project, and on Tuesday, 20th September 1519, a fleet of five vessels, the Trinidad, St. Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, and St. Jago, manned by a heterogeneous collection of Spaniards, Portuguese, Basques, Genoese, Sicilians, French, Flemings, Germans, Greeks, Neapolitans, Corfiotes, Negroes, Malays, and a single Englishman (Master Andrew of Bristol), started from Seville upon perhaps the most important voyage of discovery ever made.  So great was the antipathy between Spanish and Portuguese that disaffection broke out almost from the start, and after the mouth of the La Plata had been carefully explored, to ascertain whether this was not really the beginning of a passage through the New World, a mutiny broke out on the 2nd April 1520, in Port St. Julian, where it had been determined to winter; for of course by this time the sailors had become aware that the time of the seasons was reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.  Magelhaens showed great firmness and skill in dealing with the mutiny; its chief leaders were either executed or marooned, and on the 18th October he resumed his voyage.  Meanwhile the habits and customs of the natives had been observed—­their huge height and uncouth foot-coverings, for which Magelhaens gave them the name of Patagonians.  Within three days they had arrived at the entrance of the passage which still bears Magelhaens’ name.  By this time one of the ships, the St Jago, had been lost, and it was with only four of his vessels—­the Trinidad, the Victoria, the Concepcion. and the St. Antonio—­that, Magelhaens began his passage.  There are many twists and divisions in the strait, and on arriving at one of the partings, Magelhaens despatched the St. Antonio to explore it, while he proceeded with the other three ships along the more direct route.  The pilot of the St. Antonio had been one of the mutineers, and persuaded the crew to seize this opportunity to turn back altogether; so that when Magelhaens arrived at the appointed place of junction, no news could be ascertained of the missing vessel; it went straight back to Portugal.  Magelhaens determined to continue his search, even, he said, if it came to eating the leather thongs of the sails.  It had taken him thirty-eight days to get through the Straits, and for four months afterwards Magelhaens continued his course through the ocean, which, from its calmness, he called Pacific; taking a north-westerly course, and thus, by a curious chance, only hitting upon a couple of small uninhabited islands throughout their whole voyage, through a sea which we now know to be dotted by innumerable inhabited islands.  On the 6th March 1520 they had sighted the Ladrones, and obtained much-needed provisions.  Scurvy had broken out in its severest form, and the only Englishman on the ships died at the Ladrones.  From there they went on to the islands now known as the Philippines, one of the kings of which greeted them very favourably.  As a reward Magelhaens undertook one of his local quarrels, and fell in an unequal fight at Mactan, 27th April 1521.  The three vessels continued their course for the Moluccas, but the Concepcion proved so unseaworthy that they had to beach and burn her.  They reached Borneo, and here Juan Sebastian del Cano was appointed captain of the Victoria.