With a Detailed Map of the Strait of Magellan
An English translation based on José de Vargas y Ponce's Relacion del último viage al Estrecho de Magellanes de la fragata de S.M. Santa María de la Cabeza en los años de 1785 y 1786 (Madrid, 1788). The expedition described herein was made in the late 18th-century in order to determine the possibility of Spanish ships using the Strait of Magellan as a route to the Pacific. Captain Antonio de Córdoba y Laso commanded the voyage. The text of the original Spanish publication was based on the journals of Córdoba's lieutenants: Dionisio Alcala Galiano and Alejandro Belmonte.
Part I details the navigation of the Strait, while Part II is devoted to a general description of the region, resources, natural history, animals, fish, and the like. The final section describes the native inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, their mode of life, boats and canoes, etc.
After these expeditions, the Spanish trade routes were exclusively to east coast and then overland to Pacific ports - Hill.
Rarity
Quite scarce with the folding map present.