rom Nitendi, with Pearl Shell Nose 284
Man from Tucopia 287
Map 291

TWO YEARS WITH THE NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

INTRODUCTION

Late in the sixteenth century the Spaniards made several voyages
in search of a continent in the southern part of the great Pacific
Ocean. Alvara Mendana de Neyra, starting in 1568 from the west coast of
South America and following about the sixth degree southern latitude,
found the Solomon Islands, which he took for parts of the desired
continent. In 1595 he undertook another voyage, keeping a more
southerly course, and discovered the Queen Charlotte Islands; the
largest of these, Nitendi, he called Santa Cruz, and gave the fitting
name of Graciosa Bay to the lovely cove in which he anchored. He tried
to found a colony here, but failed. Mendana died in Santa Cruz, and
his lieutenant, Pedro Vernandez de Quiros, led the expedition home. In
Europe, Quiros succeeded in interesting the Spanish king, Philip III.,
in the idea of another voyage, so that in 1603 he was able to set sail
from Spain with three ships. Again he reached the Santa Cruz Islands,
and sailing southward from there he landed in 1606 on a larger island,
which he took for the desired Australian continent and called Tierra
Australis del Espiritu Santo; the large bay he named San Iago and San
Felipe, and his anchorage Vera Cruz. He stayed here some months and
founded the city of New Jerusalem at the mouth of the river Jordan
in the curve of the bay. Quiros claims to have made a few sailing
trips thence, southward along the east coast of the island; if he had
pushed on far enough these cruises might easily have convinced him of
the island-nature of the country. Perhaps he was aware of the truth;
certainly the lovely descriptions he gave King Philip of the beauties
of the new territory are so exaggerated that one may be pardoned
for thinking him quite capable of dignifying an island by the name
of continent.

The inevitable quarrels with the natives, and diseases and mutinies
among his crew, forced him to abandon the colony and return home. His
lieutenant, Luis Vaez de Torres, separated from him, discovered and
passed the Torres Straits, a feat of excellent seamanship. Quiros
returned to America. His high-flown descriptions of his discovery did
not help him much, for the king simply ignored him, and his