Hudson's expedition. 343 



new world with all its promises. Order the galleons to be 

 ready, sire ; for I have many places to go to, and much to pro- 

 vide and to do. Let it be observed that in all I shall be found 

 very submissive to reason, and will give satisfaction in every 

 thing." 



These stirring appeals were disregarded by the feeble suc- 

 cessor of Charles V. ; and Quiros, who, though a Portuguese by 

 birth, is often styled the last of the Spanish heroes, died at 

 Panama on his way back to Lima. 



We mentioned the dispersion of Quiros' fleet after leaving 

 Espiritu Santo. We must recur for a moment to this incident, 

 in order to follow the ship of Luis Vaez de Torres, the second 

 in command. He proceeded on his voyage to the southwest, 

 and saw enough of Espiritu Santo to convince him that it was 

 not a continent. He would have circumnavigated it had the 

 season permitted. Standing finally to the northward, he fell in 

 with numerous islands rich in pearls and spices, and u coasted 

 for eight hundred leagues along the southern shore of some land 

 to him unknown." This can have been no other shore than 

 that of Papua or New Guinea; and it is considered positive that 

 he was the first European to see this since famous and remark- 

 able island. He found this whole sea to be filled with groups 

 of islands producing spices and the usual tropical fruits. He 

 made his way to the Philippines, where he rendered an account 

 of his adventures since his separation from Quiros. 



While these distinguished navigators were thus searching the 

 regions lying about the equator, another adventurer, equally 

 enterprising, was endeavoring to reach the Pole. Henry Hud- 

 son, a seaman renowned for his hardy and daring achievements, 

 was appointed, in 1607, by the Muscovy Company of London, 

 to the command of a vessel intended to penetrate to China by 

 the Arctic seas to the north of Europe. His crew consisted 

 of ten men and a boy. He advanced as far as Greenland, and 

 returned by Spitzbergen, — being convinced that the ice formed 



