overlooking the Bay and city of Panamá. In that marauding expedition he had captured marvellous wealth, and doubtless had acquired much information for use in future adventures; for the supposed sight of the Pacific, and the reported wealth of Panamá had inflamed his ambition and his reported purpose of revenge. On his 1577 raid when off the island of Santiago, one of the Cape de Verde group he captured a Portuguese ship from Santa Maria, and took therefrom the pilot Nuno da Silva, to act in that capacity with him on the coast of Brazil, and whom he carried to the coast of Mexico and then put him ashore at Guatulco at the mercy of his enemies. At the Strait of Magellan he gave orders for the ships of his expedition to rendezvous at latitude 30° South, on the west coast of South America, in case of their separation by bad weather. He very probably had knowledge of the harbor of Valparaiso a little to the northward of the point of meeting; and proposed a show in force at Valparaiso. As he followed the American coast northward he seized another pilot at La Mocha in latitude 38° 24' South, and thenceforth carried pilot after pilot from the captured vessels; and utilized whatever sea-charts he found. We can get a graphic illustration of the knowledge available from the first volume of Captain James Burney's "South Sea Discoveries." He there presents us with "A Chart of the Discoveries "Made in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean previous to A. D. 1579.”* The American Coast stretches from the Strait of Magellan to latitude 47 north, ending there in a faint line as if he doubted the last three or four degrees. It is a fair presentation of the main features as we know them to-day. The western coast of America, north and south, is remarkable for its high, bold outline, its sky line of volcanic activity; its deep water, and the absence of outlying shoals and hidden dangers. If there were a lingering doubt about the early discoveries of the Portuguese and the Spaniards we give an extract from the narrative *It should be borne in mind that Captain Burney's chart is based upon the modern longitudes of the places named by the old navigators and the governors. Burney was first lieutenant of the Discovery, Captain Charles Clerke, in the third voyage of Captain Cook to the Pacific in of Pifagetta, who accompanied Magallanes on his voyage of circumnavigation.* And then we quote from the World Encompassed. "But the captain-general [Magallanes] who knew where to sail to "find a well hidden strait, which he saw depicted on a map in the "treasury of the King of Portugal, which was made by that excel"lent man Martin de Boemia, sent two ships * * * to discover "what was inside the cape de la Baia." And from the World Encompassed: "In the reports of Magellanes' voyage, it is said:" page 35. "The next day after, being the twentieth of June wee harboured "ourselves againe in a very good harborough, called by Magellan "Port St. Julian where we found a gibbet standing upon the maine, "which we supposed to be the place where Magellan did execution "upon some of his disobedient and rebellious company''; p. 234. Magilanus performing the first voyage about the world, falling "with this port, as wee did, did first name it Port St. Julian." Page 68 n. "We fel with the cape, neere which lies entrance into the straight, "called by the Spaniards Capo Virgin Maria," page 71. When Francis Fletcher is speaking of his having been landed on the extreme southern point of Cape Horn to erect a monument thereon, he writes: "Indeed, it might truly before this time be "called incognita, for howsoever the mappes and general descrip"tions of cosmographers * * haue set downe, yet it is true, that "before this time it was neuer discouered or certainely knowne by "any traueller that wee haue heard of. * * * On the 30 of "October we set saile, shaping our course right North-west to coast "along parts of Peru, (for so the generall mappes set out the land to "lie), both for that we might with conuenient speed, fall with the "height of 30 deg., being the place appointed for the rest of our "fleete to reassemble;" etc. "Wee found that the generall mappes "did erre from the truth in setting down the coast of Peru, for 12 "deg. at least to the Northward of the supposed straite." Pages 89 to 92. In another part of the narrative we find a statement made at the capture of the Cacafuego off Cape San Francisco [in latitude *Pifagetta's history of that voyage was published in Venice in 1534, and that by Ramusio We appeal to the "Magellan's Voyage Around the World" by Robertson, 1906: see in 1568. Bibliography. overlooking the Bay and city of Panamá. In that marauding expedition he had captured marvellous wealth, and doubtless had acquired much information for use in future adventures; for the supposed sight of the Pacific, and the reported wealth of Panamá had inflamed his ambition and his reported purpose of revenge. On his 1577 raid when off the island of Santiago, one of the Cape de Verde group he captured a Portuguese ship from Santa Maria, and took therefrom the pilot Nuno da Silva, to act in that capacity with him on the coast of Brazil, and whom he carried to the coast of Mexico and then put him ashore at Guatulco at the mercy of his enemies. At the Strait of Magellan he gave orders for the ships of his expedition to rendezvous at latitude 30° South, on the west coast of South America, in case of their separation by bad weather. He very probably had knowledge of the harbor of Valparaiso a little to the northward of the point of meeting; and proposed a show in force at Valparaiso. As he followed the American coast northward he seized another pilot at La Mocha in latitude 38° 24' South, and thenceforth carried pilot after pilot from the captured vessels; and utilized whatever sea-charts he found. We can get a graphic illustration of the knowledge available from the first volume of Captain James Burney's "South Sea Discoveries." He there presents us with "A Chart of the Discoveries "Made in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean previous to A. D. 1579."* The American Coast stretches from the Strait of Magellan to latitude 47 north, ending there in a faint line as if he doubted the last three or four degrees. It is a fair presentation of the main features as we know them to-day. The western coast of America, north and south, is remarkable for its high, bold outline, its sky line of volcanic activity; its deep water, and the absence of outlying shoals and hidden dangers. If there were a lingering doubt about the early discoveries of the Portuguese and the Spaniards we give an extract from the narrative *It should be borne in mind that Captain Burney's chart is based upon the tudes of the places named by the old navigators and the governors. Burney of the Discovery, Captain Charles Clerke, in the third voyage of Capta of Pifagetta, who seemme: Leine I cumnavigation.* And then we quote from the Win Income "But the captase "find a well idle st The ST FUH I "treasury of the King of For "lent man Martin de BoeLA RE "The next day she beng "ourselves againe "Port St. Jon when "We fel with the ene "called by the Span When Frames Fenter "called incognita, ir ie "any traveller for "height of 3 "Beete to rem 1 care found 0° 42′ north], when they were debating how to return home: "From this cape, before we set onward, March the 7,, shaping our "course towards the Island of Cainos, with which we fell March 16." Page 112. Little wonder that with such information, such opportunities for seizing pilots, and so bold a coast line free from storms that Drake traversed it so safely and fearlessly. Many vessels had been there before him. He went from port to port as "Pedro por su Casa." |