MAGELLAN (Ferdinand), a celebrated Portu-
guese mariner in the 16th century. He being dis-
satisfied with the king of Portugal, went into the ser-
vice of the emperor Charles V. and sailed from Seville
with five vessels in 1519, when he discovered and passed
the strait to which he gave his own name, and sailed
through the South Sea to the Ladronne Islands, when,
according to some authors, he was poisoned in 1520;
though others say that he was killed in a mutiny of his
people in the island of Mutan, on account of his
severity. His voyage round the world was written
by one on board, and has been frequently printed in
English. His suddenly converting to the Christian
religion people whose language was unknown to him,
as his was to them, is an absurdity that discredits this
work.
Straits of MAGELLAN, a narrow passage between
the island of Terra del Fuego and the southern ex-
tremity of the continent of America. This passage
was first discovered by Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed
through it into the South Sea, and from thence to
the East Indies. Other navigators have passed the
same way; but as these straits are exceedingly diffi-
cult, and subject to storms, it has been common to
sail by Cape Horn, rather than through the Straits
of Magellan. See Straits Le MAIRE, and TERRA
del Fuego.