used beasts of burden, the rude figure of the lama traced on the beach suggested to him the camel, and confirmed him in the opinion that he had reached "the gates of the East Indies." From the circumstance 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.* Meantime 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 design was formed of establishing a regular intercourse by the Isthmus of Darien ; and a settlement was accordingly 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 elegant memoir of Don Manuel Josef Quintana, an English translation of which, by Mrs Hodson, appeared at Edinburgh in 1832. the eastern shores of Asia. This scheme, however, failed of success. Within a month after the ships destined for the voyage had been launched, their planks were so destroyed by worms as to render them quite useless. No better success had followed an attempt which was made in 1515 to find an opening into the Austral Ocean, in more southern latitudes. 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 ambuscade and lost his life. Upon this disaster, the undertaking 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 cautiously along the gulfs and creeks of this newly-reached ocean. No strait had yet been found to connect its waves with those of seas already known and navigated; 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. CHAPTER II. Circumnavigation of Magellan. Magellan's Birth and Services-Proposals to the Spanish Court accepted Sails on his Voyage-Anchors at Port San Julian-Transactions there-Description of the Natives-Discovers the Strait -Enters the South Sea-The Unfortunate Islands-The Ladrones-The Island of Mazagua or Limasava-Zebu-Intercourse 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 Expedition. THE glory of discovering a path to the South Sea, and of overcoming the difficulties which had hitherto impeded the navigation of its waters, is due to Fernando de Magalhanes, Magalhaens, or, as it has been more commonly written in this country, Magellan.* 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 Albuquerque, and had there made considerable acquirements 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 discovered this streight was a native of Portugal, and his name, in the language of his country, was Fernando de Magalhaens; the Spaniards call him Hernando Magalhanes, and the French Magellan, 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." 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 recorded. It has been supposed he was struck with the circumstance 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 behalf 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 remembered, 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 offer of his service to his own sovereign, who, says Fray Gaspar,+" 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 expedition. From an imperfect copy of his narrative, an account was compiled by Purchas, vol. i. book i. chap. ii. The first perfect to hear it, nor to give it any confidence, but dismissed him with a frown and singular disgrace, very different from what was due to the proposal of Magalhanes, 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.Magellan, accompanied by Ruy Falero, a native astrologer who was associated with him in the enterprise, then determined to go to the Spanish court and tender the fame and profit of his undertaking to the Emperor Charles V. He arrived at Valladolid, 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 they might 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 Columbus the theory of his great project, with singular edition was published from a manuscript in the Ambrosian Library, by C. Amoretti:-" Primo Viaggio intorno al globo 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, 1769, will be found translations of Herrera, Barros, and Gaspar, 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 diligently examined all the authorities with his usual acumen and perseverance, and has woven the whole into a comprehensive and discriminating narrative. |