Manuscripts

Derrotero : [manuscript]

1 of 355

Description: Derrotero written in Spain after 1570, the latest date given in the text (f. 46v); possibly composed after 1582 as Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba is apparently referred to as no longer living (f. 81). It consists of a geographical description of the coasts of the world: Europe, Africa, southern and eastern Asia (including Japan and the East Indies), the Americas from the La Plata River to the Carribean, Peru, the east coast of North America to Labrador and Greenland, with descriptions of the inhabitants, customs, products and brief historical notices, especially for Europe and the Holy Lands. ff. 1-168v: [Derrotero]: Rubric: Derotero Del Mundo. Incipit: Pues bolviendo a la obra començada ... Explicit: cuya gracia sea en nuestro favor.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: [between 1590 and 1610]
Call number: mssHM 1788
Provenance

Derrotero : [manuscript]

Manuscripts

Derrotero with sailing instructions for the route from San Lucar, Spain, to the West Indies and Florida, with a description of duties and payment of ship's personnel (ff. 150v-177v) and table of latitudes (ff. 178-184). Dedicatory poem indicates that Luis de la Cruz is the author. Written probably about 1600, since Luis de la Cruz is first listed as master of a ship in 1585 and his name last appears in the records of the Archivo de Indias in Seville in a law suit of 1615. Internal evidence shows the volume was written after 1565 since the town of St. Augustine, Florida, founded in that year, is mentioned. Span folios: ff. 1-199v. Support: Paper. Watermark(s): Croix Latine not dissimilar from Briquet 5688 and 5704, both Perpignan (1596, 1595). Layout: Collation beginning with f. iv: 1-7²⁰ 8-10¹⁶(through f. 184) 11¹⁶(-16, now the pastedown and torn loose from the quire). 20-26 long lines with vertical bounding lines defined by folds in the paper. ff. v-199v: [Luis de la Cruz, Derrotero]: Incipit: Capitulo primero de la derrota de la barra De sant lucar a las yslas De canaria, Partiendo de la barra de san lucar ... Explicit: nombre de Jesus.

mssHM 30957

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Derrotero de Indias of Luis de la Cruz

Manuscripts

Scans to CD of a manuscript held by the Museo Naval. Citation given as: Museo Naval de Madrid, Manuscript 465, 159 ff., Derrotero de Indias of Luis de la Cruz (early 17th century).

mssHM 83173

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Derrotero General del Mar del Sur: [cartographic material]

Manuscripts

This significant Spanish derrotero contains 149 charts depicting the West Coast of the New World from Mexico to the Straits of Megellan. In addition, this manuscript has no chart titles or index. This derrotero was once thought to be that captured by Bartholomew Sharpe and used as the basis for William Hacke's atlas (see mssHM 265). However a close comparison of the charts with those of the Basil Ringrose atlas (based on the derrotero captured by Captain Henry Morgan) and the Hacke atlas indicate that this derrotero was not the principal source for Hacke's work. It appeared likely that this copy was the one captured by Morgan in a 1671 raid on Panama. Textual and material research carried out in 2024 by Juliet Wiersema, now suggest that the manuscript is an English copy of a derrotero held in the Society of Antiquaries of London (Ms. 221). Consistent spelling errors and watermark evidence strongly support an English, not Spanish origin. See: Wiersema, J. (2026). Farewell South Seas! Captured Spanish derroteros or English-made Copies? Imago Mundi, 78(1), 24–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085694.2026.2641936

mssHM 918

Portolan atlas, Portuguese : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Manuscripts

ff. 40. [Fernão Vaz Dourado]. [Portolan atlas]. Latin. Contains 17 maps, etc.: 1, Southern South America; 2, Eastern South America from the Amazon to the La Plata River; 3, West Indies, Central America, part of Mexico, and southeastern United States; 4, Newfoundland and east coast of North America; 5, Scandinavia and northwestern Europe; 6, Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea; 7, Western Mediterranean, Europe, and northern Africa; 8, Northwestern Africa; 9, Southern Africa and Madagascar; 10, Indian Ocean (western part); 11, Eastern Africa, Arabia, and India; 12, Southeast China, Japan, East Indies (northern part); 13, East Indies; 14, East Indies (eastern part); 15, West coast of North America; 16, West coast of United States and Mexico; 17, West coast of South America from Ecuador to northern Chile; 18, Cosmographical data, as described in PMC, 3:15 and reproduced in pl. 276.

mssHM 41

Portolan atlas, Portuguese : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Manuscripts

ff. 9. [Bartolomeu Velho]. [Portolan atlas]. Latin. Contains 16 maps, etc.: f. 1, Tables of solar declinations; f. 1v, Tables of solar declinations and cosmographical data, as described in PMC 2:108-09 and reproduced on pl. 236; f. 2, Western coast of United States and Mexico; f. 2v, South America (southern portion); f. 3, Central America and northwest coast of South America; f. 3v, West Indies and surrounding coasts; f. 4, North Atlantic Ocean, Newfoundland, Ireland; f. 4v, Northern South America, portion of West Indies, Newfoundland; f. 5, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea; f. 5v, Spain and Portugal, west coast of Africa; f. 6, Western and central Europe (including Iceland and Scandinavia) and northwestern Africa; f. 6v, Western Africa and Gulf of Guinea; f. 7, India, Arabia, and portion of eastern Africa; f. 7v, Southeast coast of Africa and islands of Indian Ocean; f. 8, Southwest coast of Africa and southern Atlantic Ocean; f. 8v, Brazil and southern Atlantic Ocean; f. 9, Indochina and East Indies; f. 9v, Japan and portion of East Indies.

mssHM 44

Portolan atlas : [cartographic material] : [manuscript], 1547

Manuscripts

1. ff. 1-4v: Enssuyt le Regime et Gouvernement du Solleil: Preliminary sheets of nautical information and tables of declinations). ff. 5v-34: 15 portolan charts of: 1, "Terra Java" (east coast of Australia?); 2, "La Jave" (north coast of Australia?), East Indies, part of Asia; 3, "Terra Java" (west coast of Australia?); 4, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf; 5, Southern Africa and southwest Indian Ocean; 6, Atlantic Ocean with coast of Africa and Brazil; 7, Northwest Africa; 8, Europe and northern Africa; 9, North America, east coast; 10, West Indies, Mexico, Central America, northern South America; 11, Northeastern South America; 12, Southeastern South America, Straits of Magellan; 13, Western Europe and northwestern Africa; 14, Adriatic Sea (by a different cartographer); 15, Aegean Sea (same cartographer as chart 14).

mssHM 29

Derrotero : [manuscript]

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Derrotero : [manuscript]

Derrotero de Indias of Luis de la Cruz

Derrotero General del Mar del Sur: [cartographic material]

Portolan atlas, Portuguese : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Portolan atlas, Portuguese : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Portolan atlas : [cartographic material] : [manuscript], 1547