* INTRODUCTION TO 



through them on the 27th of November, 1520, 

 entered the South Pacific Ocean. 



In this sea he discovered two uninhabited islands, 

 whose situations are not well known. He afterwards 

 crossed the Line ; discovered the Ladrone islands ; 

 and then proceeded to the Philippines, in one of 

 which he was killed in a skirmish with the natives. 



His ship, called the Victory, was the first that 

 circumnavigated the'glo]be ; and the only one of his 

 squadron that surmounted the dangers and distresses 

 which attended his heroic enterprise. 



The Spaniards, after Magalhaens had showed them 

 the way, made several voyages from America to the 

 westward, previous to that of Alvaro Mendana De 

 Neyra in 1595, which is the first that can be traced 

 step by step. For the antecedent expeditions are 

 not handed down to us with much precision. 



We know, however, in general, that in them 

 New Guinea, the islands called Solomon's, and se- 

 veral others, were discovered. 



Geographers differ greatly concerning the situa- 

 tion of the Solomon islands. The most probable 

 opinion is, that they are the cluster which com- 

 prizes what has since been called New Britain, New 

 Ireland, &c. 



On the 9th of April, 1595, Mendana, with inten- 

 tion to settle these islands, sailed from Callao, with 

 four ships ; and his discoveries in his route to the 

 West, were the Marquesas, in the latitude of 10 

 South ; the island of St. Bernardo, which I take 

 to be the same that Commodore Byron calls the 

 Island of Danger ; after that, Solitary island, in 

 the latitude 10 40' South, longitude 178 West ; 

 and, lastly, Santa Cruz, which is, undoubtedly, the 

 same that Captain Carteret calls Egmont Island. 



In this last island, Mendana, with many of his 

 companions, died ; and the shattered remains of the 

 squadron were conducted to Manilla, by Pedro 

 Fernandez de Quiros, the chief pilot. 



