Sarmiento Fell Into Discredit With The King Of
Spain, For Deceiving Him As To The Breadth Of The Straits, Which He
Asserted Did Not Exceed A Mile Over; Whereas The King Was Certainly
Informed That They Were A League Broad, And Therefore Incapable Of Being
Shut Up By Any Fortifications.
However this may be, even supposing the
report of Sarmiento true, and that his fortress could have commanded the
Straits, even this could have proved of little or no service to Spain,
as another passage into the South Sea was discovered soon afterwards,
without the necessity of going near these straits.
SECTION VI.
First Supplement to the Voyage of Sir Francis Drake; being on Account
of Part of the foregoing Navigation, by Nuno da Silva.[40]
Nuna da Silva, born in Oporto, a citizen and inhabitant of Guaia, saith,
that on the 19th January, 1578, while at anchor with his ship in the
harbour of St Jago, one of the Cape de Verd islands, he was made
prisoner by the admiral of six English ships, and detained because
discovered to be a pilot for the coast of Brazil. Setting sail,
therefore, with the said admiral from Brava, they held their course for
the land of Brazil, which they descried on the first April, being in the
latitude of 30 deg. S. whence they held on their course for the Rio Plata,
where they provided themselves with fresh water.
[Footnote 40: Hakluyt, IV. 246. - This narrative was written by Nuno da
Silva, the Portuguese pilot who accompanied Sir Francis Drake from the
Cape Verd islands to Guatalco on the western coast of New Spain, and was
sent from the city of Mexico to the viceroy of Portuguese India, in
1579. - E.]
From thence they proceeded to the latitude of 39 deg. S. where they
anchored. They here left two of their ships behind them, and continued
on with four only, that which had formerly belonged to Nuno being one of
these. They next came into a bay, in lat. 49 deg. S. called Bahia de las
Ilhas, or the Bay of Islands, where Magellan is said to have wintered
with his ships, when he went to discover the straits which now bear his
name. They entered this bay on the 20th June, and anchored within
musket-shot of the shore. They here found Indians cloathed in skins,
their legs downwards from the knees, and their arms below the elbows,
being naked. These Indians were a subtle, great, and well-formed race,
strong, and tall in stature, being armed with bows and arrows. Six of
the English going here on shore to fetch water, four of the Indians came
into their boat before they landed, to whom the Englishmen gave bread
and wine; after eating and drinking of which heartily they went on
shore, and when at some distance, one of them cried to them, and said,
Magallanes! este he minha terra; that is, Magellan, this is my
country. Being followed by the sailors, they slew two of them with their
arrows; one of whom was an Englishman, and the other a Hollander; on
which the others made their escape to the boat, and put off from the
shore.
Leaving this place on the 17th of August, they came to the mouth of the
straits on the 21st or 22d, but did not enter them till the 24th, owing
to the wind being contrary. The entry into the straits is about a league
in breadth, both sides being naked flat land. Some Indians were seen on
the north side, making great fires; but none appeared on the south side
of the straits. This strait is about 110 leagues long, and a league in
breadth; and for about half-way through, is straight and without
turnings; from thence, to about eight or ten leagues from the farther
end, it has some capes and turnings, at one of which there is a great
cape or head-land, which seems as if it went down to join the southern
land; and here the passage is less than a league across, after which it
again runs straight. Although there are thus some crooks and turnings,
none of them are of any importance, or any dangerous obstacle. The
western issue of these straits, about eight or ten leagues before coming
out, begins to grow broader, and is then all high-land on both sides to
the end; as likewise all the way, after getting eight leagues in from
the eastern entrance, the shores along these first eight leagues being
low. In the entry to the straits, we found the stream to run from the
South Sea to the North Sea, or Atlantic.
After beginning to sail into the straits, with the wind at E.N.E. they
passed along without let or hindrance either of wind or weather, and
because the land on both sides was high, and covered with snow, the
whole navigation being fair and clear of shoals or rocks, they held
their course the whole way within musket-shot of the north-side, having
always nine or ten fathoms water on good ground; so that everywhere
there was anchorage if need were. The hills on both sides were covered
with trees, which in some places reached to the edge of the sea, where
there were plains and flat lands. They saw not any large rivers, but
some small brooks or streams that issued from rifts or clefts of the
land. In the country beside the great cape and bending of the strait,
some Indians were seen on the south side, fishing in their skiffs or
canoes, being similar to those formerly seen on the north side at the
entrance into the straits; and these were the only natives seen on the
south side during the whole passage.
Being out of the straits on the eastern side on the 6th of September,
they held their course N.W. for three days, and on the third day they
had a storm at N.E. which drove them W.S.W. for ten or twelve days with
few sails up; after which, the storm increasing, they took in all their
sails, and drove under bare poles till the 30th September.
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