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 MAGELLAN 843 the streets. On account of its being among the first to embrace the reformation, the town was excommunicated, and was besieged by the elector Maurice of Saxony, Sept. 16, 1550, and surrendered Nov. 9, 1551. During the thirty years' war Magdeburg, in 1629, resisted the im- perialists for seven months; but on the morn- ing of May 10 (new style 20) Tilly carried it by assault, and massacred about 25,000 of the inhabitants without distinction of age or sex, reducing the town to ashes, except the cathe- dral and about 140 houses. In the despatch in which he announced the capture he wrote : " Since the destruction of Jerusalem and Troy such a victory has not been." Upon the house of the commandant, whom he beheaded, may be still read the words : " Remember the 10th of May, 1631." By the peace of Westphalia of 1648, the archbishopric of Magdeburg was allotted to the house of Brandenburg. In 1806, after the battle of Jena, the fortress, though garrisoned by a large force, was surren- dered to the French by Gen. Kleist after 14 days' siege. The last siege was the obstinate one which the French stood there in 1813-'14. In 1865 the suburb of Sudenburg was fully consolidated with the Altstadt. In 1869 an enlargement of the city was begun by demol- ishing the walls and gates of Sudenburg, and considerably advancing the fortifications. MAGELLAN, Fernando. See MAGALHAENS. MAGELLAN, Straits of, a channel separating the southern extremity of the American con- tinent from a group of islands called Tierra del Fuego. Those bordering the channel are, going from E. to W., Tierra del Fuego proper, the largest, Dawson, Clarence, and St. Inez or Desolation islands. The channel received its name from the great navigator who dis- covered it, Magalhaens, now commonly known as Magellan among northern nations. The eastern entrance of the channel lies between Cape Virgins on the north and Cape Espiritu Santo on the south, and is about 20 m. wide. It enlarges at first into a wider basin, the north- ern part of which is called Possession bay and the southern Lomas bay. Thence it pass- es through the First Narrows, about 9 m. long and 2 m. wide, widens again into St. Jago and Philip bays, and after passing the Second Nar- rows takes gradually a southerly sweep, widen- ing out as far as Cape Froward, the southern- most point of the American continent. Here the direction takes a sudden northwesterly course, which it keeps to its outlet into the Pacific ocean at Cape Pillars. The total length of the straits is 315 m., divided by Cape Fro- ward into two parts, of which the eastern is somewhat the larger. The narrowest part, at. Cape Quod in Crooked reach, is only about one mile. The straits have been described or sur- veyed frequently and from an early period, as for instance by Sir John Narborough, Cordo- va, Byron, Wallis, Carteret, and Bougainville ; but our principal source of knowledge is the surveys and explorations conducted by order of the British government by Captains King Stokes, and Fitzroy, in the Beagle and Adven- ture, between 1826 and 1836, Charles Darwin being attached to the expedition as naturalist during part of the time. In 1866-'9 addi- tional surveys were made by Capt. Mayne in the Nassau, the natural history explorations being in charge of Dr. Cunningham. Nu- merous accounts can also be found in the rec- ords of voyages of circumnavigation by ships of different nations. In 1872 the straits were visited by Agassiz in the United States steam- er Hassler, and many interesting observations were made on their natural history. The pas- sage through the straits of Magellan, notwith- standing the advantages it offers over the stormy and dangerous passage round Cape Horn, is seldom attempted by large sailing vessels, principally because of the narrowness of the western reaches, and the violent gusts Of wind blowing through them, chiefly from the northwest. Long detentions often occur, as there is not sufficient room for working ship ; and many of the harbors being difficult of access, it is often necessary to put back for long distances. It is said that a United States frigate was once 80 days in accomplishing the passage. Actual dangers are few. The water is deep, the shores are bold, and every hidden rock is, as it were, buoyed out by the abundant giant kelp growing over it. Heavy squalls blowing suddenly downward from the moun- tains, and known as wittiwaws, are much dreaded, as a vessel may be thrown almost on her beam ends, when at anchor, before she has time to swing. For small vessels, and particu- larly for steamers, the channel is invaluable. The latter, instead of leaving or entering the ocean at Cape Pillars, now frequently use the channels known as Smyth's, Sarmiento's, and Messier, as far as the gulf of Pefias, thus having the advantage of over 300 m. of in- land navigation. But for the narrow isthmus of Ofqui, which separates the gulf of Pefias from the sounds inside of the Chonos archi- pelago, this inland navigation might be ex- tended to the northern end of Chiloe, nearly as much further. A fortnightly line of steam- ers, running from England to Valparaiso, pass- es regularly through the straits of Magellan, touching at Punta Arenas ; and it is intended to make still more frequent trips. A French line has also lately been started. It has been proposed to establish a service of tug boats to tow sailing ships through, for which the suc- cessful working of the coal mine at Punta Arenas would offer considerable facilities. In coming into the straits from the east, particu- lar attention must be paid to the tides. The rise and fall in Possession bay is more than 40 ft. ; inside the First Narrows it is only 12, and inside the Second 7 ft. These differences oc- casion a current of 5 or 6 m. an hour. It is therefore usual to anchor in Possession bay, to wait and take advantage of the flood tide to make the passage through the narrows and into