it up in co- coa-nut shells. Next day, they made signs to the chief that the fountalii. must be made larger. He instantly ordered thl > I done by his attendants, and in the mean tim^ <.onducted the sailors into a pleasant valley, where they were seated on mats, and supplied with cocoa-nuts, fish, and several kinds of fruit. The people of Amsterdam Island, says the captain, " have no idea of tobacco, or of smoking. We saw no arms among them ; so that here was altogether peace and friendship. The women wear a covering of mat- work that reaches from the middle to the knees : the rest of their body is naked. They cut their hair shorter than that of the men.""' Between the islanders and these their first European visiters there seems to have existed an uninterrupted feeling of kindly good- will. Before departing, Tasman records, that he " ordered a white flag to be brought, and we went with it to three of their chiefs, to whom tence : — " The native told us that a man lay buried there, and, pointing to the place where his little finger had formerly been cut away, he plainly signified, that when his madwts or parents died they mutilated their hands." — Ibid. vol. i. p. 451. The accuracy of this view is doubtful ; it is more probable that the mutilation is made as a propitiatory sacrifice to avert death. J. G. Dalyell's Darker Superstitions of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1834, p. 180, and authori- ties there quoted. It may be added, that the rite is not confined to the natives of the Friendly Isles, but has been observed among the Hottentots of the Cape ot Good Hope, the Guaranos of Paraguay, and the natives of California. • Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iii. p. 84 148 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES we explained that we wished it to be set up in that valley (where they had been entertained with co. coa-nuts, fish, and fruits), and that it might remain there as a sign of peace between us ; at which they were much pleased, and the flag was fixed there." A display of the same kindness on the part of the natives led Captain Cook, a century afterwards, to bestow on their country the name of the Friendly Islands. This visit of the Dutch was brought pre. maturely to a close, by the winds having driven one of their vessels from her anchorage. A few hours' sail in a north-easterly direction brought the voyagers to a cluster of islands, the largest of which, called by the natives Annamooka, they named Rotterdam. They remained here some days, maintaining an amicable intercourse with the savages. During an excursion into the interior, they " saw several pieces of cultivated ground or gardens, where the beds were regularly laid out into squares, and planted with different plants and fruits, bananas, and other trees, placed in straight lines, which made a pleasant show, and spread round about a very agreeable and fine odour." The inha- bitants are represented as resembling those of Am- sterdam Island, and so addicted to thieving that they stole every thing within their reach. They appeared to possess no form of government, and to be without a king or chief; but one of them detected in stealing, was punished by being beaten with an old cocoa-nut on the back until the nut broke.* They * VVitli regard to the government of these islanders, there is a discrepancy in the Journal of Tasman, which his translators and commentators have overlooked. Ingiving a general description of the natives, he expressly says, — " Tlie people of this island have | ] no king or chief.^ — Bumey, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iii. p. 89> VERIES set up in that ined with co. might remain at whicli they fixed there." le part of the afterwards, to the Friendly ; brought pre- ng driven one eriy direction ' islands, the Annamooka, ned here some >urse with the the interior, ;ed ground or arly laid out nt plants and ed in straight I spread round ." Theinha. those of Am. thieving that reach. They iment, and to them detected saten with an broke.* They anders, there is a s translators and eral description of ' this island have >y. vol. iii. p. 89. OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 149 are represented as entirely ignorant of any religion ; they practise no worship; and are without idols, relics, or priests, though they seem to observe some singular superstitions. " I saw one of them," says Tasman, " take up a water-snake which was near his boat, and he put it respectfully upon his head, and then again into the water. They kill no flies, though they are very numerous, and plague them extreme- ly. Our steersman accidentally killed a fly in the presence of one of the principal people, who could not help showing anger at it." He seems to have formed a very unfavourable estimate of their cha- racter, and styles them " people who have the form of the human species, but no human manners." On leaving this group, he directed his course west-north-west, and, after six days' sailing, came to about eighteen or twenty small islands, sur- rounded with shoals and sand-banks, which were named Prince William's Islands and Heemskerke's Shoals, and which, from the dangerous reefs sur- rounding them, have been rarely visited since their first discovery. The remainder of his voyage pos- sesses little interest, as his track was pretty nearly the same which had been pursued by Schouten and Le Maire. He arrived at Batavia on the But, in narrating his transactions there, he not onlymentions the existence of a cliief, but specifies Uie name by which the natives called him :— " They took us," he says, " to the east side of the island, where six large vessels with masts were lying. They then led us to a pool of water, which was about a mile in circumference ; but we were not yet come to the aigy or latoun^ as they call their chief. When we had rested, we again asked where the aipy wasi and they pointed to the other side of the pool of water; but the day being far advanced, we returned by anotner way to our boats." — Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iii. p. 88. Modern discoveries have shown that this last passage is correct. i! ,1! I 150 CIRCUBINAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES 15th June, in the year 1643, after an absence oCten months and one day. While Tasman was engaged in this voyage, which ascertained the southern boundary of the Terra Aus. tralis. another expedition, fitted out by the Dutch West India Company to cruise in the South Sea, dispelled the delusive notions which had been en. tertained regarding the extent of the Staten Land discovered by Schouten and his colleague. The com- mand of this enterprise was intrusted to Hendrick Brower, who sailed from the Texel on the 6th No- vember 1642, and reached the entrance of Strait Le Maire on the 5th of March following. The day was very clear, and the whole surface of Staten Land was plainly revealed ; and, instead of being part of a large continent extending to New Holland, was found to be a small island, nine or ten of their miles, as they calculated, in length. The winds were unfavourable for their passage through the strait, and they resolved to sail to the east of the isle. This they did without meeting any obstacle, and thence pursued the passage by Cape Horn into the South Sea, where no better fortune awaited them than had been experienced by the ill-fated Nassau Fleet. The name of Brower's Strait was given to the track which he had pursued round Staten Island, from a belief that there existed lands to the eastward. After this voyage, a long period elapsed, marked by an almost total cessation of maritime enterprise. In 1644, it is true, Tasman was again sent out, with instructions to ascertain whether New Guinea, New Holland, and Van Diemen's Land, were one conti- nent, or separated by straits. No record of his voyage, II M^. )VERIES absence oC ten voyage, wliich he Terra Aus. by the Dutch le South Sea, had been en. J Staten Land ue. The com. to Hendrick a the 6th No. ;e of Strait Le The day was Staten Land being part of Holland, was of their miles, > winds were gh the strait, t of the isle, obstacle, and lorn into the I waited them fated Nassau was given to Dund Staten : lands to the )sed, marked le enterprise, ent out, with | iruinea. New re one conti- >f his voyage, OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. L')l however, has been preserved, and if he made any discoveries they soon passed into oblivion. In 1675, a merchant of the name of La Roche, born in Lon- don of French parents, observed, to the east of Sta- ten Land, an island which appears to be identical with the New Georgia of Cook; and these are the only expeditions on record, from the date of Brower's voyage till we come to the adventures of the Buc- caneers, in the latter part of the century. Many of these rovers became desirous of try- ing their fortune in the South Seas, and fitted out for that purpose a vessel of eighteen guns, in which they sailed from the Chesapeake 23d August 1683. They were commanded by Captain John Cook, and among their number were several who were afterwards known to fame, — William Dam- pier, Edward Davis, Lionel Wafer, and Ambrose Cowley. On the coast of Guinea they captured a ship which they christened the Batchelor's Delight, and, having burned their old vessel " that she might tell no tales," embarked on board their prize. In January 1684, they saw the islands first visited by Davis, and at that time distinguished by the appella- tion of Sibald de Weert. The editor of the journal left by Cowley, one of the historians of the voyage, anxious to flatter the Secretary of the Admiralty, re- presented these as a new discovery, and gave to them the name of Pepys, — a circumstance which we shall hereafter see occasioned much perplexity and use- less search. After passing Cape Horn, the Buc- caneers touched at Juan Fernandez, and thence set sail for the coast of Mexico, having been joined in their cruise by the ship Nicholas of London, under the command of John Eaton. In July, Captain ■. I, 152 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES Cook died; and was succeeded as chief officer by Edward Davis, and in September Eaton and Davis parted company, — the former, with whom went Cowley, sailing for the East Indies, and the latter remaining in the South Sea. Shortly after this event, Davis was joined by the Cygnet, Captain Swan, as also by a small bark, manned by Buc- caneers; and with this united force, which was still farther augmented by French adventurers, the rovers continued to carry on their depredations with varying success until August 1685. At that time serious dissensions arose, and Swan, leav. ing his consorts, determined to sail northward to the Californian coast, with the intention of pro. ceeding to the East Indies. In this voyage he was accompanied by Dampier, who has left a narrative of the expedition. It was the 3Ist of March 1686 before they quitted the American coast and stood westward across the Pacific, nor did they reach the Ladrones until May. After departing from these, they visited in succession the Bashee Islands, the Philippines, Celebes, Timor, and New Holland. In April 1688, they were at the Nicobar Islands, and here Dampier quitted the expedition, and found his way to England in 1691. The Cygnet afterwards perished off Madagascar. In the career of Davis, who, as has been mentioned, remained in the South Sea, the most remarkable event was the discovery of an island named after him, and now generally iden. tified with Easter Island. In 1688, this bold ma. riner returned to the West Indies.* * For a minute narrative of this voyage, and an account of the rise and history of the Buccaneers, the reader is referred to the Lives and Voyages of Drake; Cavendish, and Dampier. il OP TIIK SKVENTEENTII CENTURY. 153 The last ten years of the seventeenth century are almost entirely barren in discovery. In 1690, an expedition, fitted out partly for privateering partly for trading purposes, and placed under the com- mand of Captain John Strong, brought to light, in their course to the South Sea, the passage between the two larger islands of the Falkland group. He named this channel Falkland Sound,— a term which has since been generally applied to the islands themselves. In 1699, M. de Beauchesne Gouin, a French commander, detected an island to the east of Tierra del Fuego, and bestowed on it his own name, which it still retains. The same year was marked by a voyage iinder the auspices of the Bri- tish government expressly for the extension of geo- graphical science. It was placed under the direc- tion of Dampier, and its object was the more mi- nute examination of New Holland and New Guinea. It added much to our knowledge of these countries, and is the most important contribution to science made by that navigator. In reviewing the progress of discovery in the seventeenth century, it will be seen that enterprise languished during its latter years, and that almost every addition made to our knowledge was effect- ed in the earlier portion of it. During that time were made the important acquisitions of Staten Island, Strait Le Maire, and Cape Horn, and of several harbours and islands of Tierra del Fuego. In the more central parts of the Pacific there were visited the New Hebrides, the groups of the Society and Friendly Islands, and many of the smaller isles scattered over the great ocean. On the Asiatic side, some information had been obtained of New Hoi- 154 CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AND DISCOVERIES land, Van Dieraen's Land, and New Zealand. The coasts of New Guinea were more accurately ex- amined, and many of the islands which stretch along its shores were explored. The existence of a strait between New Guinea and New Hol- land was ascertained; though, from accidental circumstances, the memory of this achievement was soon lost. Such were the advances made in geo- graphical science during the first forty years of the century ; the remaining portion was undistinguished by any acquisition of great importance. In this long space we have to enumerate only the discoveries of one of the Carolines, which gave its name to the group, of New Georgia, Easter and Beauchesne Islands, Falkland Sound, and a survey of some parts of Australia. Of the three circumnavigations made in the course of this age, all were performed by the Dutch.* Spain had now withdrawn from the field of enter- prise into which she was the first to enter ; and dur- ing the seventeenth century but one expedition for South Sea discovery of any note was fitted out from her ports. England, distracted by the great civil war and other events, had neglected to follow up the career so boldly begun by Drake and Cavendish ; * We have followed Burney and Bougcdnville in not assigning the title of circumnavigations to the expeditions of the Buccaneers between lfi83 and 1691, above narrated. We may here also state, that we can neither rank Gemelli Careri (1697) nor M. de Pages (1767-1776) among circumnavigators, because that word can hardly be applied to travellers who, mdeed, encircled the globe, but did so by crossing the Isthmus of Darien and several parts of Asia. M. de Pages can have been styled a circumnavigator only by those who had read no farther than the titlemige of his book, and were ignorant of the meaning attached by the French to the word voyage — '< Voyages autour du Monde et vers les deux Poles. Par M. de Pages.'^ JParis, 1782, 2 vols 8vo. OF THE SEVKNTKENTII CENTURY. 155 and, with the exception of Dampier's voyage to New Holland, her only adventurers in the Pacific were the lawless Buccaneers. To the United Provinces is due the honour of having, during this period, kept up the spirit of investigation, and widely ex- tended the limits of geographical knowledge. 156 FROM THE BKOINNING OP TIIK CHAPTER V. Circumnavigations from the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century to the Reign of George III. Circiimnavigntion of Dampier and Funnel, of Wootles Roj^rs, of Clipperton and Shelvocke, of Rojfgewein — Easter Island- Pernicious Islands — Circumnavigation of Anson— Objects of tho Expedition — Passajj^ of Ca|)e Horn — Severe Sufferings of the Crew—Juan Fernandez— Cruise on the American Coasts— Burn- ing of Payta— Loss of the Gloucester — Tinian— Capture of the Manilla Galleon — Return of the Centurion to England — Fate of the Wager. The early part of the eighteenth century was mark- ed by numerous privateering voyages to the South Sea, generally undertaken by English merchants ; expeditions which, indeed, served little to advance either maritime science or the reputation of British seamen. The principle which almost invariably regulated them was, " No prizes no pay," and this led to continual disorder and insubordination. The commanders, too frequently, were men of no edu- cation, of dissipated habits, and of violent and ava. ricious dispositions. Altogether, the narrative of these buccaneering adventures is one of the least creditable in the naval annals of our country. The first of them which we have to notice, was di- rected by one whom Captain Basil Hall has not uii- justly styled " the prince of voyagers," — William Dampier. This skilful navigator sailed from Kin- EIGUTKKNTH CKNTURY TO GEORGE III. l'>7 sale in Ireland, on the 11th September 1703, in command of two ships, the St George and the Cinque Ports galley, and entered the South Sea in the beginning of tlie following year. But even his talents and resolution were unable to preserve or- der among his boisterous crews, and the history of their proceedings accordingly is an unbroken series of dissension and tumult. On the 19th of May, these disputes had reached such a height that the vessels agreed to part company. The Cinque Ports, which sailed to the southward, was eventually run ashore, and the people taken prisoners by the Spa- niards. In September, another quarrel broke out on board the St George, which led to the desertion of the chief mate, John Clipperton, with twenty- one of the seamen. In January 1705, differences again occurred, and the remainder separated into two parties. One of these immediately sailed for the East Indies, and, returning to Europe by the Cape of Good Hope, arrived in the Texel in July I7O6: a narrative of their voyage has been left by Funnel. Shortly after this secession, Dampier was forced to abandon the St George, and to em- bark in a prize which had been taken from the Spaniards. In this he proceeded to the East In- dies ; but being unable to produce his commission, which had been stolen from him, it is said, by his mate Clipperton, his vessel was seized by the Dutch, and he himself detained some time a prisoner. In I7O8, we again meet this bold seaman as a circumnavigator, in the capacity of pilot to Woodes Rogers, who sailed from Cork on the Ist Septem- ber, in the command of two ships, fitted out by the merchants of Bristol to cruise against the Spaniards 158 FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE :|* 1 in the South Sea. In December, the squadron reach- ed the Falkland Islands, and after being driven to the latitude of 62° south in doubling Cape Horn, arrived, in January 1709, at Juan Fernandez, the well-known rendezvous of the Buccaneers. Their visit was the means of restoring to civilized life the celebrated Ale.'fander Selkirk, whose residence on this island upwards of four years became, as has been already hinted, the groundwork of Defoe's romance of Robinson Crusoe. After this nearly a twelve- month was spent in cruising on the coasts of Peru, Mexico, and California. In January I7IO they sailed across the Pacific, and in March made the Ladrone Islands. They arrived in the Thames on the 14th of October I7II, loaded with a booty which rendered the enterprise highly lucrative to the owners. With this voyage closed the long and chequered life of Dampier; on his return to Eng. land he sunk into an obscurity which none of his biographers has yet succeeded in removing.* The success of this expedition led soon afterwards to another of a similar description. In 171 8, the war which was then waged between Spain and tlie German empire appeared to some " worthy gentle- men of London, and persons of distinction," to afford a favourable opportunity of cruising against the sub- jects of the fo*mer country in the South Sea, under commissions from Charles VI. Accordingly, two ships, the Success of thirty-six guns and the Speedwell of twenty-four, were fitted out in the river Thames. * For an account of the voyages and circumnavigations in which Dampier bore a part, more full and detailed than was compatible with the plan of tlie present volume, the reader is referred to " Lives and Voyages of Drake, Cavendish, and Dampier." EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 159 To give some colour to the design, their names were changed into the Prince Eugene and the Starem- berg ; and this latter vessel was despatched to Os- tend, under the command of Captain George Shel- vocke, to take on board some Flemish officers and seamen, and to receive the commission from the em- peror. The conduct of this gentleman, while engaged in these preparations, was by the owners considered imprudent, and, on his return to England, he was superseded in his office of commander-in-chief by Clipperton (who had sailed as mate with Dampier in the St George), though he was allowed to con- tinue in charge of the Staremberg. During the course of these arrangements. Great Britain declar- ed war against Spain : the imperial authority was in consequence laid aside, and the Flemish officers and seamen discharged ; the ships recovered their original names, and were manned with English crews. Thus fitted out, the Success and Speedwell sailed from Plymouth on the 13th February 1719. Six days after, a violent storm arose, and both ships were obliged to pass the night under bare poles. The gale abated on the following evening, when they again proceeded, the former under Clipper- ton holding a south-easterly direction, while Cap- tain Shelvocke in the latter stood to the north- west, — a difference of course which so effectually disjoined them, " that from that day they never saw each other till they met in the South Seas by mere accident." It will be necessary, there- fore, in the notice of this expedition, to give dis- tinct narratives of the proceedings of the two com- manders. 160 KROM THE BEOINNING OF THE n When they parted company, the whole stock of wine, brandy, and other liquors, designed for the supply of both ships, was on board the Speedwell ; and this circumstance has generally been admitted as evidence in favour of Clipperton, that the sepa- ration could not be designed on his part. It is certain that, after losing sight of his consort, he im- mediately set sail for the Canary Islands, the first rendezvous which had been agreed on in case of los- ing each other. He arrived there on the 5th March, and, after having waited ten days in vain, set sail for the Cape de Verd Islands, the second place appointed for their meeting. Having cruised here also an equal period, and hearing nothing of Shel. vocke, he directed his course for the Straits of Ma- gellan, at the eastern entrance of which he arrived on the 29th May. During this passage several of the seamen died, and much hardship and privation had been experienced ; and on the 18th of August, when he reached the South Sea, the crew were in such an enfeebled condition, " that it was simply impos- sible for them to undertake any thing immediately." In conformity, therefore, with his instructions, which appointed Juan Fernandez as the third ren- dezvous, Clipperton immediately proceeded thither, and remained about a month, after which he de- parted for the coast of Peru, which he reached in October. Although he had lost upwards of thirty of his men prior to the time of his quitting the island just named, he was so successful as, in the course of little more than four weeks, to have taken five prizes, some of them of considerable value, be- sides one which he captured, but which subse- quently made her escape. On the 27th of November, 6 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 161 he despatched a vessel to Brazil, loaded with booty valued at more than £10,000 ; but she never reach- ed her destination, having, there is reason to think, been intercepted by the Spaniards. From this time to the beginning of 1721, he continued to cruise on the American coast with indifferent suc- cess. On the 2.5th January in that year, he met with Shelvocke near the island of Quibo, and, after exchanging a few stores, parted company on the succeeding day. During their stay on the Mexican shore, they again met on four different occasions. On three of these, they passed each other without speaking ; and on the fourth, a pro- posal made by Clipperton, that they should sail in company, met with no success. This took place on the 13th of March ; and, four days afterwards, the last-named officer sailed for China. About the middle of May, he made Guahan, one of the La- drones, his departure from which was hastened by an unfortunate quarrel, which terminated to his dis- advantage. On the 2d of July, he arrived in China, when the disputes which ensued regarding the di- vision of plunder were referred to the judgment of the native authorities. These awarded to the pro- prietors iJ6000, to the common seamen £97, 15s. 4d. each, and to the captain £1466, 10s. The owners' share was committed to a Portuguese ship, which took fire in the harbour of Rio Janeiro, and not more than £1800 of the property was saved. Clipperton's vessel was sold at Macao, and her crew returned home. The unfortunate commander reached Galway in Ireland, in the beginning of June 1722, where he died within a week after his arrival. 162 FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE On parting with his consort, Shelvocke contrived so to manage his course that lie did not reach the Canaries until the 17th of March, two days after the other had departed. Having remained there more than a week, he proceeded to the Cape de Verd Islands, where he also waited some time for Clipperton. After plundering a Portuguese vessel on the coast of Brazil, he passed Strait Le Maire, and in rounding Cape Horn experienced such tern. pestuous weather, that he was driven to a high southern latitude. He seems to have been much struck with the bleakness of these cold and sterii regions : " We had not," he says, " the sight of one fish of any kind since we were come to the southward of the Streights of Le Maire, nor one sea- bird, except a disconsolate black albatross, which ac- companied us for several days, hovering about us as if it had lost itself ; till Mr Hatley, observing in one of his melancholy fits that this bird was always ho- vering near us, imagined from its colour that it might be an ill omen ; and so, after some fruitless attempts, at length shot the albatross, not doubting that we should have a fair wind after it."* At * This incident is believed to have given rise to the iate Mr Samuel Taylor Coleridge's wild and beautiful poem of " The Rime «)t" the Ancient Mariner." " And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wond'rous cold, And ice mast high came floating by, As green as emerald. * « « « « Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken, The ice was all between. « » « » * At length did cross an albatross, Thorough the fog it came. THE KIGIITEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 163 *^ocke contrived I not reach the two days after 'emained there the Cape de some time for rtuguese vessel ;rait Le Maire, iced such tem- ven to a high ve been much cold and steril " the sight of ) come to the re, nor one sea- ross, which ac- ig about us as if serving in one ms always ho- colour that it some fruitless not doubting fter it."* At se to the late Mr em of " The Rime w. i I length, about the middle of November, he made the western coast, and on the 30th of the same month anchored at the island of Chiloe. His instructions were, that on entering the South Sea he should immediately proceed to Juan Fernandez ; but it was not until the 11th of January 1720 that he repaired thither to inquire about his colleague, who had been there about three months previously. He remain- ed only four days, and then steered towards the shores of Peru, along which he cruised till the be- ginning of May, capturing several vessels, and burn- ing the town of Payta. On the 11th of the same month he returned to Juan Fernandez, off which, partly for the purposes of watering and partly de- tained by bad weather, he remained until the 25th, when his ship was driven on shore, and became a wreck. With the loss of one man, the crew suc- ceeded in gaining the land, carrying along with them a few of their stores. Little unanimity sub- sisted among the seamen ; and hence the build- ing of a new vessel in which they were employ- ed proceeded but slowly. It was not until the 5th of October that their rude bark was launched. And a ^ood south wind sprung up behind, The albatross did follow ; And every day for food or play Came to the mariner's hollo ! In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud It perch'd for vespers nine. • * « * » with my cross-bow I shot the albatross. • * » # « Then all averr'd I had kill'd tlie bird That brought the fog and mist; 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay That bring the fog and mist" Cderidge'ii Poetical Works. Lond. 1834, vol. ii. p. 3-5. 164 FROM THE BEGINNING OP THE which even then was considered so insufficient, that twenty-four of tLtm chose rather to remain on the island than trust themselves to the ocean in such a feeble structure. On the 6th, Shelvocke and forty-six others put to sea, and stood eastward for the shores of the con- tinent. After two ineffectual attempts on different vessels, he succeeded in capturing a Spanish ship of 200 tons burden, into which he transferred his crew, and abandoned the sloop. Being once more in a condition to commit hostilities, he con- tinued to cruise along the coast, from Chili north- ward to California, until about the middle of the year 1721. During this period, as has been al- ready mentioned, he met Clipperton, with whom he finally parted towards the end of March. On the 18th of August he sailed from California for China, and on the 21st discovered an island to which his own name was given, though there seems good reason for supposing it to be the same with Roca Partida, one of the Revillagigedo Isles, seen by Spilbergen and other early voyagers.* On the 1 1th November he reached his destination, and anchored in the river of Canton, where he sold his prize, dividing the plunder which he had acquired among his crew. On this occasion, the able seamen received £440, 7S' 2d. each, and the commander's share amounted to £2642, 10s. He soon afterwards procured a passage to England in an East Indiaman, and landed at Dover on the 30th July 1722. He was arrested, and two prosecutions instituted against him, — the one for piracy, and the other for defrauding his pro- prietors. Of these, the first was abandoned for want * Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 551* EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 165 of evidence, and the second was interrupted by his escape from prison and flight from the kingdom. He afterwards succeeded in compounding with the owners, and having returned he published an ac- count of his voyage. The next circumnavigation was that accomplished by Jacob Roggewein, a Dutchman.* An injunction to prosecute the search for southern lands had, it is said, been laid upon him by his father a short time before his death. This last had, in the year 1669, presented a memorial to the Dutch West India Com- pany, containing a scheme for discovery in the South Sea, and his proposals were so well received, that some vessels were equipped for the purpose ; but the disturbances between the United Provinces and Spain put a stop to the project. In 1721, it was re- newed by his son, in an application to the same asso- ciation, which bore a reference to the memorial of his father. It has been insinuated, that the readiness with which the request of Roggewein was conceded, had its origin, less in a desire for the advancement of science than in interested motives. No time, it is certain, was lost in preparing the expedition, which consisted of three vessels, the largest carrying 36 guns, and manned by 111 men. These sailed from the Texel on the 21st August 1721, and in No- vember were off the coast of Brazil, from which • Two accounts of Roggeweia's voyage exist. The first appear- ed without the author's name at Dort, in 172B, under the title of " Twee Jaarige Reyze rondom de Wereld," — A Two Years' Voyage round the World. The second, written in German, was printed at Leipsic in 1738 ;— a French translation was published at tne Hague in I739. This work was written by Charles Frederick Behrens, a native of Mecklenburg, who was sergeant and commander of the troops in Roggewein's fleet. Both accounts have been translated by Mr Dalrymple (Hist. Coll. vol. ii. p. 85-12U), who terminates his valuable work with this voyage. 166 PROM THK BEGINNING OP THE ii ^^ If they " went in quest of the island of Auke's IMag- deland (Hawkins' Maiden-land), but could find no such place."* They were equally unsuccessful in another attempt to identify the same island under the different name of St Louis; but on the 21st December they had the good fortune to see one, to which they gave the appellation of Belgia Australis, and in which, though they chose not to perceive it, they only re-discovered the Maiden-land and Isles of St Louis. On the same day, one of the ves- sels was separated from her consorts in a violent storm. On the 10th JMarch, Roggewein came in sight of the coast of Chili, and on the eighteenth an- chored at Juan Fernandez, where he remained three weeks. On leaving this port he directed his course for Davis' Land, which, like Hawkins' Maiden-land, he failed to trace, or at least affect ;d not to recognise : pretending that he had made a new discovery, he exercised the privilege of a first visiter in bestow- ing on it a name, that of Paaschen, Oster or Easter Island. While they were sailing along the shore in search of anchorage, a native came off in his ca- noe, who was kindly treated, and presented with a piece of cloth and a variety of baubles. He was na- turally of a dark-brown complexion, but his body was painted all over with figures, and his ears were of a size so unnatural " that they hung down upon his shoulders," occasioned, as the Europeans conjec- tured, by the use of large and heavy earrings. " A glass of wine," says one of the journals of the voyage, " was given to him ; he took it, but instead of drinking it, he threw it in his eyes, which surprised -I'l __ . * Dalrymple, Hist. Coll, vol. ii. p. 88. KlfJflTEENTII CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 167 US very much." He seemed so fascinated with the strangers that it was with difficulty he was prevailei 1 i \m utmost astonishment, wondering at the wounds tlie bullets had made in their bodies." Though dismay- ed, they again rallied and advanced to within ten paces of their enemies, under an impression of safety, which asecond discharge of fire-arms too fatally dissi. pated. Among those who fell was the individual that first came on board, — a circumstance, says the jour, nalist, " which chagrined us much." Shortly after, the vanquished returned and endeavoured to redeem the dead bodies of their countrymen. They ap- proached in procession, carrying palm-branches and a sort of red and white flag, and uttering doleful cries and sounds of lamentation ; they then threw themselves on their knees, tendered their presents of plantains, nuts, roots, and fowls, and sought, by the most earnest and humble attitudes, to deprecate the wrath of the strangers. The historian represents his companions as so affected with all these demonstra. tions of humility and submission, that they made the islanders a present '' of a whole piece of painted cloth, fifty or sixty yards long, beads^ small looking-glasses, &c." They returned to their ships in the evening with the intention to revisit the island on the sue- ceeding day; but this design was frustrated by a storm, which drove them from their anchors and obliged them to stand out into the open sea. The inhabitants of Easter Island are described as being of a well-proportioned stature, though ra- ther slender, of complexions generally brown, but, in some instances, of European whiteness. They deli- neate on, their bodies figures of birds and other ani- mals ; and a great proportion of the females were " painted with a rouge, very bright, which much surpasses that known to us ;" and had dresses of red HE wounds tilt' 5igh dismay- within ten lion of safety, fatally dissi. lividual that lys the jour, ihortly after, ed to redeem They ap. ranches and ring doleful then threw r presents of ight, by the eprecate the (presents his demonstra- ey made the linted cloth, :ing-glasses, the evening [)n the suc- rated by a nchors and sea. B described though ra- wn, but, in They deli- other ani- nales were lich much isses of red EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 169 Woman of Easter Island. and white cloth, soft to the touch like silk, with a small hat made of straw or rushes. They were ge- nerally of a mild disposition, with a soft and pleas- ing expression of countenance, and so timid, that when they brought presents to the voyagers, they threw the gift at their feet and made a precipitate retreat. Their ears, as already noticed, were so elon- gated as to hang down to their shoulders, and were sometimes ornamented with large white rings of a globular form. Their huts were about fifty feet long and seven broad, built of a number of poles cement- ed with a fat earth or clay, and covered with the leaves of the palm-tree. They had earthen vessels J 70 FROM TIIK nKOINNINOOK THE IH \v\ m for preparing tlicir victuals, but possessed few other articles of furnitun?. No arms were perceived amonjj them, and their sole defence from the cruel hostili. ties of their visiters appeared to be reposed in their idols. These were gigantic pillars of stone, having on the top the figure of a human head adorned with a crown or garland, formed of small stones inlaid with considerable skill. The names of t^vo of these idols have been preserved, — Taurico and Dago; and the Hollanders thought they perceived indications of a priesthood, the members of which were distinguished by their ponderous earrings, by having their heads shaven, and by wearing a bonnet of black and white feathers. The food of the inhabitants consisted entirely of the fruits of their land, which was carefully cultivated and divided into enclosures. No traces were found of a supreme chief or ruler, nor was any distinc- tion of ranks observed, except that the aged bore staves, and had plumes on their heads, and that in families the oldest member appeared to exercise authority. It would be improper to pass without notice the fabulous account of the immense stature of the natives, given, in one of the accounts of the voyage, with the strongest protestations of its truth : — " All these savages are of more than gigantic size ; for the men, being tv^ice as tall and thick as the largest of our people, they measured, one with another, the height of twelve feet, so that we could easily — who will not wonder at it ! — without stoop- ing, have passed betwixt the legs of these sons of Goliah. According to their height, so is their thick- ness, and all are, one with another, very well pro- portioned, so that each could have passed for a Her- KIOIITEENTH CKNTUnV TO OEOROK III. IJl rules." It is addid, tlmt tlio females do not altojrctlu'r eome up to these formidaMe dimensions, " being wmmonly not ahov*' ten or elNING OF THE i^i 19 J li' ' ; with pikes, and who did r.ot withdraw their oppo- sition until they were ovtrnovered by fire-arms. On the succeeding day another conflict ensued, when the event was different ; the invaders were obliged to retreat, after having some of their men killed and many severely wounded. The people are described as robust and tall, their hair long and black, tlieir bodies painted, and their dress consisting of a kind of network round the waist. Shortly after quitting Recreation Island, it was determined in a general council of officers, that to sail back by the course which they had traversed was impossible, and that they were therefore under the necessity of going home by the East Indies. In accordance with this resolution, they continued to steer westward, and on the 15th of June reached a cluster of islands, which they called Bauman, supposed to be the Navigators' Isles of the present maps. From this point the track of Roggewein coincided too closely with that of Schouten and other discoverers, to offer much of novelty or interest ; nor has this part of his voyage been very clearly narrated. ' The scurvy broke out among his crew and committed frightful ravages : " There was no- thing," says a journalist of the voyage, " to be seen on board, but sick people struggling with inexpres- sible pains, and dead carcasses that were just released from them, and from which arose so intolerable a smell, that such as yet remained sound were not able to endure, but frequently swooned with it. Cries and groans were perpetually ringing in their ears, and the very sight of the people moving about was sufficient to excite at once terror and compassion." In the month of September, he arrived at Java, with li EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 173 the loss of not fewer than seventy men by sickness, besides those killed in his conflicts with the islanders; aid in October proceeded to Batavia, \vhere his ships were arrested by the Dutch East India Company, condemned, and sold by public auction. The crews were sent home free of expense, and landed at Amsterdam on the 28th July, " the very same day two years that they sailed on this voy- age." Against these proceedings, the West India Company sought redress in an appeal to the States General, who ordained the East India Company to make full compensation for the vessels, — a de- cision which, when the judgment in the more favourable case of Schouten and Le Maire is consi- dered, it may be not uncandid to suppose, proceeded more from the superior influence of the appellants than from the array of legal arguments on their side. After the voyage of Roggewein, twenty years passed without witnessing one expedition to the Pa- cific of the slightest importance. When war broke out between this country and the Spaniards in 1739, artiong other measures adopted by the British administration, it was resolved to send an armament into the South Seas to attack their trade and settlements in that part of the world, in the hope of cutting olf the supplies which they derived from their colonies. The original plan of this expe- dition was as magnificent as the actual equipment of it was mean. It was intended that two squadrons should be despatched, the one to proceed directly by the Cape of Good Hope to Manilla, in the Philippines ; the other to double Cape Horn, and, after cruising along the western coast of South America, to join the former, when both were to act in concert. But of 174 FROM THE BEGINNING OP THE this romantic scheme only one-half was put in exe- cution ; and tliat, too, in a spirit of petty economy quite inconsistent with the success of tlie enterprise. The attack on Manilla was abandoned, and the de- sign limited to the fitting out of a few ships to cruise in the South Seas, under the command of Captain GeoT'^e Anson. This officer received his commission early in January 1740; but so tardy were the proceedings of the government, that his instructions were not delivered to him until the end of June ; and when in virtue of these he repaired to his squadron, in the expectation of being able to sail with the first fair wind, he found that he had to encounter difficulties which detained him nearly three months longer. Three hundred able seamen were wanting to com- plete the crews ; and in place of these, Commodore Anson, after a tedious delay, was able to obtain only 170 men, of whom thirty- two were drafted from sick-rooms and hospitals, ninety-eight were marines, and three were infantry officers; the remainder, amounting to thirty-seven, were regular sailors. It was part of the original plan to furnish the squadron with an entire regiment, and three Independent com- panies of 100 men each ; but this design was laid aside, and the ships were ordered to be supplied with 500 invalids collected from the out-pensioners of Chelsea hospital. These consisted of such soldiers as, from their age, wounds, or other infirmities, were incapable of serving; and Anson remonstrated against the absurdity of sending them on an ex- pedition of so great length, and which must be attended by so many hardships and privations ; but his representations, though supported by those of Sir EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 175 Charles Wager, only drew forth the answer, " that persons who were supposed to be better judges of soldiers than he or Mr Anson, thought them the pro- perest men that could be employed on this occa- sion."* This admitted of no reply, and the veterans were accordingly ordered on board the squadron. Instead, however, of 500, there appeared no more than 259 ; for all who were able to walk away had deserted, leaving behind them only the very dregs of their corps, men for the most part sixty years of age, and some of them upwards of seventy. The embarkation of these aged warriors is described as having been singularly affecting. Their reluctance to the service was visible in their countenances, on which were seen also apprehension of the dangers they were to encounter, and indignation at being thus * " A Voyage round the World in the years 1740-1-2-3-4, by George Anson, Esq. Commander-in-Chief of a Squadron of liis Ma- jesty s* Ships sent upon an Expedition to tlie South Seas. Com- piled from Paprs and other Materials of the Right Honourable George Lord Anson, and published imderhis Direction. By Richard Walter, M.A., Chaplain of his Majesty's Ship the Centurion. London, 1748," 4to, p. 6. This is the prmcipal authority for tlie circumnavigation of Anson, and has ever been popular and highly admired for the beauty of the narrative and vividness of the de- scriptions. In this last point, indeed, there is reason to fear that accuracy is sacrificed to effect. An attempt was made to deprive Walter of the honour of this work, which is attributed to Benjamin Robins, F. II. S., author of Mathematical Tracts, London, 17^1, 2 vols 8vo, and other works. This question has been amply dis- cussed; but there appears no decisive evidence of Robins claim. Those who are anxious to enter into the discussion may be refer- red to the preface, by James Wilson, to the Mathematical Tracts above mentioned ; to Nichol's Literary Anecdotes of the Eight- eenth Century, vol. ii. p. 200 ; to the Biographia Britannica, voce Anson ; and to the Corrigenda and Addenda to that article inserted in the 4th volume of the work. Besides Walter's narrative, there appeared " A True and Impartial Journal of a Voyage to the Soutli Sea.s, and round the Globe, in his Majesty's Ship the Centurion, un- der the Command of Commodore George Anson. By Pascoe Tho- mas, Teacher of the Mathem^ics on board the Centurion. Lon- don, 1745," 8vo. 176 FROM THE BEGINNING OP THE r I 8 '\l 11 dragged into an enterprise wliich they could noways assist, and in which, after having spent their youth. ful vigour in the service of their country, they were too probably doomed to perish. To expose the cruel- ty of this measure, it need only be stated, that not one of these unhappy men who reached the South Sea lived to return to his native shores.* To supply the room of the 241 invalids who had deserted, raw and undisciplined marines, amounting to nearly the same number, were selected from different ships and sent on board ; upon which the squadron sailed from Spithead to St Helens, to await a favourable wind. It consisted of eight vessels, the Centurion of sixty guns ; the Gloucester and the Severn of fifty each ; the Pearl of forty ; the Wager of twenty-eight ;+ the Tryal sloop of eight ; and two store-ships ; and, exclusive of the crews of these last, contained about 2000 men. After being thrice forced back by adverse winds, they finally sailed from St Helens on the 18th September 1740; and, having touched at Madeira, anchored 0]i the 18th December at the island of Santa Cataiina, on the coast of Brazil^ where they remained about a month. They arrived at Port San Julian in the mic'dle of February 174] ; and on the 7th March entered Strait Le Maire, where, though winter was advanc- ing apace, they experienced a brightness of sky and serenity of weather which inspired them with high hopes that the greatest difficulties of their voyage were past. " Thus animated by these delusions," says Mr Walter, "we traversed these memorable straits, igno- * Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. v. p. 40. •f According to Thomas (p. 2) the V\' ager carried but 20 guns. [TIE EIGIITKENTII CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 177 could nowavs • t their youth, try, they were )ose the cruel- ated, that not the South Sea To supply the Tted, raw and early the same ships and sent n sailed from Durable wind. urion of sixty of fifty each ; i^enty-eight ;+ e-ships ; and, ntained about ick by adverse ns on the 18th i at Madeira, the island of I, where they 1 the mi('dle larch entered was advanc- iss of sky and ?m with high r voyage were ons," says Mr ! straits, igno- led but 20 guns. rantof the dreadful calamities that were then impend- ing and just ready to burst upon us ; ignorant that the time drew near when the squadron would be separated never to unite again, and that this day of our passage was the last cheerful day that the greatest part of us would ever live to enjoy."* The last of the ships had scarcely cleared the straits, when the sky suddenly changed, and exhibited all the appearances of an approaching storm, which soon burst with such violence, that two of them with difficulty escaped being run ashore on Staten Land. From this time to the 25th May, the expedition encountered a suc- cession of the most tempestuous weatlier. The oldest mariners confessed that the fury of the winds and the mountainous waves surpassed anything they had ever witnessed. " Our ship," says Thomas, who sailed in the Centurion, " was nothing to them; but, notwith- standing her large bulk and deep hold in the water, was tossed and bandied as if she had been no more than a little pitiful wherry."t The sails were fre- quently split in tatters, and blown from the yards ; the yards themselves were often snapped across ; and the shrouds and other rigging were repeatedly blown to pieces. The upper-works were rendered so loose as to admit water at every seam ; the beds were almost continually wet, and tlie men were often driven from them by the rushing in of the waves. The rolling of the vessel was so great, that the sea- men were in danger of being dashed to pieces against her decks or sides ; they were often forced from the objects they had taken hold of to secure themselves from falling, and, in spite of every precaution, met numerous accidents; one had his neck dislocated. ^Valter, p. 75. •j- Thomas, p. 21. V.' m 178 FROM THK BEGINNING OP THE another^ who was pitched below, had his thigh frac- tured, and a boatswain's mate had his collar-bone twice seriously injured. To add to their misery, the scurvy broke out with great violence ; at first car. rying off two or three a-day, but increasing in virulence till the mortality amounted to eight or ten. Few of the crew escaped its attacks, and on these the labour of managing the ship fell so heavily, " that," says Thomas, " I have on that account seen four or five dead bodies at a time, some sewn up in their hammocks, and others not, washing about the decks, for want of help to bury them in the sea."* The disease at last attained such a height that we are informed there were not above twelve or fourteen men, and a few officers, capable of doing duty. On the invalids, who had been so cruelly sent on this expedition, the disease produced the most extraordi- nary effects ; wounds which had been healed many years now opened, and appeared as if they had never been closed, and fractures of bones which had been long consolidated now again appeared, as if the cal- lus of the broken bone had been dissolved by the disease. The wounds of one aged veteran, which had been received more than fifty years previous, at the battle of the Boyne, broke out afresh, and seem- ed as if they had never been healed.t At length, after a period of intense suffering, on the morning of the 8th of May, the crew of Anson's own ship, the Centurion, saw the western coast of Patagonia, the high mountains of which were for the most part covered with snow. The island of Nuestra Senora del Socorro, which had been appointed as the ren- dezvous of the fleet, was also visible ; but, from the * Thomas, p. 22. t Walter, p. 102. THE I his tliigh frac- his collar-bone lieir misery, the e ; at first car. t increasing in ted to eight or ittacks, and on 3 fell so heavily, lat account seen )me sewn up in diing about the n in the sea."* height that we elve or fourteen )ing duty. On ly sent on this most extraordi. n healed many they had never vhich had been d, as if the cal- issolved by the veteran, which ars previous, at esh, and seem- .t At length, n the morning ion's own ship, t of Patagonia, r the most part ^uestra Senora ;ed as the ren- but, from the liter, p. 102. I EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO GEORGE III. 179 weak condition of his crew, the commodore waited here two days, when he set sail for Juan Fer- nandez, abandoning the design which had been formed of attacking Baldivia. Short as was An- son's delay on this occasion, he has been severely censured for it by Thomas, who declares, — " I ve- rily believe that our touching on this coast, the small stay we made here, and our hinderance by cross winds, which we should have avoided in a di- rect course to Juan Fernandez, lost us at least sixty or seventy of as stout and able men as any in th« navy."* It was not until daybreak of the 9th of June that they descried the island now named, which, notwithstanding its rugged and mountainous aspect, says Walter, " was to us a most agreeable sight." An anecdote which has been preserved by Dr Beattie may perhaps present a livelier idea of the distress endured than a lengthened description : " One who was on board the Centurion in Lord Anson's voy- age, having got some money in that expedition, pur- chased a small estate about three miles from this town (Aberdeen). I have had several conversations with him on the subject of the voyage, and once asked him whether he had ever read the history of it. He told me he had read all the history, except the description of their sufferings during the run from Cape Horn to Juan Fernandez, which he said were so great that he durst not recolle^'t or think of tLem."t On the succeeding day they coasted along the shore, at about the distance of two miles, in search of an anchorage. The mountains, which at first * Thomas, p. 27. t Sir William Forbes' Life of Beattie, vol. ii. p. 36. ^ rpi i -1 ]80 FROM THK BEGINNING OF TIIK had ired bare and steril, they view Had appearea oare ana sierii, iney now per. ceived to be covered with luxuriant woods, and be. tween them they could see fertile valleys of the freshest verdure, watered by clear streams, fre. quently broken into waterfalls. " Those only," says Walter,, " who have endured a long series of thirst, and who can readily recall the desire and agitation which the ideas alone of springs and brooks have at that time raised in them, can judge of the emotion with which we eyed a large cascade of the most trans- parent water, which poured itself from a rock near 100 feet high into the sea, at a small distance from the ship. Even those amongst the diseased, who were not in the very last stages of the distemper, though they had been long confined to their hammocks, exerted the small remains of strength that was left them, and crawled up to the deck to feast themselves with this reviving prospect."* The succeeding day, the Centurion anchored on the north-eastern side of the island ; in the paasage from Brazil 200 of her men having died, and 130 of the remainder being on the sick-list. No time was lost in erecting tents and con- veying the sick on shore, — a labour in which Anson assisted in person, and exacted the aid of his offi- cers. He continued here some months, to recruit the health of his crew, and to wait the arrival of the rest of the squadron. Of the seven vessels which accompanied him from England only three, the Gloucester, the Tryal sloop, and the Anna store- ship, succeeded in reaching Juan Fernandez. The Industry had been dismissed on the coast of Brazil, while the Severn and Pearl, which had separated from the commodore in the passage round Cape • Walter, p. 111. ,m l' ! F TIIK they now per. woods, and be. valleys of the r streams, fre. hose only," says series of thirst, re and agitation nd brooks have je of the emotion >f the most trans- rom a rock near istance from the d, who were not >er, though they imocks, exerted was left them, themselves with eeding day, the stern side of the 200 of her men er being on the ^ tents and con- in which Anson aid of his offi- nths, to recruit ait the arrival le seven vessels ind only three, lie Anna store- rnandez. The joast of Brazil, had separated J round Cape KIGIITEKNTII CKNTUllY TO GKOllGE III. 181 Horn, returned homewards without having entered the South Seas. The Wager, the only remaining one, reached the western coast of Patagonia, where she experienced disasters and sulTerings which will hi hereafter noticed. Before leaving Juan Fernan- dez the Anna was broken up, and her crew distri- buted among the other vessels, which stood much in need of this aid ; for, since leaving St Helens, the Centurion had lost 292 men out of her comple- ment of 506; in the Gloucester there remained only 82 out of 374 ; and in the Tryal, out of 81 there survived but 39.* In short, of upwards of 900 persons who had left England on board these three vessels, more than 600 were dead. On the 8th of September, while the expedition was still at anchor, a strange sail was discovered and chased, and though she escaped, the English, during the pursuit, were fortunate enough to capture another, which proved to be a rich merchantman, bound from Callao to Valparaiso, and having on board dollars and plate to the amount of about £18,000 sterling. Intelligence was obtained from this prize, that there were several such vessels on their voyage from Callao to Valparaiso, and, accord- ingly, no time was lost in despatching the Tryal sloop to cruise off the latter port. In a few days the Centurion sailed, along with the captured ship, to • These statements are made as the nearest approach to accu- racy which is now attainable. The numbers of the crews are so loosely mentioned, that, according to Walter, in one place (p. 14) tlie Tryal had 100 men, and in another (p. 160) only 81. With him the men on board the Centurion are at one time 525, and at another (p. loU) 500; and Pascoe Thomas rates them in different places (p. 42) 518, 512, and (Apnendix, p. 8) 510. The latter author makes the number alive in the Gloucester considerably higher than Walter. " We found," he says, " in a miserable condition, iioi many above one kutidred people alive. ""—^.'61. 182 FROM TIIK nEGINNINO OF THE '.>: