stubbornly defended to the last man, dying every one upon the spot. Their wives and children lay concealed in the dark recesses of the cave, expecting instant death from their inhuman invaders. But the Dutch, satisfied with the barbarities they had already committed, only carried off six of the children.

One of the boys, having learned to speak Dutch, gave them the following intelligence:-"That the greater of these two islands was called Castemme, and the tribe that inhabited it Enoo; that the less island was called Talke; and that both were well stored with penguins, whose flesh was their food, and the skins their clothing: and as for habitations, they had none but these caves. That the adjoining continent abounded with ostriches, which likewise served for food. That the natives were distinguished into tribes, which resided in different quarters: the Kemenetes inhabited Kaesay; the Kennekin dwelt in Karamay; the Kariaks in Morina. These tribes were all of the common size, with broad breasts, and painted all over. But there was a fourth tribe, called Tirimemen, inhabiting Coin; and these were of gigantic stature, being ten or twelve feet high, and continually at war with the other tribes." This simple statement goes far to reconcile the diversities that appear in the accounts respecting the Patagonians. Though it was midsummer when the Dutch passed through the strait, yet they found the ice so thick, that sounding with ten fathoms they could not find the bottom of it. The land seemed to be a heap of broken islands, to which the height of the mountains alone gave an appearance of continuity.

They at length reached the South Sea, after struggling through the straits for three months. On the coast of Peru they captured several Spanish vessels, without finding one valuable prize. But they learned to their mortification that the captain of one of the vessels which they had taken had thrown overboard, when first chased, the whole of his treasure, including 10,200 lbs. weight of gold, and amounting in value to about 2,000,000 pesos.

The Dutch now steered toward the west, and early in September arrived at the Ladrones. The islanders immediately surrounded them in their canoes, crying out vociferously Hiero, hiero! that is, Iron, iron! for they had already learned the Portuguese name for that metal. Their eagerness to trade was so great that they overturned one another's canoes in endeavouring to gain the ship, where their presence was not coveted, as they showed themselves to be singularly expert thieves, diving to the bottom the moment they seized their plunder. In passing to Manilla, the Dutch seized a Japanese ship, the strange form of which caused them some surprise. Her forecastle was raised like a chimney; and her rigging was as singular as her shape—the sails being made of reeds, the anchors of wood, and the cables of straw. The Dutch fleet, after touching at Borneo, arrived safely at Java towards the end of January; and in August the same year anchored before the city of Rotterdam, having thus employed nearly three years in circumnavigating the globe. As Van Noort was the first Dutch navigator who achieved that feat, his skill and courage were loudly extolled by his countrymen on his return yet his voyage had no success in a mercantile point of view; and, compared with those of Drake and Candish, whose experience served to guide him, it was tedious and unfortunate.

About three months before the departure of the expedition under Van Noort, a fleet of five large vessels had been despatched on a voyage of discovery from the city of Rotterdam, chiefly at the expense and suggestion of an opulent merchant named Verhagen. The admiral of this fleet was James Mahu. The smallest of the ships was commanded by Sebald de Weert. The pilot upon whom they chiefly depended was William Adams, a man of great experience, and of whose adventures a narrative has been given in another place. The fleet lingered too long on the coast of Africa, and disease broke out among the crews. The admiral soon after died, and the changes which in consequence took place among the

officers gave rise to general discontentment. In April they entered the Straits of Magellan, where they were detained for five months by adverse winds. During all this time, they suffered much from scarcity of food and the severity of the climate. The keen air made them inordinately hungry. They had nothing to satisfy themselves with but raw herbs and shell-fish, which produced diseases, and only added to their misery. At length three of the ships effected their passage into the South Sea, where they were dispersed by storms, as related above in our account of William Adams. De Weert, whose vessel was a bad sailer, and whose crew were disheartened, remained behind; nor did he receive any assistance from Van Noort, who, when passing through the strait, found him there in a distressed condition, unable either to proceed or to return. He struggled for nine months with all the difficulties that could beset him in a rigorous climate and tempestuous seas; and at length, contriving to make his way into the Atlantic, reached the Maese, after a voyage of six months, with thirty-six men surviving out of a crew of 105. In leaving the Straits of Magellan he discovered three small islands to the southeast, which he named the Sebaldine Islands: they are the Falkland Islands of English maps.

While the Dutch and English threatened to annihilate the settlements of the Spaniards in India and Peru, the last-mentioned nation, guided more in its policy by covetousness than prudence, was still bent on extending its colonial dominion in the South. It was not forgotten that Mendana had attempted, in 1595, to plant a colony in Santa Cruz; and in 1606, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, who had accompanied Mendana in that voyage as chief pilot, was sent with three good ships and a small vessel called a zabra, to revisit that island, and make further discoveries. Quiros engaged cordially in this undertaking; and as he was an able navigator, this voyage contributed more largely to the stock of geographical information than any other expedition fitted out by the Spaniards since the days of Magellan.

He sailed from Callao on the 21st of December, 1605. Several islands were discovered by him at the commencement of his voyage, which attracted little attention, as they appeared uninhabited. But at the end of six weeks, when the crews began to feel distressed for fresh provisions, an island was descried, on which numerous fires gave an assurance of human habitations. It was situated in 18° 10′ S., and received from Quiros the name of Sagittaria. No anchorage could be found near the shore, nor could a landing be effected from the boats, owing to the violence of the surge. The natives, armed with clubs and lances, stood in numbers on the rocks. A young Spaniard, named Francisco Ponce, indignant at the failure of their attempts to reach the shore, stripped off his clothes and swam to the rocks. The natives, filled with admiration at his confidence and courage, sprang to his assistance, and welcomed him with affectionate embraces, repeatedly kissing his forehead. Quiros did not remain here long; but he learned from the natives that he would find a large country in his route. The Sagittaria of Quiros is generally supposed to be Otaheite; the chief objection to their identity being the difficulty experienced by the Spanish navigator in finding good anchorage.*

Leaving this island, the Spaniards soon after arrived at the Isla de la Gente Hermosa, or Island of Handsome People, so named from the remarkable beauty of its inhabitants. Their courage and audacity corresponded with their physical vigour. The men approached the ships in their canoes, brandishing their javelins, and making other demonstrations of open defiance. They tied a cord to the smallest of the vessels, and endeavoured, by swimming, to draw her on shore, nor did the report and dreadful execution of fire-arms at once intimidate them. The women were fair, with graceful demeanour, and were thought more attractive than the Spanish ladies. Though Quiros was partial to the South Sea islanders in general, and to this handsome

* Fleurieu, decouvertes des Français, p. 35. Burney, vol. ii. p. 281.

race in particular, he was extremely harsh and unskilful in his mode of dealing with them. Hence he had occasion to give to this island the sinister name of Matanza, or Slaughter Island.

He next arrived at the island of Taumaco, in 10° south here he found that the inhabitants, who had never seen Europeans before, were yet not unacquainted with the effects of fire-arms. They maintained an intercourse with Santa Cruz, and had heard of Mendana's proceedings in that island. In Taumaco the Spaniards, as usual, abused the hospitality and provoked the hostility of the natives. Quiros, however, obtained here some important information. Tumay, the chief or king of the island, named to him above sixty islands, at the same time indicating their sizes and the directions in which they lay; and mentioned also a large country which he called Manicolo: to express its dimensions, he opened both his arms without joining them again, to show that it extended without end. This piece of intelligence fanned the ardour of Quiros; and as he found it impossible to maintain a friendly intercourse with the natives, whom he treated with insolence and cruelty, he did not prolong his stay at Taumaco, but hastened to the discovery of "the great country" towards the south.

At length on the 1st of May he approached its shores, and two days after anchored in the port De la Vera Cruz, a spacious haven capable of containing 1000 ships, and with two fine rivers flowing into it, one of which, according to Quiros, is as large as the Guadalquivir at Seville. As he supposed that the land which he had now discovered was part of the long sought southern continent, he named it Australia del Espiritu Santo. That region of fancy had been long painted in the brightest hues that romantic imaginations could impart; and, consequently, "all on board," to use the expressions of Torquemada, were overjoyed at having attained the object of their desires, holding within their grasp the most abundant and powerful country which

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