w mutinous, and
still more so when they had gone beyond the river of St Julian on the
coast of Patagonia, where they did not immediately find the strait of
passage to the Pacific Ocean, and found themselves pinched by the cold
of that inhospitable climate. As they proceeded to hold disrespectful
discourses against Magellan, both reflecting upon his pretended
knowledge, and espousing doubts of his fidelity, which came to his
knowledge, he called together all the principal people in his squadron,
to whom he made a long and learned discourse. Yet a conspiracy was
entered into to kill Magellan, by three of his captains, named
Cartagene, Quixada, and Mendoza. Their design however was discovered, on
which Mendoza was immediately stabbed, and the other two arrested and
punished as traitors; Quixada being quartered _alive_, while Cartagene
and a priest concerned in the plot were set ashore on the barbarous
coast. Most of the men were engaged in the conspiracy, but it was
necessary to pardon them that there might be seamen for prosecuting the
voyage.

[Footnote 156: From the text, coupled with a consideration of the
infallible grants of his holiness, who had given every part of the world
to the west of a certain meridian to the Spaniards and all eastwards to
the Portuguese, or all to both, those Spaniards who had been at the
Moluccas must have come from the western coast of Mexico. Magellan
proposed a new route by the southwest, to evade the grant of the
sovereign pontiff, which was actually accomplished, though he lived not
to enjoy what may in some measure be termed the treasonable honour.--E.]

Magellan wintered at this place[157], and some men who were sent about
twenty leagues into the interior brought a few natives to the ships, who
were of a gigantic stature, being above three yards high. After
suffering much through cold, hunger, and continual fatigue, they at
length reached the _Cabo de las Virgines_, in lat. 52 deg. S. so named
because discovered on the day of the 11,000 virgins. Below this cape,
they discovered the strait of which they were in search, being about a
league wide.[158] In their progress, the strait was found in some places
wider and in others narrower than its mouth. The land on both sides was
high, partly bare, and part covered with wood, among which were many
cypress trees. The mountains were covered with much snow, which made
them appear very high. Having advanced about 50 leagues into this
strait,