GELLAN ( ?-1521). The discoverer of the Strait of Magellan, and the first European naviga tor to sail across the Pacific Ocean. He was born at Villa de Sabroza, District of Villa Real, Traz os Montes, in Portugal, of a noble or hidalgo family. The date is not known. He went to India with the first Viceroy, Dom Francisco &Almeida, and by 1510 had acquired sufficient rank and reputation to be included in an important council of war summoned by Albu querque. In January of the same year he had started to return to Europe, but two vessels of the fleet stranded off the Maldives, and Magal blies assumed charge of them, keeping the crews in order with great skill while the remaining officers returned to Cochin for assistance. After he reached Portugal, :Nlagalliiies was stationed at Azamor in Morocco, conducting the operations against the Arabs, until he became involved in a dispute over the distribution of booty, which led him to go back to Portugal without the permis sion of his superiors. This is supposed to have influenced the King in refusing to grant him an increase in his royal allowance, for which he had petitioned, and this refusal in turn led him to forswear his native country and offer his services to the King of Spain in 1517. Magalbaes had learned, probably from the cap tain of some stray trading vessel who had tried his fortunes in the southwestern Atlantic, that there was a water passage opening toward the west, and he promised Charles V. to find a way westward to the Spice Islands. After many vexa tious delays caused by the agents of the Portu guese Government and by the Spanish officials who were jealous of the Portuguese mariner, Maga1115es set sail from Seville with a fleet of five vessels, August 10, 1519. In December he was at Rio de Janeiro, and in February, 1520, he reached the entrance to the Rio de la I'lata. The
next six months were occupied by difficulties with his crews. and the loss of one vessel. so that it was October 21, 1520, before he arrived at the entrance to the strait known by his name, but named by him Todos los Santos. A month later, November 2Sth, he completed the passage and en tered the Pacific Ocean. One of his vessels had meanwhile deserted him, and after many adven tures made its way back to Seville. where it re ported the destruction of the fleet. After a smooth and pleasant voyage, whence the name of Pacific given to this ocean, Maga1h5es reached the Tiburones Islands in February, 1521. and on March 6th he was at the Ladrones. Ten days later he fetched Samar, and during the next six weeks visited the other islands of the Philippine group. Friendly relations were established with the ruler of the island of Cebtl. with whom Mag.alhaes joined his forces in an attack on the natives of the island of Mactan. While conduct ing a rearguard defense after his partisans had been routed, MagaIldies was killed, April 27, 1521. After this disaster, one of the vessels was burnt, and the remaining two proceeded to Tidore, in the Moluccas, where the Victoria, of which Sebastian del Cano had become com mander, was refitted for the voyage back to Spain. She sailed December 21, 1521, doubled the Cape of Good Hope on Slay 19, 1522, and on Monday, September 9, 1522, dropped anchor in Seville Roads, having completed the first voyage around the world. The documents and original narratives relating to this voyage and to the life of MagaIhlies are in the Hakluyt Society volume for 1874, translated and edited by Lord Stanley of Alderley.