, 1913-07-19

is intended to combine, and does combine,
important scientific results with an unpar-
alleled feat in travelling, there can be moth
ing but praise and admiration
To plant the Union Jack on the South Pole
by the unaided efforts of men dragging q
loaded slelg4 was a grand achievement BIT,
to my miEd, there was, if possible, even
greater heroism when our countrymeu,
nearly At the last gasp Of exhaustion, CON
timued to drag that precious load of stoues
which was to reveal the past history Of a
vast region.
The whole story, opening with the launch
of the Disco0ery, eliminating with the
Union Jack tlying on the South Pole, closing
with the memorial service at St. Paufa, is
an epic which will live in the hearts Of
EDglishmen for I'll time.
But to return to the discoveries of the
Pacific ocean.
We're those men thinking Of who could
race first across the newly discovered ocean,
get most praise, and make most money,
when they were
"sllent upon a peak in Darien."
I think not. Their thoughts were far
enough from that. They conld not turn
them into words, but we cannot doubt that
they vaguely dwelt on the mighty conse-
quences OF the discovery. It is those men
who lubonr for o he}a, whose work ls de-
signed for and has the result of benetitlng
mankind, and who seek to advance science,
such men rs Franklin, Hs LIZ Per0uSe,
and Scott, whose enterprises are intended
to be permanently useful, who are the true
discoveries.
1t is with these considerations in our
minds hat we are best able to weigh the
merits of those who solved the navigation
Jr1hlan,a of tba paHifp cpa0D The IISCOV-
cry of the route down the west coast of
South America was very important, but the
way to make the voyage across the great
ocean and bach, not across only, but across
and back, WAS an equally importunt dlscov-
cry.
With the discovery of the great ocean by
Vasco Nuhez de Balboa before him, Nigel
Ian became convinced that if he sailed far
enough down the east coast of South Amer
lea, he must either find a strait or the
Termination of the Iand, and so enter the
South sea as it was called. 1t seems simple
enough to us now, as all great conceptions
are apt to do unless we place ourselves ex-
actIy in the position of the COnceiver. But
it was a great conception, and Magellan was
the man to carry it out. He discovered the
strait which, after several attempts to
give it other names, will now bear his name
LOT Ill uM6. I16 Sull6u uClOSS III L Clll
ocean, and was the very first that ever
crossed it, meeting his death at one Of TIE
Philippine islands.
That was in 1920, only seven years after
the discovery by Vasco NUM- de Balboa.
HIS voyage was q memorable achievements,
and no explorer has a greater claim TO com-
memoration by p~osterity but that will be
after my time.
In q few years the expedition Of Garcia
Jofre de Loaysa followed that of Magellan
on the same quest to reach the Spice islands
by the west ana claim them for Spain. In
August, 1926, Loaysa and his successor,
Sebastian del Cano, died and were buried III
mid ocean But their successors I'eroevered,
and one of the ships reached Tidore, one Of
the Spice islands.
In 1927 au expedition was despatched
from Mexico commanded by Juan de Save
dra, to ascertain the state and condition OF
Loaysa's expedition, and he also sailed across
the ocean, reaching his countrymen at
Tidore.
Next, in 1912, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos,
with q small squadron, also sailing from
Mexico, arrived among the Spice islands,
with a second vessel commanded by Yh'go
Ortiz de Retes.