THE SOUTH SEA EXPEDITION. 



327 



had been misemployed. She had been only twenty-four days 

 in the South Sea, and had spent nine months in the Strait of 

 Magellan and the remainder in the passage out and back. The 

 Faith was, nevertheless, more fortunate than her companions ; for 

 she was the only ship of the five which sailed under Jacob Mahu 

 which ever reached home again. The Charity was abandoned 

 at sea; the Hope was plundered by the Japanese at Bungo; 

 the Glad Tidings was taken by the Spaniards at Valparaiso ; 

 and, as we have said, the Fidelity fell into the hands of the 

 Portuguese at the Spice Islands. The Postillion shallop, which 

 had been launched in the Strait, was never heard of after she 

 entered the Pacific Ocean. 



The plan of the South Sea Expedition under Oliver Van 

 Noort was in all respects similar to that of Mahu and de Weert, 

 and the equipment was made at the joint expense of a company 

 of merchants. The vessels fitted out were the Mauritius, whose 

 tonnage is not mentioned, — in which sailed, as admiral, Van Noort, 

 who was a native of Utrecht, and an experienced seaman, — the 

 Hendrick Frederick, and two yachts, the whole being manned 

 by two hundred and forty-eight men. The instructions to the 

 admiral were to sail through Magellan's Strait to the South Sea, 

 to cruise off the coast of Chili and Peru, to cross over to the 

 Moluccas to trade, and then, returning home, to complete the cir- 

 cumnavigation of the globe. He sailed on the 13th of Septem- 

 ber, three months after the departure of the Five Ships of 

 Rotterdam. 



At Prince's Island, near the coast of Guinea, — a station held 

 by the Portuguese,- — Van Noort's flag of truce was not respected 

 by the garrison, and two Hollanders w T ere killed and sixteen 

 wounded. Van Noort revenged this outrage by burning all the 

 sugar-mills which he dared to approach. He set one of his 

 pilots ashore upon Cape Goncalves for mutinous practices. He 

 made the coast of Brazil early in February, 1519 ; but it was de- 

 termined in council that, as the Southern winter was so near at 



