or Magellan, Fernando, the discoverer of the straits known by his name, is said to have been born at Oporto, in Portugal, in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Entering the Portuguese navy at an early age, he served in the East Indies for five years under Albuquerque, and bore a distinguished part in the siege of Malacca in 1511. As he thought, however, that his achievements were not duly rewarded, he returned to Portugal to make a personal appeal for promotion to King Emmanuel himself, but was again unsuccessful. Accordingly, he opened a communication with Charles V. of Spain. Referring to the bull of Pope Alexander VI., that had divided the globe into two parts, and had assigned as their distinctive spheres of discovery the western half to the Spaniards and the eastern to the Portuguese, Magellan endeavoured to prove to that monarch that the Moluccas, then claimed by Portugal, lay within the Spanish half of the world. He also volunteered to settle the question beyond all doubt by sailing to the Moluccas by a westward instead of an eastward course. His proposal was accepted by the Spanish king; and, accordingly, on the 20th September 1519, Magellan sailed from San Lucar, in command of a squadron of five ships, with 236 men on board, and steered directly for Rio Janeiro. After taking on board at that port a fresh supply of provisions, he sailed southward along the coast, and on the 13th March 1520 entered a bay on the shore of Patagonia, to which he gave the name of San Julian. While the fleet lay wintering here, three of the captains, impatient perhaps of the control of a Portuguese, broke out into open mutiny, and by their example began to spread discontent among the crews. In a short time, however, Magellan had one of the mutineers secretly slain, another publicly executed, and the third thrust ashore on the inhospitable coast of Patagonia. On the 21st October 1520, he doubled the headland which he called Cape Virgins, and arrived at the mouth of the straits which are now known by his name. With the utmost difficulty he induced his sailors to venture into the unknown passage. One of his ships was wrecked at the entrance of the straits, another turned back in the middle; but, on the 28th of November, the remaining three, to the great joy of Magellan, issued forth into the vast ocean. Boldly directing their course across this untraversed sea, to which, on account of its calmness, they gave the name of Pacific, and sailing for more than three months without seeing land, the crews suffered great hardships from disease and want of food. On the 6th March 1521, he discovered the group of islands which, on account of the thievish propensities of the inhabitants, he called Ladrones. He then proceeded to another cluster of islands, formerly unknown, but afterwards called the Philippines. There the prince of the island of Zebu agreed to become tributary to Spain, on condition that Magellan should render him supreme over the chiefains of the other islands in the group. In fulfilling this agreement, Magellan encountered an obstinate resistance from the inhabitants of the small island of Matan. On 27th April 1521, after fighting for an entire day, he was forced to retreat; through lack of ammunition, and in the subsequent confusion he was felled by a stone, and despatched Magdalena by the thrust of a lance. His fleet was conducted home by Sebastian del Cano.