New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-10


every heart beat quicker and every foot fastened
Suddenly Balboa stopped, ordered his followers 10 hs
that might first look ali alone upon this lOnRdesired
sea- They Obeyed him in silence, and, climbing up the
last few PAGES Of the ascent he stood on the summit
At his feet the waves of the vast Pacific stretched TO-
ward the mysterious Indies. Behind him were the
waters OF the Atlantic reaching back to the shores OF
Spain The hardy warrior, SCARED in battles Dr0nzed In
long conflicts with winds and waters fell prone on the
earth embracing IL with outspread and wetting
1t with his tears At last At last Finally he rose,
and calling TO his companions to follow fastened down
TO the shore and strobe kneedeep into the waves Then
raising over them his crosshted sword he took solemn
possession OF the South Sea and all bordering lands In
tile name OF the blessed Sovereignty OF Spain"
Columbus had taken the first great step toward the
discovery Of a western passage 10 Asia Balboa had
taken the second The honor OF the third and bna one
the passing OF ships into the newfound ocean, ana tno
sailing over it the Indeswss reserved for Fernahuo
Nagalhaens- called Magellan He was pen
niless Portuguese adventurer, who, tmpng from a
wound received in fighting for his country and angry st
some inraude her part had appeared at the court
of Spain to offer his services TO Charles v
Pope Leo X had recently divided the two oceans and
all undiscovered lands therein between tine Two great
powers OF Spain and Portugal An imaginary Nno'
which ran north and south 2O leagues west OF the
Cane Verde Islands marked the boundary. Spain, by
virtue Of her western discoveries to own all the
ocean west OF this line and Portugal by right OF her
eastern explorations all to the east OF IT, But IN thus III
viding the earth between the two powers His Holiness
had not provided for the unexpected contingency o.
their meeting on the other side the globe and already
disputes we're arising about tho ownership OF lslahds
adjoining Asia The Portuguese sailing round the Cape
of Good Hope beginning to COLOMBO on tho 0louc
| cas- Magellan shrewdy suggested to Charles tnS' Il
spapish ships could find passage Wa' to those sanuS'
they might claim them under the POpes line OF paruon'
The Emperor eagerly accepted hagellan's oner 10
l. 40 HaaF nj
ships set out on the voyage. They sailed Tor the mouth
Of the Rio de la Plata and falling INTO the error when
had msled Sebastian Cabot few year earlier Magellan
explored the river through whole Winter, hoping IL
might prove chaunel to the South Sea. Disappointed
In this he sailed down the bleak coast OF Patagonia
Searching every opening In the shore and pylng into
every arm OF the sea which stretched inland to miss no
chance Of finding the desired strait the little expedition
crept slowly on TrOups of gigantic natives crowded tho
shores In wonder Magellan, after the custom OF spanish
explorers reacherousy decoyed some OF these Indians
on board his ships carried them away under the eyes
of their wives and knsfok the savages roaring luSy
all the time for their god Sbos TO rescue them seteoos
ia also the God Of CaibaD and Prosperos enchanteu
island perhaps lay the shores OF the NeW-lnoes
Very likely shakespearehad read Pgafets account OF
MagelIan's voyage before he wrote Tine Tempest
Pigafetti also tells us that the sailors were delighted
with vegetable which looked like turnip ana tastea
Ike q chestnut" and which they called badfts" 1t
with the potato More than century later potatoes
were rare eating in England although OF Sir waiter
Raeighs unsuccessful colonies brought them back from
Virginia,
It was late in the Fall when the explorers reared the
straits now called Magelans lAready they had lost one
ship by storms and here another appalled, By the grow
ing horrors of the voyage deserted and returned nome
The sailors entered with dread the waters OF the narrow
winding channel Slowly and cautiously they felt ther
vay uncertain whittier it would lead them. over ther
heads rose the 10y peaks Of Terra del Fuego gtterIG
and ptiless Before them lay the black and threaten
ing waters The sails sheeted win
ice and the ropes Of the rigging froDn
stiff The men began to murmur. The Spanish sailors
hated the Portuguese captain, and the mutterng grew
loud enough reach his Lmpng on deck INTO inc
midst Of the malcontents he cried, hercely: LOOK at
me- sailors! Am not also cold and hungry yet DO you
see me complaint The first man who dares 30 much as
speak Of his sufferings will hang at the yard arm
They understood well that the captain meant What
he said. They had him quen one mutiny in short
order and hang the leading cOnsprators in sight his
entire command and his brief address slenced "
t did not convince, them. His triumph came when he
emerged from the frownlng stormy straits which he
named twas it in satire the Straits Of the Eleven
Thousand Virgins" INTO the unrufied waters Of the
ocean which Balboa had from the submits Of Darien
Magellan was the first who had passed the western
| gateway to India, which bears his name. To this
great ocean, placid in contrast with the Atlantic that
breeze he gave the name OF the Pacific Before that
seS'' anu '"0''O' '''' "''''' w.
Magelans voyage made the third great step In
Western discovery The waters Of the Pacific had been
entered the Atlantic and for the first time III his
tory Asia had been reached by sailing westward. Ana
now for time tide OF adventure stopped content on
| the shores of the New indies" Peru, the modem
Ophr TO which the savage had directed the eager eyes
OF Balboa from the SUBMITS Of Darien, had yiededto
1 MI. Nh g..t .-.FSI, nauAa
Of Cathay paled before the abundant gold Of Peru and
Mexco and the search Prester John in his castle
built after the pattern Of that which the Apostle Thomas
built for the Indian King Gondlforus' ended In the
shining palaces Of the Incas and the gorgeous ha OF
| the Montezumas
And now every ambitious adventurer burned withthe
desire to repeat the eonquess OF Pzarro and OF Coes
The new land OF Florida upon whose shores Ponce do
Leon had stumbled search after the fountain whose
waters should restore his lost youth, believed 10 DO
another rich field for plumber. After de Icons death,
| PamhlO de Harvsez asplred to become ruler there
His ships ashore the coast OF Florida near
Pensacola Bay and his group of hungry, fearful
men, faced by the cruel sea- hemmed In by saYages,
without shelter almost without oodoutdd the labors OF
Hercules Almost entirely destitute o. tools. they made
Ave boats from logs hewn out Of the forest with cordage
from the hair cut from the carcasses OF the horses
they consumed for food and sails peced together from
| The linen stripped from their backs.
Then they embarked upon the Gulf Of Mexico The boat
Of Narvaez perished and only Of their little barks
escaped the waves This commanded by Cabe9a de Vaca
bold and ready man, went past the mouth OF the MIS-
saspp and landed somewhere the coast OF Louisiana
or Texas. With his few remaining men De Vaca began
his overland journey The history Of their march is full
of breadth escapes and perious adventures only
| limited at in what accounts obtain
Eight years after his boat dashed upon the coast
of the Gulf OF Mexico Cabeea de Vaca, with three com
panIons appeared the shores Of the Pacific at the
colony Of Cuacan the most northery Spanish settlement
| in Mexico Gaunr, savage looking, longbearded, and
hardly recognizable by their countrymen, they had