[Vargas y Ponce, José de]:

$1,250 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

RELACION DEL ÚLTIMO VIAGE AL ESTRECHO DE MAGALLANES DE LA FRAGATA DE S.M. SANTA MARIA DE LA CABEZA EN LOS ANOS DE 1785 Y 1786. EXTRACTO DE TODOS LOS ANTERIORES DESDE SU DESCUBRIMIENTO IMPRESOS Y ... The objective of the voyages recorded here was to determine whether Spanish ships should continue to use the Straits of Magellan in voyages to the Pacific. Under the command of Captain Antonio de Córdoba y Laso, both expeditions ascertained negative conclusions, and afterwards "the Spanish trade routes were exclusively to east coast ports and then overland to Pacific ports" (Hill). A major portion of this work, the first comprehensive study of the Straits of Magellan and Patagonia, was compiled from the journals of D.A. Galiano and A. Belmote, Cordoba's lieutenants. The Relacion... also includes Vargas y Ponce's review of earlier explorations of the area, with descriptions of the region's climate, natural resources, and native peoples, and information on the expeditions of Cabot, Drake, Bougainville, Carmargo, and others.A nice copy in a contemporary binding, with the folding tables but lacking all maps.

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