Magellan Cargo

Ferdinand Magellan

Cargo List

STORES AND EQUIPMENT OF MAGELLAN'S FLEET

From various documents existing in the Seville archives we gather extraordinarily precise details, not only as regards the articles supplied to the Armada, but also as to their price and their exact distribution among the different ships. This information is of much interest, showing as it does what stores were at that period considered necessary. It also throws light upon various events connected with the preparation of the fleet of which we should otherwise have remained in ignorance.

Ships, Fittings, &c. in Maravedis

The Conception, will rigging and boat . . . 228,750 Maravedis

The Victoria, will rigging and boat . . . . 300,000 Maravedis

The S. Antonio, will rigging and boat . . . . 330,000 Maravedis

The Trinidad, will rigging and boat . . . . 270,000 Maravedis

The Santiago, will rigging and boat  . . . 187,000  Maravedis

Bringing ships from Cadiz to Seville, and expenses of Juan de Aranda in going to Cadiz . . 24,188 Maravedis

Workmen careening ships, &c. . . . . 13,482 Maravedis

Carpenters for repairing ships .... 104,244 Maravedis

Caulkers for caulking ships .... 129,539 Maravedis

Sawyers for sawing planks. &c, for ships . . 6,790 Maravedis

Wood for beams and planking, &c. . . . 175,098 Maravedis

Nails used in repair of ships, together with the supply for the voyage - 142,532 Maravedis

Oakum used in repair of ships, together with the supply for the voyage - 31,670

Pitch, tar, and resin in repair of ships, together with the supply for the voyage -  72,267

Grease in repair of ships, together with the supply for the voyage - 53,852

173 pieces of canvas for sails, &c 149,076 Maravedis

Twine for sewing the above, with needles and awls, and money paid for making . . . 32,825 Maravedis

Masts, yards, and spare spars - 37,437 Maravedis

Skiff purchased for the Trinidad - 3,937 Maravedis

Pumps, bolts, and nails - 15,475 Maravedis

Oars and sweeps - 6,563 Maravedis

Leather bags, hose, and leathers for the pumps . 9,364. Maravedis

Pulleys and blocks . . . . . . 1,285

3 timbers for knees ....... 3,687

8 large blocks - 4,204

Standing and other rigging, and rigging - 34,672

3 large pitch ladles - 511

13 lighters of ballast for the ships - 1,962

32 yards of coarse canvas for making sacks for the ballasting - 807

Pay of workmen and sailors during the preparations for the voyage - 438,335

Thirteen anchors - 42,042

8 saws, large and small - 1,008

Bits and braces, large and small - 1,762

6 pickaxes to dig the ditch to careen the ships - 663

76 hides to make pitch-brushes to pay the ships - 2,495

Fuel used in pitching the ships - 4,277

Pilots for bringing ships from S. Lucar to Seville - 1,054

221 quintals of cables and hawsers and 1000 arrobas of hemp to make the rigging aid cordage, which, together with cost of  manufacture (38,972 ms.) and money paid for sedge and esparto grass rope (14,066 ms.), make . 324,170 Maravedis

80 flags, and the painting of them, with a royal standard made of taffety - 25,029  Maravedis

Cost of the " bergantym" -  49,504 

Expenses of Duarte  Barbosa a Bilbao when he went to buy the articles for the ships, together with those of Anton Semeno - 84,144 Maravedis

Artillery, Munitions, Arms, &c. 58 culverins, 7 falconets, 3 large bombards, and 3 "pasamuros," all from Bilbao . . . 160,135 50 quintals of gunpowder from Fuenterrabia and freight - 109,028 Maravedis

165 lbs. of powder for proving the artillery in Bilbao - 5,477

Shot and cannon-balls of iron and stone - 6,633

6 molds for making cannon-balls -  3,850

221 arrobas 7 lbs. of lead for bullets, save 84 arrobas used as plates for leading the seams of the ships -  39,890

Paid for mounting the artillery - 3,276

Wages of the lombarderos -  8,790

100 corselets with armlets, shoulder-plates, and helmets, and 100 breastplates with throat-pieces and helmets from Bilbao - 110,910 Maravedis

60 crossbows with 360 dozen arrows from Bilbao -  33,495

50 arque buses from Biscay -  10,500

Coat of mail and two complete suits of armour for the Captain-General from Bilbao -  6,375 Maravedis

200 shields from Bilbao - 6,800

6 sword-blades for the Captain from Bilbao -  680 

95 dozen of darts, 10 dozen javelins, 1000 lances, 200 pikes, 6 boarding-pikes, &c, from Bilbao  44,185 Maravedis

120 skeins of wire for the cross-bows, &c  -  2,499 

Cleaning the arms, 6 lbs. of emery, leathers, tacks, buckles, &c - 3,553

50 flasks and prickers for the arque buses, and 150 yards of fuses - 5,611

Stores, Biscuit, 363,480 maravedis 

2138 quintals 3 lbs., at 170 maravedis per quintal, hire of sacks, portage, &c.; total - 372,510 Maravedis.

Wine, 508 butts from Jerez, 511,317 ms. and costs thereon; total - 590,000 Maravedis

50 cwts. beans ; 90 cwts. chick-peas; 2 cwts. lentils - 23,037

47 quintals 3 arrobas of olive-oil - 58,425

200 barrels anchovies, 238 dozen large dried fish - 62,879

57 quintals 12 lbs. dried pork .... 43,908 7 cows for the 

voyage (14,000 ms.), 3 pigs (1180ms.), and meat for workmen; total -  17,740

984 cheeses, weighing 112 arrobas -  26,434 

417 pipes, 253 butts, 45 barrels for the wine and water (230,170 ms.), staves, oil-vessels, barrels for the cheeses, jars for vinegar, &c.; total - 393,623 Maravedis

21 arrobas 9 lbs. of sugar, at 720 ms. per arroba -  15,451

200 arrobas vinegar -  3,655

250 strings of garlic and 100 ditto onions -  2,198

18 quintals of raisins, &c - 5,997

16 quarter casks of figs - 1,130

12 cwts. of almonds in their shells -  2,922

54 arrobas 2 lbs. of honey - 8,980

2 quintals of currants - 750

3 jars of capers - 1,554

Salt - 1,768

3 quintals 22 lbs. of rice - 1,575

1 cwt. of mustard - 380

Preserved quince - 5,779

Medicines, unguents, salves, and distilled waters -  13,027

5 pipes of flour - 5,927

Hardware and Store-Room Articles - Copper kitchen utensils : 6 large cauldrons, weighing 280 lbs. (6165 ms.), 5 large pots, weighing 132 lbs. (3700 ms.), 2 baking ovens, weighing 171 lbs. (7695 ms.), 1 pot weighing 27 lbs. (1215 ms.), and large vessel for pitch, weighing 55 lbs. (2200 ms.) &c. ; total -  21,515

10 large knives - 884 

42 wooden pint measures for the rations, 516 8 arrobas of candles, and grease for 42 arrobasmore, &c. -  3,440 Maravedis

89 lanterns - 1,430

9 lbs. ornamented wax candles for the consecration of the ships 495

40 cartloads of wood - 8,860

40 yards of coarse canvas for table-cloths - 1,280

14 large wooden trenchers - 476

Chain for large cauldron - 158

12 bellows - 256

22lbs. beeswax for waxing thread and for the crossbows - 1,530

12 large knives (calabozos) for the steward's room - 768

5 large iron ladles - 204

100 mess-bowls, 200 porringers, 100 choppers, 66 wooden platters, 12 mortars, 62 trenchers, all from Bilbao - 5,834

20 lights for the lamps - 240

12 funnels - 330

5 hammers - 125

18 extra trenchers - 995

Brass pestle and mortar for the dispensary - 653

35 padlocks, given to the stewards  - 3,622

lions, handcuffs, and chains, &c - 3,091

20 lbs. of steel for the pikes, &c - 240

An arroba of stamped iron weights – 297

50 spades and pickaxes - 2,400

20 bars of iron - 1,600

56 iron pikes and hammers and 2 large iron mallets - 2,531

2 great ship's lanterns - l,000

8 pair of pincers - 360

Boathooks, awls, &c - 1,224

50 quintals 20 lbs. of iron in small bars - 24,938

Mats and baskets for the entire fleet - 10,639 Fishing gear: 2 seines (chinchorros), (costing 8500 ms.), 6 chain hooks (125 ms.), floats for the seines (425 ms.), fishing-lines and cords (8663 ms.), harpoons and fish-spears from Biscay (8715 ms.), 10,500 fish-hooks (3826 ms.); total - 30,254

Forge, bellows, anvil, and fittings from Biscay -9,147 Maravedis

The maravedí was the name of various Iberian coins of gold and then silver between the 11th and 14th centuries and the name of different Iberian accounting units between the 11th and 19th centuries

15 blank account-books, 5 wherein to keep the accounts of the fleet, and 10 for the officials to keep current accounts - 1,211

Stevedores' wages for lading the ships - 2,635

2 grindstones, and a hone for the two barbers - 2,125 

5 drums and 20 tambourines, given to the people of the fleet to serve for their pastime - 2,895 

The furniture {el ornamento) and all the necessary appliances for the chaplain to say Mass -  16,513 

3,00 nis. paid the pilots. for bringing the ships from Seville to S. Lucar, and 1985 from S. Lucar over the bar to the sea - 5,685

Paid Rodrigo de Garay for his work -  11,250

Paid Juan de la Cueva for his work - 7,500

Carriage of quicksilver, vermilion, and other articles - 12,014 

Paid courier who came from Portugal and returned to the Court - 5,625

Paid for posts and couriers to and from the Court - 45,000 

Paid to the Caravel, and for rations for the messenger sent with letters to the Canary Islands - 6,750 

Paid to Luis de Mendoza to purchase various necessaries in the Canary Islands - 15,000

Charts and Nautical Instruments. Paid Nufio Garcia to buy parchments for the charts - 1,125

1 dozen skins of parchment given to the above - 900 

Another dozen kins of parchment given to the above - 864 

7 charts constructed by the orders of Ruy Falero -13,125

2 charts made by NuBo Garcia by the orders of Fernando Magallanes - 11,250

6 charts caused to be made by Ruy Falero, and one sent to the King - 13,500

6 wooden quadrants made by Ruy Falero -1,121

1 wooden astrolabe made by the said Ruy Falero -750 

1 planisphere ordered to be made by the Captain Magallanes for the King- 4,500 

Paid to the said Magallanes for 6 metal astrolabes with rulers - 4,500

Paid to the same for 15 compass needles, Paid to same for 15 wooden quadrants, bronze-fitted Gilt compass in a box, sent to the King with chart mentioned above, Leather case for the planisphere .... , 2 hour-glasses bought by the Captain, 2 compass needles that the Captain has 6 pairs of compasses, Paid to Nuno Garcia for 2 compass needles, Paid for the correction of an injured compass needle, 4 large boxes for four compasses, which Ruy Falero had made, 16 compass needles and six hour-glasses, sent by Bernaldino del Castillo from Cadiz, Articles of Trade and Barter, 20 quintals of quicksilver, 30 do. vermilion, 100 do. alum., 30 pieces valuable coloured cloth at 4000 ms. per piece, 20 lbs. of saffron, 3 pieces "veintenes,"1 silver, red, and yellow, 1 piece Valencia stuff. 10 quintals of ivory, 2 pieces of coloured velvets. 200 common red caps, 200 coloured kerchiefs, 10,000 fish-hooks, 1000 maravedis-worth of combs, 200 quintals of lump copper, 2000 brass bracelets, 2000 copper do, 10,000 bundles of yellow matamundo, 200 small brass basins of two sorts, 2 dozen large basins, 20,000 small bells of three kinds., 1 Pieces of cloth containing 2000 threads to the warp, 400 dozens of German knives of the commonest kind, 40 pieces of coloured buckram., 50 dozen scissors, 900 small looking-glasses, and 100 larger size, 100 quintals of lead, 500 lbs. of crystals, which are diamonds of all colours, Total -- 1,679,769 Maravedis

We learn from the same document that four months' pay was given in advance, and that the number of persons receiving it was 237. Either some of those who accompanied the expedition did not receive pay—as, for example, the sobre salientes, many of whom were doubtless young men of good family—or some forty or more persons must have joined the fleet on the eve of its departure, which we have reason to believe was the case. 

Another document informs us how the various stores and provisions were distributed among the five vessels of the squadron. A proportionate division of the latter was made according to the ship's burthen. The flagship took two cows, the other vessels one each. One surgeon alone being carried,  all the medicines went with him on the Trinidad. The two ornamentos with robes and all necessaries for Mass were carried on the flagship and the S. Antonio.

 

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