Terra Australis Cognita: or, Voyages to the Terra Australis, or Southern Hemisphere. Vol. I

1766

de Beer Sb 1776 C

Edinburgh: Printed by A. Donaldson

John Callander’s <i>Terra Australis Cognita</i> contains a significant portion of the journal of Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) who, on entering the strait on ‘All Saints’ Day’, 1 November 1520, named it Estrecho de Todos los Santos (Strait of All Saints). After days of weaving in and out of the 570 kilometre straits, he entered a great ocean which he called ‘Mar Pacifico’. This event signalled the beginnings of South Seas exploration. From the map on display, it is not hard to imagine the hazards involved in sailing through the straits which now bear his name.