KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 57. N!0 4. 35 



made and also to establish definitely the remaining distance to the Moluccas and the 

 Philippines, "because", he says, "it is very easy to make a mistake witli regard to San 

 Bartolomé and confuse it witk some other island which may possibly exist in the same 

 latitude further to the east". 1 



We learn from this that Urdaneta fully realized the need of intermediate ports 

 during the long ocean voyage; and in such a connection would he have omitted to indi- 

 cate the Hawaiian Islands if he had possessed the slightest suspicion of their existence? 



Urdaneta does not content himself, however, with giving directions for the route 

 which we have here summarized: he presumes that certain circumstances may compel 

 them to choose other tracks. One amongst the routes, which should be set towards New 

 Guinea, can here be ignored as falling south of the Equator. Supposing that this also should 

 show itself impracticable, he proposes, as the last resort, that the course should be set 

 towards the north-west along the coast of New Spain, about as far as Cabrillo reached 

 (p. 28). After they had investigated whether land extended further in this direction 

 they should steer south-west as far as 37° or 35° and then due west in order to see "what 

 is to be found between that land and China up to the neighbourhood of the Japanese 

 Islands". If no discoveries could be made here, they were to steer towards the Philippines, 

 either direct or putting in at the Ladrones. Thus we do not find in the instructions for 

 this more northerly course the slightest hint of Hawaii. 



However, the expedition did not follow any of the routes that Urdaneta mapped 

 out. Legazpi sailed from Navidad on 21 November 1564, with a fleet of four vessels. 2 

 After a voyage of four days towards the south-west, the General opened the sealed orders 

 issued by the Audiencia of Mexico. These orders said that, instead of steering towards 

 New Guinea, as Urdaneta had considered to be most suitable for this season of the year, 

 they were to follow exactly the same route as Villalobos, that is to say they were to steer 

 straight towards the Philippines, calling at the islands of Los Reyes, Corales, Arrecifes, 

 and Matalotes. In accordance with these orders the course was changed to WbyS., 

 which course was followed until, on 18 December, they reached 9° N., in which latitude the 

 islands mentioned were supposed to be situated. From this part of the voyage we have 

 the following note, which deserves to be reproduced because we can determine from it 

 what amount of confidence should be placed in the observations of the navigatörs of 

 that time. 



The pilots — it runs — were never agreed either as regards the altitude of the sun, which differed 

 as much as a quarter of a degree or more, or with regard to the distance sailed, which some estimated 

 at 200 leagues more than the others for the distance from Navidad. Whether tliis was due to the strong 

 currents or to some other cause, each of the pilots sought to maintain his opinion and to convince the 

 others that he was the person who had made a mistake. But despite this, when the General asked them 

 every day what distance they had sailed, how many leagues they had covered from Navidad, and 



1 "Derrotero muy especial de la navegaciön que habia de emprender desde el puerto de Aeapulco å las 

 islas de Poniente la armada que S. M. mandö aprestar para su descubrimiento", 1561. Col. de doc. ined., 

 2 a Ser., II, p. 1 30. — A summary of this documeut lias been published by E. H. Blair and J. A. Robertson 

 (TJie Philippine Islands 1493—1803, Vol. II, Cleveland 1903, pp. 85 — 87). As regards the sailing directions 

 this summary is not quite adequate. 



2 See '"Relation" in Colecciön de docum. ined., 2* Ser., II, pp. 217 et sequ. 



