Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2
A PELICAN IN HER PIETY
In whose half of the world did the Spice Islands lie? That was the
question which remained to be resolved after the Magellan-Elcano
voyage. Portugal and Spain now both had treaties proclaiming their
overlordship. Each nation claimed that the Moluccas were situated on
its side of the boundary line established by the Treaty of Tordesillas.
In March 1524 a commission of lawyers, mariners and geographers
met to resolve the matter. Juan Sebastian d'Elcano was among those
presenting the Spanish case. After several sessions the commission
broke up in disagreement and the free-for-all continued.
Within weeks the ministers at Valladolid had resolved on a new
expedition to retrace Magellan's outward voyage, re-establish contact
with the friendly princes of the East Indies, and reaffirm the treaty
claims already made. A fleet of seven ships was fitted out and manned
with 450 officers and men. Elcano was appointed second-in-com-
mand. Was it a testament to national ambition, or human avarice and
folly, to ignore the immense cost in life and material of the first cir-
cumnavigation? Whatever the motivation, the voyage was a disaster.
It was almost an exact re-run of Magellan's expedition. Savage storms
off Patagonia and through the Straits reduced the convoy to four ves-
sels before it embarked on the Pacific crossing. Within days these had
scattered, leaving individual captains to make their own decisions
whether to go on or back. The flagship maintained its course across
the empty ocean with men dying daily of fever, scurvy and malnu-
trition. On 30 July 1526 Elcano assumed command on the demise of
the captain general. Five days later he, too, was dead. Leadership was
destined to change hands three more times before Fernando de la
