Alarcon by sea, and Francisco Vasquez de Coronado by land, in search of Marcos de Nizza's great city of Cibola, and three realms of Marata, Aacus, and Tontoteac.* In this expedition, Coronado found abundance of privations and perils, which he bravely struggled through; † but he ascertained conclusively by his researches, that the twenty thousand highterraced stone houses of Cibola, with its white inhabitants, well clothed in cotton garments, and dressed furs, richly ornamented with emeralds and turquoises, and their gems circulating as money, existed only in the imagination of Friar Nizza.‡ Without pausing any longer on the Spanish land expeditions in California and New Mexico, we proceed to their voyages along the coast; among which, next after the surveys of Cortes, those of Cabrillo and Gali are the most important in the order of time. Juan Rodriguez de Cabrillo explored the outer coast of California, as far as 37° 10′ N. with great care. He died on the island of San Bernardo, in 1543; but his pilot, Bartolomé Ferrelo, continued his discoveries on the coast to Cape Blanco, in 43° N.§ Burney is of opinion, that Cabrillo gave its name to Cape Mendocino. Spain having, some time before this, formed settlements in the Philippine Islands, there naturally grew up a direct intercourse between Manila and Acapulco. In sailing from Macao to Acapulco, in 1582, Francisco Gali visited the northwest coast as high up as 57° 30', his description of that region being of manifest veracity and accuracy. At least, such is the representation of Humboldt ¶ and of Navarrete ; ** though Burney makes some citations from a Dutch author, Linschoten, which lead him to the conclusion, that Gali went no farther than 37° 50′ N.†† We pass over the mere hearsay accounts of the supposed discoveries of the Spaniard, Andres de Urdaneta, in 1554, and of his countryman Juan Fernandez de Ladrillero, in 1574; both which are described, but not admitted as genuine, by Navarrete. The same of Martin Chack, the Portuguese, spoken of by Purchas. §§ We add, that the evidence concern Herrera, Dec. VI.; Gomara, f. 116; Ramusio, Tom. III. + Torquemada. ** Voyages, i. 224. + Venegas, Cal. Pt. II. Viage de la Sutil, int. #Viage de la Subtil, int. pp. 38, and 43. § Herrera, Dec. VII. 16 ing these persons is fairly stated by Burney; who, indeed, in contrast with the compilers referred to by us in other parts of this article, seems disposed to do all justice to the early Spanish navigators.* Next come accounts of two voyages, which some have considered apocryphal, but one at least of which, if not both, we incline to rely upon as authentic. Nicolas Antonio, a Spanish author of great credit, in his Bibliotheca Hispana,† says, that he had seen in the hands of the Bishop of Segovia, who was a member of the Council of the Indies, the manuscript narrative of a voyage, being the relation of the discovery of the Strait of Anian, in 1588, by a Spaniard of the name of Ferrer Maldonado. That there was in that period a skilful navigator and geographer of that name, is abundantly authenticated by various evidence. A general belief in such a voyage seems to have obtained among the Spaniards; for, in 1789, it was particularly referred to as one of the inducements of Malaspina's expedition, hereafter described; at which time Maldonado's journal existed in the library of the Duque del Infantado, who furnished a copy of it to Malaspina. In 1812, Amoretti, an Italian scholar, published a manuscript, found by him among the manuscripts of the Ambrosian Library at Milan, of which he was librarian, purporting to be Maldonado's account of his voyage. The London Quarterly Review, after a very critical discussion of the question, comes to the conclusion, from internal proofs, that the manuscript, which Amoretti found and published, was a fabrication of some old writer. We will not quarrel with this conclusion; the rather, since the Review also pronounces, that, though the particular manuscript was false, yet substantially such a voyage did actually take place. That is to say, we have the best of English authority for the belief, that, so early as 1588, in addition to Gali, the Spanish navigator Maldonado had proceeded north to what is now called Behring's Strait. There is no doubt, that many other vessels visited the coast in the same way, whilst bound from Manila and Macao to Acapulco. One of these, we know, the San Agustin, entered the bay of San Francisco in 1595, and was there wrecked.§ We have good English authority for believing another important fact, and that is, the truth of the alleged discovery of * Voyages, Vol. II. Quarterly Review, Vol. XVI. ↑ Tom. II. p. 2. the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in 1599, by a Greek pilot of that name, in the service of Spain. The only printed account of this voyage is contained in Purchas, who gives it, as he received it, from Mr. Michael Lok, English consul at Aleppo. It being important and curious, we extract the chief part of it, as follows. "A note made by me, Michael Lok the elder, touching the Strait of Sea, commonly called Fretum Anian, in the South Sea, through the North-west passage of Meta incognita. "When I was at Venice, in April, 1596, happily arriued there an old man, about threescore yeares of age, called commonly Iuan de Fuca, but named properly Apostolos Valerianos, of Nation a Greeke, borne in the Iland Cefalonia, of profession a Mariner; and an ancient Pilot of Shippes. This man being come lately out of Spaine, arriued first at Ligorno, and went thence to Florence in Italie, where he found one Iohn Dowglas, an Englishman, a famous Mariner, ready comming for Venice, to be Pilot of a Venetian Ship, named Ragasona for England, in whose company they came both together to Venice. And Iohn Dowglas being well acquainted with me before, he gaue me knowledge of this Greeke Pilot, and brought him to my speech and in long talke and conference betweene vs, in presence of Iohn Dowglas: this Greeke Pilot declared, in the Italian and Spanish languages, thus much in effect as followeth. "First he said, that he had bin in the West Indies of Spaine by the space of fortie yeers, and had sailed to and from many places thereof, as Mariner and Pilot, in the seruice of the Spaniards. "Also he said, that he was in the Spanish Shippe, which in returning from the Ilands, Philippinas and China, towards Noua Spania, was robbed and taken at the Cape California, by Captaine Candish, Englishman, whereby he lost sixtie thousand Duckets of his owne goods. "Also he said, that he was Pilot of three small Ships, which the Vizeroy of Mexico sent from Mexico, armed with one hundred men, Souldiers, vnder a Captain, Spaniards, to discouer the Straits of Anian, along the coast of the South-Sea, and to fortifie in that Strait, to resist the passage and proceedings of the English Nation, which were feared to passe through those Straits into the South Sea. And that by reason of a mutinie which happened among the Souldiers, for the Sodomie of their Captaine, that voyage was ouerthrowne, and the Ships returned backe from California coast to Noua Spania, without any effect of thing done in that Voyage. And that after their returne, the Captaine was at Mexico punished by iustice. "Also he said, that shortly after the said Voyage was so ill ended, the said Viceroy of Mexico, sent him out againe Anno 1592, with a small Carauela, and a Pinnace, armed with Mariners onely, to follow the said Voyage, for discouery of the same Straits of Anian, and the passage thereof, into the Sea which they call the North Sea, which is our North-west Sea. And that he followed his course in that Voyage West and North-west in the South Sea, all alongst the coast of Noua Spania, and California, and the Indies, now called North America (all which Voyage hee signified to me in a great Map, and a Sea-card of mine owne, which I laied before him) vntill hee came to the Latitude of fortie seuen degrees, and that there finding that the Land trended North and North-east, with a broad Inlet of Sea, betweene 47. and 48. degrees of Latitude: hee entred thereinto, sayling therein more then twentie dayes, and found that Land trending still some time North-west and North-east, and North, and also East and South-eastward, and very much broader Sea then was at the said entrance, and that hee passed by diuers Ilands in that sayling. And that at the entrance of this said Strait, there is on the North-west coast thereof, a great Hedland or Iland, with an exceeding high Pinacle, or spired Rocke, like a piller thereupon. "Also he said, that he went on Land in diuers places, and that he saw some people on Land, clad in Beasts skins and that the Land is very fruitfull, and rich of gold, Siluer, Pearle, and other things, like Noua Spania. "And also he said, that he being entred thus farre into the said Strait, and being come into the North Sea already, and finding the Sea wide enough euery where, and to be about thirtie or fortie leagues wide in the mouth of the Straits, where hee entred; hee thought he had now well discharged his office, and done the thing which he was sent to doe: and that hee not being armed to resist the force of the Saluage people that might happen, hee therefore set sayle and returned homewards againe towards Noua Spania, where hee arriued at Acapulco, Anno 1592. hoping to be rewarded greatly of the Viceroy, for this seruice done in this said Voyage. "Also he said, that after his comming to Mexico, hee was greatly welcommed by the Viceroy, and had great promises of great reward, but that hauing sued there two yeares time, and obtained nothing to his content, the Viceroy told him, that he should be rewarded in Spaine of the King himselfe very greatly, and willed him therefore to goe into Spaine, which Voyage hee did performe. Also he said, that when he was come into Spaine, he was greatly welcommed there at the Kings Court, in wordes after the Spanish manner, but after long time of suite there also, hee could not get any reward there neither to his content. And that therefore at the length he stole away out of Spaine, and came into Italie, to goe home againe and liue among his owne Kindred and Countrimen, he being very old. "Also he said, that hee thought the cause of his ill reward had of the Spaniards, to bee for that they did vnderstand very well, that the English Nation had now giuen ouer all their voyages for discouerie of the North-west passage, wherefore they need not feare them any more to come that way into the South Sea, and therefore they needed not his seruice therein any more. "Also he said, that in regard of this ill reward had of the Spaniards, and vnderstanding of the noble minde of the Queene of England, and of her warres maintayned so valiantly against the Spaniards, and hoping that her Maiestie would doe him iustice for his goods lost by Captaine Candish, he would bee content to goe into England, and serue her Maiestie in that voyage for the discouerie perfectly of the North-west passage into the South Sea, and would put his life into her Maiesties hands to performe the same, if shee would furnish him with onely one ship of fortie tunnes burden and a Pinnasse, and that he would performe it in thirtie dayes time, from one end to the other of the Streights. And he willed me so to write into England. "And vpon this conference had twise with the said Greeke Pilot, I did write thereof accordingly into England vnto the right honourable the old Lord Treasurer Cecill, and to Sir Walter Raleigh, and to Master Richard Hakluyt that famous Cosmographer, certifying them hereof by my Letters. And in the behalfe of the said Greeke Pilot, I prayed them to disburse one hundred pounds of money, to bring him into England with my selfe, for that my owne purse would not stretch so wide at that time. And I had answere hereof by Letters of friends, that this action was very well liked, and greatly desired in England to bee effected; but the money was not readie, and therefore this action dyed at that time, though the said Greeke Pilot perchance liueth still this day at home in his owne Countrie in Cefalonia, towards the which place he went from me within a fortnight after this conference had at Venice."— Purchas's Pilgrims, Vol. 1. p. 849--851. This account was for a long time doubted, or discredited, owing to want of knowledge of the facts. But the researches of Gray, Meares, Vancouver, Malaspina, and others, having shown that there is a broad strait in the place indicated by Juan de Fuca, answering in all essential particulars to his description; and the description being so exact as to negative altogether the supposition of its having been fabri |