The Malaspina Expedition 1789-1794 / ... / Volume II / Panama to the Philippines

by David,Andrew; David,Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780904180817
• ISBN10: 0904180816
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-03-28
• Publisher: Hakluyt Society

Summary

Among the voyages of exploration and surveying in the late 18th century, that of Alejandro Malaspina best represents the high ideals and scientific interests of the Enlightenment. Italian-born, Malaspina entered the Spanish navy in 1774. In September 1788 he and fellow-officer José Bustamante submitted a plan to the Ministry of Marine for a voyage of survey and inspection to Spanish territories in the Americas and Philippines. The expedition was to produce hydrographic charts for the use of Spanish merchantmen and warships and to report on the political, economic and defensive state of Spain's overseas possessions. The plan was approved and in July 1789 Malaspina and Bustamante sailed from Cádiz in the purpose-built corvettes, Descubierta and Atrevida. On board the vessels were scientists and artists and an array of the latest surveying and astronomical instruments.The voyage lasted more than five years. On his return Malaspina was promoted Brigadier de la Real Armada, and began work on an account of the voyage in seven volumes to dwarf the narratives of his predecessors in the Pacific such as Cook and Bougainville. Among much else, it would contain sweeping recommendations for reform in the governance of Spain's overseas empire. But Malaspina became involved in political intrigue. In November 1795 he was arrested, stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although released in 1803, Malaspina spent the last seven years of his life in obscure retirement in Italy. He never resumed work on the great edition, and his journal was not published in Spain until 1885. Only in recent years has a multi-volume edition appeared under the auspices of the Museo Naval, Madrid, that does justice to the achievements of what for long was a forgotten voyage.This second volume in a series of three contains Malaspina's diario or journal, for the first time in English translation and with commentary. It covers the period from 15 December 1790 to 15 November 1792, when he visited the Pacific coasts of Central and North America, as far north as Alaska, before crossing the ocean to the Philippines. Other texts include the apocryphal voyage of Ferrer Maldonaldo through the Strait of Anian, which led to a major diversion of the Malaspina expedition in 1791.

Table of Contents

Illustrations and Maps	xi
Preface	xv
List of Equivalents and Abbreviations	xviii
Journal of the Voyage
BOOK FIVE FROM CALLAO TO ACAPULCO continued
Chapter 5 From Panamá to Realejo	3	(22)
Chapter 6 At Realejo	25	(7)
Chapter 7 From Realejo to Acapulco	32	(19)
Chapter 8 At Acapulco	51	(28)
BOOK SIX FROM ACAPULCO TO PORT MULGRAVE AND NOOTKA SOUND
Chapter 1 From Acapulco to Port Mulgrave	79	(28)
Chapter 2 At Port Mulgrave	107	(31)
Chapter 3 Port Mulgrave to Nootka Sound	138	(31)
Chapter 4 At Nootka Sound	169	(22)
BOOK SEVEN FROM NOOTKA SOUND TO ACAPULCO
Chapter 1 From Nootka Sound to Monterey	191	(14)
Chapter 2 At Monterey	205	(8)
Chapter 3 From Monterey to Acapulco and visit by Descubierta to Isla Guadalupe and San Blas	213	(15)
Chapter 4 Return to Acapulco and preparations for crossing the Pacific	228	(21)
BOOK EIGHT FROM ACAPULCO TO MANILA
Chapter 1 Acapulco to Guam	249	(11)
Chapter 2 At Guam	260	(9)
Chapter 3 From Guam to Port Palapag in the Philippines	269	(4)
Chapter 4 At Port Palapag	273	(8)
Chapter 5 From Port Palapag to Manila and at Sorsogon	281	(18)
BOOK NINE AT MANILA AND THE SEPARATION OF THE CORVETTES
Chapter 1 Events in Manila Bay	299	(8)
BOOK TEN THE ISLAND OF LUZON AND ATREVIDA'S VISIT TO MACAU
Chapter 1 Survey of the coast of Ilocos by Descubierta and her return to Manila Bay	307	(8)
Chapter 2 Laying up Descubierta in Cavite and the survey of Manila Bay	315	(13)
Chapter 3 Bustamante's account of Atrevida's visit to Macau and her return to Manila	328	(32)
Chapter 4 Viana's account of his survey of the coasts of Pangasinan, Ilocos and Cagayan	360	(13)
Chapter 5 The survey of the eastern coast of Luzon from Cape San Ildefonso to Rapu Rapu Island	373	(16)
Chapter 6 Nee's account of his journey from Sorsogon through the provinces of Albay, Camarines, Tayabas and Manila	389	(10)
Chapter 7 Haenke's account of his journey from Manila to Bangui, near Cape Bojeador	399	(4)
Chapter 8 An account of Pineda's journey to various provinces east and north of Manila and his death in Badoc	403	(14)
Appendix 1 The Malaspina-Valdés correspondence	417	(10)
Appendix 2 The Ferrer Maldonado fantasy	427	(60)
Appendix 3 Tova's account of his survey of the south coast of Luzon	487	(14)
Works Cited	501