FERDINAND DE, an eminent navigator, was by birth a Portuguese, of a good family. He served in the East Indies with reputation for five years under Albuquerque, and in 1510 he greatly distinguished himself at the battle of Malacca. Deeming his services poorly repaid by his own court, he entered into the employment of Charles V., King of Spain. He has been charged with peculation by some of his countrymen, who have assigned this as the reason why he quitted Portugal. In conjunction with Ruy Folero he formed the bold design of discovering a new passage by the west to the Molucca islands, which he offered to prove fell within the division of the globe assigned by the pope to the crown of Castile. It is said that he first proposed this enterprise to Emanuel king of Portugal, who rejected it, as opening a way for other nations to have access to the East Indies, the trade of which was now monopolized by the Portuguese. The proposition was agreed to by the king of Spain, and on the 20th of September 1519 Magellan sailed from San Lucar with five ships and 236 men under his command. His officers soon murmured at this appointment, considering it as a disgrace to be commanded by a renegade Portuguese; and when the fleet was lying at a port in South America which they named San Julian, a conspiracy was formed against him by three of the captains, which he discovered and quelled. He caused the captain of one of the ships to be assassinated, he boarded a second, and secured the mutineers, and the third submitted.

The coast on which they lay was that of Patagonia; and this first voyage contains accounts of the extraordinary stature of the natives. About the end of October they reached a cape, to which they gave the name of Dee las Virgines, forming the entrance of the straits which bear the name of Magellan. He exerted all his authority to induce his men to venture on this unknown passage, with the view of crossing a vast ocean beyond it, at the hazard of running short of provisions, of which a supply for three months was all he had remaining. One of his ships abandoned him, and made the best of her way to Europe. The rest proceeded, and on the Magellan 27th of November they discovered the South sea, which made Magellan shed tears of joy. They continued their voyage over this ocean, now visited for the first time by Europeans, and were not long in suffering those evils from famine which they had apprehended.

The men were reduced to the necessity of eating the hides with which the rigging was covered. The weather proved so uniformly calm and temperate, that they gave to the ocean the name of Pacific. They came in sight of the Ladrones on the 6th of March, so called from the thievish disposition of the inhabitants; and from thence they sailed to the Philippines. At Zebu Magellan obtained with little difficulty the conversion of the king; and on condition of his becoming a vassal of Spain, the Portuguese assisted him in reducing some neighbouring chieftains, and the cross was erected over some burnt villages.

With about 50 men Magellan landed upon Matan, whose chief refused to submit to Zebu, had an engagement between them lasted for the greater part of the day. His troops having spent all their ammunition, found it necessary to retreat, during which Magellan was wounded in the leg by an arrow, beaten down, and at last slain with a lance. This happened in 1521. By this act of imprudence he lost the honour of being the first circumnavigator of the globe, which fell to the lot of Cano, who brought his ship home by the East Indies. Yet Magellan has secured an immortal name among maritime discoveries, by the commencement of this great enterprise, in which he displayed extraordinary skill and resolution, but disregarded justice and humanity, then almost universal among adventurers of this class.

Straits of Magellan, a narrow passage between the island of Terra del Fuego and the southern extremity 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 difficult, 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.