1879 Magellan, or The First Voyage Round The World By George M. Towle

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Besides encountering the many perils of the sea, the harrowing hardships of famine, the terrible scourges of disease, and threatened destruction by conspiracy and revolt, it was Magellan’s fate to engage in fierce conflicts with savage tribes, and meet with treachery at their hands, as well as to receive from them honest welcome and bounteous hospitality. No voyage, indeed, could be imagined, into which every feature of romance and adventure, of narrow escape and brilliant achievement, could be more crowded than was that of Magellan from the port of Cadiz to the island clusters of Australasia.

Magellan’s own character is well-fitted to call forth the young reader’s admiration. It was his ambition, not to enter upon a career of blood-shed and conquest, nor, mainly, to acquire wealth, honors, or power for himself; but to achieve for the civilized world the vast benefits that he knew would follow the discovery of a route around the American Continent, and confer upon heathen barbarians the blessings of what he devoutly believed to be the true faith.