# The First Voyage Round the World/Log-Book of Francisco Alvo or Alvaro

EXTRACTS FROM
A DERROTERO OR LOG-BOOK
OF THE VOYAGE OF FERNANDO DE MAGALLANES IN SEARCH OF THE STRAIT, FROM THE CAPE OF ST. AUGUSTIN. FRANCISCO ALBO, 1519.
Copied from the Original in "Simancas en un legajo suelto". Additional MS., British Museum, 17, 621. (Published by Navarrete.)
Tuesday, 29th day of November, I began to take the altitude of the sun whilst following the said voyage; and whilst in the vicinity of Cape St. Augustine, and in 7° altitude on the S. side, and at a distance from the said cape a matter of 27 leagues to S.W. Wednesday, 30th of said month, I took the sun in 76°, and its declination was 22° 59′, and its polar altitude was 8° 59′, and the course was S.S.W.
On the 1st December, Thursday, the sun had 78° meridian altitude, and 23° 4′ declination, and our distance (from the equator) 11° 4′, and the course was S.S.W.
Friday, the 2nd of the said month, I took the sun in barely 80°, and its declination was 23° 3′, the altitude was just 13°, and the course S.S.W.
Saturday, the 3rd of the said month, I took the sun in 82° 15′, which had 23° 13′ declination, and our distance was 14° 58′, and the course was S.S.W.
Sunday, the 4th of the said month, the sun had 83° altitude, and 23° 17′ declination; and our distance came to be 16° 17′, and the course was S.S.W. ​Monday, 5th of the said month, I took the sun in barely 84°, and it had 23° 21' declination; and our distance to the South came to be 17° 13', and the course was S.S.W. ¼W.
Tuesday, 6th of the said month, the sun had 85° meridian altitude, and 23° 25' declination; and the height to the S. Pole came to be 18° 25'; the course was S.W. ¼S.
Wednesday, 7th of the said month, I took the sun in 86° 30', and it had 23° 29' declination; our distance from the line came 18° 57', and the course was to W.S.W.
Thursday, 8th of the said month, I took the sun in 86° 30', and it had 23° 29' declination; and so our altitude came to be 19° 59', and the course was S.W., and we sounded here, and found bottom at 10 fathoms; and this day we saw land, flat beaches, and it was the day of the Conception of our Lady.
Friday, 9th of the said month (December), I took the sun in 88°, and its declination was 23° 31'; and our distance from the equinoctial line towards the South part came to be 21° 31', and the course was S.S.W., and we arose in the morning to the right of St. Thomas, on a great mountain, and south slopes along the coast in the S.S.W. direction; and on this coast, at 4 leagues to sea, we found bottom at 25 fathoms, free from shoals; and the mountains are separated one from another, and have many reefs round them; and in Brazil and St. Thomas there are many rivers and ports; and going along the coast 13 leagues there are many shoals 2 leagues out to sea, and there is a depth of 12 fathoms on them, and 10, and 8; but the coast runs N.E, and S.W. to Cape Frio, and there are many islands and rivers.
At Cape Frio there is a very large river, and to the N.E., at three leagues distance, there is the peak of a high mountain and three islands; and the cape is in 23°, and at the said cape there are three islands, and you leave them ​side. Passing the said cape there is a large bay, and at its entrance there is a low island, and the bay within is very large, with many ports; it extends two leagues from the mouth, and it is called Bay of St. Lucy; and if you wish to pass the island, you leave it on the left hand, and (the entrance) is narrow; but there is a depth of 7 fathoms, and a foul bottom; but outside there is a depth of 20 to 25 fathoms, and within, where there is anchorage, there are 18 fathoms. In this bay there are good people, and plenty of them, and they go naked, and barter with fish-hooks, and looking-glasses, and little bells, for victuals. There is a good deal of brazil wood, and this bay is in 23°, and we entered here the day of St. Lucy, and remained till the day of St. John, which is the 27th of the month of December; and we set sail the same day, and went to W.S.W., and found seven islets, and to the right of them there is a bay, and it is called the Bay of Kings; it has a good entrance, and in this neighbourhood, on the 31st of the month, I took the sun in 86° 45', and its declination was 22° 8', and our latitude came to be 25° 23'.
Sunday, 1st of January of the year 1520, I took the sun in 84°, and it had 21° 23' declination; and the altitude from the pole came to be 27° 29'; and on the days after the first day we went to S.W., and the other to W., and the fourth day to S.W.¼S. Thursday, the 5th, the sun was in 85° 30' of altitude, and 23° 19' of declination; so that our distance from the line came to be 29° 49', and the course was S.W.¼S. On the 6th, the day of the Kings, the sun was in barely 80°, and had 21° 8' of declination; and the altitude from the pole came to be 31°, and the course was S.W.¼W.
Saturday, the 7th, I took the sun in 78°; it had 20° 56' of declination, and our parallel was 32° 56'; the course was to S.W.¼S., and we went along the coast.
On the 8th I did not take the sun, but we went to ​S.W.¼S., and at night we sounded and found 50 fathoms; and we altered the course, and went on the 9th of the said month to W.S.W.; and in the morning we sounded, and found 15 fathoms, and we went till midday, and saw land, and there I took the sun in 76°, and it had 20° 31' of declination; and at night we anchored in a bottom of 12 fathoms—34° 31'.
Tuesday, 10th January (1520), I took the sun in 75°; it had a declination of 20°, and our latitude came to 35°. We were to the right of the Cape of Sta. Maria. Thence forward the coast runs East and West, and the land is sandy; we gave it the name of Montevidi (now they call it correctly Santovidio), and between it and the Cape S$^{ta}$ Maria there is a river which is called (de los Patos) Duck River. From thence we went on forward through fresh water, and the coast runs E.S.E, and W.N.W, for ten leagues distance; after that it trends N.E. and S.W. as far as 34½°, with a depth of 5, 4 and 3 fathoms; there we anchored, aud sent the ship Santiago along the coast to see if there was a roadstead, and the river is in 33½°. To the N.E. we found some islets, and the mouth of a very large river (it was the river of Solis), and it went to the N. Here they turned back to the ships, and the said ship was away from us a matter of 25 leagues, and they were 15 days in coming; and during this time two other of our ships went in a southerly direction to see if there was a roadstead for staying at; and those went in the space of two days, and the Captain-General went thither, and they found land to the S.S.W., 30 leagues distance from us, and they were four days in coming; and on returning we took in water and wood, and we went away from there, tacking from one tack to the other with contrary winds, until we came in sight of Montevidi; and this was on the 2nd day of the month of February, the day of our Lady of the Candlemas; and at night we anchored at 5 leagues from the mountain, and it lay to ​the S.E. and a quarter S. of us. Afterwards, on the morning of the 3rd, we set sail for the South, and we sounded, and found 4, 5, 6, and 7 fathoms, always increasing in depth; and this day we took the sun in 68° 30'; it had 13° 35' declination, and our latitude came to 35°.
Saturday, 4th February, we anchored in a depth of seven fathoms, the ship San Antonio having got leaky, and we were there till the 5th, and afterwards we weighed on the 6th, and stood on ths south course, and at night we anchored in eight fathoms, and remained there till next day.
The 7th we set sail to reconnoitre better the coast, and we saw that it trended S.E.¼S.; after that we took another tack and anchored in 8 fathoms, and there we took the sun in 66° 30', and it had 12° 15' declination, with which our distance from the equinoctial line to the south came to be 35¾°; after that we sailed the same day, and at night we anchored in 9 fathoms, and stood for Cape Santanton [Cabo Blanco] it was to the south in 36°, and this was Tuesday, the 7th.
On the 8th we set sail from the said point, and it is north and south with Montevidi, and 27 leagues distant from it; this coast runs N. and S. [the width of the Rio de la Plata is 27 leagues]; from that place forward we went along the coast round the cape of St. Polonia; after that the coast trends from N.E. to S.W, The said cape is in 37° and the land sandy and very low, it has sea of shallow depth for a distance of two leagues from land, of 8, 9, and 10 fathoms; so we ran all this day to the S.W., and the night and day.
Thursday, 9th of February, I took the sun in 63¼°; it had 11½° declination, and the altitude came to be 38° 30'; the coast can be sounded, and not very high nor mountainous, and we made out many smokes along the coast; this coast runs E.W.¼ N.W. S.E., and the point is called Punta de las Arenas.
On the 10th I took the sun in 62°⅓, and it had 11° 8' ​declination, our distance from the equinoctial came to be 38° 48', and the coast runs E. W., and it is a very pretty coast for running in one or other direction.
On the 11th of the said month, I took the sun in 62°, it had 10° 47' declination, and the altitude came to be 38° 47', and the course was W.¼ N.W., and the coast ran east and west from the Point de las Arenas; to this place there is a very good coast, with soundings, with many little green hills and low land.
Sunday the 12th, we did not take the sun, but from the day before till midday we began to run to S.W. and to S.W. and a quarter W., and to W.S.W., and W. and a quarter S.W., but I calculate that the whole course was W.S.W., and this run was from midday of the 11th, till nightfall of the 12th, and at that hour we anchored in 9 fathoms, and further on in 13 fathoms, and after that we had anchored we saw land, and we set sail to the N., and this was on the 13th, and in the morning we were alongside of some shoals, where the Victoria bumped several times.
Item, the same day we were at anchor, and we did not take the sun's altitude, and we were in soundings of 7 fathoms, and we remained there till the 14th, and the said day I took the sun in 60½°, and it had 9° 41' declination, and our altitude came to 39° 11'.
On the 15th of the said month I took the sun in 60°, and it had 9° 13' declination, and our distance came to be 39° 19', and we sailed a south course.
Thursday the 16th, we could not take the sun until the 18th, and on that day we were in 39¼°; and the next day, the 19th, we were in 39⅓°, and this day we went to S.W., and we went by this course, and could not take the sun until the 20th of the month.
On the 20th I took the sun in 57°, it had 7° 27' declination, and our distance to the south came to 40° 17'.
On the 21st, I took the sun in 55°, it had 7° 4' ​declination, our altitude came to 42° 4', the course was S.W.¼ W., and we sounded and found bottom at 55 fathoms.
Wednesday the 22nd, I took the sun in 53°, it had 6° 41' declination, and our distance came to 43° 20', the course was S.W.¼ W.; at night we sounded and found bottom at 55 fathoms.
On the 23rd I took the sun in 53¼°, it had 6° 18' declination, our distance from the line came to be 43° 3', the course was W.N.W.
On the 24th I took the sun in 53°, it had 5° 54' declination, our altitude from the pole came to 42° 54', and our course was W.N.W., and we were to the right of a very large bay, to which we gave the name of Bay of St. Matthew, because we found it on his day; we entered well in, and could not find bottom until we were entirely inside, and we found 80 fathoms, and it has a circuit of 50 leagues, and the mouth is to the N.W., and it is in the altitude of 42½°.
On the 25th I did not take the sun, but I took it on the 26th, in 51⅔°, and it had 5° 7' declination, by which we found ourselves in 43° 27' to the south of the line, and the coast runs N.W. S.E.¼ N.S.
On the 27th I took the sun in 50¼°, and it had 4¾° declination, and so our altitude came to be 44°; and here to the right hand we found a bay, and three leagues before it there are two rocks, and they lie East and West with the said bay, and further on we found another (bay), and there were in it many sea wolves, of which we caught eight, and on this land there are no people, but it is very good land, with pretty plains without trees, and very flat country.
Tuesday, 28th, I took the sun in 48½°, and it had 4° 21' declination, and so we found ourselves in 44° 21', and the course was to the south, and at night we saw land to W.N.W.
On the 29th I took the sun in 42½°, and this day it had ​4° declination, by which we found ourselves in 45 ½°, and the course was to S.S.W. and to W.S.W. and to W.N.W., and I give the whole of the run as to W.S.W. until I took the sun, and afterwards we were two days that we could not take it.
On Friday, 2nd of March, I took the sun in 43° 50', it had 3° 10' declination, with which our distance came to be 47°; and after that we did not take the sun again until we entered a port called St. Julian, and we entered there on the last day of March, and remained there till the day of St. Bartholomew, which is the 24th of August, and the said port is in 49 ⅔°, and there we caulked the ships, and many Indians came there, who go covered with skins of antas, which are like camels without humps, and they carry some bows of canes very small like the Turkish, and the arrows are like theirs, and at the point they have a flint tip for iron, and they are very swift runners, and well made men, and well fashioned. We sailed thence on the 24th of the said month of August, and went along the coast to S.W. ¼ W., a matter of 30 leagues, and found a river called Santa Cruz, and we entered there on the 26th of August, and remained till the day of S. Lucas, which is the 18th of the month of October, and there we caught much fish, and we took in water and wood, and this coast is well defined and with good marks.
Thursday, the 18th of October, we sailed from the said river of Santa Cruz, with contrary winds, we went for two days tacking about, and then we had a fair wind, and went to the S.S.W. for two days, and in that time we took the sun in 50 ⅔°, and it was on the 20th.
On the 21st of the said month, I took the sun in exactly 52°, at five leagues from the land, and there we saw an opening like a bay, and it has at the entrance, on the right hand a very long spit of sand, and the cape which we discovered before this spit, is called the Cape of the Virgins, ​and the spit of sand is in 52° latitude, and 52½° longitude, and from the spit of sand to the other part, there may be a matter of 5 leagues, and within this bay we found a strait which may be a league in width, and from this mouth to the spit you look East and West, and on the left hand side of the bay there is a great elbow, within which are many shoals, but when you enter the strait, keep to the North side, and when you are in the strait go to the S.W., in the middle of the channel, and when you are in the strait, take care of some shallows less than three leagues from the entrance of the straits, and after them you will find two islets of sand, and then you will find the channel open, proceed in it at your pleasure without hesitation; and passing this strait we found another small bay, and then we found another strait of the same kind as the first, and from one mouth to the other runs East and West, and the narrow part runs N.E. and S.W., and after we had come out of the two straits or narrows, we found a very large bay, and we found some islands, and we anchored at one of them; and took the sun, and found ourselves in 52⅓°, and thence we came in S.S.E. direction, and found a spit on the left hand, and from thence to the first mouth there will be a matter of 30 leagues; after that we went to S.W. a matter of 20 leagues, and there we took the sun, and we were in 53⅔°, and from there we returned to N.W., a matter of 15 leagues, and there anchored in 53° latitude. In this strait there are a great many elbows, and the chains of mountains are very high and covered with snow, with much forest. After that we went to N.W. and a quarter W., and in this course there are many islets; and issuing from this strait the coast turns to the north, and on the left hand we saw a cape with an island, and we gave them the name of Cape Fermoso and Cape Deseado, and it is in the same latitude as the Cape of the Virgins, which is at the beginning of the straits, and from the said Cape Fermoso we ​afterwards went to N.W. and to N., and to N.N.E., and we went in this course two days and three nights, and in the morning we saw land of pointed hills, and it runs North and South (thus runs the coast of the South sea) and from this land to Cape Fermoso there is a matter of 20 leagues, and we saw this land the 1st December.
Now I will commence the course and latitude of this voyage after this land, and the 1st day of December, when we were opposite to it; it is in latitude 48°.
December—
On the 2nd of December we did not take the sun, but we went to the N.N.E., and were in 47¼°, and this day we found ourselves that much ahead, as all this country is in the same altitude.
| On the | 3rd, | we went N.W., | and found ourselves in | 46° 30′. |
| " | 4th, | to N.W., | " | 45½ |
| " | 5th, | to N.¼ N.W., | " | 44¼ |
| " | 6th, | to N.E.¼ E, | " | 44 |
| " | 7th, | to N.E.¼ E, | " | 43⅔ |
| " | 8th, | to N.E.¼ N. | " | 43¼ |
| " | 9th, | to N.N.E. | " | 42⅔ |
| " | 10th, | to N.E.¼ E, | " | 42 12′. |
| " | 11th, | to N.E.¼ E, | " | 41⅔ |
| " | 12th, | to N.E.¼ E, | " | 41¼ |
| " | 13th, | to N.E.¼ N, | " | 40 |
| " | 14th, | to N. | " | 38¾ |
| " | 15th, | to N.¼ N.E. | " | 38 |
| " | 16th, | to N.¼ N.W. | " | 36½ |
| " | 17th, | to N.W. ¼ N. | " | 34½ |
| " | 18th, | to N.¼ N.W. | " | 33½ |
| " | 19th, | to N.W. | " | 32¾ |
| " | 20th, | to N.W. | " | 31¾ |
| " | 21st, | to N.W. | " | 30⅔ ​ |
| " | 22nd, | to W. ¼ S.W., | " | 30⅔° |
| " | 23rd, | to W.N.W. | " | 30 |
| " | 24th, | to W.N.W. | " | 29¾ |
| " | 25th, | to W.N.W. | " | 29½ |
| " | 26th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 28¾ |
| " | 27th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 27⅔ |
| " | 28th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 26⅔ |
| " | 29th, | to W.N.W. | " | 26⅓ |
| " | 30th, | to W., 12 leagues. | to W., 12 leagues. |
| " | 31st, | to N.W. | " | 25½ |
| Year 1521—January— |||
| On the | 1st, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 25 |
| " | 2nd, | to W.N.W. | " | 24 |
| " | 3rd, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 23½ |
| " | 4th, | to W.N.W. | " | 22 |
| " | 5th, | to W. ¼ S.W. | " | 23 |
| " | 6th, | to NW. | " | 22 |
| " | 7th, | to W., 25 leagues. | to W., 25 leagues. |
| " | 8th, | to W., 23 leagues. | to W., 23 leagues. |
| " | 9th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 22¼ |
| " | 10th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 22 |
| " | 11th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 21¾ |
| " | 12th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 21⅓ |
| " | 13th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 21 |
| " | 14th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 20½ |
| " | 15th, | to W.N.W. | " | 19½ |
| " | 16th, | to W.N.W. | " | 19 |
| " | 17th, | to W.N.W. | " | 18¼ |
| " | 18th, | to W.N.W. | " | 17½ |
| " | 19th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 16¼ |
| " | 20th, | to N.W. ¼ W. | " | 15 |
| " | 21st, | to S.W. | " | 15⅔ |
| " | 22nd, | to S.W. | " | 16¾ |
| " | 23nd, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 16½ |
| " | 24th, | to W. ¼ N.W. | " | 16¼ |
| On the | 25th | of said month, | to N.W. ¼ W., | in 15¾° |
| " | 26th | " | to N.W. ¼ W., | in 15⅓ |
| " | 27th | " | to N.W. ¼ W., | in 15 |
| " | 28th | " | to W.N.W., | in 14½ |
| " | 29th | " | to W.N.W., | in 13¾ |
| " | 30th | " | to W. ¼ N.W., | in 13½ |
| " | 31st | " | to W. ¼ N.W., | in 13⅓ |
| February— ||
| On the | 1st | " | to N.W., | in 13 |
| " | 2nd | " | to N.W., | in 12½ |
| " | 3rd | " | to N.W., | in 11¾ |
| " | 4th | " | to N.W., | in 11¾ |
In this latitude we found an uninhabited island, where we caught many sharks, and therefore we gave it the name of Isle of Tiburones, and it is with the Strait N.W. and S.E. ¼ E. and W., and it is in 10⅔° S. latitude, and is distant … leagues from the Ladrone Islands.
| On the | 5th | Feb., | to N.W., | in 10° |
| " | 6th | " | to N.W., | in 09¼ |
| " | 7th | " | to N.W., | in 08⅔ |
| " | 8th | " | to N.W., | in 07⅔ |
| " | 9th | " | to N.W. ¼ W., | in 06½ |
| " | 10th | " | to N.W., | in 05 |
| " | 11th | " | to N.W., | in 02½ |
| " | 12th | " | to N.W., | in 01 |
| " | 13th | " | to N.W., | in 0– 30′ N. of the line. |
| " | 14th | " | to N.W., | in 01 N. latitude. |
| " | 15th | " | to N.W., | in 01¾ ​ |
| " | 16th | " | to W.N.W., | in 02½° |
| " | 17th | " | to W.N.W., | in 03½ |
| " | 18th | " | to W.N.W., | in 05 |
| " | 19th | " | to W.N.W., | in 05¾ |
| " | 20th | " | to W.N.W., | in 06½ |
| " | 21st | " | to W.N.W., | in 08 |
| " | 22nd | " | to W.N.W., | in 09½ |
| " | 23rd | " | to W.N.W., | in 11½ |
| " | 24th | " | to W. ¼ N.W., | in 12 |
| " | 25th | " | to W. ¼ N.W., | in 12⅓ |
| " | 26th | " | to W., | in 12 |
| " | 27th | " | to W., | in 12 |
| " | 28th | " | to W. ¼ N.W., | in 13 |
| March, 1521— |||||
| On the | 1st | March, | to W., | in 13 |
| " | 2nd | " | to W., | in 13 |
| " | 3rd | " | to W., | in 13 |
| " | 4th | " | to W., | in 13 |
| " | 5th | " | to W., | in 13 |
On the 6th (March), to W., in 13°. This day we saw land, and went to it, and there were two islands, which were not very large; and when we came between them, we turned to the S.W., and left one to the N.W., and then we saw a quantity of small sails coming to us, and they ran so, that they seemed to fly, and they had mat sails of a triangular shape, and they went both ways, for they made of the poop the prow, and of the prow the poop, as they wished, and they came many times to us and sought us to steal whatever they could; and so they stole the skiff of the flag-ship, and next day we recovered it; and there I took the sun, and one of these islands is in 12⅔°, and the other in 13° and more (N. latitude); and this island of 12° is with that of Tiburones W.N.W. and E.S.E. (and it appears to be 20 leagues broad at the N. end), from the island of 12° we ​sailed on the 9th of March, in the morning, and went W. ¼ S.W.
The islands of Ladrones are 300 leagues from Gilolo.
| ,, | 9th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 12° |
| ,, | 10th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 12⅓ |
| ,, | 11th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 11½ |
| ,, | 12th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 11 |
| ,, | 14th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 10⅔ |
| ,, | 15th | ,, | to W. ¼ S.W., | in 10 |
On the 16th (March) we saw land, and went towards it to the N.W., and we saw that the land trended north, and that there were many shoals near it, and we took another tack to the south, and we fell in with another small island, and there we anchored: and this was the same day, and this island is called Suluano, and the first one is named Yunuguan; and here we saw some canoes, and we went to them, and they fled; and this island is in 9⅔°N. latitude and in 189° longitude from the meridian. To these first islands, from the archipelago of St. Lazarus....
Ytem. From the Strait of All Saints and Cape Fermoso to these two islands, there will be 106° 30' longitude, which strait is with these islands in a straight course W.N.W. and E.S.E., which brings you straight to them. From here we went on our course.
Leaving these islands, we sailed W., and fell in with the island of Gada, which is uninhabited, and there we provided ourselves with water and wood. This island is very free from shoals.
From here we departed and sailed W., and fell in with a large island called Seilani, which is inhabited, and contains gold; we coasted it, and went to W.S.W., to a small inhabited island called Mazaba. The people are very good, and there we placed a cross upon a mountain; and from thence they showed us three islands in the W.S.W. direction, and they say there is much gold there, and they showed us ​how they gather it, and they found small pieces like beans and like lentils; and this island is in 9⅓° N. latitude.
We departed from Mazaba and went N., making for the island of Seilani, and afterwards coasted the said island to the N.W. as far as 10°, and there we saw three islets; and we went to the W., a matter of 10 leagues, and then we fell in with two islets, and at night we stopped; and on the morrow we went S.W, and ¼S., a matter of 12 leagues, as far as lO⅓°, and there we entered a channel between two islands, one called Matan, and the other Subo; and Subo, with the isle of Mazaba and Suluan, are E.W. ¼ N.W.S.E.; and between Subo and Seilani we saw a very high land to the north, which is called Baibai, and they say that there is in it much gold and provisions, and much extent of land, that the end of it is not known.
From Mazaba and Seilani and Subo, by the course which we came, towards the south part, take care; for there are many shoals, and they are very bad; for this a canoe would not stop which met us in this course.
From the mouth of the channel of Subo and Matan we went west in mid-channel, and met with the town of Subu, at which we anchored, and made peace, and there they gave us rice and millet and flesh; and we remained there many days; and the king and the queen, with many people, became Christians of their free will.
We sailed from Subu, and went S.W. till 9¾° between the head of Subu and an island called Bohol; and on the W. side of the head of Subu there is another, which is named Panilongo, and it belongs to black men; and this island and Subu contain much gold and much ginger, and it is in 9⅓°, and Subu in 10⅓°; and so we came out of the channel, and came ten leagues to the S., and anchored off the island of Bohol, and there of the three ships we made two, and burned the other, not having crews enough; and this island is in 9½°.
​We sailed from Bohol to Quipit to the S.W., and came to anchor at the same anchorage to the right of a river; and in the offing to the N.W. part there are two islets, which are in 8½°, and there we could not get provisions, for there were none, but we made peace with them; and this island of Quipit has much gold, ginger, and cinnamon, and so we decided on going to seek provisions; and from this head of Quipit to the first islands there will be a course of 112 leagues; it lies with them E.W.¼N.E. S.W., and this island lies due East and West.
From thence we sailed and went to W.S.W., and to S.W. and W., until we fell in with an island in which there were very few people, and it was named Cuagayan; and here we anchored on the N. side of it, and we asked where the island of Poluan was, to get provisions of rice, for there is much of it in that island, and they load many ships for other parts; and so they showed us where it was, and so we went to the W.N.W., and fell in with the head of the island of Poluan. Then we went to N.¼N.E., coasting along it until the town Saocao, and there we made peace, and they were Moors; and we went to another town, which is of Cafres; and there we bought much rice, and so we provisioned ourselves very well; and this coast runs N.E.S.W., and the cape of the N.E. part is in 9⅓°, and the part of S.W. is in 8⅓°; and so we returned to S.W. as far as the head of this island, and there we found an island, and near it there is a shoal, and in this course, and along Poluan, there are many shoals, and this head lies E.W. with Quipit, and N.W.S.E.¼E.W. with Cuagayan.
From Poluan we sailed for Borney, and we coasted the above-named island, and went to its S.W. head, and near there found an island which has a shoal on the E.; and in 7½° we had to change the course to W., until running 15 leagues; after that we ran S.W., coasting the island of Bornei until the city itself; and you must know that it is ​necessary to go close to land, because outside there are many shoals, and it is necessary to go with the sounding lead in your hand, because it is a very vile coast, and Bornei is a large city, and has a very large bay, and inside it and without it there are many shoals; it is, therefore, necessary to have a pilot of the country. So we remained here several days, and began to trade, and we made good agreements of peace; and after that they armed many canoes to take us, which were 260 in number, and they were coming to us, and as we saw them we sailed in great haste, and we went outside and we saw some junks coming, and we went to them, and we captured one, in which was a son of the King of Luzon, which is a very large island, and also the captain let him go without the counsel of anyone.
Borney is a large island, and there is also in it cinnamon, mirabolams, and camphor, which is worth much in these countries; and they say that when they die they embalm themselves with it. Borney is in 5° 25' latitude—that is, the port itself—and 201° 5' of longitude from the line of demarcation, and from here we sailed and returned by the same road; and this port of Borney lies E.N.E. W.S.W. with the isle of Mazaba, and in this course there are many islands; and from the cape at the N.E. of Bornei to Quipit is E.W.¼N.E. S.W.
We sailed from Borney, and returned by the same course which we had come, and so we passed between the head of the isle of Bornei and Poluan; and we went to the W., to fall in with the isle of Cuagayan; and so we went by the same course to make for the island of Quipit on the S. side, and in this course, between Quipit and Cuagayan, we saw to the S. an island which they call Solo, in which there are many pearls, very large—they say that the king of this island has a pearl like an egg. This island is in 6° latitude; ​and so, going on this course, we fell in with three small islands; and further on we met with an island named Tagima, and they say there are many pearls there; and this island lies with Solo N.E. S.W.¼E.W., and Tagima is in 6⅚°. It is opposite the Cape of Quipit, and the said cape is in 7¼°, and lies with Paluan E.S.E. W.N.W.
From here we coasted the island of Quipit on the south side, and we went to E.¼S.E. as far as some islets; and along the coast there are many villages, and there is much good cinnamon in this island, and we bought some of it; and there is much ginger on this coast; and so we went to E.N.E., until we saw a gulf; then we went to S.E. until we saw a large island, and thence to the cape at the east of the island of Quipit, and at the cape of this island there is a very large village, which collects much gold from a very large river, and this cape is 191½° of the meridian.
We sailed from Quipit to go to Maluco, and went to S.E., sighting an island called Sibuco; after that we went to S.S.E., and saw another island, called Virano Batolague; and we went by the same course as far as the cape of this island, and after that we saw another, which they call Candicar; and we went to the E. between the two, until we went ahead of it; and there we entered a channel between Candicar and another, which they call Sarangani; and at this island we anchored and took a pilot for Maluco; and these two islands are in 4⅔°, and the cape of Quipit in 7¼°, and the Cape of Sibuco, on the south side, is in 6°, and the Cape of Viranu Batologue in 5°, and from the Cape of Quipit and Candicar the run is from N.N.W. to S.S.E., without touching any cape.
We sailed from Sarangani, and went S.¼S.E., until we came opposite an island called Sanguin, and between the two are many islets, and they are on the West side, and this island is in 3⅔°. From Sangui we went S.¼S.E. to an island called Sian; between them there are many islets, ​and this island is in just 3°. From Sian we went to S¼S.W., as far as an island called Paginsara, it is in 1⅙°; and from this island to Sarangani the run is N.S¼N.E. S.W. in sight of all these islands.
From Paginsara we went to S.¼S.E., until we came between two islets, which lie together, N.E. and S.W., and that one to the N.E. is named Suar, and the other is named Atean, and one is in 1° 45', and the other in 1½°.
From Atean we went S.S.E. until we sighted the Molucos, and then we went to East, and entered between Mare and Tedori, at which we anchored, and there we were very well received, and made very good arrangements for peace, and made a house on shore for trading with the people, and so we remained many days, until we had taken in cargo.
The islands of the Malucos are these: Terrenate, Tidori, Mare, Motil, Maquian, Bachian, and Gilolo, these are all those which contain cloves and nutmeg; and there are also several others among them, the names of which I will mention, and in what altitude they are, and the first is Terrenate, which is on the side of the equinoctial line.
| Terrenate | is in | altitude of | - | - | 1° | 00' |
| Tidori | ,, | ,, | - | - | 0 | 30 |
| Mare | ,, | ,, | - | - | 0 | 15 |
| Motil is on the line | Motil is on the line | Motil is on the line | - | - | 0 | |
| Maquian is to the south | Maquian is to the south | Maquian is to the south | - | - | 0 | 15 |
| Cayoan | ,, | ,, | - | - | 0 | 20 |
| Bachian | ,, | ,, | - | - | 1 | |
| La Talata | ,, | ,, | - | - | 1 | .¼ |
La Talata (Lata-lata) lies north of Terrenate N.N.E. and S.S.W., and that which is on the equinoctial line is 190° 30' of longitude from the line itself, and the island of Motil itself with Cagayan lies N.W. and S.E., and with Tagima, which is opposite the island of Quipit, it lies N.E. and S.W.¼N.S., but in these courses one cannot venture to pass, for they say there are many shoals, and so we came ​by another course, coasting the said islands. From the islands of Maluco we sailed Saturday, 21st December, of the said year 1521, and we went to the island of Mare, and there took in wood to burn, and the same day we sailed and went to S.S.W., making for Motil, and thence we went by the same course, making for Maquian, and thence we went to S.W., running by all these islands, and others, which are these:—Cuayoan, Laboan, Agchian, Latalata, and other small islands, which remain in the N.W. quarter, and now I will say in what latitude and longitude are each one separately, and which are those which contain cloves and other spices. The first to the North is Terrenate, which is in 1° North, and Tidore 40' and Mare 15', and Motil on the equinoctial line, and these lie North and South. The others to the South are these: Maqui is in 20', Cuayoan in 40', and Laboan in 1°, and Latalata in 1° 15', and Bachian lies with Terrenate E.N.E. and W.S.W.; and to the S.E. of all these islands there is a very large island called Gilolo, and there are cloves in it, but very few; therefore there are seven islands which contain cloves, and those which have a large quantity are these: Terrenate, Tidore, Motil, Maqui, and Bachian, which are the five principal ones, and some of them contain nutmeg and mace. Motil is on the line, and is in longitude of the meridian of 191° 45'.
From Latalata we went to S.W.¼ W., and fell in with an island which is called Lumutola, it is in 1¾°, and on the W. side there is another island called Sulan, and at these islands there are many shoals, and from hence we took the course to the South, towards an island named Buro, and between these three, there is another island which is named Fenado, it is in 2½°, and Buro is in 3½°, and it lies with Bachian N.E. and S.W.¼ N.S. in longitude 194°; and to the East of Buro there is a very large island called Ambon, in which they make much cotton cloths, and between it and ​Buro there are some islets; take care of them, for this it is necessary to coast the island of Buro to the East, and to the South of it. I took the sun in 70° 24', it had 22° 36' declination, and so the latitude came to be 3°. I was in the Southern part of the island, and this was on the 27th of December, on Friday. On the 28th of the said month, I did not take the sun, but we were in the neighbourhood of the said isle of Buro, and Bidia, which lies to the eastward.
Sunday, 29th, I took the sun in 71½° it had 22° 21' declination, and our distance came to be 3° 51', and we were opposite the isle of Ambon.
On the 30th I took the sun in the altitude of the day before, in calm, it was Monday.
On the 31st I did not take the sun, we were a matter of 12 leagues from the Isle of Ambon E.N.E. and W.S.W., the day was Tuesday.
1522—
The 1st day of January, 1522, I took the sun in barely 73°, it had 21° 54' declination, the altitude came to be 4° 45'.
On the 2nd of the month, I took the sun in 73¾°, it had 21¾° declination, our distance came to be 5½°, the course was to S.W., and it was Thursday.
Friday, 3rd, I did not take the sun, but the ship made the course of S.S.W., in latitude of 6⅓°, after that we took the course to N.W.
On the 4th of the month I did not take the sun, but we were in 5¾°, the course was to N.W., and the day Saturday.
Sunday, the 5th, I took the sun in 75°, it had 21° 14' declination, the latitude came to 6° 14'.
On the 6th, Monday, I took the sun in 76°, it had 21° 2' declination, the latitude came to be 7° 2'.
On the 7th, I took the sun in 76⅔°, it had 20° 50' ​declination, the latitude came to be 7½°, and the course was to S.W. Tuesday.
On the 8th of the month, I took the sun in 77½°, it had 20° 37' declination, and the latitude came to be 8° 7', the course was to S.W., and the day Wednesday, and this day we saw some islands, which lie East and West, and this day we entered between two of them, which are these, Lamaluco and Aliguom; between them are two little ones which you will leave on the right hand after entering the channel, they are inhabited; this channel lies N.E. S.W.¼ E.W., with Buro, and all these islands are ten in number, and they lie E.W.¼ N.E. S.W., and they have of longitude a matter of 50 leagues; we ran along them, with very bad weather from the South; we coasted them and anchored off the last, which is called Malua, which is in 8⅓°, the others are named Liaman, Maumana, Cui, Aliguim, Bona, Lamaluco, Ponon, Vera. We sailed from Malua and went to the South, and found the island of Timor, and we coasted the coast from east to west, on the north side of this island, which is in the latitude of 9°, and the nearest land on the north side, and this land will have 10 leagues journey, and this coast lies with Buro N.E. S.W.¼ N.S., in longitude of 197° 45', and of this island of Timor we coasted all the coast from east to west, as far as the village of Manvai; and first we came near the village of Queru, and from Queru to Manvai, the coast runs N.E. S.W. ¼ N.S., and here I took the sun on the 5th day of February, in 86⅔°, and it had 12° 44' declination, so that the latitude came to be 9° 24', and this island is very large and populous, and all the island has much sandal wood, and there are many towns in it.
On the 8th of February I took the sun in 87½°, and it had 11° 42' of declination, with which our distance came to be 9+$^1$⁄$_6$°, and we were at the head of the island of Timor, at ​the West end, and from here to the Eastern cape the coast runs E.N.E. to W.S.W., and it was Saturday.
Sunday, 9th of the said month, I took the sun in 88$^1$⁄$_6$°, and it had 11⅓° declination. Our latitude came to be 9° 35', and we were at the most salient cape of all the island, and from there it goes falling off to the S.W. and S.
On the 10th of the same month I took the sun in 88¼°, it had 10° 58' declination; our latitude came to be 9° 28', and the head of the island lay to the south, and the day was Monday.
On the 11th, Tuesday, I took the sun in 88¼°, it had 9⅓° declination; the latitude came to 9° 35', and we were in calm.
Wednesday, the 12th, I did not take the sun, but we were becalmed in the neighbourhood of where we were the the day before, or a little more.
On the l3th I took the sun in 89⅔°; it had 9° 52' declination; the latitude came to 10° 32', and we were in the neighbourhood of islands of which we do not know the names, nor whether they are inhabited. They lie E.S.E. and W.N.W. with the west cape of Timor, and from here we took our course to the Cape of Good Hope, and went to W.S.W.
[After this the course was W.S.W, for several days, and there is nothing worthy of note till Tuesday, the 18th of March, when the Victoria discovered Amsterdam Island.]
On the 18th of the said month (March), I took the sun in 49½°, it had 2° 55' declination, the latitude came to be 37° 35', and whilst taking the sun we saw a very high island, and we went towards it to anchor, and we could not fetch it; and we struck the sails and lay to until next day, and the wind was W.; and we made another tack to the north under storm sails; and this was on the 19th, and we could not take the sun; we were east and west with the ​island, and it is in 38° to the south, and it appears that it is uninhabited, and it has no trees at all, and it has a circumference of a matter of six leagues.
On the 20th of the said month, Thursday, I did not take the sun, but we were east and west with the island, and we went to N.W. and to N.N.W. and ¼ N.W., and for the whole course I put down a matter of 15 leagues to the N.N.W., and in the latitude of 35½°.
On the 22nd of the said month I took the sun in 50¼°: it had 4° 27' declination; the latitude came to 36° 18'. The day before we had struck the sails until the morning of the said Saturday, and this day we set sail and went to the N.W.
On the 8th of the said month (May) I did not take the sun; but, according to the run we had made, we thought we were ahead of the Cape, and on this day we saw land, and the coast runs N.E. and S.W. and a quarter east and west; and so we saw that we were behind the Cape a matter of 160 leagues, and opposite the river Del Infante, eight leagues distant from it in the offing; and this day we were lying to with winds from the west and west-north-west, and it was Thursday.
Friday, the 16th (May), I took the sun in 33¼°; it had 21° 6' declination; the latitude came to 35° 39', and we were E.S.E. and W.N.W., with the Cape of Good Hope twenty leagues off from it; and this day we sprung our fore-mast and fore-yard, and we were all day hove to, and the wind was W.
[The Victoria doubled the Cape of Good Hope between the 18th and the 19th of May, and arrived] on the 9th of the month of July, and anchored in the port of Rio Grande in Santiago [of the Cape Verde Islands], and they received us very well, and gave us what provisions we wanted; and this day was Wednesday, and they reckoned this day as Thursday, and so I believe that we had made a mistake of a day; and we remained there till Sunday in the night, and we set sail for fear of bad weather and the difficulty of the port; and on the morrow we sent our boat on shore to get more rice, which we wanted, and we were standing off and on till it came.
On the 14th of July, Monday, we sent our boat on shore for more rice, and it came at midday, and returned for more, and we were waiting for it till night, and it did not come; and we waited till next day, and it never came; then we went near the port to see what the matter was, and a boat came and told us to give ourselves up, and that they would send us with a ship which was coming from the Indies, and that they would put some of their people in our ship, and that the gentlemen had so ordered. We required them to send us our boat and men, and they said that they would bring an answer from the gentlemen; and we said we would take another tack, and would wait: and so we took another tack, and we made all sail, and went away with twenty-two men, sick and sound, and this was Tuesday, the 15th of the ​month of July. On the 14th I took the sun. This town is in 15° 10'.
September, 1522.
On the 4th of the said month, in the morning, we saw land, and it was Cape St. Vincent, and it was to the north-east of us, and so we changed our course to the S.E., to get away from that Cape.
The manuscript has at the end:
V$^{to}$ Simancas, 8 Setiembre, 1783, Muñoz.
D. Juan Bautista Muñoz, who died in 1822 or 1823, made a large collection of transcripts from the Simancas and Seville archives, which Navarrete made use of. In 1793 Muñoz published the first volume of his Historia del Nuevo Mundo, which he never finished.
* ↑ "Tanto abante." These words are doubtful.
* ↑ The MS. of the British Museum has "9", which must be an error.
* ↑ Query, east.
* ↑ "Papahigos."
* ↑ It is 37° 52'. This is the northernmost of the two islands, St. Paul's and Amsterdam. The Dutch call the N. Island Amsterdam, and the English call it St. Paul's in ordinary maps.
* ↑ The Great Fish River.