Led seaborne party in support of CORONADO (1540). Explored the Gulf of California, investigated by ULLOA the year before and disc. the Colorado River at its head which he ascended for 200 miles but failed to make contact with the land force. Alarcón is almost unique among the Conquistadors in that he treated the Indians he met with intelligence and humanity, as opposed to the insane, murderous and destructive behaviour that was otherwise the norm. "The Indians had an experience they were never to repeat: they were sorry to see these white men leave." (Bernard de Voto: "Westward the Course of Empire" 1953.)

See: KEPPEL, Gen. G.T.

1453-1515
Founder of the Portugese overseas empire. 1st voyage to the East in the Indies fleet 1503-4. Viceroy 1506. Capture of Goa 1510. 1510-1515 gained control of the Malabar coast, Ceylon, Sunda Is., Malacca, Ormuz. Died at sea on the way home to Portugal.
- W. de Gray Birch (ed.) "Commentaries." 4 vols. 1875-1885 / Hakluyt Society (Series I, nos. 53,55,62,69).

-"A naturalist in Indian seas: 4 years with the RIMS ship Investogator." London / 1902.

1809-1897
Army surgeon, later diplomat. Consul Fuchow 1844, Shanghai 1846, Japan 1858-65 (1st British rep.). Minister plenipotentiary to Peking 1865-71. President RGS 1876-8.
- "The capital of the Tycoon." 2 vols London / 1863 / Longmans.
- "Art and industries of Japan." 1878.
- MICHIE, Alexander: "The Englishman in China as illustrated by the career of Sir R. Alcock." 2 vols. Edinburgh / 1900.
See also MARGARY, A.R.

d. 1564
Muscovy Company. Travelled in Russia, Poland, and to Persia via Caspian, where he was killed. See HAKLUYT vol. 2, vol. 3.

Chief police magistrate on Fiji. Voyages in the South Pacific between 1907 and 1920.
- "From Middle Temple to the South Seas." London / 1927 / John Murray.

Missionary to China. Narrative in MENDOZA.

1500-1533
B. Ulm. Led German expedition to explore and colonise Venezuela following concession acquired by the German banking house of Welser in 1529 in return for a large loan to the Spanish crown. Funder of Maracaibo. From Coro, Alfinger pushed inland as far as 3°S. Here he was killed by curare poisoning from an arrow wound. A new effort from Coro was made by his lieutenant FEDERMANN in 1537-9, who finally reached the Bogota uplands only to find himself forestalled by the Spaniard Gonzalo JIMENEZ DE QUESADA. The German contract was terminated in 1550.

Joint expedition to Spitzbergen in 1925 with F.A.WORSLEY.
- Worsley: "Under sail in the frozen north." London / 1927 / Stanley Paul.