The Rev. John R. Metcalfe (1889-1970) was born in Yorkshire and served as a Methodist missionary in the Solomon Islands for 37 years. He served as a home missionary in Great Britain before moving to Victoria in 1914. He became a candidate for the Methodist ministry in 1916, and after being ordained was appointed to the Solomon Islands in 1920. After a brief period at Roviana, he was appointed to Choiseul as assistant to the Rev. V. LeC. Binet. Apart from four years at Teop, he remained on Choiseul until 1951. During the war, he served as a Coastwatcher. He became chairman of the Methodist Mission in the Solomons in 1951, a post he held until he retired to Australia in 1957. He continued to take an active interest in the mission until his death in 1970.

A collection of 39 articles with the following titles: Lauru; The Three Brothers; Harry Raeno; Stephen Gandepeta; The Two Friends; Timothy Loe; Solomon Damusoe; Methodism in the Marovo; A Footnote to Rickenbacker; The Vurulata Senga Feud; Pioneering on Choiseul; The Gumi Family; Methodism on Guadalcanal; The Helena Goldie Hospital; The Melanesian Cargo Cult; Our Time at Teop; Osea Tambipunda; How the Lauruans met the Japanese; Thoughts on Etoism; Aola Methodism; San Marcos or Choiseul Island; The Fisherman who Got Lost; Sub-Hospital No.3; The Coming of the Uniform; The Coming of the Aeroplane; Christmas in the Battle Area; Broadcast at Honiara (8/4/51); How I Left Munda; The Methodist Church and the Development of North-East Bougainville; How the Japanese Descended on Lauru; The Beginning of the Kamanga Tribe; The Problem of the Tropical South Pacific; Co-operation in the Solomon Islands District; My Years as Chairman; Vangunu: The Tragedy at Egolo... Rendova; and three broadcasts made in August and September, 1943, entitled Readings from a Missionary's Diary.

The expedition of Garcia Jofre de Loaisa left Spain for the Moluccas (Maluku Islands, Indonesia) on 24 July 1525, to open up the spice trade initiated by the Magellan expedition. Of the seven ships under Loaisa originally, only four entered the Pacific - via the Strait of Magellan, on 26 May 1526. A few days later, they were separated by a storm. One ship, the Santiago, made her way to Mexico; another, the San Lesmes, was not heard of again; and the remaining two, the Santa Maria del Parral and Santa Maria de la Victoria, crossed the Pacific independently. The documents on these microfilms concern the fitting out and dispatch of the expedition, accounts of the expedition's proceedings, and claims for salaries by dependents of expedition members who died in the Moluccas or on the voyage out. Details of contents are given for each reel, however, a more comprehensive listing, including names etc., is available from the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau on request.

The original documents are arranged in bundles or 'patronatos'. The information given is a translated and edited version made by the PMB from that contained on pp.78-91 of the Boletim da Filmoteca Ultramarina Portuguesa, No.32, Lisbon 1966. Patronato 37, Documents 11-33: Doc.11: Madrid, 3 April 1525 - remarks on Loaysa's men by Council of the Indies. Doc.12: Toledo, 13 May 1525 and Santo Domingo, 10 May 1538 - royal letters; orders and instructions. Doc.13: Instructions to royal officers (who were also members of royal treasury - factors, accountants etc.). Doc.14: Madrid, 5 April 1525; Instructions to Hernando de Bustamente. Doc.15: Madrid, 5 April 1525; Instructions to Diego Ortiz. Doc.16: Toledo, 13 May 1525; Instructions to Diego de Covarrubias. Doc.17: Contributions to expedition, names, amounts. Doc.18: Madrid, 5 April 1525 - Appointment of Alonso de Tejada. Doc.19: Undated account of voyage. Doc.20: 13 July 1526 and 31 July 1526; Will and inventory. Doc.21: 18 September 1526, 2 financial docs.Doc.22: 4 June 1527, Account of San Gabriel. Doc.23: 17 February 1528 petition for salaries. Doc.24: Tidore, 11 June 1528 - account of voyage by Hernando de la Torre. Doc.25: Madrid, 5 November 1529 - Royal decree re payment. Doc.26: Tidore, 28 October 1528 - Account of relations between fleet and Portuguese in Moluccas. Doc.27: Cadiz, 10 May 1529 - Account of expedition by Don Rodrigo de Acuna. Doc.28: Toledo, 29 January 1529 - Royal decree re Moluccas. Doc.29: n.d. - Law suit re salary. Doc.30: Palencia, 17 September 1534 - Declaration by sailor of the Santa Maria de la Victoria. Doc.31: n.d. - Account of voyage and events in Moluccas. Doc.32: 1535 - Account of several survivors of expedition describing how their diaries, books, maps etc. were confiscated on arrival in Lisbon. Doc.33: Valladolid, 25 October 1536 - Declaration by a Greek sailor, Francisco de Paris, on events of the voyage.

See PMB MS 135. The expedition of Garcia Jofre de Loaisa left Spain for the Moluccas (Maluku Islands, Indonesia) on 24 July 1525, to open up the spice trade initiated by the Magellan expedition.

Patronato 37, Documents 34-38: Doc.34: Valladolid, 4 September 1536 - Account of voyage. Doc.35: n.d. - Attacks by Portuguese at Ternate etc. Doc.36: Valladolid, 26 February 1537 - Account of voyage. Doc.37: Guetaria, 17 October 1538 - Papers re claim for wages of deceased sailors. Doc.38: Valladolid, 20 July 1538 - Final discharge of fleet's expenses plus list of all people in the fleet. Patronato 38, Documents 1-8: Doc.1: Legal documents. Doc.2: Burgos, 30 September 1534 - legal documents. Doc.3: Burgos, September 1534 - legal documents. Doc.4: 1535 - legal documents. Doc.5: n.d. - Recovery of wages by heirs of Martin de Urtiaga of the San Gabriel, only ship of expedition to return to Coruna. Doc.6: n.d. - 3 legal documents re monies owing. Doc.7: Pernambuco, 15 April 1528 - Account by deserter Don Rodrigo de Acuna, includes details of history and course of fleet. Doc.8: 29 May 1530 - Request for payment.

Please see PMB 135. The expedition of Garcia Jofre de Loaisa left Spain for the Moluccas (Maluku Islands, Indonesia) on 24 July 1525, to open up the spice trade initiated by the Magellan expedition.

Patronato 39, Documents 3(cont.) -13: Doc.3: (continued from PMB 137). Doc.4: n.d. - Law suit and legal documents. Doc.5: 1541 - Petition of merchant for monies due and slave trading. Doc.6: 1541 - Law suit re wages. Doc.7: 1541 - Law suit re wages. Doc.8: 1541 - Law suit re wages. Doc.9: Valladolid, 7 July 15?? - Certificate of delivery of 2,000 ducats for spice trade and a receipt dated 12 October 1524. Doc.10: 1541 - Law suit re recovery of property Toribio Alonso de Salazar, Commander of fleet after Elcano's death, and who died in the Marianas. Doc.11: 1544 - Law suit against King's prosecutor re money. Doc.12: 1546 - Law suit re recovery of monies for construction of ovens to make biscuit and other food for fleet. Doc.13: 1548 - Law suit re wages (continued on PMB 139).

Please see PMB MS 135. The expedition of Garcia Jofre de Loaisa left Spain for the Moluccas (Maluku Islands, Indonesia) on 24 July 1525, to open up the spice trade initiated by the Magellan expedition.

Patronato 38, Documents 9-18: Doc.9: 1538 - Petition for wages. Doc.10: 1538 - Recovery of monies due. Doc.11: 1538 - Petition for wages by negro slave Juan de Lasalde who served as a seaman. Doc.12: 1538 - Petition for wages. Doc.13: 1538 - Law suit re wages. Doc.14: 1538 - Law suit re wages. Doc.15: 1538 - Law suit re wages. Doc.16: n.d. - Law suit re wages. Doc.17: Toledo, 4 April 1539 - Law suit re wages of principal chaplain of expedition, Juan de Torres. Doc.18: 7 April 1537 - Law suit of an expedition pilot re wages. Patronato 39, Documents 1-3: Doc.1: Papers of Fernando de Loaysa, brother of Garcia including law suit for monies due; Garcia's appointment as Captain-General; Garcia's will; letters from Moluccas re fleet wages; declarations by witnesses and a logbook of Andres de Urdenata. Doc.2: Law suit re wages. Doc.3: 1541 - Law suit by heirs of fleet sailor (contd on PMB 138).

Please see PMB 135. The expedition of Garcia Jofre de Loaisa left Spain for the Moluccas (Maluku Islands, Indonesia) on 24 July 1525, to open up the spice trade initiated by the Magellan expedition.

Patronato 39, Documents 13(cont.) -14: Doc.13: (continued from PMB 138). Doc.14: 1548 - Documents of heirs of Inigo de Elorriaga, boatswain of the Santa Maria de la Victoria and captain of a galley captured by Portuguese.<BR>Patronato 40, Documents 1-6: Doc.1: 1551 - Law suit re wages. Doc.2: Aranda do Douro, 1 October 1547 - Petition and law suit re wages. Doc.3: Law suits and petitions of Francisco de Burgos re outstanding wages of a number of men who died during voyage and for whom Burgos held power of attorney because he had lent them money. Doc.4: Petitions from sons and heirs re wages. Doc.5: Law suits and petitions of the heirs of a number of officers of the Loaysa (Loaisa) fleet all of whom were members of the family of Juan Sebastian Elcano. Doc.6: 1550 - Petition of Antonio Lucar and family concerning 10,000 gold ducats, which with the King's permission he had invested in a fleet bound for the Moluccas. One document indicates that the fleet was that of Magellan, others that it was the fleet of Loaysa (cont. on PMB 140).

Please see PMB 135.

Patronato 40, Document number 6: Continued from PMB 139.

Sir John Ferguson (1881-1969), compiler of Bibliography of Australia and a Trustee of the Library of New South Wales, had an interest in Pacific Islands bibliography, particularly relating to missionary work in the Pacific Islands.

This is a photocopy of Ferguson's original manuscript cards, Bibliography of the New Hebrides Islands, 1610-1942, held in the National Library of Australia (MS3200/Box 16) <BR> Part 1, 1610-1880 <BR> Part 2, 1881-1899 <BR> Part 3, 1900-1920 <BR> Part 4, 1921-to date [1942] <BR> Part 5, Additions to bibliography of New Hebrides<P><b>See reel list for further details</b>