Account of a voyage to the Solomon Islands, Hernando Gallego, November 1567-July 1569

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File Add MS 17623

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Hernando Gallego. 'Relacion cierta y verdadera de la navegacion de las Islas del Poniente en la Mer del Sur', November 1567 – July 1569. (In Spanish, 91 folios).

Gallego described the periods at sea very succinctly, usually just giving the distance covered and the latitude. He discussed the failure to land at Nukufetau (15 Jan. 1568) and from 7 February 1568 onwards the account becomes much more detailed. He recorded encounters with the Islanders, difficulties in navigating reefs, the construction of the brigantine, conflicts with Islanders, the discovery of islands including Florida, San Dimas and Sesarga, the annexation of Guadalcanal (12 May 1568), the second voyage of the brigantine along the coast of Guadalcanal, the topography of the island, attacks on the brigantine, descriptions of Malaita (25 May 1568) and San Cristobal (14 June 1568), the third voyage of the brigantine, ambushes by Islanders, the discussions about the future of the expedition, and the kidnapping of three Islanders to serve as interpreters. The return voyage is described briefly, with references to the sighting of Wake's Island, the separation of the two ships (16 Oct. 1568), storms and wild seas, the sighting of the American coast, the re-appearance of the Todos Santos (25 Jan. 1769), and the final leg of the voyage along the Mexican coast.

The transcript probably dates from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. It was purchased by the British Museum in 1848.

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