636 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 



THE SEAMEN OF THE EXPLORERS 



i 



Spanish navigators explored the west coast of America from 

 the Horn to Alaska, and across the Pacific to the Orient. Their 

 ships were manned by rough, hardy seamen who underwent un- 

 told hardship and suffering from unremitting battle with wind 

 and wave, cold, exposure, starvation, disease, and death. 



It was the policy of the king to allow none but Spanish mariners 

 in the New World, for reasons of greater secrecy surrounding the 

 wealth of his possessions. Nevertheless, it was found necessary 

 to enlist foreign sailors, especially in the earlier expeditions, be- 

 cause native Spanish seamen were lacking. Thus Magellan 

 carried besides the Spanish among his crew of 265 men, some 

 37 Portuguese, 30 or more Genoese and Italians, 19 French, and 

 others were Flemings, Germans, Sicilians, English, Corfiotes, 

 Malays, Negroes, Moors, Madierans, Biscainers, and natives 

 of the Azores and Canary Islands. 21 In 1565 many Portuguese 

 sailed to the Philippines with Legazpi and caused him consider- 

 able anxiety, because in view of the relations between the two 

 nations, he found them not to be trusted. 22 The sailors for the 

 later expeditions up the California coast were most probably 

 all Spaniards, or natives of the vicinity of San Bias, as in the 

 expedition of Martinez. 23 



In the main, the men seem to have served and sacrificed with 

 great fortitude, if not always with obedience, thoughts of glory 

 or love of adventure proving sufficient stimulus. Probably on 

 such expeditions a sufficient number of volunteers could be 

 found, if not all Spanish, then of other nationalities. At least 



21 Andrea Ca da Mosto, II primo viaggio intorno al globo di Antonio Pigafetta 

 (Roma, 1894), p. 53, note 2. Quoted in translation in Emma Helen Blair, and 

 James Alexander Robertson, ed. and transl. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, 

 55 vols. (Cleveland, 1903-1908). XXXIII. 279. The latter work is cited here- 

 after as Blair and Robertson. 



12 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Copia de una Carta que escribio . . . al Marques 

 de Falces, ebu, July 7, 1569. Translation in Blair and Robertson, III. 44-53. 

 See p. 53. 



2a Estevan Josef Martinez, Diary of the Voyage . . in . . the frigate 

 Princesa and the packet San Carlos ... in the present year of 1789. Trans- 

 lation by W. L. Schurz, p. 62 (unpublished manuscript in the Bancroft Library). 



