LOPE DE VEGA. 39 



LOPE DE VEGA. 

 By Lawrence Hargrave, 



[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, June 2, 1909.~\ 



I propose to deal with happenings in the Commonwealth 

 of Australia about twenty years after Sir Walter Raleigh 

 was spreading his cloak for Queen Elizabeth to put her 

 foot on. The subject matter of this paper has been floating 

 in my mind for many years, and I now only submit it to 

 you because a photograph has appeared in the public press 

 which would lead others to similar conclusions. The few 

 facts communicated to you, with the assistance of others 

 that may be forthcoming, may help to raise the veil that 

 enshrouds the fate of Lope de Vega and his wife Mariana 

 de Castro. 



If you refer to "T/ie first Discovery of Australia and 

 Neiu Guinea," by George Collingridge de Tourcey, you will 

 find that in the year 1595, that is twenty six years after 

 the termination of the Sarmiento-Mendana voyage, Men- 

 dana was sent out again with instructions to found a colony 

 at the island of San Christobal in the Solomon Group; and 

 from thence to make another attempt to discover the Great 

 Southern Continent, the Java Maior. The fleet consisted 

 of three large vessels and a frigate, and Lope de Vega 

 commanded one of the larger ones. As it was intended to 

 settle a colony, many took their wives with them, and 

 amongst these was Mariana de Castro, Lope de Vega's wife. 



They sailed from Callao on the 9th of April, 1595, and, 

 after discovering the Marquesas, they sighted Santa Cruz 

 on September 7th of the same year. The frigate was 

 ordered to sail round this island to search for Lope de Vega's 

 ship which had parted company some time previously. 



