KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 57. N:0 4. 105 



on board seems to have stood in a certain relation to the time covered. The death-rate, 

 though sometimes considerable, does not appear to have been so great as is mentioned 

 in older times. 



The accounts of the several voyages are based on the log-books, diarios, kept by 

 the pilots, usually by the Piloto Mayor, but sometimes by his assistants, Piloto Segundo 

 or Tercero. These diaries seem to have been very detailed: the number of pages, which 

 is always conscientiously given, often reached a couple of hundred. It is therefore only 

 a small part of their information that has found a place in the official summary contained 

 in the manuscript. This confines itself for the most part to the nautical sphere: the 

 principal dates of the voyages, latitude and longitude, statements as to islands and lands 

 seen, and, in great detail, notes of such phenomena as the seamen of that time regarded 

 as sure signs of the nearness of land, such as flying birds, objects floating in the water, etc. 

 On the other hand, there is an almost total lack of information as to the course according 

 to the compass, winds and currents, and the variations of the compass, concerning all of 

 which the original log-books undoubtedly contained detailed particulars. We also learn 

 very little about occurrences during the voyage, and of storms and other difficulties which 

 had to be faced: only when damages were incurred, or the necessity of turning asidefrom 

 the established course, or fear of hostile attacks caused the General to assemble his officers 

 for a junta, do we obtain, through the detailed minutes kept on such occasions, some idea 

 of the obstacles which continued to beset the voyages of the galleons. 



Thanks to the numerous latitude and longitude observations, there is no difficulty 

 in plotting out on the chart the course of most of the voyages. As they do not show any 

 very material variations in this respect, it will suffice to give here a general account, 

 chiefly having regard to the principal object of this treatise, that is to say the relation 

 of the voyages to the Hawaiian Archipelago. 



The galleon usually sailed from Cavite at the end of June or at the beginning of 

 July; is was only exceptional circumstances, of the cause of which we are not informed, 

 that sometimes delayed the departure till August or the beginning of September. The 

 passage through the narrow and dangerous channel between the Philippine Islands seldom 

 took less than a month. After they had passed through the Embocadero de San Bernar- 

 dino into the open sea, the course was laid ENE. in order to double the chain of the 

 Mariannes, and preferably as near them as possible. The 2800 foot high Volcan Grande 

 (Asuncion in modern maps), or the 1600 foot high Farallon de Pajaros, immediately north 

 thereof , were regarded as points worth trying to sight on this course; but wind-conditions 

 often compelled the pilots to pass without sighting them, sometimes so far towards the 

 north that the Volcano Islands or some rock in the Bonin Archipelago were seen. After 

 they had reached 30° N. lat., they steered NE., and about 33° the course was altered to 

 a more easterly direction in order gradually to reach 35° or 37° in the course of the search 

 for the longed-for senas, which they expected to sight about this latitude after they had 

 sailed about 90 degrees of longitude from the Embocadero. Only on one occasion, and 

 that as an isolated exception, do we find that the highest latitude attained was 41° 24': 

 as a rule the galleons did not go beyond 38°. In the longitudes between which the Hawaiian 

 Islands are situated, no galleons sailed during this period more to the south than 31°; 



K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl. Band 57. N:o 4. 14 



