The crew of the _Trinidad_ were seized and made prisoners, and ultimately only four of them reached Spain again, after many adventures.

Thirteen others, who had landed at the Cape de Verde Islands from the _Victoria_, may also be included among the survivors of the fleet, so that a total number of thirty-five out of two hundred and seventy sums up the number of the first circumnavigators of the globe.
The importance of this voyage was unique when regarded from the point of view of geographical discovery.

It decisively clinched the matter with regard to the existence of an entirely New World independent from Asia.

In particular, the backward voyage of the _Trinidad_ (which has rarely been noticed) had shown that there was a wide expanse of ocean north of the line and east of Asia, whilst the previous voyage had shown the enormous extent of sea south of the line.

After the circumnavigation of the _Victoria_ it was clear to cosmographers that the world was much larger than had been imagined by the ancients; or rather, perhaps one may say that Asia was smaller than had been thought by the mediaeval writers.
The dogged persistence shown by Magelhaens in carrying out his idea, which turned out to be a perfectly justifiable one, raises him from this point of view to a greater height than Columbus, whose month's voyage brought him exactly where he thought he would find land according to Toscanelli's map.