The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan. Translated from the Accounts of Pigafetta

1874

Journals G161 H2 Ser.1 no.52

London: Printed for the Hakluyt Society

The journal written by Antonio Pigafetta (c.1491-c.1531) is the main source for the voyage undertaken by Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the Portuguese explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the world. Magellan was killed in the Philippines on the return journey. In 1519, five vessels left Seville: Trinidad (the flagship); San Antonio; Concepción; Santiago; and Victoria. On 6 September 1522, only the last arrived back, carrying 18 of the 270 original crew. Perhaps Magellan’s greatest feat was negotiating the Straits that now bear his name, and inching his way into the ‘peaceful sea’ – the Pacific Ocean. This work, translated by Lord Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley (1827-1903), also includes a biography on Magellan, and log-book details of Francisco Alvaro, the pilot.