The Voyages Of Pedro Fernandez De Quiros Part 29

CHAPTER XLII.

Of what the Captain did after having received the above Order.

Seeing the weakness of the new Royal Order, and that there was wanting in it many things for which I had stipulated and which I held to be important for my enterprise, I again renewed my representations to the Council of State that they might be conceded to me, and sent in several memorials with this object, and others to represent the harm done to the enterprise by the delay; that now the English and Dutch would hear of it, and that if we did not occupy first, they might get those lands and seas into their power. The result was that I was detained longer, with an Order that a certain quant.i.ty of money was to be allowed to me each month for my sustenance, and 300 ducats to pay my debts, which was insufficient. Other help was given me by the good secretary, Antonio de Aroztegui.

I also submitted a memorial in which I proposed the way that, in my opinion, the discovery, settlement, and government of those nations should be conducted; avoiding the evils which, by adopting other ways, had accompanied former discoveries. All this was heard and received well, but unluckily my despatch was delayed, and at the end of many years [122] the Secretary, Juan de Eiriza, read to me and gave me a letter to this effect: "Resolved by His Majesty in the business of Captain Quiros, that in an affair of such magnitude it is necessary to proceed circ.u.mspectly, and to be sure of the consequences of each step. His Majesty will rejoice that half should be given for the discovery desired by Quiros. For this he is to return to Peru, and follow the instructions given to him by the Viceroy, with the a.s.surance that they will be such as if he alone had the conduct of the discovery." To this decree I answered what appeared convenient, referring to my honour and that of the cause; and declaring that I could not go except with sufficient papers and securities very clearly and positively drawn up.

But the more time slipped away the more my claims went back, owing to those who were against me, and the little confidence they had in myself and in my promises. As the Council of State would not decide anything without first referring it to the Council of the Indies, my prospects became worse. Don Luis de Velasco, who had come as President of that Council, instead of helping me, owing to having been the person who first received my project in Peru, and to having received such full notice of it, was the least favourable. Finally, Don Francisco de Borja, Prince of Esquilache, having been appointed Viceroy of Peru, both Councils concurred in giving me an order to go out with him, a.s.suring me that he had an urgent order from His Majesty to despatch me as soon as I should arrive at Callao, and to arrange for everything that was necessary for my voyage. On this subject there was a meeting in the house of the President of the Council of the Indies, at which the new Viceroy was present. He a.s.sured me that what I wanted would certainly be done: that he was able to promise; and that if there was any wrong in the business of my despatch, it was not to be charged to him for the value of the whole world, because he was jealous of his reputation.

With this, and seeing that in so many years I could not negotiate anything else, and that my life and patience were worn out, I determined to put into his hands my life and work. He said: "Trust me, and see what I shall do." Afterwards I spoke with him several times, and made him thoroughly acquainted with my affairs, and with what was necessary for them. I had been anxious to send to Rome to ask for certain grants from His Holiness. I pet.i.tioned, and the Prince gave me the following certificate:

Don Francisco de Borja, Prince of Esquilache, Count of Mayalda, Gentleman of the Chamber of the King our Lord, and his Viceroy and Captain-General of his kingdoms of Peru: I certify that His Majesty has ordered me to take in my company the Captain Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, that I may despatch him from the Port of Callao to the settlement of the southern region; and that this will be when I may judge it to be convenient, and the state of affairs in Peru makes it proper to carry it out.--Given in Madrid on the 21st of October, 1614.

NOTES

[1] Historia del descubrimiento de las regiones Austriales hecho por el General Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, publicada por Don Justo Zaragoza (3 vols. Madrid, 1876.)

[2] One in the early part of the second voyage of Mendana, where he compares the importance and influence of small things to stars of unequal sizes (see p. 5); and other pa.s.sages, though written in prose are really in verse, in the Spanish. Such is the pa.s.sage describing the reappearance of the Almiranta after being out of sight (p. 192); the description of a visit made by natives to the Spanish ships (p. 210); and, again, when the Almiranta stood out to sea (p. 212). The description of Quiros on a bed of sickness at the mercy of his Pilots is really in verse in the Spanish (p. 280); and the reasons given by Quiros for not punishing mutineers may be those of the leader of the expedition, but the words are certainly those of his poetical Secretary.

[3] See p. 262.

[4] See pp. 200 and 418.

[5] See pp. 254 and 383.

[6] I have given an account of Suarez de Figueroa and of his works in a footnote to my translation of the Spanish account of the capture of Sir Richard Hawkins, also taken from the Hechos del Marques de Canete.

[7] Quiros was devoted to the Franciscans, and had several in his fleet. Torquemada was Provincial of the Order in Mexico. At a later date, two historians of the Order of St. Francis in Peru gave accounts of the voyage, quoting from Torquemada, and without any other original sources of information. One was Fray Antonio Daza, who wrote Cronica General de la Orden de San Francisco. The other is a folio with double columns: Cronica de la religiosissima provincia de la Orden de San Francisco de la regular observancia compuesta por el R.P. Fray Diego de Cordova, Salinas (1651). This work is very rare. There is no copy in the British Museum. There was one in the Library at Lima. Cordova gives a brief account of the voyage of Quiros, copying from Torquemada. Neither of these Franciscan historians, writing in Peru many years afterwards, are of any authority on the voyage of Quiros beyond what they derive from Torquemada. Daza, however, gives the Act of Possession at Espiritu Santo, which is not quoted in full by Torquemada (see p. 444). Antonio de Ulloa, in his Resumen, quotes from Cordova respecting an island discovered in 28 S. by Quiros, but the quotation is not correct. It is referred to by Mr. Major in his Early Voyages to Australia, p. lxxii. Mr. Major had never seen the work of Cordova.

[8] See Antonio (Nic.), Bibliotheca Hispana vetus et nova, sive Hispanicorum scriptorum.

[9] Diego de Prado y Tobar (see p. 513).

[10] These particulars are gathered from the information given and recorded, when Quiros and his family sailed for Peru in 1615. "Informaciones presentados por el Capitan Pedro Fernandez de Quiros para paser a las Indias con su mujer y hijos, en la casa de contratacion de Sevilla, 24 Marzo, 1615" (Archivo de Indias), referred to by Zaragoza, vol. iii, p. 79 (n). Marriage and ages of wife and children are given.

[11] Don Luis de Velasco, Viceroy of Peru from 1596 to 1604, was the son of a distinguished father of the same names, of the family of the Constables of Castille. The father was the second Viceroy of Mexico. He sent an expedition to Florida, and another to the Philippines under Miguel Lopez de Legaspe. The elder Don Luis died at Mexico, where his son was born in 1555. The younger Don Luis de Velasco was Governor of Cempoala, and proceeding to Spain, was appointed by Philip II Amba.s.sador at Florence. In 1590 he became Viceroy of Mexico, and in 1595 Viceroy of Peru. In January, 1604, he returned to Mexico, and lived there privately for three years. He was appointed Viceroy of Mexico a second time in 1607, and was created Marquis of Salinas. In 1611 he became President of the Council of the Indies, serving in that post until his death in 1616.

[12] Arca de Noe, por El Capitan de navio Cesario Fernandez Duro (Madrid, 1881), p. 560. Lucas de Quiros drew a map of the western side of South America, from Cartagena to Magellan's Strait, under the auspices of the Prince of Esquilache, Viceroy of Peru. Lucas is called on it "Cosmografo del Peru." The map is drawn on parchment. See also J. de la Espada, Relacion Geografica, p. cxl.

[13] Don Gaspar de Zuniga y Azevedo, Count of Monterey, had been Viceroy of Mexico from 1595 to 1603, and was transferred to Peru to succeed Don Luis de Velasco. He arrived at Lima in very bad health.

[14] He had been Pilot of the ship which brought the Count of Monterey from Acapulco to Callao.

[15] Juan de Iturbe says 40, for which there is no other authority. But Arias, in his Memorial (see p. 528), says that Quiros was advised by Torres and his other companions to go as far as 40 S. Quiros and Torres give 30 as the limit. It was the proposal of Quiros himself, not in any instructions given to him. There were no such instructions.

[16] Royal Geographical Society's Journal, Aug. 1902, vol. xx, p. 207.

[17] La Encarnacion, p. 487 (Luna-puesta, p. 192; Anegada, p. 329), is one of the coral islands of the Dangerous or Low Archipelago, probably Ducie Island.

San Juan Bautista, pp. 193, 487 (Sin Puerto, p. 330; San Valerio, p. 456), is Henderson Island.

Santelmo, pp. 195, 487, Marutea, or Lord Hood Island.

Las Cuatro Coronadas, pp. 195, 487 (Las Virgenes, p. 456), Actaeon group.

San Miguel, pp. 196,487, Aburaa Island.

La Conversion de San Pablo, pp. 204, 487, Anaa or Chain Island.

La Decena, pp. 204, 487 (Santa Polonia, p. 456), is Niau or Greig Island.

La Sagittaria, pp. 204, 487, Mahatea or Aurora Island.

La Fugitiva, pp. 205, 487, Matahiva or Lazareff Island.

San Bernardo, pp. 207, 425, 457 (Island of Fish, p. 342).

Peregrino, pp. 217, 487 (Gente Hermosa, p. 431; Matanza, p. 459), "Genta hermosa" on modern charts.

[18] This lat.i.tude is only given in the Memorial of Arias. See p. 525.

[19] See p. 469. There was also a general map of the discoveries of Torres, which is lost.

[20] See his extraordinary Will at p. 291.

[21] Zaragoza, vol. ii, p. 191 (23 pages).

[22] See p. 477.

[23] See p. 487.

[24] See p. 504.

[25] Zaragoza, vol. ii, p. 242.

[26] Ibid., vol. iii, p. 268.

[27] These letters were published by Zaragoza (vol. ii, p. 187), and also in the Boletin de la Sociedad Geografica de Madrid for 1878 (tom. iv, p. 62). Lord Stanley of Alderley gave a translation of one of them in his Philippine Islands, p. 412 (Hakluyt Soc., 1868).

[28] See p. 469.