132 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



discovered two islands, 1 and had brought back much 

 gold and silver. The inevitable conclusion of the student 

 of Mercator was that these islands were off the coast 

 of the Magellanican continent. 



Sarmiento urged the Viceroy, de Castro, to send him 

 in command of an expedition to search for these islands. 

 His urgency was increased by the fact that he was threatened 

 with a prosecution for divination before the Inquisition. 

 In 1567 the Viceroy consented to send an expedition; 



Mendana's but he gave the command to his own nephew Mendana. 



voyage, Mendana, at this time a young man of about twenty -five, was 

 a Spaniard of the nobler type ; humane, self-controlled, 

 courteous and tactful, yet firm, when firmness was necessary. 

 His nature was sincerely and fervently religious, and he 

 thought of the adventure as of a mission for the salvation 

 of the natives of the unknown continent. The " Pilot " 

 was a famous seaman named Gallego, a firm believer 

 in the physical theory that a great Southern continent 

 must of necessity exist. Sarmiento, who sailed as " Cap- 

 tain " of the ship, claimed that it was the duty of the 

 Pilot to consult him as " Cosmographer." But the claim 

 was ignored ; and it seems pretty clear that, though the 

 expedition was mainly due to his urgency, he was given 

 only a subordinate part in its conduct. It was inevitable, 

 in such circumstances, that he should give much trouble 

 to those placed in command. 



All the most conspicuous leaders including Mendana, 

 Gallego, and Sarmiento wrote narratives of the voyage, 

 which are full, detailed and generally trustworthy. The 

 trouble is that the writers held different views, and regarded 

 one another with hot anger ; and the historian finds 

 the work of arbitration difficult. 



They sailed from Callao, the port of Lima, on November 

 ipth, 1567. They had two ships, of 250 and 107 

 tons. On board were one hundred and fifty men 

 sailors, soldiers, miners and four Franciscan Friars. Their 

 instructions were to sail " for the discovery of certain 



1 Markham suggests these were the Galapagos Islands (Sarmiento, 

 p. xiii). 



