Opening the text

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.Major, Richard Henry

History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Name: Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.
Author: Major, Richard Henry

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

He shortly after discovered, to the east of the
said island of San Christobal, the island of Santa Cruz, in ten degrees
south latitude. The island was more than one hundred leagues in circuit,
very fertile and populous, as, indeed, appeared all those islands which
we have mentioned, and most of them of very beautiful aspect. In this
island of Santa Cruz the adelantado had such great contentions with his
soldiers, that he had some of the chief of them killed, because he
understood that they intended to mutiny, and in a few days after he
died. Whereupon, as the admiral of the fleet had parted company a short
time before they had reached the said island, the whole project was
frustrated, and Pedro Fernandez de Quiros took Doña Isabel Garreto, the
wife of the adelantado, and the remainder of the fleet to Manilla.

Some time afterwards Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, being at Valladolid,
came to this court to petition for the same discovery, and was
dispatched to the viceroy of Peru, who was to supply him with all that
was requisite. He sailed from Lima in January of the year 1605, with
three vessels, the Capitana, the Almiranta, and one Zabra, with Luis
Vaez de Torres for his admiral, in order to colonize the island of Santa
Cruz, and to follow out the intentions of the adelantado Mendaña. After
discovering in this voyage many islands and islets, he put in at the
island of Taumaco, which is from eight to nine leagues in circuit, in
ten degrees south latitude, and about one thousand seven hundred leagues
distant from Lima, which is about eighty leagues to the eastward of the
island of Santa Cruz. The cacique or chief of Taumaco informed him, as
well as he could make himself understood, that if he sought the coast of
the great Terra Firma, he would light upon it sooner by going to the
south than to the island of Santa Cruz; for in the south there were
lands very fertile and populous, and running down to a great depth
towards the said south. In consequence of which Pedro Fernandez de
Quiros abandoned his idea of going to colonize the island of Santa Cruz,
and sailed southward with a slight variation to the south-west,
discovering many islands and islets, which were very populous and of
pleasing appearance, until, in fifteen degrees and twenty minutes south,
he discovered the land of the Baia de San Felipe y Santiago, which, on
the side that he first came upon, ran from east to west. It appeared to
be more than one hundred leagues long; the country was very populous,
and, although the people were dark, they were very well favoured; there
were also many plantations of trees, and the temperature was so mild
that they seemed to be in Paradise; the air, also, was so healthy, that
in a few days after they arrived all the men who were sick recovered.
The land produced most abundantly many kinds of very delicious fruits,
as well as animals and birds in great variety. The bay, also, was no
less abundant in fish of excellent flavour, and of all the kinds which

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

He shortly after discovered, to the east of the
said island of San Christobal, the island of Santa Cruz, in ten degrees
south latitude. The island was more than one hundred leagues in circuit,
very fertile and populous, as, indeed, appeared all those islands which
we have mentioned, and most of them of very beautiful aspect. In this
island of Santa Cruz the adelantado had such great contentions with his
soldiers, that he had some of the chief of them killed, because he
understood that they intended to mutiny, and in a few days after he
died. Whereupon, as the admiral of the fleet had parted company a short
time before they had reached the said island, the whole project was
frustrated, and Pedro Fernandez de Quiros took Doña Isabel Garreto, the
wife of the adelantado, and the remainder of the fleet to Manilla.

Some time afterwards Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, being at Valladolid,
came to this court to petition for the same discovery, and was
dispatched to the viceroy of Peru, who was to supply him with all that
was requisite. He sailed from Lima in January of the year 1605, with
three vessels, the Capitana, the Almiranta, and one Zabra, with Luis
Vaez de Torres for his admiral, in order to colonize the island of Santa
Cruz, and to follow out the intentions of the adelantado Mendaña. After
discovering in this voyage many islands and islets, he put in at the
island of Taumaco, which is from eight to nine leagues in circuit, in
ten degrees south latitude, and about one thousand seven hundred leagues
distant from Lima, which is about eighty leagues to the eastward of the
island of Santa Cruz. The cacique or chief of Taumaco informed him, as
well as he could make himself understood, that if he sought the coast of
the great Terra Firma, he would light upon it sooner by going to the
south than to the island of Santa Cruz; for in the south there were
lands very fertile and populous, and running down to a great depth
towards the said south. In consequence of which Pedro Fernandez de
Quiros abandoned his idea of going to colonize the island of Santa Cruz,
and sailed southward with a slight variation to the south-west,
discovering many islands and islets, which were very populous and of
pleasing appearance, until, in fifteen degrees and twenty minutes south,
he discovered the land of the Baia de San Felipe y Santiago, which, on
the side that he first came upon, ran from east to west. It appeared to
be more than one hundred leagues long; the country was very populous,
and, although the people were dark, they were very well favoured; there
were also many plantations of trees, and the temperature was so mild
that they seemed to be in Paradise; the air, also, was so healthy, that
in a few days after they arrived all the men who were sick recovered.
The land produced most abundantly many kinds of very delicious fruits,
as well as animals and birds in great variety. The bay, also, was no
less abundant in fish of excellent flavour, and of all the kinds which

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

No reviews yet