and Magellan founded his hopes of success, on the ideas of that great navigator, confirmed by many observations, the result of his own naval experience, as well as that of his countrymen in their intercourse with the east. But, though the Portuguese monarchs had the merit of having first awakened and encouraged the spirit of discovery in that age, it was their destiny, in the course of a few years, to reject two grand schemes for this purpose; the execution of which would have been attended with a great accession of glory to themselves, and of power to their kingdom. In consequence of some ill-founded prejudice against Magellan, or of some dark intrigue which cotemporary historians have not explained, Emanuel would neither promise the recompense which he claimed, nor approve the scheme which he proposed; and dismissed him with a disdainful coldness. In a transport of resentment, Magellan formally renounced his allegiance to an ungrateful master, and fled to the court of Castile, where he expected that his talents would be more justly estimated. He endeavoured to recommend himself by offering to execute, under the patronage of Spain, that scheme, which he had laid before the court of Portugal, the accomplishment of which, he knew, would wound the monarch against whom he was exasperated, in the most tender part. In order to establish the justness of his theory, he produced the same arguments which he had employed at Lisbon; acknowledging, at the same time, that the undertaking was both arduous and expensive, as it could be attempted only with a squadron of considerable force, and victualled for at least two years. Fortunately, he applied to a minister who was not apt to be deterred, either by the boldness of a design, or the expense of carrying it into execution. Cardinal Ximenes, who at that time directed the affairs of Spain, discerning at once the increase of wealth and glory which would accrue to his country by the success of Magellan's proposal, listened to it with a most favourable ear. Charles V. on his arrival in his Spanish dominions, entered into the measure with no less ardour, and orders were issued for equipping a proper squadron at the public charge, of which the command was given to Magellan.

On the 10th of August, 1519, Magellan sailed from Seville, with five ships, which, according to the ideas of the age, were deemed of considerable force, though the burthen of the largest did not exceed one-hundred-and-twenty tons.

After touching at the Canaries, he stood directly south, towards the equinoctial line, along the coast of America, but was so long retarded by tedious calms, and spent so much time in searching every bay and inlet for that communication with the Southern Ocean which he wished to discover, that he did not reach the river De la Plata till the 12th of January, 1520. That spacious opening through which its vast body of water pours into the Atlantic, allured him to enter; but, after sailing up it for some days, he concluded, from the shallowness of the stream and the freshness of the water, that the desired strait was not situated there, and continued his course towards the south. On the 31st of March, he arrived in the port of St. Julian, about forty-eight degrees south of the line, where he resolved to winter. In this uncomfortable station, he lost one of his squadron, and the Spaniards suffered so much from the excessive rigour of the climate, that the crews of three of his ships, headed by their officers, rose în open mutiny, and insisted on relinquishing the visionary project of a desperate adventurer, and returning directly to Spain. This dangerous insurrection, Magellan suppressed, by an effort of courage no less prompt than intrepid, in flicting exemplary punishment on the ringleaders. With the remainder of his followers, overawed, but not reconciled to his scheme, he continued his voyage towards the south, and at length discovered, near the fifty-third degree of latitude, the mouth of a strait, which he entered, notwithstanding the murmurs and remonstrances of the people under his command. After sailing twenty days in that winding, dangerous channel, to which he gave his own name, and where one of his ships deserted him, the great Southern Ocean opened to his view, and with tears of joy he returned thanks to Heaven, for having thus far crowned his endeavours with

But he was still at a greater distance than he imagined, from the object of his wishes. He sailed during three months and twenty days, in a uniform direction towards the north-west, without discovering land. In this voyage, the longest that had ever been made in the unbounded ocean, he suffered incredible distress. His stock of provisions was almost exhausted, the water became putrid, the men were reduced to the short est allowance with which it was possible to sustain life, and the scurvy began to spread amongst the crews. One circumstance alone afforded them some consolation; they enjoyed

an uninterrupted course of fair weather, with so favourable winds, that Magellan bestowed on that ocean the name of Pacific, which it still retains, When reduced to so great extremity, that they must have sunk under their sufferings, they fell in with a cluster of small but fertile islands, which afforded them so abundant refreshments, that their health was soon re-established. From these isles, which he called De los Ladrones, from the thievish disposition of the inhabitants, he proceeded on his voyage, and soon made a more important discovery of the islands now known by the name of the Philippines. In one of these, he became involved in an unfortunate quarrel with the natives, who attacked him with a numerous body of troops, well armed; and while he fought at the head of his men with his usual valour, he fell by the hands of those barbarians, together with several of his principal officers.

The expedition was prosecuted under other commanders. After visiting many of the smaller isles scattered in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean, they touched at the great island of Borneo, and at length landed in Tidore, one of the Moluccas; to the astonishment of the Portuguese, who could not comprehend how the Spaniards, by holding a westerly course, had arrived at that sequestered seat of their most valuable commerce, which they themselves had discovered by sailing in an opposite direction. There, and in the adjacent isles, the Spaniards found a people acquainted with the benefits of extensive trade, and willing to open an intercourse with a new nation. They took in a cargo of the precious spices, which are the distinguished production of those islands; and, with that, as well as with specimens of the rich commodities yielded by the other countries which they had visited, the Victory, which, of the two ships that remained of the squadron, was most fit for a long voyage, sailed for Europe, in the month of January, 1522, under the command of Juan Sebastian del Cano. He followed the course of the Portuguese, by the Cape of Good Hope, and, after many disasters and sufferings, he arrived at St. Lucar on the 7th of September, having sailed round the globe in the space of three years and twenty-eight days.

Though an untimely fate deprived Magellan of the satisfaction of accomplishing this great undertaking, his cotemporaries, just to his memory and talents, ascribed to him, not only the honour of having formed the plan, but of having sur

mounted almost every obstacle to its completion, and, in the present age, his name is still ranked amongst the highest in the roll of eminent and successful navigators. The naval glory of Spain now eclipsed that of every other country. By a singular felicity, she had the merit, in the course of a few years, of discovering a new continent almost as large as that part of the earth which was formerly known, and of ascer taining, by experience, the form and extent of the whole terraqueous globe.

CHAPTER XI.

EXECUTION OF GUATIMOZIN.-DISCOVERY OF CALIFORNIA. DEATH OF CORTES.

Ar the time when Cortes was acquiring territo1522. ries so extensive for his native country, and preparing the way for future conquests, it was his singular fate, not only to be destitute of any commission or authority from the sovereign whom he was so zealously and successfully serving, but to be regarded as an undutiful and seditious subject. By the influence of Fonseca, bishop of Burgos, his conduct, in assuming the government of New Spain, was declared an irregular usurpation, in contempt of the royal authority; and Christoval de Tapia received a commission, empowering him to supersede Cortes, to seize his person, to confiscate his effects, to make a strict scrutiny into his proceedings, and to transmit the result of all the inquiries carried on in New Spain, to the council of the Indies; of which, the bishop of Burgos was president. A few weeks after the reduction of Mexico, Tapia landed at Vera Cruz, with the royal mandate to strip its conqueror of his power, and to treat him as a criminal. But Fonseca had chosen a very improper instrument to wreak his vengeance on Cortes. Tapia had neither the reputation nor the talents, that suited the high command to which he was appointed. Cortes, while he publicly expressed the most respectful veneration for the emperor's authority, secretly took measures to defeat the effect of his

commission; and, having involved Tapia and his followers in a multiplicity of negotiations and conferences, in which he sometimes had recourse to threats, but more frequently employed bribes and promises, he at length prevailed on that weak man to abandon a province which he was unworthy of governing.

But, notwithstanding the fortunate dexterity with which he had eluded this danger, Cortes was so sensible of the precarious tenure by which he held his power, that he despatched deputies to Spain, with a pompous account of the success of his arms, with further specimens of the productions of the country, and with rich presents to the emperor, as the earnest of future contributions from his new conquest; requesting, in recompense for all his services, the approbation of his proceedings, and that he might be entrusted with the govern ment of those dominions, which his conduct and the valour of his followers, had added to the crown of Castile. The juncture in which his deputies reached the court, was favourable. The internal commotions in Spain, which had dis quieted the beginning of Charles's reign were just appeased. The public voice declared warmly in favour of his pretensions; Charles having arrived in Spain about this time, adopted the sentiments of his subjects, with a youthful ardour; and, notwithstanding the claims of Velasquez, and the partial repre sentations of the bishop of Burgos, the emperor appointed Cortes captain-general and governor of New Spain.

Even before his jurisdiction received this legal sanction, Cortes ventered to exercise all the powers of a governor, and, by various arrangements, endeavoured to render his conquest a secure and beneficial acquisition to his country. He de termined to establish the seat of government in its ancient station, and to raise Mexico again from its ruins; and, having conceived high ideas concerning the future grandeur of the state of which he was laying the foundation, he began to rebuild its capital, on a plan which has gradually formed the most magnificent city in Spanish America. At the same time, he employed skilful persons to search for mines in different parts of the country, and opened some which were found to be richer than any that the Spaniards had hitherto discovered in America. He detached his principal officers into the remote provinces, and encouraged them to settle there, not only by bestowing upon them large tracts of land,