S. which they named St
Matthew; and, finding orange trees, hogs, and European poultry, they
concluded it to be inhabited; but, by inscriptions oil the bark of trees,
they learnt that the Portuguese had bean there seventeen years before.
A
small pinnace of this squadron, commanded by Juan de Resaga, passed the
straits of Magellan, and ran along the whole coast of Peru and New Spain,
carrying the intelligence to Cortes of the expedition of Loaisa to the
Moluccas: But the admiral ship only of this squadron, commanded by Martin
Mingues de Carchova, arrived at its destination, where the Moors of the
Moluccas received the Spaniards hospitably; Loaisa and all the other
captains died by the way.
In the same year Stephen Gomez sailed from Corunna, to endeavour to
discover a strait in the northern parts, by which ships might sail from
Europe to the Moluccas. This person had been refused employment in the
fleet commanded by Loaisa; but the Count Ferdinando de Andrada, with the
Doctor Beltram, and a merchant named Christopher de Sarro; fitted out a
galleon for him at their joint expence. He went first to the island of
Cuba, whence he sailed to Cape Florida, sailing only by day, as he was
ignorant of the coast. He passed Cape Angra, and the river Enseada, and
so went over to the other side; and it is reported that he came to Cape
Razo[59] in lat. 46 deg. N. whence he returned to Corunna with a cargo of
_slaves_. But news spread through Spain that he was come home laden with
_cloves_, which occasioned much joy at the court of Spain, till the
mistake was discovered.
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