ch. y.]

HIS VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY.

337

on his course to the north, but was never moreheard of . 13

Thus ended the maritime enterprises of Cortes;sufficiently disastrous in a pecuniary view, since theycost him three hundred thousand castellanos of gold,without the return of a ducat . 14 He was even obligedto borrow money, and to pawn his wife’s jewels,to procure funds for the last enterprise ; 15 thus incur-ring a debt, which, increased by the great chargesof his princely establishment, hung about him dur-ing the remainder of his life. But, though disastrousin an economical view, his generous efforts addedimportant contributions to science. In the courseof these expeditions, and those undertaken by Cortésprevious to his visit to Spain , the Pacific had beencoasted from the Bay of Panama to the Rio Colo-rado. The great peninsula of California had beencircumnavigated as far as to the isle of Cedros, orCerros, into which the name has since been corrupt-ed. This vast tract, which had been supposed to K

13 Instrucción del Marques delValle, MS.

The most particular and authen-tic account of Ulloa’s cruise will befound in Ramusio . (Tom.III. pp.340 - 354.) It is by one of the of-ficers of the squadron. — My lim-its will not allow me to give thedetails of the voyages made byCortés, which, although not with-out interest, were attended withno permanent consequences. Agood summary of his expeditionsin the Gulf has been given byVOL. III. 43

Navarrete in the Introduction tohis Relación del Viage hecho porlas Goletas Sutil y Mexicana,(Madrid , 1802,) pp. vi.-xxvi.;and the English reader will find abrief account of them in Green-how’s valuable Memoir on theNorthwest Coast of North Amer­ ica , (Washington, 1840,) pp. 22 -27.

14 Memorial al Rey del Marquesdel Valle, MS.,25 de Junio, 1540.

15 Provision sobre los Descubri-mientos del Snr MS