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diff --git a/2660-h/2660-h.htm b/2660-h/2660-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b72e0b5 --- /dev/null +++ b/2660-h/2660-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,4555 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" /> +<title>Early Australian Voyages</title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + P { margin-top: .75em; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + H1, H2 { + text-align: center; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + } + H3, H4 { + text-align: left; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; + } + BODY{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */ + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h2> +<a href="#startoftext">Early Australian Voyages, by John Pinkerton</a> +</h2> +<pre> +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Early Australian Voyages, by John Pinkerton, +et al, Edited by Henry Morley + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Early Australian Voyages + + +Author: John Pinkerton + +Release Date: April 13, 2005 [eBook #2660] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EARLY AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES*** +</pre> +<p><a name="startoftext"></a></p> +<p>Transcribed from the 1886 Cassell & Company edition by David +Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk</p> +<h1>EARLY AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES<br /> +BY JOHN PINKERTON</h1> +<p>Contents:</p> +<p>Introduction<br /> +Pelsart<br /> +Tasman<br /> +Dampier</p> +<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2> +<p>In the days of Plato, imagination found its way, before the mariners, +to a new world across the Atlantic, and fabled an Atlantis where America +now stands. In the days of Francis Bacon, imagination of the English +found its way to the great Southern Continent before the Portuguese +or Dutch sailors had sight of it, and it was the home of those wise +students of God and nature to whom Bacon gave his New Atlantis. +The discoveries of America date from the close of the fifteenth century. +The discoveries of Australia date only from the beginning of the seventeenth. +The discoveries of the Dutch were little known in England before the +time of Dampier’s voyage, at the close of the seventeenth century, +with which this volume ends. The name of New Holland, first given +by the Dutch to the land they discovered on the north-west coast, then +extended to the continent and was since changed to Australia.</p> +<p>During the eighteenth century exploration was continued by the English. +The good report of Captain Cook caused the first British settlement +to be made at Port Jackson, in 1788, not quite a hundred years ago, +and the foundations were then laid of the settlement of New South Wales, +or Sydney. It was at first a penal colony, and its Botany Bay +was a name of terror to offenders. Western Australia, or Swan +River, was first settled as a free colony in 1829, but afterwards used +also as a penal settlement; South Australia, which has Adelaide for +its capital, was first established in 1834, and colonised in 1836; Victoria, +with Melbourne for its capital, known until 1851 as the Port Philip +District, and a dependency of New South Wales, was first colonised in +1835. It received in 1851 its present name. Queensland, +formerly known as the Moreton Bay District, was established as late +as 1859. A settlement of North Australia was tried in 1838, and +has since been abandoned. On the other side of Bass’s Straits, +the island of Van Diemen’s Land, was named Tasmania, and established +as a penal colony in 1803.</p> +<p>Advance, Australia! The scattered handfuls of people have become +a nation, one with us in race, and character, and worthiness of aim. +These little volumes will, in course of time, include many aids to a +knowledge of the shaping of the nations. There will be later records +of Australia than these which tell of the old Dutch explorers, and of +the first real awakening of England to a knowledge of Australia by Dampier’s +voyage.</p> +<p>The great Australian continent is 2,500 miles long from east to west, +and 1,960 miles in its greatest breadth. Its climates are therefore +various. The northern half lies chiefly within the tropics, and +at Melbourne snow is seldom seen except upon the hills. The separation +of Australia by wide seas from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, gives +it animals and plants peculiarly its own. It has been said that +of 5,710 plants discovered, 5,440 are peculiar to that continent. +The kangaroo also is proper to Australia, and there are other animals +of like kind. Of 58 species of quadruped found in Australia, 46 +were peculiar to it. Sheep and cattle that abound there now were +introduced from Europe. From eight merino sheep introduced in +1793 by a settler named McArthur, there has been multiplication into +millions, and the food-store of the Old World begins to be replenished +by Australian mutton.</p> +<p>The unexplored interior has given a happy hunting-ground to satisfy +the British spirit of adventure and research; but large waterless tracts, +that baffle man’s ingenuity, have put man’s powers of endurance +to sore trial.</p> +<p>The mountains of Australia are all of the oldest rocks, in which +there are either no fossil traces of past life, or the traces are of +life in the most ancient forms. Resemblance of the Australian +cordilleras to the Ural range, which he had especially been studying, +caused Sir Roderick Murchison, in 1844, to predict that gold would be +found in Australia. The first finding of gold—the beginning +of the history of the Australian gold-fields—was in February, +1851, near Bathurst and Wellington, and to-day looks back to the morning +of yesterday in the name of Ophir, given to the Bathurst gold-diggings.</p> +<p>Gold, wool, mutton, wine, fruits, and what more Australia can now +add to the commonwealth of the English-speaking people, Englishmen at +home have been learning this year in the great Indian and Colonial Exhibition, +which is to stand always as evidence of the numerous resources of the +Empire, as aid to the full knowledge of them, and through that to their +wide diffusion. We are a long way now from the wrecked ship of +Captain Francis Pelsart, with which the histories in this volume begin.</p> +<p>John Pinkerton was born at Edinburgh in February, 1758, and died +in Paris in March, 1826, aged sixty-eight. He was the best classical +scholar at the Lanark grammar school; but his father, refusing to send +him to a university, bound him to Scottish law. He had a strong +will, fortified in some respects by a weak judgment. He wrote +clever verse; at the age of twenty-two he went to London to support +himself by literature, began by publishing “Rimes” of his +own, and then Scottish Ballads, all issued as ancient, but of which +he afterwards admitted that fourteen out of the seventy-three were wholly +written by himself. John Pinkerton, whom Sir Walter Scott described +as “a man of considerable learning, and some severity as well +as acuteness of disposition,” made clear conscience on the matter +in 1786, when he published two volumes of genuine old Scottish Poems +from the MS. collections of Sir Richard Maitland. He had added +to his credit as an antiquary by an Essay on Medals, and then applied +his studies to ancient Scottish History, producing learned books, in +which he bitterly abused the Celts. It was in 1802 that Pinkerton +left England for Paris, where he supported himself by indefatigable +industry as a writer during the last twenty-four years of his life. +One of the most useful of his many works was that <i>General Collection +of the best and most interesting Voyages and Travels of the World</i>, +which appeared in seventeen quarto volumes, with maps and engravings, +in the years 1808-1814. Pinkerton abridged and digested most of +the travellers’ records given in this series, but always studied +to retain the travellers’ own words, and his occasional comments +have a value of their own.</p> +<p>H. M.</p> +<h2>VOYAGE OF FRANCIS PELSART TO AUSTRALASIA. 1628-29.</h2> +<p>It has appeared very strange to some very able judges of voyages, +that the Dutch should make so great account of the southern countries +as to cause the map of them to be laid down in the pavement of the Stadt +House at Amsterdam, and yet publish no descriptions of them. This +mystery was a good deal heightened by one of the ships that first touched +on Carpenter’s Land, bringing home a considerable quantity of +gold, spices, and other rich goods; in order to clear up which, it was +said that these were not the product of the country, but were fished +out of the wreck of a large ship that had been lost upon the coast. +But this story did not satisfy the inquisitive, because not attended +with circumstances necessary to establish its credit; and therefore +they suggested that, instead of taking away the obscurity by relating +the truth, this story was invented in order to hide it more effectually. +This suspicion gained ground the more when it was known that the Dutch +East India Company from Batavia had made some attempts to conquer a +part of the Southern continent, and had been repulsed with loss, of +which, however, we have no distinct or perfect relation, and all that +hath hitherto been collected in reference to this subject, may be reduced +to two voyages. All that we know concerning the following piece +is, that it was collected from the Dutch journal of the voyage, and +having said thus much by way of introduction, we now proceed to the +translation of this short history.</p> +<p>The directors of the East India Company, animated by the return of +five ships, under General Carpenter, richly laden, caused, the very +same year, 1628, eleven vessels to be equipped for the same voyage; +amongst which there was one ship called the <i>Batavia</i>, commanded +by Captain Francis Pelsart. They sailed out of the Texel on the +28th of October, 1628; and as it would be tedious and troublesome to +the reader to set down a long account of things perfectly well known, +I shall say nothing of the occurrences that happened in their passage +to the Cape of Good Hope; but content myself with observing that on +the 4th of June, in the following year 1629, this vessel, the <i>Batavia</i>, +being separated from the fleet in a storm, was driven on the Abrollos +or shoals, which lie in the latitude of 28 degrees south, and which +have been since called by the Dutch, the Abrollos of Frederic Houtman. +Captain Pelsart, who was sick in bed when this accident happened, perceiving +that his ship had struck, ran immediately upon deck. It was night +indeed; but the weather was fair, and the moon shone very bright; the +sails were up; the course they steered was north-east by north, and +the sea appeared as far as they could behold it covered with a white +froth. The captain called up the master and charged him with the +loss of the ship, who excused himself by saying he had taken all the +care he could; and that having discerned this froth at a distance, he +asked the steersman what he thought of it, who told him that the sea +appeared white by its reflecting the rays of the moon. The captain +then asked him what was to be done, and in what part of the world he +thought they were. The master replied, that God only knew that; +and that the ship was fast on a bank hitherto undiscovered. Upon +this they began to throw the lead, and found that they had forty-eight +feet of water before, and much less behind the vessel. The crew +immediately agreed to throw their cannon overboard, in hopes that when +the ship was lightened she might be brought to float again. They +let fall an anchor however; and while they were thus employed, a most +dreadful storm arose of wind and rain; which soon convinced them of +the danger they were in; for being surrounded with rocks and shoals, +the ship was continually striking.</p> +<p>They then resolved to cut away the mainmast, which they did, and +this augmented the shock, neither could they get clear of it, though +they cut it close by the board, because it was much entangled within +the rigging; they could see no land except an island which was about +the distance of three leagues, and two smaller islands, or rather rocks, +which lay nearer. They immediately sent the master to examine +them, who returned about nine in the morning, and reported that the +sea at high water did not cover them, but that the coast was so rocky +and full of shoals that it would be very difficult to land upon them; +they resolved, however, to run the risk, and to send most of their company +on shore to pacify the women, children, sick people, and such as were +out of their wits with fear, whose cries and noise served only to disturb +them. About ten o’clock they embarked these in their shallop +and skiff, and, perceiving their vessel began to break, they doubled +their diligence; they likewise endeavoured to get their bread up, but +they did not take the same care of the water, not reflecting in their +fright that they might be much distressed for want of it on shore; and +what hindered them most of all was the brutal behaviour of some of the +crew that made themselves drunk with wine, of which no care was taken. +In short, such was their confusion that they made but three trips that +day, carrying over to the island 180 persons, twenty barrels of bread, +and some small casks of water. The master returned on board towards +evening, and told the captain that it was to no purpose to send more +provisions on shore, since the people only wasted those they had already. +Upon this the captain went in the shallop, to put things in better order, +and was then informed that there was no water to be found upon the island; +he endeavoured to return to the ship in order to bring off a supply, +together with the most valuable part of their cargo, but a storm suddenly +arising, he was forced to return.</p> +<p>The next day was spent in removing their water and most valuable +goods on shore; and afterwards the captain in the skiff, and the master +in the shallop, endeavoured to return to the vessel, but found the sea +run so high that it was impossible to get on board. In this extremity +the carpenter threw himself out of the ship, and swam to them, in order +to inform them to what hardships those left in the vessel were reduced, +and they sent him back with orders for them to make rafts, by tying +the planks together, and endeavour on these to reach the shallop and +skiff; but before this could be done, the weather became so rough that +the captain was obliged to return, leaving, with the utmost grief, his +lieutenant and seventy men on the very point of perishing on board the +vessel. Those who were got on the little island were not in a +much better condition, for, upon taking an account of their water, they +found they had not above 40 gallons for 40 people, and on the larger +island, where there were 120, their stock was still less. Those +on the little island began to murmur, and to complain of their officers, +because they did not go in search of water, in the islands that were +within sight of them, and they represented the necessity of this to +Captain Pelsart, who agreed to their request, but insisted before he +went to communicate his design to the rest of the people; they consented +to this, but not till the captain had declared that, without the consent +of the company on the large is land, he would, rather than leave them, +go and perish on board the ship. When they were got pretty near +the shore, he who commanded the boat told the captain that if he had +anything to say, he must cry out to the people, for that they would +not suffer him to go out of the boat. The captain immediately +attempted to throw himself overboard in order to swim to the island. +Those who were in the boat prevented him; and all that he could obtain +from them was, to throw on shore his table-book, in which line wrote +a line or two to inform them that he was gone in the skiff to look for +water in the adjacent islands.</p> +<p>He accordingly coasted them all with the greatest care, and found +in most of them considerable quantities of water in the holes of the +rocks, but so mixed with the sea-water that it was unfit for use; and +therefore they were obliged to go farther. The first thing they +did was to make a deck to their boat, because they found it was impracticable +to navigate those seas in an open vessel. Some of the crew joined +them by the time the work was finished; and the captain having obtained +a paper, signed by all his men, importing that it was their desire that +he should go in search of water, he immediately put to sea, having first +taken an observation by which he found they were in the latitude of +28 degrees 13 minutes south. They had not been long at sea before +they had sight of the continent, which appeared to them to lie about +sixteen miles north by west from the place they had suffered shipwreck. +They found about twenty-five or thirty fathoms water; and as night drew +on, they kept out to sea; and after midnight stood in for the land, +that they might be near the coast in the morning. On the 9th of +June they found themselves as they reckoned, about three miles from +the shore; on which they plied all that day, sailing sometimes north, +sometimes west; the country appearing low, naked, and the coast excessively +rocky; so that they thought it resembled the country near Dover. +At last they saw a little creek, into which they were willing to put, +because it appeared to have a sandy bottom; but when they attempted +to enter it, the sea ran so high that they were forced to desist.</p> +<p>On the 10th they remained on the same coast, plying to and again, +as they had done the day before; but the weather growing worse and worse, +they were obliged to abandon their shallop, and even throw part of their +breath overboard, because it hindered them from clearing themselves +of the water, which their vessel began to make very fast. That +night it rained most terribly, which, though it gave them much trouble, +afforded them hopes that it would prove a great relief to the people +they had left behind them on the islands. The wind began to sink +on the 11th; and as it blew from the west-south-west, they continued +their course to the north, the sea running still so high that it was +impossible to approach the shore. On the 12th, they had an observation, +by which they found themselves in the latitude of 27 degrees; they sailed +with a south-east wind all that day along the coast, which they found +so steep that there was no getting on shore, inasmuch as there was no +creek or low land without the rocks, as is commonly observed on seacoasts; +which gave them the more pain because within land the country appeared +very fruitful and pleasant. They found themselves on the 13th +in the latitude of 25 degrees 40 minutes; by which they discovered that +the current set to the north. They were at this time over against +an opening; the coast lying to the north-east, they continued a north +course, but found the coast one continued rock of red colour all of +a height, against which the waves broke with such force that it was +impossible for them to land.</p> +<p>The wind blew very fresh in the morning on the 14th, but towards +noon it fell calm; they were then in the height of 24 degrees, with +a small gale at east, but the tide still carried them further north +than they desired, because their design was to make a descent as soon +as possible; and with this view they sailed slowly along the coast, +till, perceiving a great deal of smoke at a distance, they rowed towards +it as fast as they were able, in hopes of finding men, and water, of +course. When they came near the shore, they found it so steep, +so full of rocks, and the sea beating over them with such fury, that +it was impossible to land. Six of the men, however, trusting to +their skill in swimming, threw themselves into the sea and resolved +to get on shore at any rate, which with great difficulty and danger +they at last effected, the boat remaining at anchor in twenty-five fathoms +water. The men on shore spent the whole day in looking for water; +and while they were thus employed, they saw four men, who came up very +near; but one of the Dutch sailors advancing towards them, they immediately +ran away as fast as they were able, so that they were distinctly seen +by those in the boat. These people were black savages, quite naked, +not having so much as any covering about their middle. The sailors, +finding no hopes of water on all the coast, swam on board again, much +hurt and wounded by their being beat by the waves upon the rocks; and +as soon as they were on board, they weighed anchor, and continued their +course along the shore, in hopes of finding some better landing-place.</p> +<p>On the 25th, in the morning, they discovered a cape, from the point +of which there ran a ridge of rocks a mile into the sea, and behind +it another ridge of rocks. They ventured between them, as the +sea was pretty calm; but finding there was no passage, they soon returned. +About noon they saw another opening, and the sea being still very smooth, +they entered it, though the passage was very dangerous, inasmuch as +they had but two feet water, and the bottom full of stones, the coast +appearing a flat sand for about a mile. As soon as they got on +shore they fell to digging in the sand, but the water that came into +their wells was so brackish that they could not drink it, though they +were on the very point of choking for thirst. At last, in the +hollows of the rocks, they met with considerable quantities of rainwater, +which was a great relief to them, since they had been for some days +at no better allowance than a pint a-piece. They soon furnished +themselves in the night with about eighty gallons, perceiving, in the +place where they landed, that the savages had been there lately, by +a large heap of ashes and the remains of some cray-fish.</p> +<p>On the 16th, in the morning, they returned on shore, in hopes of +getting more water, but were disappointed; and having now time to observe +the country, it gave them no great hopes of better success, even if +they had travelled farther within land, which appeared a thirsty, barren +plain, covered with ant-hills, so high that they looked afar off like +the huts of negroes; and at the same time they were plagued with flies, +and those in such multitudes that they were scarce able to defend themselves. +They saw at a distance eight savages, with each a staff in his hand, +who advanced towards them within musket-shot; but as soon as they perceived +the Dutch sailors moving towards them, they fled as fast as they were +able. It was by this time about noon, and, perceiving no appearance +either of getting water, or entering into any correspondence with the +natives, they resolved to go on board and continue their course towards +the north, in hopes, as they were already in the latitude of 22 degrees +17 minutes, they might be able to find the river of Jacob Remmescens; +but the wind veering about to the north-east, they were not able to +continue longer upon that coast, and therefore reflecting that they +were now above one hundred miles from the place where they were shipwrecked, +and had scarce as much water as would serve them in their passage back, +they came to a settled resolution of making the best of their way to +Batavia, in order to acquaint the Governor-General with their misfortunes, +and to obtain such assistance as was necessary to get their people off +the coast.</p> +<p>On the 17th they continued their course to the north-east, with a +good wind and fair weather; the 18th and 19th it blew hard, and they +had much rain; on the 20th they found themselves in 19 degrees 22 minutes; +on the 22nd they had another observation, and found themselves in the +height of 16 degrees 10 minutes, which surprised them very much, and +was a plain proof that the current carried them northwards at a great +rate; on the 27th it rained very hard, so that they were not able to +take an observation; but towards noon they saw, to their great satisfaction, +the coasts of Java, in the latitude of 8 degrees, at the distance of +about four or five miles. They altered their course to west-north-west, +and towards evening entered the gulf of an island very full of trees, +where they anchored in eight fathoms water, and there passed the night; +on the 28th, in the morning, they weighed, and rowed with all their +force, in order to make the land, that they might search for water, +being now again at the point of perishing for thirst. Very happily +for them, they were no sooner on shore than they discovered a fine rivulet +at a small distance, where, having comfortably quenched their thirst, +and filled all their casks with water, they about noon continued their +course for Batavia.</p> +<p>On the 29th, about midnight, in the second watch, they discovered +an island, which they left on their starboard. About noon they +found themselves in the height of 6 degrees 48 minutes. About +three in the afternoon they passed between two islands, the westernmost +of which appeared full of cocoa trees. In the evening they were +about a mile from the south point of Java, and in the second watch exactly +between Java and the Isle of Princes. The 30th, in the morning, +they found themselves on the coast of the last-mentioned island, not +being able to make above two miles that day. On July 1st the weather +was calm, and about noon they were three leagues from Dwaersindenwegh, +that is, Thwart-the-way Island; but towards the evening they had a pretty +brisk wind at north-west, which enabled them to gain that coast. +On the 2nd, in the morning, they were right against the island of Topershoetien, +and were obliged to lie at anchor till eleven o’clock, waiting +for the sea-breeze, which, however, blew so faintly that they were not +able to make above two miles that day. About sunset they perceived +a vessel between them and Thwart-the-way Island, upon which they resolved +to anchor as near the shore as they could that night, and there wait +the arrival of the ship. In the morning they went on board her, +in hopes of procuring arms for their defence, in case the inhabitants +of Java were at war with the Dutch. They found two other ships +in company, on board one of which was Mr. Ramburg, counsellor of the +Indies. Captain Pelsart went immediately on board his ship, where +he acquainted him with the nature of his misfortune, and went with him +afterwards to Batavia.</p> +<p>We will now leave the captain soliciting succours from the Governor-General, +in order to return to the crew who were left upon the islands, among +whom there happened such transactions as, in their condition, the reader +would little expect, and perhaps will hardly credit! In order +to their being thoroughly understood, it is necessary to observe that +they had for supercargo one Jerom Cornelis, who had been formerly an +apothecary at Harlem. This man, when they were on the coast of +Africa, had plotted with the pilot and some others to run away with +the vessel, and either to carry her into Dunkirk, or to turn pirates +in her on their own account. This supercargo had remained ten +days on board the wreck, not being able in all that time to get on shore. +Two whole days he spent on the mainmast, floating to and fro, till at +last, by the help of one of the yards, he got to land. When he +was once on shore, the command, in the absence of Captain Pelsart, devolved +of course upon him, which immediately revived in his mind his old design, +insomuch that he resolved to lay hold of this opportunity to make himself +master of all that could be saved out of the wreck, conceiving that +it would be easy to surprise the captain on his return, and determining +to go on the account—that is to say, to turn pirate in the captain’s +vessel. In order to carry this design into execution, he thought +necessary to rid themselves of such of the crew as were not like to +come into their scheme; but before he proceeded to dip his hands in +blood, he obliged all the conspirators to sign an instrument, by which +they engaged to stand by each other.</p> +<p>The whole ship’s company were on shore in three islands, the +greatest part of them in that where Cornelis was, which island they +thought fit to call the burying-place of Batavia. One Mr. Weybhays +was sent with another body into an adjacent island to look for water, +which, after twenty days’ search, he found, and made the appointed +signal by lighting three fires, which, however, were not seen nor taken +notice of by those under the command of Cornelis, because they were +busy in butchering their companions, of whom they had murdered between +thirty and forty; but some few, however, got off upon a raft of planks +tied together, and went to the island where Mr. Weybhays was, in order +to acquaint him with the dreadful accident that had happened. +Mr. Weybhays having with him forty-five men, they all resolved to stand +upon their guard, and to defend themselves to the last man, in case +these villains should attack them. This indeed was their design, +for they were apprehensive both of this body, and of those who were +on the third island, giving notice to the captain on his return, and +thereby preventing their intention of running away with his vessel. +But as this third company was by much the weakest, they began with them +first, and cut them all off, except five women and seven children, not +in the least doubting that they should be able to do as much by Weybhays +and his company. In the meantime, having broke open the merchant’s +chests, which had been saved out of the wreck, they converted them to +their own use without ceremony.</p> +<p>The traitor, Jerom Cornelis, was so much elevated with the success +that had hitherto attended his villainy, that he immediately began to +fancy all difficulties were over, and gave a loose to his vicious inclinations +in every respect. He ordered clothes to be made of rich stuffs +that had been saved, for himself and his troop, and having chosen out +of them a company of guards, he ordered them to have scarlet coats, +with a double lace of gold or silver. There were two minister’s +daughters among the women, one of whom he took for his own mistress, +gave the second to a favourite of his, and ordered that the other three +women should be common to the whole troop. He afterwards drew +up a set of regulations, which were to be the laws of his new principality, +taking to himself the style and title of Captain-General, and obliging +his party to sign an act, or instrument, by which they acknowledged +him as such. These points once settled, he resolved to carry on +the war. He first of all embarked on board two shallops twenty-two +men, well armed, with orders to destroy Mr. Weybhays and his company; +and on their miscarrying, he undertook a like expedition with thirty-seven +men, in which, however, he had no better success; for Mr. Weybhays, +with his people, though armed only with staves with nails drove into +their heads, advanced even into the water to meet them, and after a +brisk engagement compelled these murderers to retire.</p> +<p>Cornelis then thought fit to enter into a negotiation, which was +managed by the chaplain, who remained with Mr. Weybhays, and after several +comings and goings from one party to the other, a treaty was concluded +upon the following terms—viz., That Mr. Weybhays and his company +should for the future remain undisturbed, provided they delivered up +a little boat, in which one of the sailors had made his escape from +the island in which Cornelis was with his gang, in order to take shelter +on that where Weybhays was with his company. It was also agreed +that the latter should have a part of the stuffs and silks given them +for clothes, of which they stood in great want. But, while this +affair was in agitation, Cornelis took the opportunity of the correspondence +between them being restored, to write letters to some French soldiers +that were in Weybhays’s company, promising them six thousand livres +apiece if they would comply with his demands, not doubting but by this +artifice he should be able to accomplish his end.</p> +<p>His letters, however, had no effect; on the contrary, the soldiers +to whom they were directed carried them immediately to Mr. Weybhays. +Cornelis, not knowing that this piece of treachery was discovered, went +over the next morning, with three or four of his people, to carry to +Mr. Weybhays the clothes that had been promised him. As soon as +they landed, Weybhays attacked them, killed two or three, and made Cornelis +himself prisoner. One Wonterloss, who was the only man that made +his escape, went immediately back to the conspirators, put himself at +their head, and came the next day to attack Weybhays, but met with the +same fate as before—that is to say, he and the villains that were +with him were soundly beat.</p> +<p>Things were in this situation when Captain Pelsart arrived in the +<i>Sardam</i> frigate. He sailed up to the wreck, and saw with +great joy a cloud of smoke ascending from one of the islands, by which +he knew that all his people were not dead. He came immediately +to an anchor, and having ordered some wine and provisions to be put +into the skiff, resolved to go in person with these refreshments to +one of these islands. He had hardly quitted the ship before he +was boarded by a boat from the island to which he was going. There +were four men in the boat, of whom Weybhays was one, who immediately +ran to the captain, told him what had happened, and begged him to return +to his ship immediately, for that the conspirators intended to surprise +her, that they had already murdered 125 persons, and that they had attacked +him and his company that very morning with two shallops.</p> +<p>While they were talking the two shallops appeared; upon which the +captain rowed to his ship as fast as he could, and was hardly got on +board before they arrived at the ship’s side. The captain +was surprised to see men in red coats laced with gold and silver, with +arms in their hands. He demanded what they meant by coming on +board armed. They told him he should know when they were on board +the ship. The captain replied that they should come on board, +but that they must first throw their arms into the sea, which if they +did not do immediately, he would sink them as they lay. As they +saw that disputes were to no purpose, and that they were entirely in +the captain’s power, they were obliged to obey. They accordingly +threw their arms overboard, and were then taken into the vessel, where +they were instantly put in irons. One of them, whose name was +John Bremen, and who was first examined, owned that he had murdered +with his own hands, or had assisted in murdering, no less than twenty-seven +persons. The same evening Weybhays brought his prisoner Cornelis +on board, where he was put in irons and strictly guarded.</p> +<p>On the 18th of September, Captain Pelsart, with the master, went +to take the rest of the conspirators in Cornelis’s island. +They went in two boats. The villains, as soon as they saw them +land, lost all their courage, and fled from them. They surrendered +without a blow, and were put in irons with the rest. The captain’s +first care was to recover the jewels which Cornelis had dispersed among +his accomplices: they were, however, all of them soon found, except +a gold chain and a diamond ring; the latter was also found at last, +but the former could not be recovered. They went next to examine +the wreck, which they found staved into an hundred pieces; the keel +lay on a bank of sand on one side, the fore part of the vessel stuck +fast on a rock, and the rest of her lay here and there as the pieces +had been driven by the waves, so that Captain Pelsart had very little +hopes of saving any of the merchandise. One of the people belonging +to Weybhays’s company told him that one fair day, which was the +only one they had in a month, as he was fishing near the wreck, he had +struck the pole in his hand against one of the chests of silver, which +revived the captain a little, as it gave him reason to expect that something +might still be saved. They spent all the 19th in examining the +rest of the prisoners, and in confronting them with those who escaped +from the massacre.</p> +<p>On the 20th they sent several kinds of refreshments to Weybhays’s +company, and carried a good quantity of water from the isle. There +was something very singular in finding this water; the people who were +on shore there had subsisted near three weeks on rainwater, and what +lodged in the clefts of the rocks, without thinking that the water of +two wells which were on the island could be of any use, because they +saw them constantly rise and fall with the tide, from whence they fancied +they had a communication within the sea, and consequently that the water +must be brackish; but upon trial they found it to be very good, and +so did the ship’s company, who filled their casks with it.</p> +<p>On the 21st the tide was so low, and an east-south-east wind blew +so hard, that during the whole day the boat could not get out. +On the 22nd they attempted to fish upon the wreck, but the weather was +so bad that even those who could swim very well durst not approach it. +On the 25th the master and the pilot, the weather being fair, went off +again to the wreck, and those who were left on shore, observing that +they wanted hands to get anything out of her, sent off some to assist +them. The captain went also himself to encourage the men, who +soon weighed one chest of silver, and some time after another. +As soon as these were safe ashore they returned to their work, but the +weather grew so bad that they were quickly obliged to desist, though +some of their divers from Guzarat assured them they had found six more, +which might easily be weighed. On the 26th, in the afternoon, +the weather being fair, and the tide low, the master returned to the +place where the chests lay, and weighed three of them, leaving an anchor +with a gun tied to it, and a buoy, to mark the place where the fourth +lay, which, notwithstanding their utmost efforts, they were not able +to recover.</p> +<p>On the 27th, the south wind blew very cold. On the 28th the +same wind blew stronger than the day before; and as there was no possibility +of fishing in the wreck for the present, Captain Pelsart held a council +to consider what they should do with the prisoners: that is to say, +whether it would be best to try them there upon the spot, or to carry +them to Batavia, in order to their being tried by the Company’s +officers. After mature deliberation, reflecting on the number +of prisoners, and the temptation that might arise from the vast quantity +of silver on board the frigate, they at last came to a resolution to +try and execute them there, which was accordingly done; and they embarked +immediately afterwards for Batavia.</p> +<h3>REMARKS.</h3> +<p>This voyage was translated from the original Dutch by Thevenot, and +printed by him in the first volume of his collections. Pelsart’s +route is traced in the map of the globe published by Delisle in the +year 1700.</p> +<p>As this voyage is of itself very short, I shall not detain the reader +with many remarks; but shall confine myself to a very few observations, +in order to show the consequences of the discovery made by Captain Pelsart. +The country upon which he suffered shipwreck was New Holland, the coast +of which had not till then been at all examined, and it was doubtful +how far it extended. There had indeed been some reports spread +with relation to the inhabitants of this country, which Captain Pelsart’s +relation shows to have been false; for it had been reported that when +the Dutch East India Company sent some ships to make discoveries, their +landing was opposed by a race of gigantic people, with whom the Dutch +could by no means contend. But our author says nothing of the +extraordinary size of the savages that were seen by Captain Pelsart’s +people; from whence it is reasonable to conclude that this story was +circulated with no other view than to prevent other nations from venturing +into these seas. It is also remarkable that this is the very coast +surveyed by Captain Dampier, whose account agrees exactly with that +contained in this voyage. Now though it be true, that from all +these accounts there is nothing said which is much to the advantage +either of the country or its inhabitants, yet we are to consider that +it is impossible to represent either in a worse light than that in which +the Cape of Good Hope was placed, before the Dutch took possession of +it; and plainly demonstrated that industry could make a paradise of +what was a perfect purgatory while in the hands of the Hottentots. +If, therefore, the climate of this country be good, and the soil fruitful, +both of which were affirmed in this relation, there could not be a more +proper place for a colony than some part of New Holland, or of the adjacent +country of Carpentaria. I shall give my reasons for asserting +this when I come to make my remarks on a succeeding voyage. At +present I shall confine myself to the reasons that have induced the +Dutch East India Company to leave all these countries unsettled, after +having first shown so strong an inclination to discover them, which +will oblige me to lay before the reader some secrets in commerce that +have hitherto escaped common observation, and which, whenever they are +as thoroughly considered as they deserve, will undoubtedly lead us to +as great discoveries as those of Columbus or Magellan.</p> +<p>In order to make myself perfectly understood, I must observe that +it was the finding out of the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, by the Portuguese, +that raised that spirit of discovery which produced Columbus’s +voyage, which ended in finding America; though in fact Columbus intended +rather to reach this country of New Holland. The assertion is +bold, and at first sight may appear improbable; but a little attention +will make it so plain, that the reader must be convinced of the truth +of what I say. The proposition made by Columbus to the State of +Genoa, the Kings of Portugal, Spain, England, and France, was this, +that he could discover a new route to the East Indies; that is to say, +without going round the Cape of Good Hope. He grounded this proposition +on the spherical figure of the earth, from whence he thought it self-evident +that any given point might be sailed to through the great ocean, either +by steering east or west. In his attempt to go to the East Indies +by a west course, he met with the islands and continent of America; +and finding gold and other commodities, which till then had never been +brought from the Indies, he really thought that this was the west coast +of that country to which the Portuguese sailed by the Cape of Good Hope, +and hence came the name of the West Indies. Magellan, who followed +his steps, and was the only discoverer who reasoned systematically, +and knew what he was doing, proposed to the Emperor Charles V. to complete +what Columbus had begun, and to find a passage to the Moluccas by the +west; which, to his immortal honour, he accomplished.</p> +<p>When the Dutch made their first voyages to the East Indies, which +was not many years before Captain Pelsart’s shipwreck on the coast +of New Holland, for their first fleet arrived in the East Indies in +1596, and Pelsart lost his ship in 1629—I say, when the Dutch +first undertook the East India trade, they had the Spice Islands in +view: and as they are a nation justly famous for the steady pursuit +of whatever they take in hand, it is notorious that they never lost +sight of their design till they had accomplished it, and made themselves +entirely masters of these islands, of which they still continue in possession. +When this was done, and they had effectually driven out the English, +who were likewise settled in them, they fixed the seat of their government +in the island of Amboyna, which lay very convenient for the discovery +of the southern countries; which, therefore, they prosecuted with great +diligence from the year 1619 to the time of Captain Pelsart’s +shipwreck; that is, for the space of twenty years.</p> +<p>But after they removed the seat of their government from Amboyna +to Batavia, they turned their views another way, and never made any +voyage expressly for discoveries on that side, except the single one +of Captain Tasman, of which we are to speak presently. It was +from this period of time that they began to take new measures, and having +made their excellent settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, resolved to +govern their trade to the East Indies by these two capital maxims: 1. +To extend their trade all over the Indies, and to fix themselves so +effectually in the richest countries as to keep all, or at least the +best and most profitable part of, their commerce to themselves; 2. +To make the Moluccas, and the islands dependent on them, their frontier, +and to omit nothing that should appear necessary to prevent strangers, +or even Dutch ships not belonging to the Company, from ever navigating +those seas, and consequently from ever being acquainted with the countries +that lie in them. How well they have prosecuted the first maxim +has been very largely shown in a foregoing article, wherein we have +an ample description of the mighty empire in the hands of their East +India Company. As for the second maxim, the reader, in the perusal +of Funnel’s, Dampier’s, and other voyages, but especially +the first, must be satisfied that it is what they have constantly at +heart, and which, at all events, they are determined to pursue, at least +with regard to strangers; and as to their own countrymen, the usage +they gave to James le Maire and his people is a proof that cannot be +contested.</p> +<p>Those things being considered, it is very plain that the Dutch, or +rather the Dutch East India Company, are fully persuaded that they have +already as munch or more territory in the East Indies than they can +well manage, and therefore they neither do nor ever will think of settling +New Guinea, Carpentaria, New Holland, or any of the adjacent islands, +till either their trade declines in the East Indies, or they are obliged +to exert themselves on this side to prevent other nations from reaping +the benefits that might accrue to them by their planting those countries. +But this is not all; for as the Dutch have no thoughts of settling these +countries themselves, they have taken all imaginable pains to prevent +any relations from being published which might invite or encourage any +other nation to make attempts this way; and I am thoroughly persuaded +that this very account of Captain Pelsart’s shipwreck would never +have come into the world if it had not been thought it would contribute +to this end, or, in other words, would serve to frighten other nations +from approaching such an inhospitable coast, everywhere beset with rocks +absolutely void of water, and inhabited by a race of savages more barbarous, +and, at the same time, more miserable than any other creatures in the +world.</p> +<p>The author of this voyage remarks, for the use of seamen, that in +the little island occupied by Weybhays, after digging two pits, they +were for a considerable time afraid to use the water, having found that +these pits ebbed and flowed with the sea; but necessity at last constraining +them to drink it, they found it did them no hurt. The reason of +the ebbing and flowing of these pits was their nearness to the sea, +the water of which percolated through the sand, lost its saltness, and +so became potable, though it followed the motions of the ocean whence +it came.</p> +<h2>THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ABEL JANSEN TASMAN FOR THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTHERN +COUNTRIES. 1642-43.</h2> +<p>By direction of the Dutch East India Company. [Taken from his +original Journal.]</p> +<h3>CHAPTER I: THE OCCASION AND DESIGN OF THIS VOYAGE.</h3> +<p>The great discoveries that were made by the Dutch in these southern +countries were subsequent to the famous voyage of Jaques le Maire, who +in 1616 passed the straits called by his name; in 1618, that part of +Terra Australia was discovered which the Dutch called Concordia. +The next year, the Land of Edels was found, and received its name from +its discoverer. In 1620, Batavia was built on the ruins of the +old city of Jacatra; but the seat of government was not immediately +removed from Amboyna. In 1622, that part of New Holland which +is called Lewin’s Land was first found; and in 1627, Peter Nuyts +discovered between New Holland and New Guinea a country which bears +his name. There were also some other voyages made, of which, however, +we have no sort of account, except that the Dutch were continually beaten +in all their attempts to land upon this coast. On their settlement, +however, at Batavia, the then general and council of the Indies thought +it requisite to have a more perfect survey made of the new-found countries, +that the memory of them at least might be preserved, in case no further +attempts were made to settle them; and it was very probably a foresight +of few ships going that route any more, which induced such as had then +the direction of the Company’s affairs to wish that some such +survey and description might be made by an able seaman, who was well +acquainted with those coasts, and who might be able to add to the discoveries +already made, as well as furnish a more accurate description, even of +them, than had been hitherto given.</p> +<p>This was faithfully performed by Captain Tasman; and from the lights +afforded by his journal, a very exact and curious map was made of all +these new countries. But his voyage was never published entire; +and it is very probable that the East India Company never intended it +should be published at all. However, Dirk Rembrantz, moved by +the excellency and accuracy of the work, published in Low Dutch an extract +of Captain Tasman’s Journal, which has been ever since considered +as a very great curiosity; and, as such, has been translated into many +languages, particularly into our own, by the care of the learned Professor +of Gresham College, Doctor Hook, an abridgment of which translation +found a place in Doctor Harris’s Collection of Voyages. +But we have made no use of either of these pieces, the following being +a new translation, made with all the care and diligence that is possible.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER II: CAPTAIN TASMAN SAILS FROM BATAVIA, AUGUST 14, 1642.</h3> +<p>On August 14, 1642, I sailed from Batavia with two vessels; the one +called the <i>Heemskirk</i>, and the other the <i>Zee-Haan</i>. +On September 5 I anchored at Maurice Island, in the latitude of 20 degrees +south, and in the longitude of 83 degrees 48 minutes. I found +this island fifty German miles more to the east than I expected; that +is to say, 3 degrees 33 minutes of longitude. This island was +so called from Prince Maurice, being before known by the name of Cerne. +It is about fifteen leagues in circumference, and has a very fine harbour, +at the entrance of which there is one hundred fathoms water. The +country is mountainous; but the mountains are covered with green trees. +The tops of these mountains are so high that they are lost in the clouds, +and are frequently covered by thick exhalations or smoke that ascends +from them. The air of this island is extremely wholesome. +It is well furnished with flesh and fowl; and the sea on its coasts +abounds with all sorts of fish. The finest ebony in the world +grows here. It is a tall, straight tree of a moderate thickness, +covered with a green bark, very thick, under which the wood is as black +as pitch, and as close as ivory. There are other trees on the +island, which are of a bright red, and a third sort as yellow as wax. +The ships belonging to the East India Company commonly touch at this +island for refreshments on their passage to Batavia.</p> +<p>I left this island on the 8th of October, and continued my course +to the south to the latitude of 40 degrees or 41 degrees, having a strong +north-west wind; and finding the needle vary 23, 24, and 25 degrees +to the 22nd of October, I sailed from that time to the 29th to the east, +inclining a little to the south, till I arrived in the latitude of 45 +degrees 47 minutes south, and in the longitude of 89 degrees 44 minutes; +and then observed the variation of the needle to be 26 degrees 45 minutes +towards the west.</p> +<p>As our author was extremely careful in this particular, and observed +the variation of the needle with the utmost diligence, it may not be +amiss to take this opportunity of explaining this point, so that the +importance of his remarks may sufficiently appear. The needle +points exactly north only in a few places, and perhaps not constantly +in them; but in most it declines a little to the east, or to the west, +whence arises eastern and western declination: when this was first observed, +it was attributed to certain excavations or hollows in the earth, to +veins of lead, stone, and other such-like causes. But when it +was found by repeated experiments that this variation varied, it appeared +plainly that none of those causes could take place; since if they had, +the variation in the same place must always have been the same, whereas +the fact is otherwise.</p> +<p>Here at London, for instance, in the year 1580, the variation was +observed to be 11 degrees 17 minutes to the east; in the year 1666, +the variation was here 34 minutes to the west; and in the year 1734, +the variation was somewhat more than 1 degree west. In order to +find the variation of the needle with the least error possible, the +seamen take this method: they observe the point the sun is in by the +compass, any time after its rising, and then take the altitude of the +sun; and in the afternoon they observe when the sun comes to the same +altitude, and observe the point the sun is then in by the compass; for +the middle, between these two, is the true north or south point of the +compass; and the difference between that and the north or south upon +the card, which is pointed out by the needle, is the variation of the +compass, and shows how much the north and south, given by the compass, +deviates from the true north and south points of the horizon. +It appears clearly, from what has been said, that in order to arrive +at the certain knowledge of the variation, and of the variation of that +variation of the compass, it is absolutely requisite to have from time +to time distinct accounts of the variation as it is observed in different +places: whence the importance of Captain Tasman’s remarks, in +this respect, sufficiently appears. It is true that the learned +and ingenious Dr. Halley has given a very probable account of this matter; +but as the probability of that account arises only from its agreement +with observations, it follows those are as necessary and as important +as ever, in order to strengthen and confirm it.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER III: REMARKS ON THE VARIATION OF THE NEEDLE.</h3> +<p>On the 6th of November, I was in 49 degrees 4 minutes south latitude, +and in the longitude of 114 degrees 56 minutes; the variation was at +this time 26 degrees westward; and, as the weather was foggy, with hard +gales, and a rolling sea from the south-west and from the south, I concluded +from thence that it was not at all probable there should be any land +between those two points. On November 15th I was in the latitude +of 44 degrees 33 minutes south, and in the longitude of 140 degrees +32 minutes. The variation was then 18 degrees 30 minutes west, +which variation decreased every day, in such a manner, that, on the +21st of the same month, being in the longitude of 158 degrees, I observed +the variation to be no more than 4 degrees. On the 22nd of that +month, the needle was in continual agitation, without resting in any +of the eight points; which led me to conjecture that we were near some +mine of loadstone.</p> +<p>This may, at first sight, seem to contradict what has been before +laid down, as to the variation, and the causes of it: but, when strictly +considered, they will be found to agree very well; for when it is asserted +that veins of loadstone have nothing to do with the variation of the +compass, it is to be understood of the constant variation of a few degrees +to the east, or to the west: but in cases of this nature, where the +variation is absolutely irregular, and the needle plays quite round +the compass, our author’s conjecture may very well find place: +yet it must be owned that it is a point far enough from being clear, +that mines of loadstone affect the compass at a distance; which, however, +might be very easily determined, since there are large mines of loadstone +in the island of Elba, on the coast of Tuscany.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IV: HE DISCOVERS A NEW COUNTRY TO WHICH HE GIVES THE NAME +OF VAN DIEMEN’S LAND.</h3> +<p>On the 24th of the same month, being in the latitude of 42 degrees +25 minutes south, and in the longitude of 163 degrees 50 minutes, I +discovered land, which lay east-south-east at the distance of ten miles, +which I called Van Diemen’s Land. The compass pointed right +towards this land. The weather being bad, I steered south and +by east along the coast, to the height of 44 degrees south, where the +land runs away east, and afterwards north-east and by north. In +the latitude of 43 degrees 10 minutes south, and in the longitude of +167 degrees 55 minutes, I anchored on the 1st of December, in a bay, +which I called the Bay of Frederic Henry. I heard, or at least +fancied I heard, the sound of people upon the shore; but I saw nobody. +All I met with worth observing was two trees, which were two fathoms +or two fathoms and a half in girth, and sixty or sixty-five feet high +from the root to the branches: they had cut with a flint a kind of steps +in the bark, in order to climb up to the birds’ nests: these steps +were the distance of five feet from each other; so that we must conclude +that either these people are of a prodigious size, or that they have +some way of climbing trees that we are not used to; in one of the trees +the steps were so fresh, that we judged they could not have been cut +above four days.</p> +<p>The noise we heard resembled the noise of some sort of trumpet; it +seemed to be at no great distance, but we saw no living creature notwithstanding. +I perceived also in the sand the marks of wild beasts’ feet, resembling +those of a tiger, or some such creature; I gathered also some gum from +the trees, and likewise some lack. The tide ebbs and flows there +about three feet. The trees in this country do not grow very close, +nor are they encumbered with bushes or underwood. I observed smoke +in several places; however, we did nothing more than set up a post, +on which every one cut his name, or his mark, and upon which I hoisted +a flag. I observed that in this place the variation was changed +to 3 degrees eastward. On December 5th, being then, by observation, +in the latitude of 41 degrees 34 minutes, and in the longitude 169 degrees, +I quitted Van Diemen’s Land, and resolved to steer east to the +longitude of 195 degrees, in hopes of discovering the Islands of Solomon.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER V: SAILS FROM THENCE FOR NEW ZEALAND.</h3> +<p>On September 9th I was in the latitude of 42 degrees 37 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 176 degrees 29 minutes; the variation being +there 5 degrees to the east. On the 12th of the same month, finding +a great rolling sea coming in on the south-west, I judged there was +no land to be hoped for on that point. On the 13th, being in the +latitude of 42 degrees 10 minutes south, and in the longitude of 188 +degrees 28 minutes, I found the variation 7 degrees 30 minutes eastward. +In this situation I discovered a high mountainous country, which is +at present marked in the charts under the name of New Zealand. +I coasted along the shore of this country to the north-north-east till +the 18th; and being then in the latitude of 40 degrees 50 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 191 degrees 41 minutes, I anchored in a fine +bay, where I observed the variation to be 9 degrees towards the east.</p> +<p>We found here abundance of the inhabitants: they had very hoarse +voices, and were very large-made people. They durst not approach +the ship nearer than a stone’s throw; and we often observed them +playing on a kind of trumpet, to which we answered with the instruments +that were on board our vessel. These people were of a colour between +brown and yellow, their hair long, and almost as thick as that of the +Japanese, combed up, and fixed on the top of their heads with a quill, +or some such thing, that was thickest in the middle, in the very same +manner that Japanese fastened their hair behind their heads. These +people cover the middle of their bodies, some with a kind of mat, others +with a sort of woollen cloth, but, as for their upper and lower parts, +they leave them altogether naked.</p> +<p>On the 19th of December, these savages began to grow a little bolder, +and more familiar, insomuch that at last they ventured on board the +<i>Heemskirk</i> in order to trade with those in the vessel. As +soon as I perceived it, being apprehensive that they might attempt to +surprise that ship, I sent my shallop, with seven men, to put the people +in the <i>Heemskirk</i> upon their guard, and to direct them not to +place any confidence in those people. My seven men, being without +arms, were attacked by these savages, who killed three of the seven, +and forced the other four to swim for their lives, which occasioned +my giving that place the name of the Bay of Murderers. Our ship’s +company would, undoubtedly, have taken a severe revenge, if the rough +weather had not hindered them. From this bay we bore away east, +having the land in a manner all round us. This country appeared +to us rich, fertile, and very well situated, but as the weather was +very foul, and we had at this time a very strong west wind, we found +it very difficult to get clear of the land.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VI: VISITS THE ISLAND OF THE THREE KINGS, AND GOES IN SEARCH +OF OTHER ISLANDS DISCOVERED BY SCHOVTEN.</h3> +<p>On the 24th of December, as the wind would not permit us to continue +our way to the north, as we knew not whether we should be able to find +a passage on that side, and as the flood came in from the south-east, +we concluded that it would be the best to return into the bay, and seek +some other way out, but on the 26th, the wind becoming more favourable, +we continued our route to the north, turning a little to the west. +On the 4th of January, 1643, being then in the latitude of 34 degrees +35 minutes south, and in the longitude of 191 degrees 9 minutes, we +sailed quite to the cape, which lies north-west, where we found the +sea rolling in from the north-east, whence we concluded that we had +at last found a passage, which gave us no small joy. There was +in this strait an island, which we called the island of the Three Kings; +the cape of which we doubled, with a design to have refreshed ourselves; +but, as we approached it, we perceived on the mountain thirty or five-and-thirty +persons, who, as far as we could discern at such a distance, were men +of very large size, and had each of them a large club in his hand: they +called out to us in a rough strong voice, but we could meet understand +anything of what they said. We observed that these people walked +at a very great rate, and that they took prodigious large strides. +We made the tour of the island, in doing which we saw but very few inhabitants; +nor did any of the country seem to be cultivated; we found, indeed, +a fresh-water river, and then we resolved to sail east, as far as 220 +degrees of longitude; and from thence north, as far as the latitude +of 17 degrees south; and thence to the west, till we arrived at the +isles of Cocos and Horne, which were discovered by William Schovten, +where we intended to refresh ourselves, in case we found no opportunity +of doing it before, for though we had actually landed on Van Diemen’s +Land, we met with nothing there; and, as for New Zealand, we never set +foot on it.</p> +<p>In order to render this passage perfectly intelligible it is necessary +to observe that the island of Cocos lies in the latitude of 15 degrees +10 minutes south; and, according to Schovten’s account, is well +inhabited, and well cultivated, abounding with all sorts of refreshments; +but, at the same time, he describes the people as treacherous and base +to the last degree. As for the islands of Horne, they lie nearly +in the latitude of 15 degrees, are extremely fruitful, and inhabited +by people of a kind and gentle disposition, who readily bestowed on +the Hollanders whatever refreshments they could ask. It was no +wonder, therefore, that, finding themselves thus distressed, Captain +Tasman thought of repairing to these islands, where he was sure of obtaining +refreshments, either by fair means or otherwise, which design, however, +he did not think fit to put in execution.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VII: REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES IN THE VOYAGE.</h3> +<p>On the 8th of January, being in the latitude of 30 degrees 25 minutes +south, and in the longitude of 192 degrees 20 minutes, we observed the +variation of the needle to be 90 degrees towards the east, and as we +had a high rolling sea from the south-west, I conjectured there could +not be any land hoped for on that side. On the 12th we found ourselves +in 30 degrees 5 minutes south latitude, and in 195 degrees 27 minutes +of longitude, where we found the variation 9 degrees 30 minutes to the +east, a rolling sea from the south-east and from the south-west. +It is very plain, from these observations, that the position laid down +by Dr. Halley, that the motion of the needle is not governed by the +poles of the world, but by other poles, which move round them, is highly +probable, for otherwise it is not easy to understand how the needle +came to have, as our author affirms it had, a variation of near 27 degrees +to the west, in the latitude of 45 degrees 47 minutes, and then gradually +decreasing till it had no variation at all; after which it turned east, +in the latitude of 42 degrees 37 minutes, and so continued increasing +its variation eastwardly to this time.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII: OBSERVATIONS ON, AND EXPLANATION OF, THE VARIATION +OF THE COMPASS.</h3> +<p>On the 16th we were in the latitude of 26 degrees 29 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 199 degrees 32 minutes, the variation of the +needle being 8 degrees. Here we are to observe that the eastern +variation decreases, which is likewise very agreeable to Doctor Halley’s +hypothesis; which, in few words, is this: that a certain large solid +body contained within, and every way separated from the earth (as having +its own proper motion), and being included like a kernel in its shell, +revolves circularly from east to west, as the exterior earth revolves +the contrary way in the diurnal motion, whence it is easy to explain +the position of the four magnetical poles which he attributes to the +earth, by allowing two to the nucleus, and two to the exterior earth. +And, as the two former perpetually alter the situation by their circular +motion, their virtue, compared with the exterior poles, must be different +at different times, and consequently the variation of the needle will +perpetually change. The doctor attributes to the nucleus an European +north pole and an American south one, on account of the variation of +variations observed near these places, as being much greater than those +found near the two other poles. And he conjectures that these +poles will finish their revolution in about seven hundred years, and +after that time the same situation of the poles obtain again as at present, +and, consequently, the variations will be the same again over all the +globe; so that it requires several ages before this theory can be thoroughly +adjusted. He assigns this probable cause of the circular revolution +of the nucleus that the diurnal motion, being impressed from without, +was not so exactly communicated to the internal parts as to give them +the same precise velocity of rotation as the external, whence the nucleus, +being left behind by the exterior earth, seems to move slowly in a contrary +direction, as from east to west, with regard to the external earth, +considered as at rest in respect of the other. But to return to +our voyage.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IX: DISCOVERS A NEW ISLAND, WHICH HE CALLS PYLSTAART ISLAND.</h3> +<p>On the 19th of January, being in the latitude of 22 degrees 35 minutes +south, and in the longitude of 204 degrees 15 minutes, we had 7 degrees +30 minutes east variation. In this situation we discovered an +island about two or three miles in circumference, which was, as far +as we could discern, very high, steep, and barren. We were very +desirous of coming nearer it, but were hindered by south-east and south-south-east +winds. We called it the Isle of Pylstaart, because of the great +number of that sort of birds we saw flying about it, and the next day +we saw two other islands.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER X: AND TWO ISLANDS, TO WHICH HE GIVES THE NAME OF AMSTERDAM +AND ROTTERDAM</h3> +<p>On the 21st, being in the latitude of 21 degrees 20 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 205 degrees 29 minutes, we found our variation +7 degrees to the north-east. We drew near to the coast of the +most northern island, which, though not very high, yet was the larger +of the two: we called one of these islands Amsterdam, and the other +Rotterdam. Upon that of Rotterdam we found great plenty of hogs, +fowls, and all sorts of fruits, and other refreshments. These +islanders did not seem to have the use of arms, inasmuch as we saw nothing +like them in any of their hands while we were upon the island; the usage +they gave us was fair and friendly, except that they would steal a little. +The current is not very considerable in this place, where it ebbs north-east, +and flows south-west. A south-west moon causes a spring-tide, +which rises seven or eight feet at least. The wind blows there +continually south-east, or south-south-east, which occasioned the <i>Heemskirk’s</i> +being carried out of the road, but, however, without any damage. +We did not fill any water here because it was extremely hard to get +it to the ship.</p> +<p>On the 25th we were in the latitude 20 degrees 15 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 206 degrees 19 minutes. The variation +here was 6 degrees 20 minutes to the east; and, after leaving had sight +of several other islands, we made that of Rotterdam: the islanders here +resemble those on the island of Amsterdam. The people were very +good-natured, parted readily with what they had, did not seem to be +acquainted with the use of arms, but were given to thieving like the +natives of Amsterdam Island. Here we took in water, and other +refreshments, with all the conveniency imaginable. We made the +whole circuit of the island, which we found well-stocked with cocoa-trees, +very regularly planted; we likewise saw abundance of gardens, extremely +well laid out, plentifully stocked with all kinds of fruit-trees, all +planted in straight lines, and the whole kept in such excellent order, +that nothing could have a better effect upon the eye. After quitting +the island of Rotterdam, we had sight of several other islands; which, +however, did not engage us to alter the resolution we had taken of sailing +north, to the height of 17 degrees south latitude, and from thence to +shape a west course, without going near either Traitor’s Island, +or those of Horne, we having then a very brisk wind from the south-east, +or east-south-east.</p> +<p>I cannot help remarking upon this part of Captain Tasman’s +journal, that it is not easy to conceive, unless he was bound up by +leis instructions, why he did not remain some time either at Rotterdam +or at Amsterdam Island, but especially at the former; since, perhaps, +there is not a place in the world so happily seated, for making new +discoveries with ease and safety. He owns that he traversed the +whole island, that he found it a perfect paradise, and that the people +gave him not the least cause of being diffident in point of security; +so that if his men had thrown up ever so slight a fortification, a part +of them might have remained there in safety, while the rest had attempted +the discovery of the Islands of Solomon on the one hand, or the continent +of De Quiros on the other, from neither of which they were at any great +distance, and, from his neglecting this opportunity, I take it for granted +that he was circumscribed, both as to his course and to the time he +was to employ in these discoveries, by his instructions, for otherwise +so able a seaman and so curious a man as his journal shows him to have +been, would not certainly have neglected so fair an opportunity.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XI: AND AN ARCHIPELAGO OF TWENTY SMALL ISLANDS.</h3> +<p>On February 6th, being in 17 degrees 19 minutes of south latitude, +and in the longitude of 201 degrees 35 minutes, we found ourselves embarrassed +by nineteen or twenty small islands, every one of which was surrounded +with sands, shoals, and rocks. These are marked in the charts +by the name of Prince William’s Islands, or Heemskirk’s +Shallows. On the 8th we were in the latitude of 15 degrees 29 +minutes, and in the longitude of 199 degrees 31 minutes. We had +abundance of rain, a strong wind from the north-east, or the north-north-east, +with dark cold weather. Fearing, therefore, that we were run farther +to the west than we thought ourselves by our reckoning, and dreading +that we should fall to the south of New Guinea, or be thrown upon some +unknown coast in such blowing misty weather, we resolved to stand away +to the north, or to the north-north-west, till we should arrive in the +latitude of 4, 5, or 6 degrees south, and then to bear away west for +the coast of New Guinea, as the least dangerous way that we could take.</p> +<p>It is very plain from hence, that Captain Tasman had now laid aside +all thoughts of discovering farther, and I think it is not difficult +to guess at the reason; when he was in this latitude, he was morally +certain that he could, without further difficulty, sail round by the +coast of New Guinea, and so back again to the East Indies. It +is therefore extremely probable that he was directed by his instructions +to coast round that great southern continent already discovered, in +order to arrive at a certainty whether it was joined to any other part +of the world, or whether, notwithstanding its vast extent, viz., from +the equator to 43 degrees of south latitude, and from the longitude +of 123 degrees to near 190 degrees, it was, notwithstanding, an island. +This, I say, was in all appearance the true design of his voyage, and +the reason of it seems to be this: that an exact chart being drawn from +his discoveries, the East India Company might have perfect intelligence +of the extent and situation of this now-found country before they executed +the plan they were then contriving for preventing its being visited +or farther discovered by their own or any other nation; and this too +accounts for the care taken in laying down the map of this country on +the pavement of the new stadthouse at Amsterdam; for as this county +was henceforward to remain as a kind of deposit or land of reserve in +the hands of the East India Company, they took this method of intimating +as much to their countrymen, so that, while strangers are gaping at +this map as a curiosity, every intelligent Dutchman may say to himself, +“Behold the wisdom of the East India Company. By their present +empire they support the authority of this republic abroad, and by their +extensive commerce enrich its subjects at home, and at the same time +show us here what a reserve they have made for the benefit of posterity, +whenever, through the vicissitudes to which all sublunary things are +liable, their present sources of power and grandeur shall fail.”</p> +<p>I cannot help supporting my opinion in this respect, by putting the +reader in mind of a very curious piece of ancient history, which furnishes +us with the like instance in the conduct of another republic. +Diodorus Siculus, in the fifth book of his Historical Library, informs +us that in the African Ocean, some days’ sail west from Libya, +there had been discovered an island, the soil of which was exceedingly +fertile and the country no less pleasant, all the land being finely +diversified by mountains and plains, the former thick clothed with trees, +the latter abounding with fruits and flowers, the whole watered by innumerable +rivulets, and affording so pleasant an habitation that a finer or more +delightful country fancy itself could not feign; yet he assures us, +the Carthagenians, those great masters of maritime power and commerce, +though they had discovered this admirable island, would never suffer +it to be planted, but reserved it as a sanctuary to which they might +fly, whenever the ruin of their own republic left them no other resource. +This tallies exactly with the policy of the Dutch East India Company, +who, if they should at any time be driven from their possessions in +Java, Ceylon, and other places in that neighbourhood, would without +doubt retire back into the Moluccas, and avail themselves effectually +of this noble discovery, which lies open to them, and has been hitherto +close shut up to all the world beside. But to proceed.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XII: OCCURRENCES IN THE VOYAGE.</h3> +<p>On February 14th we were in the latitude of 16 degrees 30 minutes +south, and in the longitude of 193 degrees 35 minutes. We had +hitherto had much rain and bad weather, but this day the wind sinking, +we hailed our consort the <i>Zee-Haan</i>, and found to our great satisfaction +that our reckonings agreed. On the 20th, in the latitude of 13 +degrees 45 minutes, and in the longitude of 193 degrees 35 minutes, +we had dark, cloudy weather, much rain, thick fogs, and a rolling sea, +on all sides the wind variable. On the 26th, in the latitude of +9 degrees 48 minutes south, and in the longitude of 193 degrees 43 minutes, +we had a north-west wind, having every day, for the space of twenty-one +days, rained more or less. On March 2nd, in the latitude of 9 +degrees 11 minutes south, and in the longitude of 192 degrees 46 minutes, +the variation was 10 degrees to the east, the wind and weather still +varying. On March 8th, in the latitude of 7 degrees 46 minutes +south, and in the longitude of 190 degrees 47 minutes, the wind was +still variable.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XIII: HE ARRIVES AT THE ARCHIPELAGO OF ANTHONG JAVA.</h3> +<p>On the 14th, in the latitude of 10 degrees 12 minutes south, and +in the longitude of 186 degrees 14 minutes, we found the variation 8 +degrees 45 minutes to the east. We passed some days without being +able to take any observation, because the weather was all that time +dark and rainy. On March 20th, in the latitude of 5 degrees 15 +minutes south, and in the longitude of 181 degrees 16 minutes, the weather +being then fair, we found the variation 9 degrees eastward. On +the 22nd, in the latitude of 5 degrees 2 minutes south, and in the longitude +of 178 degrees 32 minutes, we had fine fair weather, and the benefit +of the east trade wind. This day we had sight of land, which lay +four miles west. This land proved to be a cluster of twenty islands, +which in the maps are called Anthong Java. They lie ninety miles +or thereabouts from the coast of New Guinea. It may not be amiss +to observe here, that what Captain Tasman calls the coast of New Guinea, +is in reality the coast of New Britain, which Captain Dampier first +discovered to be a large island separated from the coast of New Guinea.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XIV: HIS ARRIVAL ON THE COAST OF NEW GUINEA.</h3> +<p>On the 25th, in the latitude of 4 degrees 35 minutes south, and in +the longitude of 175 degrees 10 minutes, we found the variation 9 degrees +30 minutes east. We were then in the height of the islands of +Mark, which were discovered by William Schovten and James le Maire. +They are fourteen or fifteen in number, inhabited by savages, with black +hair, dressed and trimmed in the same manner as those we saw before +at the Bay of Murderers in New Zealand. On the 29th we passed +the Green Islands, and on the 30th that of St. John, which were likewise +discovered by Schovten and Le Maire. This island they found to +be of a considerable extent, and judged it to lie at the distance of +one thousand eight hundred and forty leagues from the coast of Peru. +It appeared to them well inhabited and well cultivated, abounding with +flesh, fowl, fish, fruit, and other refreshments. The inhabitants +made use of canoes of all sizes, were armed with slings, darts, and +wooden swords, wore necklaces and bracelets of pearl, and rings in their +noses. They were, however, very intractable, notwithstanding all +the pains that could be taken to engage them in a fair correspondence, +so that Captain Schovten was at last obliged to fire upon them to prevent +them from making themselves masters of his vessel, which they attacked +with a great deal of vigour; and very probably this was the reason that +Captain Tasman did not attempt to land or make any farther discovery. +On April 1st, we were in the latitude of 4 degrees 30 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 171 degrees 2 minutes, the variation being 8 +degrees 45 minutes to the east, having now sight of the coast of New +Guinea; and endeavouring to double the cape which the Spaniards call +Cobo Santa Maria, we continued to sail along the coast which lies north-west. +We afterwards passed the islands of Antony Caens, Gardeners Island, +and Fishers Island, advancing towards the promontory called Struis Hoek, +where the coast runs south and south-east. We resolved to pursue +the same route, and to continue steering south till we should either +discover land or a passage on that side.</p> +<p>It is necessary to observe, that all this time they continued on +the coast, not of New Guinea but of New Britain, for that cape which +the Spaniards called Santa Maria is the very same that Captain Dampier +called Cape St. George, and Caens, Gardeners, and Fishers Islands all +lie upon the same coast. They had been discovered by Schovten +and Le Maire, who found them to be well inhabited, but by a very base +and treacherous people, who, after making signs of peace, attempted +to surprise their ships; and these islanders managed their slings with +such force and dexterity, as to drive the Dutch sailors from their decks; +which account of Le Maire’s agree perfectly well with what Captain +Dampier tells us of the same people. As for the continent of New +Guinea, it lies quite behind the island of New Britain, and was therefore +laid down in all the charts before Dampier’s discovery, at least +four degrees more to the east than it should have been.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XV: CONTINUES HIS VOYAGE ALONG THAT COAST.</h3> +<p>On April 12th, in the latitude of 3 degrees 45 minutes south, and +in the longitude of 167 degrees, we found the variation 10 degrees towards +the east. That night part of the crew were wakened out of their +sleep by an earthquake. They immediately ran upon deck, supposing +that the ship had struck. On heaving the lead, however, there +was no bottom to be found. We had afterwards several shocks, but +none of them so violent as the first. We had then doubled the +Struis Hoek, and were at that time in the Bay of Good Hope. On +the 14th, in the latitude of 5 degrees 27 minutes south, and in the +longitude of 166 degrees 57 minutes, we observed the variation to be +9 degrees 15 minutes to the east. The land lay then north-east, +east-north-east, and again south-south-west, so that we imagined there +had been a passage between those two points; but we were soon convinced +of our mistake, and that it was all one coast, so that we were obliged +to double the West Cape and to continue creeping along shore, and were +much hindered in our passage by calms. This description agrees +very well with that of Schovten and Le Maire, so that probably they +had now sight again of the coast of New Guinea.</p> +<p>It is very probable, from the accident that happened to Captain Tasman, +and which also happened to others upon that coast, and from the burning +mountains that will be hereafter mentioned, that this country is very +subject to earthquakes, and if so, without doubt it abounds with metals +and minerals, of which we have also another proof from a point in which +all these writers agree, viz., that the people they saw had rings on +their noses and ears, though none of them tell us of what metal these +rings were made, which Le Maire might easily have done, since he carried +off a man from one of the islands whose name was Moses, from whom he +learned that almost every nation on this coast speaks a different language.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XVI: ARRIVES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BURNING ISLAND, AND +SURVEYS THE WHOLE COAST OF NEW GUINEA.</h3> +<p>On the 20th, in the latitude of 5 degrees 4 minutes south, and in +the longitude 164 degrees 27 minutes, we found the variation 8 degrees +30 minutes east. We that night drew near the Brandande Yland, +<i>i.e</i>., burning island, which William Schovten mentions, and we +perceived a great flame issuing, as he says, from the top of a high +mountain. When we were between that island and the continent, +we saw a vast number of fires along the shore and half-way up the mountain, +from whence we concluded that the country must be very populous. +We were often detained on this coast by calms, and frequently observed +small trees, bamboos, and shrubs, which the rivers on that coast carried +into the sea; from which we inferred that this part of the country was +extremely well watered, and that the land must be very good. The +next morning we passed the burning mountain, and continued a west-north-west +course along that coast.</p> +<p>It is remarkable that Schovten had made the same observation with +respect to the driftwood forced by the rivers into the sea. He +likewise observed that there was so copious a discharge of fresh water, +that it altered the colour and the taste of the sea. He likewise +says that the burning island is extremely well peopled, and also well +cultivated. He afterwards anchored on the coast of the continent, +and endeavoured to trade with the natives, who made him pay very dear +for hogs and cocoa-nuts, and likewise showed him some ginger. +It appears from Captain Tasman’s account that he was now in haste +to return to Batavia, and did not give himself so much trouble as at +the beginning about discoveries, and to say the truth, there was no +great occasion, if, as I observed, his commission was no more than to +sail round the new discovered coasts, in order to lay them down with +greater certainty in the Dutch charts.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XVII: COMES TO THE ISLANDS OF JAMA AND MOA.</h3> +<p>On the 27th, being in the latitude of 2 degrees 10 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 146 degrees 57 minutes, we fancied that we had +a sight of the island of Moa, but it proved to be that of Jama, which +lies a little to the east of Moa. We found here great plenty of +cocoa-nuts and other refreshments. The inhabitants were absolutely +black, and could easily repeat the words that they heard others speak, +which shows their own to be a very copious language. It is, however, +exceedingly difficult to pronounce, because they make frequent use of +the letter R, and sometimes to such a degree that it occurs twice or +thrice in the same word. The next day we anchored on the coast +of the island of Moa, where we likewise found abundance of refreshments, +and where we were obliged by bad weather to stay till May 9th. +We purchased there, by way of exchange, six thousand cocoa-nuts, and +a hundred bags of pysanghs or Indian figs. When we first began +to trade with these people, one of our seamen was wounded by an arrow +that one of the natives let fly, either through malice or inadvertency. +We were at that very juncture endeavouring to bring our ships close +to the shore, which so terrified these islanders, that they brought +of their own accord on board us, the man who had shot the arrow and +left him at our mercy. We found them after this accident much +more tractable than before in every respect. Our sailors, therefore, +pulled off the iron hoops from some of the old water-casks, stuck them +into wooden handles, and filing them to an edge, sold these awkward +knives to the inhabitants for their fruits.</p> +<p>In all probability they had not forgot what happened to our people +on July 16th, 1616, in the days of William Schovten: these people, it +seems, treated him very ill; upon which James le Maire brought his ship +close to the shore, and fired a broadside through the woods; the bullets, +flying through the trees, struck the negroes with such a panic, that +they fled in an instant up into the country, and durst not show their +heads again till they had made full satisfaction for what was past, +and thereby secured their safety for the time to come; and he traded +with them afterwards very peaceably, and with mutual satisfaction.</p> +<p>This account of our author’s seems to have been taken upon +memory, and is not very exact. Schovten’s seamen, or rather +the petty officer who commanded his long boat, insulted the natives +grossly before they offered any injury to his people; and then, notwithstanding +they fired upon them with small arms, the islanders obliged them to +retreat; so that they were forced to bring the great guns to bear upon +the island before they could reduce them. These people do not +deserve to be treated as savages, because Schovten acknowledges that +they had been engaged in commerce with the Spaniards; as appeared by +their having iron pots, glass beads, and pendants, with other European +commodities, before he came thither. He also tells us that they +were a very civilised people, their country well cultivated and very +fruitful; that they had a great many boats, and other small craft, which +they navigated with great dexterity. He adds also, that they gave +him a very distinct account of the neighbouring islands, and that they +solicited him to fire upon the Arimoans, with whom it seems they are +always at war; which, however, he refused to do, unless provoked to +it by some injury offered by those people. It is therefore very +apparent that the inhabitants of Moa are a people with whom any Europeans, +settled in their neighbourhood, might without any difficulty settle +a commerce, and receive considerable assistance from them in making +discoveries. But perhaps some nations are fitter for these kind +of expeditions than others, as being less apt to make use of their artillery +and small arms upon every little dispute; for as the inhabitants of +Moa are well enough acquainted with the superiority which the Europeans +have over them, it cannot be supposed that they will ever hazard their +total destruction by committing any gross act of cruelty upon strangers +who visit their coast; and it is certainly very unfair to treat people +as savages and barbarians, merely for defending themselves when insulted +or attacked without cause. The instance Captain Tasman gives us +of their delivering up the man who wounded his sailor is a plain proof +of this; and as to the diffidence and suspicion which some later voyagers +have complained of with respect to the inhabitants of this island, they +must certainly be the effects of the bad behaviour of such Europeans +as this nation have hitherto dealt with, and would be effectually removed, +if ever they had a settled experience of a contrary conduct. The +surest method of teaching people to behave honestly towards us is to +behave friendly and honestly towards them, and then there is no great +reason to fear, that such as give evident proofs of capacity and civility +in the common affairs of life should be guilty of treachery that must +turn to their own disadvantage.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XVIII: PROSECUTES HIS VOYAGE TO CERAM.</h3> +<p>On the 12th of May, being then in the latitude of 54 minutes south, +and in the longitude of 153 degrees 17 minutes, we found the variation +6 degrees 30 minutes to the east. We continued coasting the north +side of the island of William Schovten, which is about eighteen or nineteen +miles long, very populous, and the people very brisk and active. +It was with great caution that Schovten gave his name to this island, +for having observed that there were abundance of small islands laid +down in the charts on the coast of New Guinea, he was suspicious that +this might be of the number. But since that time it seems a point +generally agreed, that this island had not before any particular name; +and therefore, in all subsequent voyages, we find it constantly mentioned +by the name of Schovten’s Island.</p> +<p>He describes it as a very fertile and well-peopled island; the inhabitants +of which were so far from discovering anything of a savage nature, that +they gave apparent testimonies of their having had an extensive commerce +before he touched there, since they not only showed him various commodities +from the Spaniards, but also several samples of China ware; he observes +that they are very unlike the nations he had seen before, being rather +of an olive colour than black; some having short, others long hair, +dressed after different fashions; they were also a taller, stronger, +and stouter people than their neighbours. These little circumstances, +which may seem tedious or trifling to such as read only for amusement, +are, however, of very great importance to such as have discoveries in +view; because they argue that these people have a general correspondence; +the difference of their complexion must arise from a mixed descent; +and the different manner of wearing their hair is undoubtedly owing +to their following the fashion of different nations, as their fancies +lead them. He farther observes that their vessels were larger +and better contrived than their neighbours; that they readily parted +with their bows and arrows in exchange for goods, and that they were +particularly fond of glass and ironware, which, perhaps, they not only +used themselves, but employed likewise in their commerce. The +most western point of the island he called the Cape of Good Hope, because +by doubling that cape he expected to reach the island of Banda; and +that we may not wonder that he was in doubts and difficulties as to +the situation on of these places, we ought to reflect that Schovten +was the first who sailed round the world by this course, and the last +too, except Commodore Roggewein, other navigators choosing rather to +run as high as California, and from thence to the Ladrone Islands, merely +because it is the ordinary route.</p> +<p>In the neighbourhood of this island Schovten also met with an earthquake, +which alarmed the ship’s company excessively, from an apprehension +that they had struck upon a rock. There are some other islands +in the neighbourhood of this, well peopled, and well planted, abounding +with excellent fruits, especially of the melon kind. These islands +lie, as it were, on the confines of the southern continent, and the +East Indies, so that the inhabitants enjoy all the advantages resulting +from their own happy climate, and from their traffic with their neighbours, +especially with those of Ternate and Amboyna, who come thither yearly +to purchase their commodities, and who are likewise visited at certain +seasons by the people of these islands in their turn.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XIX: ARRIVES SAFELY AT BATAVIA, JUNE 15, 1643.</h3> +<p>On the 18th of May, in the latitude of 26 minutes south and in the +longitude of 147 degrees 55 minutes, we observed the variation to be +5 degrees 30 minutes east. We were now arrived at the western +extremity of New Guinea, which is a detached point or promontory (though +it is not marked so even in the latest maps); here we met with calms, +variable and contrary winds, with much rain; from thence we steered +for Ceram, leaving the Cape on the north, and arrived safely on that +island; by this time Captain Tasman had fairly surrounded the continent +he was instructed to discover, and had therefore nothing now farther +in view than to return to Batavia, in order to report the discoveries +he had made.</p> +<p>On the 27th of May we passed through the straits of Boura, or Bouton, +and continued our passage to Batavia, where we arrived on the 15th of +June, in the latitude of 6 degrees 12 minutes south, and in the longitude +of 127 degrees 18 minutes. This voyage was made in the space of +ten months. Such was the end of this expedition, which has been +always considered as the clearest and most exact that was ever made +for the discovery of the Terra Australis Incognita, from whence that +chart and map was laid down in the pavement of the stadt-house at Amsterdam, +as is before mentioned. We have now nothing to do but to shut +up this voyage and our history of circumnavigators, with a few remarks, +previous to which it will be requisite to state clearly and succinctly +the discoveries, either made or confirmed by Captain Tasman’s +voyage, that the importance of it may fully appear, as well as the probability +of our conjectures with regard to the motives that induced the Dutch +East India Company to be at so much pains about these discoveries.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XX: CONSEQUENCES OF CAPTAIN TASMAN’S DISCOVERIES.</h3> +<p>In the first place, then, it is most evident, from Captain Tasman’s +voyage, that New Guinea, Carpentaria, New Holland, Antony van Diemen’s +Land, and the countries discovered by De Quiros, make all one continent, +from which New Zealand seems to be separated by a strait; and, perhaps, +is part of another continent, answering to Africa, as this, of which +we are now speaking, plainly does to America. This continent reaches +from the equinoctial to 44 degrees of south latitude, and extends from +122 degrees to 188 degrees of longitude, making indeed a very large +country, but nothing like what De Quiros imagined; which shows how dangerous +a thing it is to trust too much to conjecture in such points as these. +It is, secondly, observable, that as New Guinea, Carpentaria, and New +Holland, had been already pretty well examined, Captain Tasman fell +directly to the south of these; so that his first discovery was Van +Diemen’s Land, the most southern part of the continent on this +side the globe, and then passing round by New Zealand, he plainly discovered +the opposite side of that country towards America, though he visited +the islands only, and never fell in again with the continent till he +arrived on the coast of New Britain, which he mistook for that of New +Guinea, as he very well might; that country having never been suspected +to be an island, till Dampier discovered it to be such in the beginning +of the present century. Thirdly, by this survey, these countries +are for ever marked out, so long as the map or memory of this voyage, +shall remain. The Dutch East India Company have it always in their +power to direct settlements, or new discoveries, either in New Guinea, +from the Moluccas, or in New Holland, from Batavia directly. The +prudence shown in the conduct of this affair deserves the highest praise. +To have attempted heretofore, or even now, the establishing colonies +in those countries, would be impolitic, because it would be grasping +more than the East India Company, or than even the republic of Holland, +could manage; for, in the first place, to reduce a continent between +three and four thousand miles broad is a prodigious undertaking, and +to settle it by degrees would be to open to all the world the importance +of that country which, for anything we can tell, may be much superior +to any country yet known: the only choice, therefore, that the Dutch +had left, was to reserve this mighty discovery till the season arrived, +in which they should be either obliged by necessity or invited by occasion +to make use of it; but though this country be reserved, it is no longer +either unknown or neglected by the Dutch, which is a point of very great +consequence. To the other nations of Europe, the southern continent +is a chimera, a thing in the clouds, or at least a country about which +there are a thousand doubts and suspicions, so that to talk of discovering +or settling it must be regarded as an idle and empty project: but, with +respect to them, it is a thing perfectly well known; its extent, its +boundaries, its situation, the genius of its several nations, and the +commodities of which they are possessed, are absolutely within their +cognisance, so that they are at liberty to take such measures as appear +to them best, for securing the eventual possession of this country, +whenever they think fit. This account explains at once all the +mysteries which the best writers upon this subject have found in the +Dutch proceedings. It shows why they have been at so much pains +to obtain a clear and distinct survey of these distant countries; why +they have hitherto forborne settling, and why they take so much pains +to prevent other nations from coming at a distinct knowledge of them: +and I may add to this another particular, which is that it accounts +for their permitting the natives of Amboyna, who are their subjects, +to carry on a trade to New Guinea, and the adjacent countries, since, +by this very method, it is apparent that they gain daily fresh intelligence +as to the product and commodities of those countries. Having thus +explained the consequence of Captain Tasman’s voyage, and thereby +fully justified my giving it a place in this part of my work, I am now +at liberty to pursue the reflections with which I promised to close +this section, and the history of circumnavigators, and in doing which, +I shall endeavour to make the reader sensible of the advantages that +arise from publishing these voyages in their proper order, so as to +show what is, and what is yet to be discovered of the globe on which +we live.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XXI: REMARKS UPON THE VOYAGE.</h3> +<p>In speaking of the consequences of Captain Tasman’s voyage, +it has been very amply shown that this part of Terra Australis, or southern +country, has been fully and certainly discovered. To prevent, +however, the reader’s making any mistake, I will take this opportunity +of laying before him some remarks on the whole southern hemisphere, +which will enable him immediately to comprehend all that I have afterwards +to say on this subject.</p> +<p>If we suppose the south pole to be the centre of a chart of which +the equinoctial is the circumference, we shall then discern four quarters, +of the contents of which, if we could give a full account, this part +of the world would be perfectly discovered. To begin then with +the first of these, that is, from the first meridian, placed in the +island of Fero. Within this division, that is to say, from the +first to the nineteenth degree of longitude, there lies the great continent +of Africa, the most southern point of which is the Cape of Good Hope, +lying in the latitude of 34 degrees 15 minutes south. Between +that and the pole, several small but very inconsiderable islands have +been discovered, affording us only this degree of certainty, that to +the latitude of 50 degrees there is no land to be found of any consequence; +there was, indeed, a voyage made by Mr. Bovet in the year 1738, on purpose +to discover whether there were any lands to the south in that quarter +or not. This gentleman sailed from Port l’Orient July the +18th, 1738, and on the 1st of January, 1739, discovered a country, the +coasts of which were covered with ice, in the latitude of 54 degrees +south, and in the longitude of 28 degrees 30 minutes, the variation +of the compass being there 6 degrees 45 minutes, to the west.</p> +<p>In the next quarter, that is to say, from 90 degrees longitude to +180 degrees, lie the countries of which we have been speaking, or that +large southern island, extending from the equinoctial to the latitude +of 43 degrees 10 minutes, and the longitude of 167 degrees 55 minutes, +which is the extremity of Van Diemen’s Land.</p> +<p>In the third quarter, that is, from the longitude of 150 degrees +to 170 degrees, there is very little discovered with any certainty. +Captain Tasman, indeed, visited the coast of New Zealand, in the latitude +of 42 degrees 10 minutes south, and in the longitude of 188 degrees +28 minutes; but besides this, and the islands of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, +we know very little; and therefore, if there be any doubts about the +reality of Terra Australis, it must be with respect to that part of +it which lies within this quarter, through which Schovten and Le Maire +sailed, but without discovering anything more than a few small islands.</p> +<p>The fourth and last quarter is from 270 degrees of longitude to the +first meridian, within which lies the continent of South America, and +the island of Terra del Fuego, the most southern promontory of which +is supposed to be Cape Horn, which, according to the best of observations, +is in the latitude of 56 degrees, beyond which there has been nothing +with any degree of certainty discovered on this side.</p> +<p>On the whole, therefore, it appears there are three continents already +tolerably discovered which point towards the south pole, and therefore +it is very probable there is a fourth, which if there be, it must lie +between the country of New Zealand, discovered by Captain Tasman, and +that country which was seen by Captain Sharpe and Mr. Wafer in the South +Seas, to which land therefore, and no other, the title of Terra Australis +Incognita properly belongs. Leaving this, therefore, to the industry +of future ages to discover, we will now return to that great southern +island which Captain Tasman actually surrounded, and the bounds of which +are tolerably well known.</p> +<p>In order to give the reader a proper idea of the importance of this +country, it will be requisite to say something of the climates in which +it is situated. As it lies from the equinoctial to near the latitude +of 44 degrees, the longest day in the most northern parts must be twelve +hours, and in the southern about fifteen hours, or somewhat more, so +that it extends from the first to the seventh climate, which shows its +situation to be the happiest in the world, the country called Van Diemen’s +Land resembling in all respects the south of France. As there +are in all countries some parts more pleasant than others, so there +seems good reason to believe that within two or three degrees of the +tropic of Capricorn, which passes through the midst of New Holland, +is the most unwholesome and disagreeable part of this country; the reason +of which is very plain, for in those parts it must be excessively hot, +much more so than under the line itself, since the days and nights are +there always equal, whereas within three or four degrees of the tropic +of Capricorn, that is to say, in the latitude 27 degrees south, the +days are thirteen hours and a half long, and the sun is twice in their +zenith, first in the beginning of December, or rather in the latter +end of November, and again when it returns back, which occasions a burning +heat for about two months, or something more; whereas, either farther +to the south or nearer to the line, the climate must be equally wholesome +and pleasant.</p> +<p>As to the product and commodities of this country in general, there +is the greatest reason in the world to believe that they are extremely +rich and valuable, because the richest and finest countries in the known +world lie all of them within the same latitude; but to return from conjectures +to facts, the country discovered by De Quiros makes a part of this great +island, and is the opposite coast to that of Carpentaria. This +country, the discoverer called La Australia del Espiritu Santo, in the +latitude of 15 degrees 40 minutes south, and, as he reports, it abounds +with gold, silver, pearl, nutmegs, mace, ginger, and sugar-canes, of +an extraordinary size. I do not wonder that formerly the fact +might be doubted, but at present I think there is sufficient reason +to induce us to believe it, for Captain Dampier describes the country +about Cape St. George and Port Mountague, which are within 9 degrees +of the country described by De Quiros. I say Captain Dampier describes +what he saw in the following words: “The country hereabouts is +mountainous and woody, full of rich valleys and pleasant fresh-water +brooks; the mould in the valleys is deep and yellowish, that on the +sides of the hills of a very brown colour, and not very deep, but rocky +underneath, yet excellent planting land; the trees in general are neither +very straight, thick, nor tall, yet appear green and pleasant enough; +some of them bear flowers, some berries, and others big fruits, but +all unknown to any of us; cocoa-nut trees thrive very well here, as +well on the bays by the sea-side, as more remote among the plantations; +the nuts are of an indifferent size, the milk and kernel very thick +and pleasant; here are ginger, yams, and other very good roots for the +pot, that our men saw and tasted; what other fruits or roots the country +affords I know not; here are hogs and dogs, other land animals we saw +none; the fowls we saw and knew were pigeons, parrots, cocadores, and +crows, like those in England; a sort of birds about the bigness of a +blackbird, and smaller birds many. The sea and rivers have plenty +of fish; we saw abundance, though we catched but few, and these were +cavallies, yellow-tails, and whip-wreys.”</p> +<p>This account is grounded only on a very slight view, whereas De Quiros +resided for some time in the place he has mentioned. In another +place Captain Dampier observes that he saw nutmegs amongst them, which +seemed to be fresh-gathered, all which agrees perfectly with the account +given by De Quiros; add to this, that Schovten had likewise observed, +that they had ginger upon this coast, and some other spices, so that +on the whole there seems not the least reason to doubt that if any part +of this country was settled, it must be attended with a very rich commerce; +for it cannot be supposed that all these writers should be either mistaken, +or that they should concur in a design to impose upon their readers; +which is the less to be suspected, if we consider how well their reports +agree with the situation of the country, and that the trees on the land, +and the fish on the coast, corresponding exactly with the trees of those +countries, and the fish on the coasts, where these commodities are known +to abound within land, seem to intimate a perfect conformity throughout.</p> +<p>The next thing to be considered is, the possibility of planting in +this part of the world, which at first sight, I must confess, seems +to be attended with considerable difficulties with respect to every +other nation except the Dutch, who either from Batavia, the Moluccas, +or even from the Cape of Good Hope, might with ease settle themselves +wherever they thought fit; as, however, they have neglected this for +above a century, there seems to be no reason why their conduct in this +respect should become the rule of other nations, or why any other nation +should be apprehensive of drawing on herself the displeasure of the +Dutch, by endeavouring to turn to their benefit countries the Dutch +have so long suffered to lie, with respect to Europe, waste and desert.</p> +<p>The first point, with respect to a discovery, would be to send a +small squadron on the coast of Van Diemen’s Land, and from thence +round, in the same course taken by Captain Tasman, by the coast of New +Guinea, which might enable the nations that attempted it to come to +an absolute certainty with regard to its commodities and commerce. +Such a voyage as this might be performed with very great ease, and at +a small expense, by our East India Company; and this in the space of +eight or nine months’ time; and considering what mighty advantages +might accrue to the nation, there seems to be nothing harsh or improbable +in supposing that some time or other, when the legislature is more than +usually intent on affairs of commerce, they may be directed to make +such an expedition at the expense of the public. By this means +all the back coast of New Holland and New Guinea might be thoroughly +examined, and we might know as well, and as certainly as the Dutch, +how far a colony settled there might answer our expectations; one thing +is certain, that to persons used to the navigation of the Indies, such +an expedition could not be thought either dangerous or difficult, because +it is already sufficiently known that there are everywhere islands upon +the coast, where ships upon such a discovery might be sure to meet with +refreshments, as is plain from Commodore Roggewein’s voyage, made +little more than twenty years ago.</p> +<p>The only difficulty that I can see would be the getting a fair and +honest account of this expedition when made; for private interest is +so apt to interfere, and get the better of the public service, that +it is very hard to be sure of anything of this sort. That I may +not be suspected of any intent to calumniate, I shall put the reader +in mind of two instances; the first is, as to the new trade from Russia, +for establishing of which an Act of Parliament was with great difficulty +obtained, though visibly for the advantage of the nation; the other +instance is, the voyage of Captain Middleton, for the discovery of a +north-west passage into the south seas, which is ended by a very warm +dispute, whether that passage be found or not, the person supposed to +have found it maintaining the negative.</p> +<p>Whenever, therefore, such an expedition is undertaken, it ought to +be under the direction, not only of a person of parts and experience, +but of unspotted character, who, on his return, should be obliged to +deliver his journal upon oath, and the principal officers under him +should likewise be directed to keep their journals distinctly, and without +their being inspected by the principal officer; all which journals ought +to be published by authority as soon as received, that every man might +be at liberty to examine them, and deliver his thoughts as to the discoveries +made, or the impediments suggested to have hindered or prevented such +discoveries, by which means the public would be sure to obtain a full +and distinct account of the matter; and it would thence immediately +appear whether it would be expedient to prosecute the design or not.</p> +<p>But if it should be thought too burdensome for a company in so flourishing +a condition, and consequently engaged in so extensive a commerce as +the East India Company is, to undertake such an expedition, merely to +serve the public, promote the exportation of our manufactures, and increase +the number of industrious persons who are maintained by foreign trade; +if this, I say, should be thought too grievous for a company that has +purchased her privileges from the public by a large loan at low interest, +there can certainly be no objection to the putting this project into +the hands of the Royal African Company, who are not quite in so flourishing +a condition; they have equal opportunities for undertaking it, since +the voyage might be with great ease performed from their settlements +in ten months, and if the trade was found to answer, it might encourage +the settling a colony at Madagascar to and from which ships might, with +the greatest conveniency, carry on the trade to New Guinea. I +cannot say how far such a trade might be consistent with their present +charter; but if it should be found advantageous to the public, and beneficial +to the company, I think there can be no reason assigned why it should +not be secured to them, and that too in the most effectual manner.</p> +<p>A very small progress in it would restore the reputation of the company, +and in time, perhaps, free the nation from the annual expense she is +now at, for the support of the forts and garrisons belonging to that +company on the coasts of Africa; which would alone prove of great and +immediate service, both to the public and to the company. To say +the truth, something of this sort is absolutely necessary to vindicate +the expense the nation is at; for if the trade, for the carrying on +of which a company is established, proves, by a change of circumstances, +incapable of supporting that company, and thereby brings a load upon +the public, this ought to be a motive, it ought, indeed, to be the strongest +motive, for that company to endeavour the extension of its commerce, +or the striking out, if possible, some new branch of trade, which may +restore it to its former splendour; and in this as it hath an apparent +right, so there is not the least reason to doubt that it would meet +with all the countenance and assistance from the government that it +could reasonably expect or desire.</p> +<p>If such a design should ever be attempted, perhaps the island of +New Britain might be the properest place for them to settle. As +to the situation, extent, and present condition of that island, all +that can be said of it must be taken from the account given by its discoverer +Captain Dampier, which, in few words, amounts to this: “The island +which I call Nova Britannia has about 4 degrees of latitude, the body +of it lying in 4 degrees, the northernmost part in 2 degrees 30 minutes, +and the southernmost in 6 degrees 30 minutes. It has about 5 degrees +18 minutes longitude from east to west; it is generally high mountainous +land, mixed with large valleys, which, as well as the mountains, appeared +very fertile; and in most places that we saw the trees are very large, +tall, and thick. It is also very well inhabited with strong, well-limbed +negroes, whom we found very daring and bold at several places: as to +the product of it, it is very probable this island may afford as many +rich commodities as any in the world; and the natives may be easily +brought to commerce, though I could not pretend to it in my circumstances.” +If any objections should be raised from Dampier’s misfortune in +that voyage, it is easy to show that it ought to have no manner of weight +whatever, since, though he was an excellent pilot, he is allowed to +have been but a bad commander; besides, the <i>Roebuck</i>, in which +he sailed, was a worn-out frigate that would hardly swim; and it is +no great wonder that in so crazy a vessel the people were a little impatient +at being abroad on discoveries; yet, after all, he performed what he +was sent for; and, by the discovery of this island of New Britain, secured +us an indisputable right to a country, that is, or might be made, very +valuable.</p> +<p>It is so situated, that a great trade might be carried on from thence +through the whole Terra Australis on one side, and the most valuable +islands of the East Indies on the other. In short, all, or at +least most, of the advantages proposed by the Dutch West India Company’s +joining with their East India Company, of which a large account has +already been given, might be procured for this nation, by the establishing +a colony in this island of New Britain, and securing the trade of that +colony to the African Company by law; the very passing of which law +would give the company more than sufficient credit, to fit out a squadron +at once capable of securing the possession of that island, and of giving +the public such satisfaction as to its importance, as might be requisite +to obtain further power and assistance from the State, if that should +be found necessary. It would be very easy to point out some advantages +peculiarly convenient for that company; but it will be time enough to +think of these whenever the African Company shall discover an inclination +to prosecute this design. At present I have done what I proposed, +and have shown that such a collection of voyages as this ought not to +be considered as a work of mere amusement, but as a work calculated +for the benefit of mankind in general, and of this nation in particular, +which it is the duty of every man to promote in his station; and whatever +fate these reflections may meet with, I shall always have the satisfaction +of remembering that I have not neglected it in mine, but have taken +the utmost pains to turn a course of laborious reading to the advantage +of my country.</p> +<p>But, supposing that neither of these companies should think it expedient, +or, in other words, should not think it consistent with their interest +to attempt this discovery, there is yet a third company, within the +spirit of whose charter, I humbly conceive, the prosecution of such +a scheme immediately lies. The reader will easily discern that +I mean the company for carrying on a trade to the South Seas, who, notwithstanding +the extensiveness of their charter, confirmed and supported by authority +of parliament, have not, so far as my information reaches, ever attempted +to send so much as a single ship for the sake of discoveries into the +South Seas, which, however, was the great point proposed when this company +was first established. In order to prove this, I need only lay +before the reader the limits assigned that company by their charter, +the substance of which is contained in the following words:—</p> +<p>“The corporation, and their successors, shall, for ever, be +vested in the sole trade into and from all the kingdoms and lands on +the east side of America, from the River Oroonoco, to the southernmost +part of Terra del Fuego, and on the west side thereof from the said +southernmost part of Terra del Fuego, through the South Sea, to the +northernmost part of America, and into and through all the countries, +islands, and places within the said limits, which are reputed to belong +to Spain, or which shall hereafter be found out and discovered within +the limits aforesaid, not exceeding 300 leagues from the continent of +America, between the southernmost part of the Terra del Fuego and the +northernmost part of America, on the said west side thereof, except +the Kingdom of Brazil, and such other places on the east side of America, +as are now in the possession of the King of Portugal, and the country +of Surinam, in the possession of the States-general. The said +company, and none else, are to trade within the said limits; and, if +any other persons shall trade to the South Seas, they shall forfeit +the ship and goods, and double value, one-fourth part to the crown, +and another fourth part to the prosecutor, and the other two-fourths +to the use of the company. And the company shall be the sole owners +of the islands, forts, etc., which they shall discover within the said +limits, to be held of the crown, under an annual rent of an ounce of +gold, and of all ships taken as prizes by the ships of the said company; +and the company may seize, by force of arms, all other British ships +trading in those seas.”</p> +<p>It is, I think, impossible for any man to imagine that either these +limits should be secured to the company for no purpose in the world; +or that these prohibitions and penalties should take place, notwithstanding +the company’s never attempting to make any use of these powers; +from whence I infer that it was the intent of the legislature that new +discoveries should be made, new plantations settled, and a new trade +carried on by this new corporation, agreeable to the rules prescribed, +and for the general benefit of this nation; which I apprehend was chiefly +considered in the providing that this new commerce should be put under +the management of a particular company. But I am very well aware +of an objection that may be made to what I have advanced; <i>viz</i>., +that, from my own showing, this southern continent lies absolutely without +their limits; and that there is also a proviso in the charter of that +company that seems particularly calculated to exclude it, since it recites +that.</p> +<p>“The agents of the company shall not sail beyond the southernmost +parts of Terra del Fuego, except through the Straits of Magellan, or +round Terra del Fuego; nor go from thence to any part of the East Indies, +nor return to Great Britain, or any port or place, unless through the +said straits, or by Terra del Fuego: nor shall they trade in East India +goods, or in any places within the limits granted to the united company +of merchants of England trading to East India (such India goods excepted +as shall be actually exported from Great Britain, and also such gold, +silver, wrought plate, and other goods and commodities, which are the +produce, growth, or manufactures of the West Indies, or continent of +America): neither shall they send ships, or use them or any vessel, +within the South Seas, from Terra del Fuego to the northernmost parts +of America, above three hundred leagues to the westward of, and distant +from the land of Chili, Peru, Mexico, California, or any other the lands +or shores of Southern or Northern America, between Terra del Fuego and +the northernmost part of America, on pain of the forfeiture of the ships +and goods; one-third to the crown, and the other two-thirds to the East +India Company.”</p> +<p>But the reader will observe that I mentioned the East India and African +Companies before; and that I now mention the South Sea Company, on a +supposition that the two former may refuse it. In that case, I +presume, the legislature will make the same distinction that the States +of Holland did, and not suffer the private advantage of any particular +company to stand in competition with the good of a whole people. +It was upon this principle that I laid it down as a thing certain, that +the African company would be allowed to settle the island of Madagascar, +though it lies within the limits of the East India Company’s charter, +in case it should be found necessary for the better carrying on of this +trade. It is upon the same principle I say this southern continent +lies within the intention of the South Sea Company’s charter, +because, I presume, the intent of that charter was to grant them all +the commerce in those seas, not occupied before by British subjects; +for, if it were otherwise, what a condition should we be in as a maritime +power? If a grant does not oblige a company to carry on a trade +within the limits granted to that company, and is, at the same time, +of force to preclude all the subjects of this nation from the right +they before had to carry on a trade within those limits, such a law +is plainly destructive to the nation’s interest and to commerce +in general. I therefore suppose, that, if the South Sea Company +should think proper to revive their trade in the manner I propose, this +proviso would be explained by Parliament to mean no more than excluding +the South Sea Company from settling or trading in or to any place at +present settled in or traded to by the East India Company: for, as this +interpretation would secure the just rights of both companies, and, +at the same time reconcile the laws for establishing them to the general +interest of trade and the nation, there is the greatest reason to believe +this to be the intention of the legislature. I have been obliged +to insist fully upon this matter, because it is a point hitherto untouched, +and a point of such high importance, that, unless it be understood according +to my sense of the matter, there is an end of all hopes of extending +our trade on this side, which is perhaps the only side on which there +is the least probability that it ever can be extended; for, as to the +north-west passage into the South Seas, that seems to be blocked up +by the rights of another company; so that, according to the letter of +our laws, each company is to have its rights, and the nation in general +no right at all.</p> +<p>If, therefore, the settling of this part of Terra Australis should +devolve on the South Sea Company, by way of equivalent for the loss +of their Assiento contract, there is no sort of question but it might +be as well performed by them as by any other, and the trade carried +on without interfering with that which is at present carried on, either +by the East India or African Companies. It would indeed, in this +case, be absolutely necessary to settle Juan Fernandez, the settlement +of which place, under the direction of that company, if they could, +as very probably they might, fall into some share of the slave-trade +from New Guinea, must prove wonderfully advantageous, considering the +opportunity they would have of vending those slaves to the Spaniards +in Chili and Peru. The settling of this island ought to be performed +at once, and with a competent force, since, without doubt, the Spaniards +would leave no means unattempted to dispossess them: yet, if a good +fortification was once raised, the passes properly retrenched, and a +garrison left there of between three and five hundred men, it would +be simply impossible for the Spaniards to force them out of it before +the arrival of another squadron from hence. Neither do I see any +reason why, in the space of a very few years, the plantation of this +island should not prove of as great consequence to the South Sea Company +as that of Curacao to the Dutch West India Company, who raise no less +than sixty thousand florins per annum for licensing ships to trade there.</p> +<p>From Juan Fernandez to Van Diemen’s Land is not above two months’ +sail; and a voyage for discovery might be very conveniently made between +the time that a squadron returned from Juan Fernandez, and another squadron’s +arrival there from hence. It is true that, if once a considerable +settlement was made in the most southern part of Terra Australis, the +company might then fall into a large commerce in the most valuable East +India goods, very probably gold, and spices of all sorts: yet I cannot +think that even these would fall within the exclusive proviso of their +charter; for that was certainly intended to hinder their trading in +such goods as are brought hither by our East India Company; and I must +confess I see no difference, with respect to the interest of that company, +between our having cloves, cinnamon, and mace, by the South Sea Company’s +ships from Juan Fernandez, and our receiving them from Holland, after +the Dutch East India Company’s ships have brought them thither +by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. Sure I am they would come +to us sooner by some months by the way of Cape Horn. If this reasoning +does not satisfy people, but they still remain persuaded that the South +Sea Company ought not to intermeddle with the East India trade at all, +I desire to know why the West India merchants are allowed to import +coffee from Jamaica, when it is well known that the East India Company +can supply the whole demand of this kingdom from Mocha? If it +be answered that the Jamaica coffee comes cheaper, and is the growth +of our own plantations, I reply, that these spices will not only be +cheaper, but better, and be purchased by our own manufacturers; and +these, I think, are the strongest reasons that can be given.</p> +<p>If it be demanded what certainty I have that spices can be had from +thence, I answer, all the certainty that in a thing of this nature can +be reasonably expected: Ferdinand de Quiros met with all sorts of spices +in the country he discovered; William Schovten, and Jacques le Maire, +saw ginger and nutmegs; so did Dampier; and the author of Commodore +Roggewein’s Voyage asserts, that the free burgesses of Amboyna +purchase nutmegs from the natives of New Guinea for bits of iron. +All, therefore, I contend for, is that these bits of iron may be sent +them from Old England.</p> +<p>The reason I recommend settling on the south coast of Terra Australis, +if this design should be prosecuted, from Juan Fernandez, rather than +the island of New Britain, which I mentioned before, is, because that +coast is nearer, and is situated in a better and pleasanter climate. +Besides all which advantages, as it was never hitherto visited by the +Dutch, they cannot, with any colour of justice, take umbrage at our +attempting such a settlement. To close then this subject, the +importance of which alone inclined me to spend so much of mine and the +reader’s time about it:</p> +<p>It is most evident, that, if such a settlement was made at Juan Fernandez, +proper magazines erected, and a constant correspondence established +between that island and the Terra Australis, these three consequences +must absolutely follow from thence: 1. That a new trade would +be opened, which must carry off a great quantity of our goods and manufactures, +that cannot, at present, be brought to any market, or at least, not +to so good a market as if there was a greater demand for them. +2. It would render this navigation, which is at present so strange, +and consequently so terrible, to us, easy and familiar; which might +be attended with advantages that cannot be foreseen, especially since +there is, as I before observed, in all probability another southern +continent, which is still to be discovered. 3. It would +greatly increase our shipping and our seamen, which are the true and +natural strength of this country, extend our naval power, and raise +the reputation of this nation; the most distant prospect of which is +sufficient to warm the soul of any man who has the least regard for +his country, with courage sufficient to despise the imputations that +may be thrown upon him as a visionary projector, for taking so much +pains about an affair that can tend so little to his private advantage. +We will now add a few words with respect to the advantages arising from +having thus digested the history of circumnavigators, from the earliest +account of time to the present, and then shut up the whole with another +section, containing the last circumnavigation by Rear-Admiral Anson, +whose voyage has at least shown that, under a proper officer, English +seamen are able to achieve as much as they ever did; and that is as +much as was ever done by any nation in the world.</p> +<p>It is a point that has always admitted some debate, whether science +stands more indebted to speculation or practice; or, in other words, +whether the greater discoveries have been made by men of deep study, +or persons of great experience in the most useful parts of knowledge. +But this, I think, is a proposition that admits of no dispute at all, +that the noblest discoveries have been the result of a just mixture +of theory with practice. It was from hence that the very notion +of sailing round the earth took rise; and the ingenious Genoese first +laid down this system of the world, according to his conception, and +then added the proofs derived from experience. It is much to be +deplored that we have not that plan of discovery which the great Christopher +Columbus sent over thither by his brother Bartholomew to King Henry +VII., for if we had we should certainly find abundance of very curious +observations, which might still be useful to mariners: for it appears +clearly, from many little circumstances, that he was a person of universal +genius, and, until bad usage obliged him to take many precautions, very +communicative.</p> +<p>It was from this plan, as it had been communicated to the Portuguese +court, that the famous Magellan came to have so just notions of the +possibility of sailing by the West to the East Indies; and there was +a great deal of theory in the proposal made by that great man to the +Emperor Charles V. Sir Francis Drake was a person of the same +genius, and of a like general knowledge; and it is very remarkable that +these three great seamen met also with the same fate; by which I mean, +that they were constantly pursued by envy while they lived, which hindered +so much notice being taken of their discourses and discoveries as they +deserved. But when the experience of succeeding times had verified +many of their sayings, which had been considered as vain and empty boastings +in their lifetimes, then prosperity began to pay a superstitious regard +to whatever could be collected concerning them, and to admire all they +delivered as oraculous. Our other discoverer, Candish, was likewise +a man of great parts and great penetration, as well as of great spirit; +he had, undoubtedly, a mighty genius for discoveries; but the prevailing +notion of those times, that the only way to serve the nation was plundering +the Spaniards, seems to have got the better of his desire to find out +unknown countries; and made him choose to be known to posterity rather +as a gallant privateer than as an able seaman, though in truth he was +both.</p> +<p>After these follow Schovten and Le Maire, who were fitted out to +make discoveries; and executed their commission with equal capacity +and success. If Le Maire had lived to return to Holland, and to +have digested into proper order his own accounts, we should, without +question, have received a much fuller and clearer, as well as a much +more correct and satisfactory detail of them than we have at present: +though the voyage, as it is now published, is in all respects the best, +and the most curious of all the circumnavigators. This was, very +probably, owing to the ill-usage he met with from the Dutch East India +Company; which put Captain Schovten, and the relations of Le Maire, +upon giving the world the best information they could of what had been +in that voyage performed. Yet the fate of Le Maire had a much +greater effect in discouraging, than the fame of his discoveries had +in exciting, a spirit of emulation; so that we may safely say, the severity +of the East India Company in Holland extinguished that generous desire +of exploring unknown lands, which might otherwise have raised the reputation +and extended the commerce of the republic much beyond what they have +hitherto reached. This is so true that for upwards of one hundred +years we hear of no Dutch voyage in pursuit of Le Maire’s discoveries; +and we see, when Commodore Roggewein, in our own time, revived that +noble design, it was again cramped by the same power that stifled it +before; and though the States did justice to the West India Company, +and to the parties injured, yet the hardships they suffered, and the +plain proof they gave of the difficulties that must be met with in the +prosecution of such a design, seem to have done the business of the +East India Company, and damped the spirit of discovery, for perhaps +another century, in Holland.</p> +<p>It is very observable that all the mighty discoveries that have been +made arose from these great men, who joined reasoning with practice, +and were men of genius and learning, as well as seamen. To Columbus +we owe the finding America; to Magellan the passing by the straits which +bear his name, by a new route to the East Indies; to Le Maire a more +commodious passage round Cape Horn, and without running up to California; +Sir Francis Drake, too, hinted the advantages that might arise by examining +the north-west side of America; and Candish had some notions of discovering +a passage between China and Japan. As to the history we have of +Roggewein’s voyage, it affords such lights as nothing but our +own negligence can render useless. But in the other voyages, whatever +discoveries we meet with are purely accidental, except it be Dampier’s +voyage to the coasts of New Holland and New Guinea, which was expressly +made for discoveries; and in which, if an abler man had been employed +in conjunction with Dampier, we cannot doubt that the interior and exterior +of those countries would have been much better known than they are at +present; because such a person would rather have chosen to have refreshed +in the island of New Britain, or some other country not visited before, +than at that of Timer, already settled both by the Portuguese and the +Dutch.</p> +<p>In all attempts, therefore, of this sort, those men are fittest to +be employed who, with competent abilities as seamen, have likewise general +capacities, are at least tolerably acquainted with other sciences, and +have settled judgments and solid understandings. These are the +men from whom we are to expect the finishing that great work which former +circumnavigators have begun; I mean the discovering every part and parcel +of the globe, and the carrying to its utmost perfection the admirable +and useful science of navigation.</p> +<p>It is, however, a piece of justice due to the memory of these great +men, to acknowledge that we are equally encouraged by their examples +and guided by their discoveries. We owe to them the being freed, +not only from the errors, but from the doubts and difficulties with +which former ages were oppressed; to them we stand indebted for the +discovery of the best part of the world, which was entirely unknown +to the ancients, particularly some part of the eastern, most of the +southern, and all the western hemisphere; from them we have learned +that the earth is surrounded by the ocean, and that all the countries +under the torrid zone are inhabited, and that, quite contrary to the +notions that were formerly entertained, they are very far from being +the most sultry climate in the world, those within a few degrees of +the tropics, though habitable, being much more hot, for reasons which +have been elsewhere explained. By their voyages, and especially +by the observations of Columbus, we have been taught the general motion +of the sea, the reason of it, and the cause and difference of currents +in particular places, to which we may add the doctrine of tides, which +were very imperfectly known, even by the greatest men in former times, +whose accounts have been found equally repugnant to reason and experience.</p> +<p>By their observations we have acquired a great knowledge as to the +nature and variation of winds, particularly the monsoons, or trade winds, +and other periodical winds, of which the ancients had not the least +conception; and by these helps we not only have it in our power to proceed +much farther in our discoveries, but we are likewise delivered from +a multitude of groundless apprehensions, that frightened them from prosecuting +discoveries. We give no credit now to the fables that not only +amused antiquity, but even obtained credit within a few generations. +The authority of Pliny will not persuade us that there are any nations +without heads, whose eyes and mouths are in their breasts, or that the +Arimaspi have only one eye, fixed in their forehead, and that they are +perpetually at war with the Griffins, who guard hidden treasures; or +that there are nations that have long hairy tales, and grin like monkeys. +No traveller can make us believe that, under the torrid zone, there +are a nation every man of which has one large flat foot, with which, +lying upon his back, he covers himself from the sun. In this respect +we have the same advantage over the ancients that men have over children; +and we cannot reflect without amazement on men’s having so much +knowledge and learning in other respects, with such childish understandings +in these.</p> +<p>By the labours of these great men in the two last centuries we are +taught to know what we seek, and how it is to be sought. We know, +for example, what parts of the north are yet undiscovered, and also +what parts of the south. We can form a very certain judgment of +the climate of countries undiscovered, and can foresee the advantages +that will result from discoveries before they are made; all which are +prodigious advantages, and ought certainly to animate us in our searches. +I might add to this the great benefits we receive from our more perfect +acquaintance with the properties of the loadstone, and from the surprising +accuracy of astronomical observations, to which I may add the physical +discoveries made of late years in relation to the figure of the earth, +all of which are the result of the lights which these great men have +given us.</p> +<p>It is true that some of the zealous defenders of the ancients, and +some of the great admirers of the Eastern nations, dispute these facts, +and would have us believe that almost everything was known to the old +philosophers, and not only known but practised by the Chinese long before +the time of the great men to whom we ascribe them. But the difference +between their assertions and ours is, that we fully prove the facts +we allege, whereas they produce no evidence at all; for instance, Albertus +Magnus says that Aristotle wrote an express treatise on the direction +of the loadstone; but nobody ever saw that treatise, nor was it ever +heard of by any of the rest of his commentators. We have in our +hands some of the best performances of antiquity in regard to geography, +and any man who has eyes, and is at all acquainted with that science, +can very easily discern how far they fall short of maps that were made +even a hundred years ago. The celebrated Vossius, and the rest +of the admirers of the Chinese, who, by the way, derived all their knowledge +from hearsay, may testify, in as strong terms as they think fit, their +contempt for the Western sages and their high opinion of those in the +East; but till they prove to us that their favourite Chinese made any +voyages comparable to the Europeans, before the discovery of a passage +to China by the Cape of Good Hope, they will excuse us from believing +them. Besides, if the ancients had all this knowledge, how came +it not to display itself in their performances? How came they +to make such difficulties of what are now esteemed trifles? And +how came they never to make any voyages, by choice at least, that were +out of sight of land? Again, with respect to the Chinese, if they +excel us so much in knowledge, how came the missionaries to be so much +admired for their superior skill in the sciences? But to cut the +matter short, we are not disputing now about speculative points of science, +but as to the practical application of it; in which, I think, there +is no doubt that the modern inhabitants of the western parts of the +world excel, and excel chiefly from the labours and discoveries of these +great and ingenious men, who applied their abilities to the improvement +of useful arts, for the particular benefit of their countrymen, and +to the common good of mankind; which character is not derived from any +prejudice of ours, either against the ancients or the Oriental nations, +but is founded on facts of public notoriety, and on general experience, +which are a kind of evidence not to be controverted or contradicted.</p> +<p>We are still, however, in several respects short of perfection, and +there are many things left to exercise the sagacity, penetration, and +application of this and of succeeding ages; for instance, the passages +to the north-east and north-west are yet unknown; there is a great part +of the southern continent undiscovered; we are, in a manner, ignorant +of what lies between America and Japan, and all beyond that country +lies buried in obscurity, perhaps in greater obscurity than it was an +age ago; so that there is still room for performing great things, which +in their consequences perhaps might prove greater than can well be imagined. +I say nothing of the discoveries that yet remain with regard to inland +countries, because these fall properly under another head, I mean that +of travels. But it will be time enough to think of penetrating +into the heart of countries when we have discovered the seacoasts of +the whole globe, towards which the voyages recorded in this chapter +have so far advanced already. But the only means to arrive at +these great ends, and to transmit to posterity a fame approaching, at +least in some measure, to that of our ancestors, is to revive and restore +that glorious spirit which led them to such great exploits; and the +most natural method of doing this is to collect and preserve the memory +of their exploits, that they may serve at once to excite our imitation, +encourage our endeavours, and point out to us how they may be best employed, +and with the greatest probability of success.</p> +<h2>AN ACCOUNT OF NEW HOLLAND AND THE ADJACENT ISLANDS. 1699-1700.</h2> +<p>BY CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAMPIER.</p> +<p>Having described his voyage from Brazil to New Holland, this celebrated +navigator thus proceeds:</p> +<p>About the latitude of 26 degrees south we saw an opening, and ran +in, hoping to find a harbour there; but when we came to its mouth, which +was about two leagues wide, we saw rocks and foul ground within, and +therefore stood out again; there we had twenty fathom water within two +miles of the shore: the land everywhere appeared pretty low, flat, and +even, but with steep cliffs to the sea, and when we came near it there +were no trees, shrubs, or grass to be seen. The soundings in the +latitude of 26 degrees south, from about eight or nine leagues off till +you come within a league of the shore, are generally about forty fathoms, +differing but little, seldom above three or four fathoms; but the lead +brings up very different sorts of sand, some coarse, some fine, and +of several colours, as yellow, white, grey, brown, bluish, and reddish.</p> +<p>When I saw there was no harbour here, nor good anchoring, I stood +off to sea again in the evening of the 2nd of August, fearing a storm +on a lee-shore, in a place where there was no shelter, and desiring +at least to have sea-room, for the clouds began to grow thick in the +western-board, and the wind was already there and began to blow fresh +almost upon the shore, which at this place lies along north-north-west +and south-south-east. By nine o’clock at night we got a +pretty good offing, but the wind still increasing, I took in my main-top-sail, +being able to carry no more sail than two courses and the mizen. +At two in the morning, August 3rd, it blew very hard, and the sea was +much raised, so that I furled all my sails but my mainsail, though the +wind blew so hard, we had pretty clear weather till noon, but then the +whole sky was blackened with thick clouds, and we had some rain, which +would last a quarter of an hour at a time, and then it would blow very +fierce while the squalls of rain were over our heads, but as soon as +they were gone the wind was by much abated, the stress of the storm +being over; we sounded several times, but had no ground till eight o’clock, +August the 4th, in the evening, and then had sixty fathom water, coral +ground. At ten we had fifty-six fathom, fine sand. At twelve +we had fifty-five fathom, fine sand, of a pale bluish colour. +It was now pretty moderate weather, yet I made no sail till morning, +but then the wind veering about to the south-west, I made sail and stood +to the north, and at eleven o’clock the next day, August 5th, +we saw land again, at about ten leagues distant. This noon we +were in latitude 25 degrees 30 minutes, and in the afternoon our cook +died, an old man, who had been sick a great while, being infirm before +we came out of England.</p> +<p>The 6th of August, in the morning, we saw an opening in the land, +and we ran into it, and anchored in seven and a half fathom water, two +miles from the shore, clean sand. It was somewhat difficult getting +in here, by reason of many shoals we met with; but I sent my boat sounding +before me. The mouth of this sound, which I called Shark’s +Bay, lies in about 25 degrees south latitude, and our reckoning made +its longitude from the Cape of Good Hope to be about 87 degrees, which +is less by one hundred and ninety-five leagues than is usually laid +down in our common draughts, if our reckoning was right and our glasses +did not deceive us. As soon as I came to anchor in this bay, I +sent my boat ashore to seek for fresh water, but in the evening my men +returned, having found none. The next morning I went ashore myself, +carrying pickaxes and shovels with me, to dig for water, and axes to +cut wood. We tried in several places for water, but finding none +after several trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any further +search for it, and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we +went aboard at night.</p> +<p>The land is of an indifferent height, so that it may be seen nine +or ten leagues off. It appears at a distance very even; but as +you come nigher you find there are many gentle risings, though none +steep or high. It is all a steep shore against the open sea; but +in this bay or sound we were now in, the land is low by the seaside, +rising gradually in with the land. The mould is sand by the seaside, +producing a large sort of samphire, which bears a white flower. +Farther in the mould is reddish, a sort of sand, producing some grass, +plants, and shrubs. The grass grows in great tufts as big as a +bushel, here and there a tuft, being intermixed with much heath, much +of the kind we have growing on our commons in England. Of trees +or shrubs here are divers sorts, but none above ten feet high, their +bodies about three feet about, and five or six feet high before you +come to the branches, which are bushy, and composed of small twigs there +spreading abroad, though thick set and full of leaves, which were mostly +long and narrow. The colour of the leaves was on one side whitish, +and on the other green, and the bark of the trees was generally of the +same colour with the leaves, of a pale green. Some of these trees +were sweet-scented, and reddish within the bark, like sassafras, but +redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at this time either blossoms +or berries on them. The blossoms of the different sorts of trees +were of several colours, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly blue, +and these generally smelt very sweet and fragrant, as did some also +of the rest. There were also besides some plants, herbs, and tall +flowers, some very small flowers growing on the ground, that were sweet +and beautiful, and, for the most part, unlike any I had seen elsewhere.</p> +<p>There were but few land fowls. We saw none but eagles of the +larger sorts of birds, but five or six sorts of small birds. The +biggest sort of these were not bigger than larks, some no bigger than +wrens, all singing with great variety of fine shrill notes; and we saw +some of their nests with young ones in them. The water-fowls are +ducks (which had young ones now, this being the beginning of the spring +in these parts), curlews, galdens, crab-catchers, cormorants, gulls, +pelicans, and some water-fowl, such as I have not seen anywhere besides.</p> +<p>The land animals that we saw here were only a sort of raccoons, different +from those of the West Indies, chiefly as to their legs, for these have +very short forelegs, but go jumping upon them as the others do (and +like them are very good meat), and a sort of guanos, of the same shape +and size with other guanos described, but differing from them in three +remarkable particulars; for these had a larger and uglier head, and +had no tail, and at the rump, instead of the tail there, they had a +stump of a tail, which appeared like another head, but not really such, +being without mouth or eyes; yet this creature seemed by this means +to have a head at each end, and, which may be reckoned a fourth difference, +the legs also seemed all four of them to be forelegs, being all alike +in shape and length, and seeming by the joints and bending to be made +as if they were to go indifferently either head or tail foremost. +They were speckled black and yellow like toads, and had scales or knobs +on their backs like those of crocodiles, plated on to the skin, or stuck +into it, as part of the skin. They are very slow in motion, and +when a man comes nigh them they will stand still and hiss, not endeavouring +to get away. Their livers are also spotted black and yellow; and +the body, when opened, hath a very unsavoury smell. I did never +see such ugly creatures anywhere but here. The guanos I have observed +to be very good meat, and I have often eaten of them with pleasure; +but though I have eaten of snakes, crocodiles, and alligators, and many +creatures that look frightfully enough, and there are but few I should +have been afraid to eat of if pressed by hunger, yet I think my stomach +would scarce have served to venture upon these New Holland guanos, both +the looks and the smell of them being so offensive.</p> +<p>The sea-fish that we saw here (for here was no river, land or pond +of fresh water to be seen) are chiefly sharks. There are abundance +of them in this particular sound, that I therefore gave it the name +of Shark’s Bay. Here are also skates, thornbacks, and other +fish of the ray kind (one sort especially like the sea-devil), and gar-fish, +bonetas, etc. Of shell-fish we got here mussels, periwinkles, +limpets, oysters, both of the pearl kind and also eating oysters, as +well the common sort as long oysters, besides cockles, etc. The +shore was lined thick with many other sorts of very strange and beautiful +shells for variety of colour and shape, most finely spotted with red, +black, or yellow, etc., such as I have not seen anywhere but at this +place. I brought away a great many of them, but lost all except +a very few, and those not of the best.</p> +<p>There are also some green turtle weighing about two hundred pounds. +Of these we caught two, which the water ebbing had left behind a ledge +of rock which they could not creep over. These served all my company +two days, and they were indifferent sweet meat. Of the sharks +we caught a great many, which our men ate very savourily. Among +them we caught one which was eleven feet long. The space between +its two eyes was twenty inches, and eighteen inches from one corner +of his mouth to the other. Its maw was like a leather sack, very +thick, and so tough that a sharp knife could scarce cut it, in which +we found the head and bones of a hippopotamus, the hairy lips of which +were still sound and not putrified, and the jaw was also firm, out of +which we plucked a great many teeth, two of them eight inches long and +as big as a man’s thumb, small at one end, and a little crooked, +the rest not above half so long. The maw was full of jelly, which +stank extremely. However, I saved for awhile the teeth and the +shark’s jaw. The flesh of it was divided among my men, and +they took care that no waste should be made of it.</p> +<p>It was the 7th of August when we came into Shark’s Bay, in +which we anchored at three several places, and stayed at the first of +them (on the west side of the bay) till the 11th, during which time +we searched about, as I said, for fresh water, digging wells, but to +no purpose. However, we cut good store of firewood at this first +anchoring-place, and my company were all here very well refreshed with +raccoons, turtle, shark, and other fish, and some fowls, so that we +were now all much brisker than when we came in hither. Yet still +I was for standing farther into the bay, partly because I had a mind +to increase my stock of fresh water, which was begun to be low, and +partly for the sake of discovering this part of the coast. I was +invited to go further by seeing from this anchoring-place all open before +me, which therefore I designed to search before I left the bay. +So on the 11th about noon I steered further in, with an easy sail, because +we had but shallow water. We kept, therefore, good looking out +for fear of shoals, sometimes shortening, sometimes deepening the water. +About two in the afternoon we saw the land ahead that makes the south +of the bay, and before night we had again sholdings from that shore, +and therefore shortened sail and stood off and on all night, under two +top-sails, continually sounding, having never more than ten fathom, +and seldom less than seven. The water deepened and sholdened so +very gently, that in heaving the lead five or six times we should scarce +have a foot difference. When we came into seven fathom either +way, we presently went about. From this south part of the bay +we could not see the land from whence we came in the afternoon; and +this land we found to be an island of three or four leagues long; but +it appearing barren, I did not strive to go nearer it, and the rather +because the winds would not permit us to do it without much trouble, +and at the openings the water was generally shoal: I therefore made +no farther attempts in this south-west and south part of the bay, but +steered away to the eastward, to see if there was any land that way, +for as yet we had seen none there. On the 12th, in the morning, +we passed by the north point of that land, and were confirmed in the +persuasion of its being an island by seeing an opening to the east of +it, as we had done on the west. Having fair weather, a small gale, +and smooth water, we stood further on in the bay to see what land was +on the east of it. Our soundings at first were seven fathom, which +held so a great while, but at length it decreased to six. Then +we saw the land right ahead. We could not come near it with the +ship, having but shoal water, and it being dangerous lying there, and +the land extraordinarily low, very unlikely to have fresh water (though +it had a few trees on it, seemingly mangroves), and much of it probably +covered at high water, I stood out again that afternoon, deepening the +water, and before night anchored in eight fathom, clean white sand, +about the middle of the bay. The next day we got up our anchor, +and that afternoon came to an anchor once more near two islands and +a shoal of coral rocks that face the bay. Here I scrubbed my ship; +and finding it very improbable I should get any further here, I made +the best of my way out to sea again, sounding all the way; but finding, +by the shallowness of the water, that there was no going out to sea +to the east of the two islands that face the bay, nor between them, +I returned to the west entrance, going out by the same way I came in +at, only on the east instead of the west side of the small shoal: in +which channel we had ten, twelve, and thirteen fathom water, still deepening +upon us till we were out at sea. The day before we came out I +sent a boat ashore to the most northerly of the two islands, which is +the least of them, catching many small fish in the meanwhile, with hook +and line. The boat’s crew returning told me that the isle +produces nothing but a sort of green, short, hard, prickly grass, affording +neither wood nor fresh water, and that a sea broke between the two islands—a +sign that the water was shallow. They saw a large turtle, and +many skates and thornbacks, but caught none.</p> +<p>It was August the 14th when I sailed out of this bay or sound, the +mouth of which lies, as I said, in 25 degrees 5 minutes, designing to +coast along to the north-east till I might commodiously put in at some +other port of New Holland. In passing out we saw three water-serpents +swimming about in the sea, of a yellow colour spotted with dark brown +spots. They were each about four foot long, and about the bigness +of a man’s wrist, and were the first I saw on this coast, which +abounds with several sorts of them. We had the winds at our first +coming out at north, and the land lying north-easterly. We plied +off and on, getting forward but little till the next day, when the wind +coming at south-south-west and south, we began to coast it along the +shore on the northward, keeping at six or seven leagues off shore, and +sounding often, we had between forty and forty-six fathom water, brown +sand with some white shells. This 15th of August we were in latitude +24 degrees 41 minutes. On the 16th day, at noon, we were in 23 +degrees 22 minutes. The wind coming at east by north, we could +not keep the shore aboard, but were forced to go farther off, and lost +sight of the land; then sounding, we had no ground with eighty-fathom +line. However, the wind shortly after came about again to the +southward, and then we jogged on again to the northward, and saw many +small dolphins and whales, and abundance of cuttle-shells swimming on +the sea, and some water-snakes every day. The 17th we saw the +land again and took a sight of it.</p> +<p>The 18th, in the afternoon, being three or four leagues off shore, +I saw a shoal-point stretching from the land into the sea a league or +more; the sea broke high on it, by which I saw plainly there was a shoal +there. I stood farther off and coasted along shore to about seven +or eight leagues distance, and at twelve o’clock at night we sounded, +and had but twenty fathom, hard sand. By this I found I was upon +another shoal, and so presently steered off west half an hour, and had +then forty fathom. At one in the morning of the 18th day we had +eighty-five fathom; by two we could find no ground, and then I ventured +to steer along shore again due north, which is two points wide of the +coast (that lies north-north-east), for fear of another shoal. +I would not be too far off from the land, being desirous to search into +it wherever I should find an opening or any convenience of searching +about for water, etc. When we were off the shoal-point I mentioned, +where we had but twenty fathom water, we had in the night abundance +of whales about the ship, some ahead, others astern, and some on each +side, blowing and making a very dismal noise; but when we came out again +into deeper water, they left us; indeed, the noise that they made by +blowing and dashing of the sea with their tails, making it all of a +breach and foam, was very dreadful to us, like the breach of the waves +in very shoal water or among rocks. The shoal these whales were +upon had depth of water sufficient, no less than twenty fathom, as I +said, and it lies in latitude 22 degrees 22 minutes. The shore +was generally bold all along. We had met with no shoal at sea +since the Abrohlo shoal, when we first fell on the New Holland coast +in the latitude of 28 degrees, till yesterday in the afternoon and this +night. This morning also, when we expected by the draught we had +with us to have been eleven leagues off shore, we were but four, so +that either our draughts were faulty, which yet hitherto and afterwards +we found true enough as to the lying of the coast, or else here was +a tide unknown to us that deceived us, though we had found very little +of any tide on this coast hitherto; as to our winds in the coasting +thus far, as we had been within the verge of the general trade (though +interrupted by the storm I mentioned), from the latitude of 28 degrees, +when we first fell in with the coast, and by that time we were in the +latitude of 25 degrees, we had usually the regular trade wind (which +is here south-south-east) when we were at any distance from shore; but +we had often sea and land breezes, especially when near shore and when +in Shark’s Bay, and had a particular north-west wind or storm +that set us in thither. On this 18th of August we coasted with +a brisk gale of the true trade wind at south-south-east, very fair and +clear weather; but hauling off in the evening to sea, were next morning +out of sight of land, and the land now trending away north-easterly, +and we being to the northward of it, and the wind also shrinking from +the south-south-east to the east-south-east (that is, from the true +trade wind to the sea breeze, as the land now lay), we could not get +in with the land again yet awhile so as to see it, though we trimmed +sharp and kept close on a wind. We were this 19th day in latitude +21 degrees 42 minutes. The 20th we were in latitude 19 degrees +37 minutes, and kept close on a wind to get sight of the land again, +but could not yet see it. We had very fair weather, and though +we were so far from the land as to be out of sight of it, yet we had +the sea and land breezes. In the night we had the land breeze +at south-south-east, a small gentle gale, which in the morning about +sun-rising would shift about gradually (and withal increasing in strength) +till about noon we should have it at east-south-east, which is the true +sea breeze here. Then it would blow a brisk gale so that we could +scarce carry our top-sails double-reefed; and it would continue thus +till three in the afternoon, when it would decrease again. The +weather was fair all the while, not a cloud to be seen, but very hazy, +especially nigh the horizon. We sounded several times this 20th +day, and at first had no ground, but had afterwards from fifty-two to +forty-five fathom, coarse brown sand, mixed with small brown and white +stones, with dints besides in the tallow.</p> +<p>The 21st day also we had small land breezes in the night, and sea +breezes in the day, and as we saw some sea-snakes every day, so this +day we saw a great many, of two different sorts or shapes. One +sort was yellow, and about the bigness of a man’s wrist, about +four feet long, having a flat tail about four fingers broad. The +other sort was much smaller and shorter, round, and spotted black and +yellow. This day we sounded several times, and had forty-five +fathom, sand. We did not make the land till noon, and then saw +it first from our topmast head; it bore south-east by east about nine +leagues distance, and it appeared like a cape or head of land. +The sea breeze this day was not so strong as the day before, and it +veered out more, so that we had a fair wind to run in with to the shore, +and at sunset anchored in twenty fathom, clean sand, about five leagues +from the Bluff point, which was not a cape (as it appeared at a great +distance), but the easternmost end of an island about five or six leagues +in length, and one in breadth. There were three or four rocky +islands about a league from us, between us and the Bluff point, and +we saw many other islands both to the east and west of it, as far as +we could see either way from our topmast-head, and all within them to +the south there was nothing but islands of a pretty height, that may +be seen eight or nine leagues off; by what we saw of them they must +have been a range of islands of about twenty leagues in length, stretching +from east-north-east to west-south-west, and, for aught I know, as far +as to those of Shark’s Bay, and to a considerable breadth also, +for we could see nine or ten leagues in among them, towards the continent +or mainland of New Holland, if there be any such thing hereabouts; and +by the great tides I met with awhile afterwards, more to the north-east, +I had a strong suspicion that here might be a kind of archipelago of +islands, and a passage possibly to the south of New Holland and New +Guinea into the great South Sea eastward, which I had thoughts also +of attempting in my return from New Guinea, had circumstances permitted, +and told my officers so; but I would not attempt it at this time, because +we wanted water, and could not depend upon finding it there. This +place is in the latitude of 20 degrees 21 minutes, but in the draught +that I had of this coast, which was Tasman’s, it was laid down +in 19 degrees 50 minutes, and the shore is laid down as all along joining +in one body or continent, with some openings appearing like rivers, +and not like islands as really they are. This place lies more +northerly by 40 minutes than is laid down in Mr. Tasman’s draught, +and besides its being made a firm continued land, only with some openings +like the mouths of rivers, I found the soundings also different from +what the pricked line of his course shows them, and generally shallower +than he makes them, which inclines me to think that he came not so near +the shore as his line shows, and so had deeper soundings, and could +not so well distinguish the islands. His meridian or difference +of longitude from Shark’s Bay agrees well enough with my account, +which is two hundred and thirty-two leagues, though we differ in latitude; +and to confirm my conjecture that the line of his course is made too +near the shore, at least not far to the east of this place, the water +is there so shallow that he could not come there so nigh.</p> +<p>But to proceed. In the night we had a small land breeze, and +in the morning I weighed anchor, designing to run in among the islands, +for they had large channels between them of a league wide at least, +and some two or three leagues wide. I sent in my boat before to +sound, and if they found shoal water to return again, but if they found +water enough to go ashore on one of the islands and stay till the ship +came in, where they might in the meantime search for water. So +we followed after with the ship, sounding as we went in, and had twenty +fathom till within two leagues of the Bluff head, and then we had shoal +water and very uncertain soundings; yet we ran in still with an easy +sail, sounding and looking out well, for this was dangerous work. +When we came abreast of the Bluff head, and about two miles from it, +we had but seven fathom, then we edged away from it, but had no more +water, and running in a little farther we had but four fathoms, so we +anchored immediately; and yet when we had veered out a third of a cable, +we had seven fathom water again, so uncertain was the water. My +boat came immediately on board, and told me that the island was very +rocky and dry, and they had little hopes of finding water there. +I sent them to sound, and bade them, if they found a channel of eight +or ten fathom water, to keep on, and we would follow with the ship. +We were now about four leagues within the outer small rocky islands, +but still could see nothing but islands within us, some five or six +leagues long, others not above a mile round. The large islands +were pretty high, but all appeared dry, and mostly rocky and barren. +The rocks looked of a rusty yellow colour, and therefore I despaired +of getting water on any of them, but was in some hopes of finding a +channel to run in beyond all these islands, could I have spent time +here, and either got to the main of New Holland or find out some other +islands that might afford us water and other refreshments; besides that +among so many islands we might have found some sort of rich mineral, +or ambergris, it being a good latitude for both these. But we +had not sailed above a league farther before our water grew shoaler +again, and then we anchored in six fathom, hard sand.</p> +<p>We were now on the inner side of the island, on whose outside is +the Bluff point. We rode a league from the island, and I presently +went ashore and carried shovels to dig for water, but found none. +There grow here two or three sorts of shrubs, one just like rosemary, +and therefore I called this Rosemary Island; it grew in great plenty +here, but had no smell. Some of the other shrubs had blue and +yellow flowers; and we found two sorts of grain like beans; the one +grew on bushes, the other on a sort of creeping vine that runs along +on the ground, having very thick broad leaves, and the blossom like +a bean blossom, but much larger and of a deep red colour, looking very +beautiful. We saw here some cormorants, gulls, crab-catchers, +etc., a few small land birds, and a sort of white parrots, which flew +a great many together. We found some shell-fish, viz., limpets, +periwinkles, and abundance of small oysters growing on the rocks, which +were very sweet. In the sea we saw some green turtle, many sharks, +and abundance of water-snakes of several sorts and sizes. The +stones were all of rusty colour, and ponderous.</p> +<p>We saw a smoke on an island three or four leagues off, and here also +the bushes had been burned, but we found no other sign of inhabitants. +It was probable that on the island where the smoke was there were inhabitants, +and fresh water for them. In the evening I went aboard, and consulted +with my officers whether it was best to send thither, or to search among +any other of these islands with my boat, or else go from hence and coast +along shore with the ship, till we could find some better place than +this was to ride in, where we had shoal water and lay exposed to winds +and tides. They all agreed to go from hence, so I gave orders +to weigh in the morning as soon as it should be light, and to get out +with the land breeze.</p> +<p>Accordingly, August 23rd, at five in the morning, we ran out, having +a pretty fresh land breeze at south-south-east. By eight o’clock +we were got out, and very seasonably, for before nine the sea breeze +came on us very strong, and increasing, we took in our top-sails and +stood off under two courses and a mizen, this being as much sail as +we could carry. The sky was clear, there being not one cloud to +be seen, but the horizon appeared very hazy, and the sun at setting +the night before, and this morning at rising, appeared very red. +The wind continued very strong till twelve, then it began to abate; +I have seldom met with a stronger breeze. These strong sea breezes +lasted thus in their turns three or four days. They sprang up +with the sunrise; by nine o’clock they were very strong, and so +continued till noon, when they began to abate; and by sunset there was +little wind, or a calm, till the land breezes came, which we should +certainly have in the morning about one or two o’clock. +The land breezes were between the south-south-west and south-south-east: +the sea breezes between the east-north-east and north-north-east. +In the night while calm, we fished with hook and line, and caught good +store of fish viz., snappers, breams, old-wives, and dog-fish. +When these last came we seldom caught any others; for it they did not +drive away the other fish, yet they would be sure to keep them from +taking our hooks, for they would first have them themselves, biting +very greedily. We caught also a monk-fish, of which I brought +home the picture.</p> +<p>On the 25th of August we still coasted along shore, that we might +the better see any opening; kept sounding, and had about twenty fathom, +clean sand. The 26th day, being about four leagues off shore, +the water began gradually to sholden from twenty to fourteen fathom. +I was edging in a little towards the land, thinking to have anchored; +but presently after the water decreased almost at once, till we had +but five fathom. I durst, therefore, adventure no farther, but +steered out the same way that we came in, and in a short time had ten +fathom (being then about four leagues and a half from the shore), and +even soundings. I steered away east-north-east, coasting along +as the land lies. This day the sea breezes began to be very moderate +again, and we made the best of our way along shore, only in the night +edging off a little for fear of shoals. Ever since we left Shark’s +Bay we had fair clear weather, and so for a great while still.</p> +<p>The 27th day we had twenty fathom water all night, yet we could not +see land till one in the afternoon from our topmast-head. By three +we could just discern land from our quarter-deck; we had then sixteen +fathom. The wind was at north, and we steered east-by-north, which +is but one point in on the land; yet we decreased our water very fast, +for at four we had but nine fathom, the next cast but seven, which frightened +us; and we then tacked instantly and steed off, but in a short time +the wind coming at north-west and west-north-west, we tacked again and +steered north-north-east, and then deepened our water again, and had +all night from fifteen to twenty fathom.</p> +<p>The 28th day we had between twenty and forty fathom. We saw +no land this day, but saw a great many snakes and some whales. +We saw also some boobies and noddy-birds, and in the night caught one +of these last. It was of another shape and colour than any I had +seen before. It had a small long bill, as all of them have, flat +feet like ducks’ feet, its tail forked like a swallow, but longer +and broader, and the fork deeper than that of the swallow, with very +long wings; the top or crown of the head of this noddy was coal-black, +having also small black streaks round about and close to the eyes; and +round these streaks on each side, a pretty broad white circle. +The breast, belly, and under part of the wings of this noddy were white, +and the back and upper part of its wings of a faint black or smoke colour. +Noddies are seen in most places between the tropics, as well in the +East Indies and on the coast of Brazil, as in the West Indies. +They rest ashore at night, and therefore we never see them far at sea, +not above twenty or thirty leagues, unless driven off in a storm. +When they come about a ship they commonly perch in the night, and will +sit still till they are taken by the seamen. They build on cliffs +against the sea, or rocks.</p> +<p>The 30th day, being in latitude 18 degrees 21 minutes, we made the +land again, and saw many great smokes near the shore; and having fair +weather and moderate breezes, I steered in towards it. At four +in the afternoon I anchored in eight fathom water, clear sand, about +three leagues and a half from the shore. I presently sent my boat +to sound nearer in, and they found ten fathom about a mile farther in, +and from thence still farther in the water decreased gradually to nine, +eight, seven, and at two miles distance to six fathom. This evening +we saw an eclipse of the moon, but it was abating before the moon appeared +to us; for the horizon was very hazy, so that we could not see the moon +till she had been half an hour above the horizon; and at two hours twenty-two +minutes after sunset, by the reckoning of our glasses, the eclipse was +quite gone, which was not of many digits. The moon’s centre +was then 33 degrees 40 minutes high.</p> +<p>The 31st of August, betimes in the morning, I went ashore with ten +or eleven men to search for water. We went armed with muskets +and cutlasses for our defence, expecting to see people there, and carried +also shovels and pickaxes to dig wells. When we came near the +shore we saw three tall, black, naked men on the sandy bay ahead of +us; but as we rowed in, they went away. When we were landed, I +sent the boat with two men in her to lie a little from the shore at +an anchor, to prevent being seized; while the rest of us went after +the three black men, who were now got on the top of a small hill about +a quarter of a mile from us, with eight or nine men more in their company. +They, seeing us coming, ran away. When we came on the top of the +hill where they first stood, we saw a plain savannah, about half a mile +from us, farther in from the sea. There were several things like +hay-cocks standing in the savannah, which at a distance we thought were +houses, looking just like the Hottentots’ houses at the Cape of +Good Hope: but we found them to be so many rocks. We searched +about these for water, but could find none, nor any houses, nor people, +for they were all gone. Then we turned again to the place where +we landed, and there we dug for water.</p> +<p>While we were at work there came nine or ten of the natives to a +small hill a little way from us, and stood there menacing and threatening +us, and making a great noise. At last one of them came towards +us, and the rest followed at a distance. I went out to meet him, +and came within fifty yards of him, making to him all the signs of peace +and friendship I could, but then he ran away, neither would they any +of them stay for us to come nigh them, for we tried two or three times. +At last I took two men with me, and went in the afternoon along by the +sea-side, purposely to catch one of them, if I could, of whom I might +learn where they got their fresh water. There were ten or twelve +of the natives a little way off, who, seeing us three going away from +the rest of our men, followed us at a distance. I thought they +would follow us, but there being for awhile a sand-bank between us and +them, that they could not then see us, we made a halt, and hid ourselves +in a bending of the sand-bank. They knew we must be thereabouts, +and being three or four times our numbers, thought to seize us. +So they dispersed themselves, some going to the sea-shore, and others +beating about the sand-hills. We knew by what rencounter we had +had with them in the morning that we could easily out-run them, so a +nimble young man that was with me, seeing some of them near, ran towards +them; and they for some time ran away before him, but he soon overtaking +them, they faced about and fought him. He had a cutlass and they +had wooden lances, with which, being many of them, they were too hard +for him. When he first ran towards them I chased two more that +were by the shore; but fearing how it might be with my young man, I +turned back quickly and went to the top of a sand-hill, whence I saw +him near me, closely engaged with them. Upon their seeing me, +one of them threw a lance at me, that narrowly missed me. I discharged +my gun to scare them, but avoided shooting any of them, till finding +the young man in great danger from them, and myself in some; and that +though the gun had a little frightened them at first, yet they had soon +learnt to despise it, tossing up their hands and crying, “pooh, +pooh, pooh,” and coming on afresh with a great noise, I thought +it high time to charge again, and shoot one of them, which I did. +The rest, seeing him fall, made a stand again, and my young man took +the opportunity to disengage himself and come off to me; my other man +also was with me, who had done nothing all this while, having come out +unarmed, and I returned back with my men, designing to attempt the natives +no farther, being very sorry for what had happened already. They +took up their wounded companion; and my young man, who had been struck +through the cheek by one of their lances, was afraid it had been poisoned, +but I did not think that likely. His wound was very painful to +him, being made with a blunt weapon; but he soon recovered of it.</p> +<p>Among the New Hollanders, whom we were thus engaged with, there was +one who by his appearance and carriage, as well in the morning as this +afternoon, seemed to be the chief of them, and a kind of prince or captain +among them. He was a young brisk man, not very tall, nor so personable +as some of the rest, though more active and courageous: he was painted +(which none of the rest were at all) with a circle of white paste or +pigment (a sort of lime, as we thought) about his eyes, and a white +streak down his nose, from his forehead to the tip of it: and his breast +and some part of his arms were also made white with the same paint; +not for beauty or ornament, one would think, but as some wild Indian +warriors are said to do, he seemed thereby to design the looking more +terrible; this his painting adding very much to his natural deformity; +for they all of them have the most unpleasant looks and the worst features +of any people that ever I saw, though I have seen great variety of savages. +These New Hollanders were probably the same sort of people as those +I met with on this coast in my voyage round the world, for the place +I then touched at was not above forty or fifty leagues to the north-east +of this, and these were much the same blinking creatures (here being +also abundance of the same kind of flesh-flies teazing them,) and with +the same black skins, and hair frizzled, tall and thin, &c. as those +were: but we had not the opportunity to see whether these, as the former, +wanted two of their fore-teeth.</p> +<p>We saw a great many places where they had made fires, and where there +were commonly three or four boughs stuck up to windward of them; for +the wind, (which is the sea-breeze), in the day-time blows always one +way with them, and the land-breeze is but small. By their fire-places +we should always find great heaps of fish-shells of several sorts; and +it is probable that these poor creatures here lived chiefly on the shell-fish, +as those I before described did on small fish, which they caught in +wires or holes in the sand at low water. These gathered their +shell-fish on the rocks at low water but had no wires (that we saw), +whereby to get any other sorts of fish; as among the former I saw not +any heaps of shells as here, though I know they also gathered some shell-fish. +The lances also of those were such as these had; however, they being +upon an island, with their women and children, and all in our power, +they did not there use them against us, as here on the continent, where +we saw none but some of the men under head, who come out purposely to +observe us. We saw no houses at either place, and I believe they +have none, since the former people on the island had none, though they +had all their families with them.</p> +<p>Upon returning to my men I saw that though they had dug eight or +nine feet deep, yet found no water. So I returned aboard that +evening, and the next day, being September 1st, I sent my boatswain +ashore to dig deeper, and sent the seine within him to catch fish. +While I stayed aboard I observed the flowing of the tide, which runs +very swift here, so that our nun-buoy would not bear above the water +to be seen. It flows here (as on that part of New Holland I described +formerly) about five fathom; and here the flood runs south-east by south +till the last quarter; then it sets right in towards the shore (which +lies here south-south-west and north north-east) and the ebb runs north-west +by north. When the tides slackened we fished with hook and line, +as we had already done in several places on this coast; on which in +this voyage hitherto we had found but little tides; but by the height, +and strength, and course of them hereabouts, it should seem that if +there be such a passage or strait going through eastward to the great +South Sea, as I said one might suspect, one would expect to find the +mouth of it somewhere between this place and Rosemary Island, which +was the part of New Holland I came last from.</p> +<p>Next morning my men came aboard and brought a runlet of brackish +water which they had got out of another well that they dug in a place +a mile off, and about half as far from the shore; but this water was +not fit to drink. However, we all concluded that it would serve +to boil our oatmeal, for burgoo, whereby we might save the remains of +our other water for drinking, till we should get more: and accordingly +the next day we brought aboard four hogsheads of it: but while we were +at work about the well we were sadly pestered with the flies, which +were more troublesome to us than the sun, though it shone clear and +strong upon us all the while very hot. All this while we saw no +more of the natives, but saw some of the smoke of some of their fires +at two or three miles distance.</p> +<p>The land hereabouts was much like the port of New Holland that I +formerly described; it is low, but seemingly barricaded with a long +chain of sand-hills to the sea, that lets nothing be seen of what is +farther within land. At high water the tides rising so high as +they do, the coast shows very low: but when it is low water it seems +to be of an indifferent height. At low water-mark the shore is +all rocky, so that then there is no landing with a boat; but at high +water a boat may come in over those rocks to the sandy bay, which runs +all along on this coast. The land by the sea for about five or +six hundred yards is a dry sandy soil, bearing only shrubs and bushes +of divers sorts. Some of these had them at this time of the year, +yellow flowers or blossoms, some blue, and some white; most of them +of a very fragrant smell. Some had fruit like peascods, in each +of which there were just ten small peas; I opened many of them, and +found no more nor less. There are also here some of that sort +of bean which I saw at Rosemary Island: and another sort of small red +hard pulse, growing in cods also, with little black eyes like beans. +I know not their names, but have seen them used often in the East Indies +for weighing gold; and they make the same use of them at Guinea, as +I have heard, where the women also make bracelets with them to wear +about their arms. These grow on bushes; but here are also a fruit +like beans growing on a creeping sort of shrub-like vine. There +was great plenty of all these sorts of cod-fruit growing on the sand-hills +by the sea side, some of them green, some ripe, and some fallen on the +ground: but I could not perceive that any of them had been gathered +by the natives; and might not probably be wholesome food.</p> +<p>The land farther in, that is, lower than what borders on the sea, +was so much as we saw of it, very plain and even; partly savannahs and +partly woodland. The savannahs bear a sort of thin coarse grass. +The mould is also a coarser sand than that by the sea-side, and in some +places it is clay. Here are a great many rocks in the large savannah +we were in, which are five or six feet high, and round at top like a +hay-cock, very remarkable; some red and some white. The woodland +lies farther in still, where there were divers sorts of small trees, +scarce any three feet in circumference, their bodies twelve or fourteen +feet high, with a head of small knibs or boughs. By the sides +of the creeks, especially nigh the sea, there grow a few small black +mangrove-trees.</p> +<p>There are but few land animals. I saw some lizards; and my +men saw two or three beasts like hungry wolves, lean like so many skeletons, +being nothing but skin and bones; it is probable that it was the foot +of one of those beasts that I mentioned as seen by us in New Holland. +We saw a raccoon or two, and one small speckled snake.</p> +<p>The land fowls that we saw here were crows, just such as ours in +England, small hawks and kites, a few of each sort: but here are plenty +of small turtle doves, that are plump, fat, and very good meat. +Here are two or three sorts of smaller birds, some as big as larks, +some less; but not many of either sort. The sea-fowl are pelicans, +boobies, noddies, curlews, seapies, &c., and but few of these neither.</p> +<p>The sea is plentifully stocked with the largest whales that I ever +saw; but not to compare with the vast ones of the Northern Seas. +We saw also a great many green turtle, but caught none, here being no +place to set a turtle net in; there being no channel for them, and the +tides running so strong. We saw some sharks and parracoots; and +with hooks and lines we caught some rock-fish and old-wives. Of +shell-fish, here were oysters both of the common kind for eating, and +of the pearl kind; and also whelks, conchs, muscles, limpits, periwinkles, +&c., and I gathered a few strange shells, chiefly a sort not large, +and thickset all about with rays or spikes growing in rows.</p> +<p>And thus having ranged about a considerable time upon this coast, +without finding any good fresh water or any convenient place to clean +the ship, as I had hoped for; and it being moreover the height of the +dry season, and my men growing scorbutic for want of refreshments, so +that I had little encouragement to search further, I resolved to leave +this coast, and accordingly in the beginning of September set sail towards +Timor.</p> +<p>On the 12th of December, 1699, we sailed from Babao, coasting along +the island Timor to the eastward, towards New Guinea. It was the +20th before we got as far as Laphao, which is but forty leagues. +We saw black clouds in the north-west, and expected the wind from that +quarter above a month sooner.</p> +<p>That afternoon we saw the opening between the islands Omba and Fetter, +but feared to pass through in the night. At two o’clock +in the morning it fell calm, and continued so till noon, in which time +we drove with the current back again south-west six or seven leagues.</p> +<p>On the 22nd, steering to the eastward to get through between Omba +and Fetter, we met a very strong tide against us, so that although we +had a very fresh gale, we yet made way very slowly; but before night +got through. By a good observation we found that the south-east +point of Omba lies in latitude 8 degrees 25 minutes. In my drafts +it is laid down in 8 degrees 10 minutes. My true course from Babao, +is east 25 degrees north, distance one hundred eighty-three miles. +We sounded several times when near Omba, but had no ground. On +the north-east point of Omba we saw four or five men, and a little further +three pretty houses on a low point, but did not go ashore.</p> +<p>At five this afternoon we had a tornado, which yielded much rain, +thunder, and lightning; yet we had but little wind. The 24th in +the morning we caught a large shark, which gave all the ship’s +company a plentiful meal.</p> +<p>The 27th we saw the Burning Island; it lies in latitude 6 degrees +36 minutes south; it is high, and but small; it runs from the sea a +little sloping towards the top, which is divided in the middle into +two peaks, between which issued out much smoke: I have not seen more +from any volcano. I saw no trees; but the north side appeared +green, and the rest looked very barren.</p> +<p>Having passed the Burning Island, I shaped my course for two islands, +called Turtle Isles, which lie north-east by east a little easterly, +and distant about fifty leagues from the Burning Isle. I fearing +the wind might veer to the eastward of the north, steered twenty leagues +north-east, then north-east by east. On the 28th we saw two small +low islands, called Lucca-Parros, to the north of us. At noon +I accounted myself twenty leagues short of the Turtle Isles.</p> +<p>The next morning, being in the latitude of the Turtle Islands, we +looked out sharp for them, but saw no appearance of any island till +eleven o’clock, when we saw an island at a great distance. +At first we supposed it might be one of the Turtle Isles, but it was +not laid down true, neither in latitude nor longitude from the Burning +Isle, nor from the Lucca-Parros, which last I took to be a great help +to guide me, they being laid down very well from the Burning Isle, and +that likewise in true latitude and distance from Omba, so that I could +not tell what to think of the island now in sight, we having had fair +weather, so that we could not pass by the Turtle Isles without seeing +them, and this in sight was much too far off for them. We found +variation 1 degrees 2 minutes east. In the afternoon I steered +north-east by east for the islands that we saw. At two o’clock +I went and looked over the fore-yard, and saw two islands at much greater +distance than the Turtle Islands are laid down in my drafts, one of +them was a very high peaked mountain, cleft at top, and much like the +Burning Island that we passed by, but bigger and higher; the other was +a pretty long high flat island. Now I was certain that these were +not the Turtle Islands, and that they could be no other than the Bande +Isles, yet we steered in to make them plainer. At three o’clock +we discovered another small flat island to the north-west of the others, +and saw a great deal of smoke rise from the top of the high island. +At four we saw other small islands, by which I was now assured that +these were the Bande Isles there. At five I altered my course +and steered east, and at eight east-south-east, because I would not +be seen by the inhabitants of those islands in the morning. We +had little wind all night, and in the morning, as soon as it was light +we saw another high peaked island; at eight it bore south-south-east +half-east, distance eight leagues: and this I knew to be Bird Isle. +It is laid down in our drafts in latitude 5 degrees 9 minutes south, +which is too far southerly by twenty-seven miles, according to our observation, +and the like error in laying down the Turtle Islands might be the occasion +of our missing them.</p> +<p>At night I shortened sail, for fear of coming too nigh some islands, +that stretch away bending like a half moon from Ceram towards Timor, +and which in my course I must of necessity pass through. The next +morning betimes I saw them, and found them to be at a farther distance +from Bird Island than I expected. In the afternoon it fell quite +calm, and when we had a little wind, it was so unconstant, flying from +one point to another, that I could not without difficulty get through +the islands where I designed; besides, I found a current setting to +the southward, so that it was betwixt five and six in the evening before +I passed through the islands, and then just weathered little Watela, +whereas I thought to have been two or three leagues more northerly. +We saw the day before, betwixt two and three, a spout but a small distance +from us, it fell down out of a black cloud, that yielded great store +of rain, thunder and lightning; this cloud hovered to the southward +of us for the space of three hours, and then drew to the westward a +great pace, at which time it was that we saw the spout, which hung fast +to the cloud till it broke, and then the cloud whirled about to the +south-east, then to east-north-east, where meeting with an island, it +spent itself and so dispersed, and immediately we had a little of the +tail of it, having had none before. Afterwards we saw a smoke +on the island Kosiway, which continued till night.</p> +<p>On New Year’s Day we first descried the land of New Guinea, +which appeared to be high land, and the next day we saw several high +islands on the coast of New Guinea, and ran in with the main land. +The shore here lies along east-south-east and west-north-west. +It is high even land, very well clothed with tall flourishing trees, +which appeared very green, and gave us a very pleasant prospect. +We ran to the westward of four mountainous islands, and in the night +had a small tornado, which brought with it some rain and a fair wind. +We had fair weather for a long time, only when near any land we had +some tornadoes; but off, at sea, commonly clear weather, though, if +in sight of land, we usually saw many black clouds hovering about it.</p> +<p>On the 5th and 6th of January we plied to get in with the land, designing +to anchor, fill water, and spend a little time in searching the country, +till after the change of the moon, for I found a strong current setting +against us. We anchored in thirty-eight fathom water, good oozy +ground. We had an island of a league long without us, about three +miles distant, and we rode from the main about a mile. The easternmost +point of land seen bore east-by-south half-south, distance three leagues, +and the westernmost west-south-west half-south, distance two leagues. +So soon as we anchored, we sent the pinnace to look for water and try +if they could catch any fish. Afterwards we sent the yawl another +way to see for water. Before night the pinnace brought on board +several sorts of fruits that they found in the woods, such as I never +saw before. One of my men killed a stately land-fowl, as big as +the largest dunghill cock; it was of a sky-colour, only in the middle +of the wings was a white spot, about which were some reddish spots; +on the crown it had a large bunch of long feathers, which appeared very +pretty; his bill was like pigeon’s; he had strong legs and feet, +like dunghill fowls, only the claws were reddish; his crop was full +of small berries. It lays an egg as big as a large hen’s +egg, for our men climbed the tree where it nested, and brought off one +egg. They found water, and reported that the trees were large, +tall, and very thick, and that they saw no sign of people. At +night the yawl came aboard and brought a wooden fish-spear, very ingeniously +made, the matter of it was a small cane; they found it by a small barbecue, +where they also saw a shattered canoe.</p> +<p>The next morning I sent the boatswain ashore fishing, and at one +haul he caught three hundred and fifty-two mackerel, and about twenty +other fishes, which I caused to be equally divided among all my company. +I sent also the gunner and chief mate to search about if they could +find convenient anchoring near a watering-place; by night they brought +word that they had found a fine stream of good water, where the boat +could come close to, and it was very easy to be filled, and that the +ship might anchor as near to it as I pleased, so I went thither. +The next morning, therefore, we anchored in twenty-five fathom water, +soft oozy ground, about a mile from the river; we got on board three +tuns of water that night, and caught two or three pike-fish, in shape +much like a parracota, but with a longer snout, something resembling +a garr, yet not so long. The next day I sent the boat again for +water, and before night all my casks were full.</p> +<p>Having filled here about fifteen tuns of water, seeing we could catch +but little fish, and had no other refreshments, I intended to sail next +day, but finding that we wanted wood, I sent to cut some, and going +ashore to hasten it, at some distance from the place where our men were, +I found a small cove, where I saw two barbecues, which appeared not +to be above two months’ standing; the spars were cut with some +sharp instrument, so that, if done by the natives, it seems that they +have iron. On the 10th, a little after twelve o’clock, we +weighed and stood over to the north side of the bay, and at one o’clock +stood out with the wind at north and north-north-west. At four +we passed out by a White Island, which I so named from its many white +cliffs, having no name in our drafts. It is about a league long, +pretty high, and very woody; it is about five miles from the main, only +at the west end it reaches within three miles of it. At some distance +off at sea the west point appears like a cape-land, the north side trends +away north-north-west, and the east side east-south-east. This +island lies in latitude 3 degrees 4 minutes south, and the meridian +distance from Babao five hundred and twelve miles east. After +we were out to sea, we plied to get to the northward, but met with such +a strong current against us, that we got but little, for if the wind +favoured us in the night, that we got three or four leagues, we lost +it again, and were driven as far astern next morning, so that we plied +here several days.</p> +<p>The 14th, being past a point of land that we had been three days +getting about, we found little or no current, so that, having the wind +at north-west-by-west and west-north-west, we stood to the northward, +and had several soundings: at three o’clock thirty-eight fathom, +the nearest part of New Guinea being about three leagues’ distance; +at four, thirty-seven; at five, thirty-six; at six, thirty-six; at eight, +thirty-three fathom; then the Cape was about four leagues’ distant, +so that as we ran off we found our water shallower; we had then some +islands to the westward of us, at about four leagues’ distance.</p> +<p>A little after noon we saw smoke on the islands to the west of us, +and having a fine gale of wind, I steered away for them. At seven +o’clock in the evening we anchored in thirty-five fathom, about +two leagues from an island, good soft oozy ground. We lay still +all night, and saw fires ashore. In the morning we weighed again, +and ran farther in, thinking to have shallower water; but we ran within +a mile of the shore, and came to in thirty-eight fathom good soft holding +ground. While we were under sail two canoes came off within call +of us. They spoke to us, but we did not understand their language +nor signs. We waved to them to come aboard, and I called to them +in the Malayan language to do the same, but they would not. Yet +they came so nigh us that we could show them such things as we had to +truck with them; yet neither would this entice them to come on board, +but they made signs for us to come ashore, and away they went. +Then I went after them in my pinnace, carrying with me knives, beads, +glasses, hatchets, &c. When we came near the shore, I called +to them in the Malayan language. I saw but two men at first, the +rest lying in ambush behind the bushes; but as soon as I threw ashore +some knives and other toys, they came out, flung down their weapons, +and came into the water by the boat’s side, making signs of friendship +by pouring water on their heads with one hand, which they dipped into +the sea. The next day, in the afternoon, several other canoes +came aboard, and brought many roots and fruits, which we purchased.</p> +<p>The island has no name in our drafts, but the natives call it Pub +Sabuda; it is about three leagues long, and two miles wide, more or +less; it is of a good height, so as to be seen eleven or twelve leagues; +it is very rocky, yet above the rocks there is good yellow and black +mould, not deep, yet producing plenty of good tall trees, and bearing +any fruits or roots which the inhabitants plant. I do not know +all its produce, but what we saw were plantains, cocoa-nuts, pine-apples, +oranges, papaes, potatoes, and other large roots. Here are also +another sort of wild jacas, about the bigness of a man’s two fists, +full of stones or kernels, which eat pleasant enough when roasted. +The libby tree grows here in the swampy valleys, of which they make +sago cakes. I did not see them make any, but was told by the inhabitants +that it was made of the pith of the tree, in the same manner I have +described in my “Voyage Round the World.” They showed +me the tree whereof it was made, and I bought about forty of the cakes. +I bought also three or four nutmegs in their shell, which did not seem +to have been long gathered; but whether they be the growth of this island +or not, the natives would not tell whence they had them, and seem to +prize them very much. What beasts the island affords I know not, +but here are both sea and land fowl. Of the first, boobies and +men-of-war birds are the chief, some goldens, and small milk-white crab-catchers; +the land-fowl are pigeons, about the bigness of mountain-pigeons in +Jamaica, and crows about the bigness of those in England, and much like +them, but the inner part of their feathers are white, and the outside +black, so that they appear all black, unless you extend the feathers. +Here are large sky-coloured birds, such as we lately killed on New Guinea, +and many other small birds, unknown to us. Here are likewise abundance +of bats, as big as young coneys, their necks, head, ears, and noses +like foxes, their hair rough, that about their necks is of a whitish +yellow, that on their heads and shoulders black, their wings are four +feet over from tip to tip; they smell like foxes. The fish are +bass, rock-fish, and a sort of fish like mullets, old-wives, whip-rays, +and some other sorts that I knew not; but no great plenty of any, for +it is deep water till within less than a mile of the shore, then there +is a bank of coral rocks, within which you have shoal-water, white clean +sand, so there is no good fishing with the seine.</p> +<p>This island lies in latitude 2 degrees 43 minutes south, and meridian +distance from port Babo, on the island Timor, four hundred and eighty-six +miles: besides this island, here are nine or ten other small islands.</p> +<p>The inhabitants of this island are a sort of very tawny Indians, +with long black hair, who in their manners differ but little from the +Mindanayans, and others of these eastern islands. These seem to +be the chief; for besides them we saw also shock curl pated New Guinea +negroes, many of which are slaves to the others, but I think not all. +They are very poor, wear no clothes but have a clout about their middle, +made of the rinds of the tops of palmetto trees; but the women had a +sort of calico cloth. Their chief ornaments are blue and yellow +beads, worn about their wrists. The men arm themselves with bows +and arrows, lances, broad swords, like those of Mindanao; their lances +are pointed with bone: they strike fish very ingeniously with wooden +fish-spears, and have a very ingenious way of making the fish rise; +for they have a piece of wood curiously carved, and painted much like +a dolphin (and perhaps other figures); these they let down into the +water by a line with a small weight to sink it; when they think it low +enough, they haul the line into their boats very fast, and the fish +rise up after this figure, and they stand ready to strike them when +they are near the surface of the water. But their chief livelihood +is from their plantations; yet they have large boats, and go over to +New Guinea, where they get slaves, fine parrots, &c, which they +carry to Goram and exchange for calicoes. One boat came from thence +a little before I arrived here, of whom I bought some parrots, and would +have bought a slave but they would not barter for anything but calicoes, +which I had not. Their houses on this side were very small, and +seemed only to be for necessity; but on the other side of the island +we saw good large houses. Their prows are narrow, with outriggers +on each side, like other Malayans. I cannot tell of what religion +these are; but I think they are not Mahometans, by their drinking brandy +out of the same cup with us without any scruple. At this island +we continued till the 20th instant, having laid in store of such roots +and fruits as the island afforded.</p> +<p>On the 20th, at half an hour after six in the morning, I weighed, +and standing out we saw a large boat full of men lying at the north +point of the island. As we passed by, they rowed towards their +habitations, where we supposed they had withdrawn themselves for fear +of us, though we gave them no cause of terror, or for some differences +among themselves.</p> +<p>We stood to the northward till seven in the evening, then saw a rippling; +and, the water being discoloured, we sounded, and had but twenty-two +fathom. I went about and stood to the westward till two next morning +then tacked again, and had these several soundings: at eight in the +evening, twenty-two; at ten, twenty-five; at eleven, twenty-seven; at +twelve, twenty-eight fathom; at two in the morning, twenty-six; at four, +twenty-four; at six, twenty-three; at eight, twenty-eight; at twelve, +twenty-two.</p> +<p>We passed by many small islands, and among many dangerous shoals +without any remarkable occurrence till the 4th of February, when we +got within three leagues of the north-west cape of New Guinea, called +by the Dutch Cape Mabo. Off this cape there lies a small woody +island, and many islands of different sizes to the north and north-east +of it. This part of New Guinea is high land, adorned with tall +trees, that appeared very green and flourishing. The cape itself +is not very high, but ends in a low sharp point, and on either side +there appears another such point at equal distances, which makes it +resemble a diamond. This only appears when you are abreast of +the middle point, and then you have no ground within three leagues of +the shore.</p> +<p>In the afternoon we passed by the cape and stood over for the islands. +Before it was dark we were got within a league of the westernmost, but +had no ground with fifty fathom of line: however, fearing to stand nearer +in the dark, we tacked and stood to the east and plied all night. +The next morning we were got five or six leagues to the eastward of +that island, and, having the wind easterly, we stood in to the northward +among the islands, sounded, and had no ground; then I sent in my boat +to sound, and they had ground with fifty fathom near a mile from the +shore. We tacked before the boat came aboard again, for fear of +a shoal that was about a mile to the east of that island the boat went +to, from whence also a shoal-point stretched out itself till it met +the other: they brought with them such a cockle as I have mentioned +in my “Voyage Round the World” found near Celebes, and they +saw many more, some bigger than that which they brought aboard, as they +said, and for this reason I named it Cockle Island. I sent them +to sound again, ordering them to fire a musket if they found good anchoring; +we were then standing to the southward, with a fine breeze. As +soon as they fired, I tacked and stood in; they told me they had fifty +fathom when they fired. I tacked again, and made all the sail +I could to get out, being near some rocky islands and shoals to leeward +of us. The breeze increased, and I thought we were out of danger, +but having a shoal just by us, and the wind failing again, I ordered +the boat to tow us, and by their help we got clear from it. We +had a strong tide setting to the westward.</p> +<p>At one o’clock, being past the shoal, and finding the tide +setting to the westward, I anchored in thirty-five fathom coarse sand, +with small coral and shells. Being nearest to Cockle Island, I +immediately sent both the boats thither, one to cut wood, and the other +to fish. At four in the afternoon, having a small breeze at south-south-west, +I made a sign for my boats to come on board. They brought some +wood, and a few small cockles, none of them exceeding ten pounds’ +weight, whereas the shell of the great one weighed seventy-eight pounds; +but it was now high water, and therefore they could get no bigger. +They also brought on board some pigeons, of which we found plenty on +all the islands where we touched in these seas: also in many places +we saw many large bats, but killed none, except those I mentioned at +Pub Sabuda. As our boats came aboard, we weighed and made sail, +steering east-south-east as long as the wind held. In the morning +we found we had got four or five leagues to the east of the place where +we weighed. We stood to and fro till eleven; and finding that +we lost ground, anchored in forty-two fathom coarse gravelly sand, with +some coral. This morning we thought we saw a sail.</p> +<p>In the afternoon I went ashore on a small woody island, about two +leagues from us. Here I found the greatest number of pigeons that +ever I saw either in the East or West Indies, and small cockles in the +sea round the island in such quantities that we might have laden the +boat in an hour’s time. These were not above ten or twelve +pounds’ weight. We cut some wood, and brought off cockles +enough for all the ship’s company; but having no small shot, we +could kill no pigeons. I returned about four o’clock, and +then my gunner and both mates went thither, and in less than three-quarters +of an hour they killed and brought off ten pigeons. Here is a +tide: the flood sets west and the ebb east, but the latter is very faint +and but of small continuance, and so we found it ever since we came +from Timer: the winds we found easterly, between north-east and east-south-east, +so that if these continue, it is impossible to beat farther to the eastward +on this coast against wind and current. These easterly winds increased +from the time we were in the latitude of about 2 degrees south, and +as we drew nigher the line they hung more easterly: and now being to +the north of the continent of New Guinea, where the coast lies east +and west, I find the trade-wind here at east, which yet in higher latitudes +is usually at north-north-west and north-west; and so I did expect them +here, it being to the south of the line.</p> +<p>The 7th, in the morning, I sent my boat ashore on Pigeon Island, +and stayed till noon. In the afternoon my men returned, brought +twenty-two pigeons, and many cockles, some very large, some small: they +also brought one empty shell, that weighed two hundred and fifty-eight +pounds.</p> +<p>At four o’clock we weighed, having a small westerly wind and +a tide with us; at seven in the evening we anchored in forty-two fathom, +near King William’s Island, where I went ashore the next morning, +drank His Majesty’s health, and honoured it with his name. +It is about two leagues and a half in length, very high and extraordinarily +well clothed with woods; the trees are of divers sorts, most unknown +to us, but all very green and flourishing; many of them had flowers, +some white, some purple, others yellow: all which smelt very fragrantly: +the trees are generally tall and straight bodied, and may be fit for +any use. I saw one of a clean body, without knot or limb, sixty +or seventy feet high by estimation; it was three of my fathoms about, +and kept its bigness, without any sensible decrease, even to the top. +The mould of the island is black, but not deep, it being very rocky. +On the sides and top of the island are many palmetto trees, whose heads +we could discern over all the other trees, but their bodies we could +not see.</p> +<p>About one in the afternoon we weighed and stood to the eastward, +between the main and King William’s Island, leaving the island +on our larboard side, and sounding till we were past the island, and +then we had no ground. Here we found the flood setting east-by-north, +and the ebb west-by-south; there were shoals and small islands between +us and the main, which caused the tide to set very inconstantly, and +make many whirlings in the water; yet we did not find the tide to set +strong any way, nor the water to rise much.</p> +<p>On the 9th, being to the eastward of King William’s Island, +we plied all day between the main and other islands, having easterly +winds and fair weather till seven the next morning; then we had very +hard rain till eight, and saw many shoals of fish. We lay becalmed +off a pretty deep bay on New Guinea, about twelve or fourteen leagues +wide, and seven or eight leagues deep, having low land near its bottom, +but high land without. The easternmost part of New Guinea seen +bore east-by-south, distant twelve leagues; Cape Mabo west-south-west +half-south, distant seven leagues.</p> +<p>At one in the afternoon it began to rain, and continued till six +in the evening, so that, having but little wind and most calms, we lay +still off the forementioned bay, having King William’s Island +still in sight, though distant by judgment fifteen or sixteen leagues +west. We saw many shoals of small fish, some sharks, and seven +or eight dolphins, but caught none. In the afternoon, being about +four leagues from the shore, we saw an opening in the land, which seemed +to afford good harbour. In the evening we saw a large fire there, +and I intended to go in (if winds and weather would permit) to get some +acquaintance with the natives.</p> +<p>Since the 4th instant that we passed Cape Mabo, to the 12th, we had +small easterly winds and calms, so that we anchored several times, where +I made my men cut wood, that we might have a good stock when a westerly +wind should present, and so we plied to the eastward, as winds and currents +would permit, having not got in all above thirty leagues to the eastward +of Cape Mabo; but on the 12th, at four in the afternoon, a small gale +sprang up at north-east-by-north, with rain; at five it shuffled about +to north-west, from thence to the south-west, and continued between +those two points a pretty brisk gale, so that we made sail and steered +away north-east, till the 13th, in the morning, to get about the Cape +of Good Hope. When it was day we steered north-east half east, +then north-east-by-east till seven o’clock, and, being then seven +or eight leagues off shore, we steered away east, the shore trending +east-by-south. We had very much rain all night, so that we could +not carry much sail, yet we had a very steady gale. At eight this +morning the weather cleared up, and the wind decreased to a fine top-gallant +gale, and settled at west-by-south. We had more rain these three +days past, than all the voyage, in so short a time. We were now +about six leagues from the land of New Guinea, which appeared very high; +and we saw two headlands about twenty leagues asunder, the one to the +east and the other to the west, which last is called the Cape of Good +Hope. We found variation east 4 degrees.</p> +<p>The 15th, in the morning, between twelve and two o’clock, it +blew a very brisk gale at north-west, and looked very black in the south-west. +At two it flew about at once to the south-south-west, and rained very +hard. The wind settled some time at west-south-west, and we steered +east-north-east till three in the morning; then the wind and rain abating, +we steered east-half-north for fear of coming near the land. Presently +after, it being a little clear, the man at the bowsprit end called out, +“Land on our starboard bow.” We looked out and saw +it plain: I presently sounded, and had but ten fathom, soft ground. +The master, being somewhat scared, came running in haste with this news, +and said it was best to anchor. I told him no, but sound again; +then we had twelve fathom; the next cast, thirteen and a half; the fourth, +seventeen fathom; and then no ground with fifty fathom line. However, +we kept off the island, and did not go so fast but that we could see +any other danger before we came nigh it; for here might have been more +islands not laid down in my drafts besides this, for I searched all +the drafts I had, if perchance I might find any island in the one which +was not in the others, but I could find none near us. When it +was day we were about five leagues off the land we saw; but, I believe, +not above five miles, or at most two leagues, off it when we first saw +it in the night.</p> +<p>This is a small island, but pretty high; I named it Providence. +About five leagues to the southward of this there is another island, +which is called William Scouten’s Island, and laid down in our +drafts: it is a high island, and about twenty leagues big.</p> +<p>It was by mere providence that we missed the small island; for, had +not the wind come to west-south-west, and blown hard, so that we steered +east-north-east, we had been upon it by our course that we steered before, +if we could not have seen it. This morning we saw many great trees +and logs swim by us, which, it is probable, came out of some great rivers +on the main.</p> +<p>On the 16th we crossed the line, and found variation 6 degrees 26 +minutes east. The 18th, by my observation at noon, we found that +we had had a current setting to the southward, and probably that drew +us in so nigh Scouten’s Island. For this twenty-four hours +we steered east-by-north with a large wind, yet made but an east-by-south +half south course, though the variation was not above 7 degrees east.</p> +<p>The 21st we had a current setting to the northward, which is against +the true trade monsoon, it being now near the full moon. I did +expect it here, as in all other places. We had variation 8 degrees +45 minutes east. The 22nd we found but little current, if any; +it set to the southward.</p> +<p>On the 23rd, in the afternoon, we saw two snakes, and the next morning +another passing by us, which was furiously assaulted by two fishes, +that had kept us company five or six days; they were shaped like mackerel, +and were about that bigness and length, and of a yellow-greenish colour. +The snake swam away from them very fast, keeping his head above water; +the fish snapped at his tail, but when he turned himself, that fish +would withdraw, and another would snap, so that by turns they kept him +employed, yet he still defended himself, and swam away a great pace, +till they were out of sight.</p> +<p>The 25th, betimes in the morning, we saw an island to the southward +of us, at about fifteen leagues’ distance. We steered away +for it, supposing it to be that which the Dutch call Wishart’s +Island; but, finding it otherwise, I called it Matthias, it being that +saint’s day. This island is about nine or ten leagues long, +mountainous and woody, with many savannahs, and some spots of land which +seemed to be cleared.</p> +<p>At eight in the evening we lay by, intending, if I could, to anchor +under Matthias Isle; but the next morning, seeing another island about +seven or eight leagues to the eastward of it, we steered away for it. +At noon we came up fair with its south-west end, intending to run along +by it and anchor on the south-east side, but the tornadoes came in so +thick and hard that I could not venture in. This island is pretty +low and plain, and clothed with wood; the trees were very green, and +appeared to be large and tall, as thick as they could stand one by another. +It is about two or three leagues long, and at the south-west point there +is another small, low, woody island, about a mile round, and about a +mile from the other. Between them there runs a reef of rocks which +joins them. (The biggest I named Squally Island.)</p> +<p>Seeing we could not anchor here, I stood away to the southward, to +make the main; but having many hard squalls and tornadoes, we were often +forced to hand all our sails and steer more easterly to go before it. +On the 26th at four o’clock it cleared up to a hard sky and a +brisk settled gale; then we made as much sail as we could. At +five it cleared up over the land, and we saw, as we thought, Cape Solomaswer +bearing south-south-east, distance ten leagues. We had many great +logs and trees swimming by us all this afternoon, and much grass; we +steered in south-south-east till six, then the wind slackened, and we +stood off till seven, having little wind; then we lay by till ten, at +which time we made sail, and steered away east all night. The +next morning, as soon as it was light, we made all the sail we could, +and steered away east-south-east, as the land lay, being fair in sight +of it, and not above seven leagues’ distance. We passed +by many small low woody islands which lay between us and the main, not +laid down in our drafts. We found variation 9 degrees 50 minutes +east.</p> +<p>The 28th we had many violent tornadoes, wind, rain, and some spouts, +and in the tornadoes the wind shifted. In the night we had fair +weather, but more lightning than we had seen at any time this voyage. +This morning we left a large high island on our larboard side, called +in the Dutch drafts Wishart’s Isle, about six leagues from the +main; and, seeing many smokes upon the main, I therefore steered towards +it.</p> +<p>The mainland at this place is high and mountainous, adorned with +tall, flourishing trees; the sides of the hills had many large plantations +and patches of clear land, which, together with the smoke we saw, were +certain signs of its being well inhabited; and I was desirous to have +some commerce with the inhabitants. Being nigh shore, we saw first +one proa; a little after, two or three more, and at last a great many +boats came from all the adjacent bays. When they were forty-six +in number they approached so near us that we could see each other’s +signs and hear each other speak, though we could not understand them, +nor they us. They made signs for us to go in towards the shore, +pointing that way. It was squally weather, which at first made +me cautious of going too near; but the weather beginning to look pretty +well, I endeavoured to get into a bay ahead of us, which we could have +got into well enough at first; but while we lay by, we were driven so +far to leeward that now it was more difficult to get in. The natives +lay in their proas round us; to whom I showed beads, knives, glasses, +to allure them to come nearer. But they would not come so nigh +as to receive anything from us; therefore I threw out some things to +them, viz., a knife fastened to a piece of board, and a glass bottle +corked up with some beads in it, which they took up, and seemed well +pleased. They often struck their left breast with their right +hand, and as often held up a black truncheon over their heads, which +we thought was a token of friendship, wherefore we did the like. +And when we stood in towards their shore, they seemed to rejoice; but +when we stood off, they frowned, yet kept us company in their proas, +still pointing to the shore. About five o’clock we got within +the mouth of the bay, and sounded several times, but had no ground, +though within a mile of the shore. The basin of this bay was about +two miles within us, into which we might have gone; but as I was not +assured of anchorage there, so I thought it not prudent to run in at +this time, it being near night, and seeing a black tornado rising in +the west, which I most feared. Besides, we had near two hundred +men in proas close by us; and the bays on the shore were lined with +men from one end to the other, where there could not be less than three +or four hundred more. What weapons they had, we knew not, nor +yet their design; therefore I had, at their first coming near us, got +up all our small arms, and made several put on cartouch boxes, to prevent +treachery. At last I resolved to go out again; which, when the +natives in their proas perceived, they began to fling stones at us as +fast as they could, being provided with engines for that purpose, wherefore +I named this place Slinger’s Bay; but at the firing of one gun +they were all amazed, drew off, and flung no more stones. They +got together, as if consulting what to do; for they did not make in +towards the shore, but lay still, though some of them were killed or +wounded; and many more of them had paid for their boldness, but that +I was unwilling to cut off any of them, which, if I had done, I could +not hope afterwards to bring them to treat with me.</p> +<p>The next day we sailed close by an island, where we saw many smokes, +and men in the bays, out of which came two or three canoes, taking much +pains to overtake us, but they could not, though we went with an easy +sail, and I could not now stay for them. As I passed by the south-east +point I sounded several times within a mile of the Sandy Bays, but had +no ground. About three leagues to the northward of the south-east +point we opened a large, deep bay, secured from west-north-west and +south-west winds. There were two other islands that lay to the +north-east of it, which secured the bay from north-east winds; one was +but small, yet woody; the other was a league long, inhabited, and full +of cocoa-nut trees. I endeavoured to get into this bay, but there +came such flaws off from the high land over it that I could not. +Besides, we had many hard squalls, which deterred me from it; and, night +coming on, I would not run any hazard, but bore away to the small inhabited +island, to see if we could get anchorage on the east side of it. +When we came there we found the island so narrow, that there could be +no shelter; therefore I tacked and stood towards the greater island +again; and being more than midway between both, I lay by, designing +to endeavour for anchorage next morning. Between seven and eight +at night we spied a canoe close by us, and seeing no more, suffered +her to come aboard. She had three men in her, who brought off +five cocoa-nuts, for which I gave each of them a knife and a string +of beads, to encourage them to come off again in the morning: but before +these went away we saw two more canoes coming; therefore we stood away +to the northward from them, and then lay by again till day. We +saw no more boats this night, neither designed to suffer any to come +aboard in the dark.</p> +<p>By nine o’clock the next morning we were got within a league +of the great island, but were kept off by violent gusts of wind. +These squalls gave us warning of their approach by the clouds which +hung over the mountains, and afterwards descended to the foot of them; +and then it is we expect them speedily.</p> +<p>On the 3rd of March, being about five leagues to leeward of the great +island, we saw the mainland ahead, and another great high island to +leeward of us, distant about seven leagues, which we bore away for. +It is called in the Dutch drafts Garret Dennis Isle. It is about +fourteen or fifteen leagues round, high and mountainous, and very woody. +Some trees appeared very large and tall, and the bays by the seaside +are well stared with cocoa-nut trees, where we also saw some small houses. +The sides of the mountains are thickset with plantations, and the mould +in the new-cleared land seemed to be of a brown-reddish colour. +This island is of no regular figure, but is full of points shooting +forth into the sea, between which are many sandy bays, full of cocoa-nut +trees. The middle of the isle lies in 3 degrees 10 minutes south +latitude. It is very populous. The natives are very black, +strong, and well-limbed people, having great round heads, their hair +naturally curled and short, which they shave into several forms, and +dye it also of divers colours—viz., red, white, and yellow. +They have broad round faces, with great bottle-noses, yet agreeable +enough till they disfigure them by painting, and by wearing great things +through their noses as big as a man’s thumb, and about four inches +long. These are run clear through both nostrils, one end coming +out by one cheek-bone, and the other end against the other; and their +noses so stretched that only a small slip of them appears about the +ornament. They have also great holes in their ears, wherein they +wear such stuff as in their noses. They are very dexterous, active +fellows in their proas, which are very ingeniously built. They +are narrow and long, with outriggers on one side, the head and stern +higher than the rest, and carved into many devices—viz., some +fowl, fish, or a man’s head painted or carved; and though it is +but rudely done, yet the resemblance appears plainly, and shows an ingenious +fancy. But with what instruments they make their proas or carved +work I know not, for they seem to be utterly ignorant of iron. +They have very neat paddles, with which they manage their proas dexterously, +and make great way through the water. Their weapons are chiefly +lances, swords and slings, and some bows and arrows. They have +also wooden fish-spears for striking fish. Those that came to +assault us in Slinger’s Bay on the main are in all respects like +these, and I believe these are alike treacherous. Their speech +is clear and distinct. The words they used most when near us were +<i>vacousee allamais</i>, and then they pointed to the shore. +Their signs of friendship are either a great truncheon, or bough of +a tree full of leaves, put on their heads, often striking their heads +with their hands.</p> +<p>The next day, having a fresh gale of wind, we got under a high island, +about four or five leagues round, very woody, and full of plantations +upon the sides of the hills; and in the bays, by the waterside, are +abundance of cocoa-nut trees. It lies in the latitude of 3 degrees +25 minutes south, and meridian distance from Cape Mabo 1,316 miles. +On the south-east part of it are three or four other small woody islands, +one high and peaked, the others low and flat, all bedecked with cocoa-nut +trees and other wood. On the north there is another island of +an indifferent height and of a somewhat larger circumference than the +great high island last mentioned. We passed between this and the +high island. The high island is called in the Dutch drafts Anthony +Cave’s Island. As for the flat, low island, and the other +small one, it is probable they were never seen by the Dutch, nor the +islands to the north of Garret Dennis’s Island. As soon +as we came near Cave’s Island some canoes came about us, and made +signs for us to come ashore, as all the rest had done before, probably +thinking we could run the ship aground anywhere, as they did their proas, +for we saw neither sail nor anchor among any of them, though most Eastern +Indians have both. These had proas made of one tree, well dug, +with outriggers on one side; they were but small, yet well shaped. +We endeavoured to anchor, but found no ground within a mile of the shore. +We kept close along the north side, still sounding till we came to the +north-east end, but found no ground, the canoes still accompanying us, +and the bays were covered with men going along as we sailed. Many +of them strove to swim off to us, but we left them astern. Being +at the north-east point, we found a strong current setting to the north-west, +so that though we had steered to keep under the high island, yet we +were driven towards the flat one. At this time three of the natives +came on board. I gave each of them a knife, a looking-glass, and +a string of beads. I showed them pumpkins and cocoa-nut shells, +and made signs to them to bring some aboard, and had presently three +cocoa-nuts out of one of the canoes. I showed them nutmegs, and +by their signs I guessed they had some on the island. I also showed +them some gold dust, which they seemed to know, and called out “Manneel, +Manneel,” and pointed towards the land. A while after these +men were gone, two or three canoes came from the flat island, and by +signs invited us to their island, at which the others seemed displeased, +and used very menacing gestures and, I believe, speeches to each other. +Night coming on, we stood off to sea, and having but little wind all +night, were driven away to the north-west. We saw many great fires +on the flat island. The last men that came off to us were all +black as those we had seen before, with frizzled hair. They were +very tall, lusty, well-shaped men. They wear great things in their +noses, and paint as the others, but not much. They make the same +signs of friendship, and their language seems to be one; but the others +had proas, and these canoes. On the sides of some of these we +saw the figures of several fish neatly cut, and these last were not +so shy as the others.</p> +<p>Steering away from Cave’s Island south-south-east, we found +a strong current against us, which set only in some places in streams, +and in them we saw many trees and logs of wood, which drove by us. +We had but little wood aboard; wherefore I hoisted out the pinnace, +and sent her to take up some of this driftwood. In a little time +she came aboard with a great tree in tow, which we could hardly hoist +in with all our tackles. We cut up the tree and split it for firewood. +It was much worm-eaten, and had in it some live worms above an inch +long, and about the bigness of a goose-quill, and having their heads +crusted over with a thin shell.</p> +<p>After this we passed by an island, called by the Dutch St. John’s +Island, leaving it to the north of us. It is about nine or ten +leagues round, and very well adorned with lofty trees. We saw +many plantations on the sides of the hills, and abundance of cocoa-nut +trees about them, as also thick groves on the bays by the seaside. +As we came near it three canoes came off to us, but would not come aboard. +They were such as we had seen about the other islands. They spoke +the same language, and made the same signs of peace, and their canoes +were such as at Cave’s Island.</p> +<p>We stood along by St. John’s Island till we came almost to +the south-east point, and then, seeing no more islands to the eastward +of us, nor any likelihood of anchoring under this, I steered away for +the main of New Guinea, we being now, as I supposed, to the east of +it, on this north side. My design of seeing these islands as I +passed along was to get wood and water, but could find no anchor ground, +and therefore could not do as I purposed; besides, these islands are +all so populous, that I dared not send my boat ashore, unless I could +have anchored pretty nigh; wherefore I rather chose to prosecute my +design on the main, the season of the year being now at hand, for I +judged the westerly winds were nigh spent.</p> +<p>On the 8th of March we saw some smoke on the main, being distant +from it four or five leagues. It is very high, woody land, with +some spots of savannah. About ten in the morning six or seven +canoes came off to us. Most of them had no more than one man in +them. They were all black, with short curled hair, having the +same ornaments in their noses, and their heads so shaved and painted, +and speaking the same words as the inhabitants of Cave’s Island +before mentioned.</p> +<p>There was a headland to the southward of us, beyond which, seeing +no land, I supposed that from thence the land trends away more westerly. +This headland lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 2 minutes south, and +meridian distance from Cape Mabo 1,290 miles. In the night we +lay by, for fear of overshooting this headland, between which and Cape +St. Manes the land is high, mountainous and woody, having many points +of land shooting out into the sea, which make so many fine bays; the +coast lies north-north-east and south-south-west.</p> +<p>The 9th, in the morning a huge black man came off to us in a canoe, +but would not come aboard. He made the same signs of friendship +to us as the rest we had met with; yet seemed to differ in his language, +not using any of those words which the others did. We saw neither +smoke nor plantations near this headland. We found here variation +1 degree east.</p> +<p>In the afternoon, as we plied near the shore, three canoes came off +to us; one had four men in her, the others two apiece. That with +the four men came pretty nigh us, and showed us a cocoa-nut and water +in a bamboo, making signs that there was enough ashore where they lived; +they pointed to the place where they would have us go, and so went away. +We saw a small round pretty high island about a league to the north +of this headland, within which there was a large deep bay, whither the +canoes went; and we strove to get thither before night, but could not; +wherefore we stood off, and saw land to the westward of this headland, +bearing west-by-south-half-south distance about ten leagues, and, as +we thought, still more land bearing south-west-by-south, distance twelve +or fourteen leagues, but being clouded, it disappeared, and we thought +we had been deceived. Before night we opened the headland fair, +and I named it Cape St. George. The land from hence trends away +west-north-west about ten leagues, which is as far as we could see it; +and the land that we saw to the westward of it in the evening, which +bore west-by-south-half-south, was another point about ten leagues from +Cape St. George; between which there runs in a deep bay for twenty leagues +or more. We saw some high land in spots like islands, down in +that bay at a great distance; but whether they are islands, or the main +closing there we know not. The next morning we saw other land +to the south-east of the westernmost point, which till then was clouded; +it was very high land, and the same that we saw the day before, that +disappeared in a cloud. This Cape St. George lies in the latitude +of 5 degrees 5 minutes south; and meridian distance from Cape Mabo 1,290 +miles. The island off this cape I called St. George’s Isle; +and the bay between it and the west point I named St. George’s +Bay. [Note:—No Dutch drafts go so far as this cape by ten +leagues.] On the 10th, in the evening, we got within a league +of the westernmost land seen, which is pretty high and very woody, but +no appearance of anchoring. I stood off again, designing, if possible, +to ply to and fro in this bay till I found a conveniency to wood and +water. We saw no more plantations nor cocoa-nut trees; yet in +the night we discerned a small fire right against us. The next +morning we saw a burning mountain in the country. It was round, +high, and peaked at top, as most volcanoes are, and sent forth a great +quantity of smoke. We took up a log of driftwood, and split it +for firing; in which we found some small fish.</p> +<p>The day after we passed by the south-west cape of this bay, leaving +it to the north of us. When we were abreast of it I called my +officers together, and named it Cape Orford, in honour of my noble patron, +drinking his Lordship’s health. This cape bears from Cape +St. George south-west about eighteen leagues. Between them there +is a bay about twenty-five leagues deep, having pretty high land all +round it, especially near the capes, though they themselves are not +high. Cape Orford lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 24 minutes +south, by my observation; and meridian distance from Cape St. George, +forty-four miles west. The land trends from this cape north-west +by west into the bay, and on the other side south-west per compass, +which is south-west 9 degrees west, allowing the variation, which is +here 9 degrees east. The land on each side of the cape is more +savannah than woodland, and is highest on the north-west side. +The cape itself is a bluff-point, of an indifferent height, with a flat +tableland at top. When we were to the south-west of the cape, +it appeared to be a low point shooting out, which you cannot see when +abreast of it. This morning we struck a log of driftwood with +our turtle-irons, hoisted it in, and split it for firewood. Afterwards +we struck another, but could not get it in. There were many fish +about it.</p> +<p>We steered along south-west as the land lies, keeping about six leagues +off the shore; and, being desirous to cut wood and fill water, if I +saw any conveniency, I lay by in the night, because I would not miss +any place proper for those ends, for fear of wanting such necessaries +as we could not live without. This coast is high and mountainous, +and not so thick with trees as that on the other side of Cape Orford.</p> +<p>On the 14th, seeing a pretty deep bay ahead, and some islands where +I thought we might ride secure, we ran in towards the shore and saw +some smoke. At ten o’clock we saw a point which shot out +pretty well into the sea, with a bay within it, which promised fair +for water; and we stood in with a moderate gale. Being got into +the bay within the point, we saw many cocoa-nut-trees, plantations, +and houses. When I came within four or five miles of the shore, +six small boats came off to view us, with about forty men in them all. +Perceiving that they only came to view us, and would not come aboard, +I made signs and waved to them to go ashore; but they did not or would +not understand me; therefore I whistled a shot over their heads out +of my fowling-piece, and then they pulled away for the shore as hard +as they could. These were no sooner ashore, than we saw three +boats coming from the islands to leeward of us, and they soon came within +call, for we lay becalmed. One of the boats had about forty men +in her, and was a large, well-built boat; the other two were but small. +Not long after, I saw another boat coming out of the bay where I intended +to go; she likewise was a large boat, with a high head and stern painted, +and full of men. This I thought came off to fight us, as it is +probable they all did; therefore I fired another small shot over the +great boat that was nigh us, which made them leave their babbling and +take to their paddles. We still lay becalmed; and therefore they, +rowing wide of us, directed their course towards the other great boat +that was coming off. When they were pretty near each other I caused +the gunner to fire a gun between them, which he did very dexterously; +it was loaded with round and partridge shot; the last dropped in the +water somewhat short of them, but the round shot went between both boats, +and grazed about one hundred yards beyond them. This so affrighted +them that they both rowed away for the shore as fast as they could, +without coming near each other; and the little boats made the best of +their way after them. And now, having a gentle breeze at south-south-east, +we bore into the bay after them. When we came by the point, I +saw a great number of men peeping from under the rocks: I ordered a +shot to be fired close by, to scare them. The shot grazed between +us and the point, and, mounting again, flew over the point, and grazed +a second time just by them. We were obliged to sail along close +by the bays; and, seeing multitudes sitting under the trees, I ordered +a third gun to be fired among the cocoa-nut-trees to scare them; for +my business being to wood and water, I thought it necessary to strike +some terror into the inhabitants, who were very numerous, and (by what +I saw now, and had formerly experienced) treacherous. After this +I sent my boat to sound; they had first forty, then thirty, and at last +twenty fathom water. We followed the boat, and came to anchor +about a quarter of a mile from the shore, in twenty-six fathom water, +fine black sand and ooze. We rode right against the mouth of a +small river, where I hoped to find fresh water. Some of the natives +standing on a small point at the river’s mouth, I sent a small +shot over their heads to frighten them, which it did effectually. +In the afternoon I sent my boat ashore to the natives who stood upon +the point by the river’s mouth with a present of cocoa-nuts; when +the boat was come near the shore, they came running into the water, +and put their nuts into the boat. Then I made a signal for the +boat to come aboard, and sent both it and the yawl into the river to +look for fresh water, ordering the pinnace to lie near the river’s +mouth, while the yawl went up to search. In an hour’s time +they returned aboard with some barrecoes full fresh of water; which +they had taken up about half a mile up the river. After which +I sent them again with casks, ordering one of them to fill water, and +the other to watch the motions of the natives, lest they should make +any opposition. But they did not, and so the boats returned a +little before sunset with a tun and a half of water; and the next day +by noon brought aboard about six tuns of water.</p> +<p>I sent ashore commodities to purchase hogs, &c. being informed +that the natives have plenty of them, as also of yams and other good +roots; but my men returned without getting anything that I sent them +for, the natives being unwilling to trade with us. Yet they admired +our hatchets and axes, but would part with nothing but cocoa-nuts, which +they used to climb the trees for; and so soon as they gave them our +men, they beckoned to them to be gone, for they were much afraid of +us.</p> +<p>The 18th I sent both boats again for water, and before noon they +had filled all my casks. In the afternoon I sent them both to +cut wood; but seeing about forty natives standing on the bay at a small +distance from our men, I made a signal for them to come aboard again, +which they did, and brought me word that the men which we saw on the +bay were passing that way, but were afraid to come nigh them. +At four o’clock I sent both the boats again for more wood, and +they returned in the evening. Then I called my officers to consult +whether it were convenient to stay here longer, and endeavour a better +acquaintance with these people, or go to sea. My design of tarrying +here longer was, if possible, to get some hogs, goats, yams, or other +roots, as also to get some knowledge of the country and its product. +My officers unanimously gave their opinions for staying longer here. +So the next day I sent both boats ashore again, to fish and to cut more +wood. While they were ashore about thirty or forty men and women +passed by them; they were a little afraid of our people at first, but +upon their making signs of friendship, they passed by quietly, the men +finely bedecked with feathers of divers colours about their heads, and +lances in their hands; the women had no ornament about them, nor anything +to cover their nakedness but a bunch of small green boughs before and +behind, stuck under a string which came round their waists. They +carried large baskets on their heads, full of yams. And this I +have observed amongst all the wild natives I have known, that they make +their women carry the burdens while the men walk before, without any +other load than their arms and ornaments. At noon our men came +aboard with the wood they had cut, and had caught but six fishes at +four or five hauls of the seine, though we saw abundance of fish leaping +in the bay all the day long.</p> +<p>In the afternoon I sent the boats ashore for more wood; and some +of our men went to the natives’ houses, and found they were now +more shy than they used to be, had taken down all the cocoa-nuts from +the trees, and driven away their hogs. Our people made signs to +them to know what was become of their hogs, &e. The natives +pointing to some houses in the bottom of the bay, and imitating the +noise of those creatures, seemed to intimate that there were both hogs +and goats of several sizes, which they expressed by holding their hands +abroad at several distances from the ground.</p> +<p>At night our boats came aboard with wood, and the next morning I +went myself with both boats up the river to the watering-place, carrying +with me all such trifles and iron-work as I thought most proper to induce +them to a commerce with us; but I found them very shy and roguish. +I saw but two men and a boy. One of the men, by some signs, was +persuaded to come to the boat’s side, where I was; to him I gave +a knife, a string of beads, and a glass bottle. The fellow called +out, “Cocos, cocos,” pointing to a village hard by, and +signified to us that he would go for some; but he never returned to +us: and thus they had frequently of late served our men. I took +eight or nine men with me, and marched to their houses, which I found +very mean, and their doors made fast with withies.</p> +<p>I visited three of their villages, and, finding all the houses thus +abandoned by the inhabitants, who carried with them all their hogs, +&c., I brought out of their houses some small fishing-nets in recompense +for those things they had received of us. As we were coming away +we saw two of the natives; I showed them the things that we carried +with us, and called to them, “Cocos, cocos,” to let them +know that I took these things because they had not made good what they +had promised by their signs, and by their calling out “Cocos.” +While I was thus employed the men in the yawl filled two hogsheads of +water, and all the barrecoes. About one in the afternoon I came +aboard, and found all my officers and men very importunate to go to +that bay where the hogs were said to be. I was loth to yield to +it, fearing they would deal too roughly with the natives. By two +o’clock in the afternoon many black clouds gathered over the land, +which I thought would deter them from their enterprise; but they solicited +me the more to let them go. At last I consented, sending those +commodities I had ashore with me in the morning, and giving them a strict +charge to deal by fair means, and to act cautiously for their own security. +The bay I sent them to was about two miles from the ship. As soon +as they were gone, I got all things ready, that, if I saw occasion, +I might assist them with my great guns. When they came to land, +the natives in great companies stood to resist them, shaking their lances, +and threatening them, and some were so daring as to wade into the sea, +holding a target in one hand and a lance in the other. Our men +held up to them such commodities as I had sent, and made signs of friendship, +but to no purpose, for the natives waved them off. Seeing, therefore, +they could not be prevailed upon to a friendly commerce, my men, being +resolved to have some provision among them, fired some muskets to scare +them away, which had the desired effect upon all but two or three, who +stood still in a menacing posture, till the boldest dropped his target +and ran away. They supposed he was shot in the arm; he and some +others felt the smart of our bullets, but none were killed, our design +being rather to frighten than to kill them. Our men landed, and +found abundance of tame hogs running among the houses. They shot +down nine, which they brought away, besides many that ran away wounded. +They had but little time, for in less than an hour after they went from +the ship it began to rain; wherefore they got what they could into the +boats, for I had charged them to come away if it rained. By the +time the boat was aboard and the hogs taken in it cleared up, and my +men desired to make another trip thither before night; this was about +five in the evening, and I consented, giving them orders to repair on +board before night. In the close of the evening they returned +accordingly, with eight hogs more, and a little live pig; and by this +time the other hogs were jerked and salted. These that came last +we only dressed and corned till morning, and then sent both boats ashore +for more refreshments either of hogs or roots; but in the night the +natives had conveyed away their provisions of all sorts. Many +of them were now about the houses, and none offered to resist our boats +landing, but, on the contrary, were so amicable, that one man brought +ten or twelve cocoa-nuts, left them on the shore after he had shown +them to our men, and went out of sight. Our people, finding nothing +but nets and images, brought some of them away, which two of my men +brought aboard in a small canoe, and presently after my boats came off. +I ordered the boatswain to take care of the nets till we came at some +place where they might be disposed of for some refreshment for the use +of all the company. The images I took into my own custody.</p> +<p>In the afternoon I sent the canoe to the place from whence she had +been brought, and in her two axes, two hatchets (one of them helved), +six knives, six looking-glasses, a large bunch of beads, and four glass +bottles. Our men drew the canoe ashore, placed the things to the +best advantage in her, and came off in the pinnace which I sent to guard +them; and now, being well-stocked with wood and all my water-casks full, +I resolved to sail the next morning. All the time of our stay +here we had very fair weather, only sometimes in the afternoon we had +a shower of rain, which lasted not above an hour at most; also some +thunder and lightning, with very little wind; we had sea and land breezes, +the former between the south-south-east, and the latter from north-east +to north-west.</p> +<p>This place I named Port Montague in honour of my noble patron: it +lies in the latitude of 6 degrees 10 minutes south, and meridian distance +from Cape St. George 151 miles west. The country hereabouts is +mountainous and woody, full of rich valleys and pleasant fresh-water +brooks. The mould in the valleys is deep and yellowish, that on +the sides of the hill of a very brown colour, and not very deep, but +rocky underneath, yet excellent planting land. The trees in general +are neither very straight, thick, nor tall, yet appear green and pleasant +enough; some of them bore flowers, some berries, and others big fruits, +but all unknown to any of us; cocoa-nut trees thrive very well here, +as well on the bays by the sea-side, as more remote among the plantations; +the nuts are of an indifferent size, the milk and kernel very thick +and pleasant. Here is ginger, yams, and other very good roots +for the pot, that our men saw and tasted; what other fruits or roots +the country affords I know not. Here are hogs and dogs; other +land animals we saw none. The fowls we saw and knew were pigeons, +parrots, cockatoos, and crows like those in England; a sort of birds +about the bigness of a blackbird, and smaller birds many. The +sea and rivers have plenty of fish; we saw abundance, though we caught +but few, and these were cavallies, yellow-tails, and whip-rays.</p> +<p>We departed from hence on the 22nd of March, and on the 24th, in +the evening, we saw some high land bearing north-west half-west, to +the west of which we could see no land, though there appeared something +like land bearing west a little southerly, but not being sure of it, +I steered west-north-west all night, and kept going on with an easy +sail, intending to coast along the shore at a distance. At ten +o’clock I saw a great fire bearing north-west-by-west, blazing +up in a pillar, sometimes very high for three or four minutes, then +falling quite down for an equal space of time, sometimes hardly visible, +till it blazed up again. I had laid me down, having been indisposed +these three days; but upon a sight of this, my chief mate called me; +I got up and viewed it for about half an hour, and knew it to be a burning +hill by its intervals: I charged them to look well out, having bright +moonlight. In the morning I found that the fire we had seen the +night before was a burning island, and steered for it. We saw +many other islands, one large high island, and another smaller but pretty +high. I stood near the volcano, and many small low islands, with +some shoals.</p> +<p>March the 25th, 1700, in the evening we came within three leagues +of this burning hill, being at the same time two leagues from the main; +I found a good channel to pass between them, and kept nearer the main +than the island. At seven in the evening I sounded, and had fifty-two +fathom fine sand and ooze. I stood to the northward to get clear +of this strait, having but little wind and fair weather. The island +all night vomited fire and smoke very amazingly, and at every belch +we heard a dreadful noise like thunder, and saw a flame of fire after +it the most terrifying that ever I saw; the intervals between its belches +were about half a minute, some more, others less; neither were these +pulses or eruptions alike, for some were but faint convulsions, in comparison +of the more vigorous; yet even the weakest vented a great deal of fire; +but the largest made a roaring noise, and sent up a large flame, twenty +or thirty yards high; and then might be seen a great stream of fire +running down to the foot of the island, even to the shore. From +the furrows made by this descending fire, we could, in the day time, +see great smoke arise, which probably were made by the sulphurous matter +thrown out of the funnel at the top, which tumbling down to the bottom, +and there lying in a heap, burned till either consumed or extinguished; +and as long as it burned and kept its heat, so long the smoke ascended +from it; which we perceived to increase or decrease, according to the +quantity of matter discharged from the funnel: but the next night, being +shot to the westward of the burning island, and the funnel of it lying +on the south side, we could not discern the fire there, as we did the +smoke in the day when we were to the southward of it. This volcano +lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 33 minutes south, and meridian distance +from Cape St. George, three hundred and thirty-two miles west.</p> +<p>The easternmost part of New Guinea lies forty miles to the westward +of this tract of land; and by hydrographers they are made joining together; +but here I found an opening and passage between, with many islands, +the largest of which lie on the north side of this passage or strait. +The channel is very good, between the islands and the land to the eastward. +The east part of New Guinea is high and mountainous, ending on the north-east +with a large promontory, which I named King William’s Cape, in +honour of his present Majesty. We saw some smoke on it, and leaving +it on our larboard side, steered away near the east land, which ends +with two remarkable capes or heads, distant from each other about six +or seven leagues: within each head were two very remarkable mountains, +ascending very gradually from the sea-side, which afforded a very pleasant +and agreeable prospect. The mountains and the lower land were +pleasantly mixed with woodland and savannahs; the trees appeared very +green and flourishing, and the savannahs seemed to be very smooth and +even; no meadow in England appears more green in the spring than these. +We saw smoke, but did not strive to anchor here, but rather chose to +get under one of the islands (where I thought I should find few or no +inhabitants), that I might repair my pinnace, which was so crazy that +I could not venture ashore anywhere with her. As we stood over +to the islands, we looked out very well to the north, but could see +no land that way; by which I was well assured that we were got through, +and that this east land does not join to New Guinea; therefore I named +it Nova Britannia. The north-west cape I called Cape Gloucester, +and the south-west-point Cape Anne; and the north-west mountain, which +is very remarkable, I called Mount Gloucester.</p> +<p>This island which I called Nova Britannia, has about 4 degrees of +latitude: the body of it lying in 4 degrees, and the northernmost part +in 2 degrees 32 minutes, and the southernmost in 6 degrees 30 minutes +south. It has about 5 degrees 18 minutes longitude from east to +west. It is generally high mountainous land, mixed with large +valleys, which, as well as the mountains appeared very fertile; and +in most places that we saw, the trees are very large, tall and thick. +It is also very well inhabited with strong well-limbed negroes, whom +we found very daring and bold at several places. As to the product +of it, I know no more than what I have said in my account of Port Montague; +but it is very probable this island may afford as many rich commodities +as any in the world: and the natives may be easily brought to commerce, +though I could not pretend to it under my present circumstances.</p> +<p>Being near the island to the northward of the volcano, I sent my +boat to sound, thinking to anchor here, but she returned and brought +me word, that they had no ground till they met with a reef of coral +rocks about a mile from the shore, then I bore away to the north side +of the island, where we found no anchoring neither. We saw several +people, and some cocoa-nut trees, but could not send ashore for want +of my pinnace, which was out of order. In the evening I stood +off to sea, to be at such a distance that I might not be driven by any +current upon the shoals of this island, if it should prove calm. +We had but little wind, especially the beginning of the night; but in +the morning I found myself so far to the west of the island, that the +wind being at east-south-east, I could not fetch it, wherefore I kept +on to the southward, and stemmed with the body of a high island about +eleven or twelve leagues long, lying to the southward of that which +I before designed for. I named this island Sir George Rook’s +Island.</p> +<p>We also saw some other islands to the westward, which may be better +seen in my draft of these lands than here described; but seeing a very +small island lying to the north-west of the long island which was before +us, and not far from it. I steered away for that, hoping to find +anchoring there; and having but little wind, I sent my boat before to +sound, which, when we were about two miles’ distance from the +shore, came on board and brought me word that there was good anchoring +in thirty or forty fathom water, a mile from the isle, and within a +reef of the rocks which lay in a half-moon, reaching from the north +part of the island to the south-east; so at noon we got in and anchored +in thirty-six fathom, a mile from the isle.</p> +<p>In the afternoon I sent my boat ashore to the island, to see what +convenience there was to haul our vessel ashore in order to be mended, +and whether we could catch any fish. My men in the boat rowed +about the island, but could not land by reason of the rocks and a great +surge running in upon the shore. We found variation here, 8 degrees +25 minutes west.</p> +<p>I designed to have stayed among these islands till I got my pinnace +refitted; but having no more than one man who had skill to work upon +her, I saw she would be a long time in repairing (which was one great +reason why I could not prosecute my discoveries further); and the easterly +winds being set in, I found I should scarce be able to hold my ground.</p> +<p>The 31st, in the forenoon, we shot in between two islands, lying +about four leagues asunder, with intention to pass between them. +The southernmost is a long island, with a high hill at each end; this +I named Long Island. The northernmost is a round high island towering +up with several heads or tops, something resembling a crown; this I +named Crown Isle from its form. Both these islands appeared very +pleasant, having spots of green savannahs mixed among the woodland: +the trees appeared very green and flourishing, and some of them looked +white and full of blossoms. We passed close by Crown Isle, saw +many cocoa-nut trees on the bays and sides of the hills; and one boat +was coming off from the shore, but returned again. We saw no smoke +on either of the islands, neither did we see any plantations, and it +is probable they are not very well peopled. We saw many shoals +near Crown Island, and reefs of rocks running off from the points a +mile or more into the sea: my boat was once overboard, with design to +have sent her ashore, but having little wind, and seeing some shoals, +I hoisted her in again, and stood off out of danger.</p> +<p>In the afternoon, seeing an island bearing north-west-by-west, we +steered away north-west-by-north, to be to the northward of it. +The next morning, being about midway from the islands we left yesterday, +and having this to the westward of us, the land of the main of New Guinea +within us to the southward, appeared very high. When we came within +four or five leagues of this island to the west of us, four boats came +off to view us, one came within call, but returned with the other three +without speaking to us; so we kept on for the island, which I named +Sir R. Rich’s Island. It was pretty high, woody, and mixed +with savannahs like those formerly mentioned. Being to the north +of it, we saw an opening between it and another island two leagues to +the west of it, which before appeared all in one. The main seemed +to be high land, trending to the westward.</p> +<p>On Tuesday, the 2nd of April, about eight in the morning, we discovered +a high-peaked island to the westward, which seemed to smoke at its top: +the next day we passed by the north side of the Burning Island, and +saw smoke again at its top, but the vent lying on the south side of +the peak, we could not observe it distinctly, nor see the fire. +We afterwards opened three more islands, and some land to the southward, +which we could not well tell whether it were islands or part of the +main. These islands are all high, full of fair trees and spots +of great savannahs, as well the Burning Isle as the rest; but the Burning +Isle was more round and peaked at top, very fine land near the sea, +and for two-thirds up it: we also saw another isle sending forth a great +smoke at once, but it soon vanished, and we saw it no more; we saw also +among these islands three small vessels with sails, which the people +of Nova Britannia seem wholly ignorant of.</p> +<p>The 11th, at noon, having a very good observation, I found myself +to the northward of my reckoning, and thence concluded that we had a +current setting north-west, or rather more westerly, as the land lies. +From that time to the next morning we had fair clear weather, and a +fine moderate gale from south-east to east-by-north: but at daybreak +the clouds began to fly, and it lightened very much in the east, south-east, +and north-east. At sun-rising, the sky looked very red in the +east near the horizon, and there were many black clouds both to the +south and north of it. About a quarter of an hour after the sun +was up, there was a squall to the windward of us; when on sudden one +of our men on the forecastle called out that he saw something astern, +but could not tell what: I looked out for it, and immediately saw a +spout beginning to work within a quarter of a mile of us, exactly in +the wind: we presently put right before it. It came very swiftly, +whirling the water up in a pillar about six or seven yards high. +As yet I could not see any pendulous cloud, from whence it might come, +and was in hopes it would soon lose its force. In four or five +minutes’ time it came within a cable’s length of us, and +passed away to leeward, and then I saw a long pale stream coming down +to the whirling water. This stream was about the bigness of a +rainbow: the upper end seemed vastly high, not descending from any dark +cloud, and therefore the more strange to me, I never having seen the +like before. It passed about a mile to leeward of us, and then +broke. This was but a small spout, not strong nor lasting; yet +I perceived much wind in it as it passed by us. The current still +continued at north-west a little westerly, which I allowed to run a +mile per hour.</p> +<p>By an observation the 13th, at noon, I found myself 25 minutes to +the northward of my reckoning; whether occasioned by bad steerage, a +bad account, or a current, I could not determine; but was apt to judge +it might be a complication of all; for I could not think it was wholly +the current, the land here lying east-by-south, and west-by-north, or +a little more northerly and southerly. We had kept so nigh as +to see it, and at farthest had not been above twenty leagues from it, +but sometimes much nearer; and it is not probable that any current should +set directly off from a land. A tide indeed may; but then the +flood has the same force to strike in upon the shore, as the ebb to +strike off from it: but a current must have set nearly along shore, +either easterly or westerly; and if anything northerly or southerly, +it could be but very little in comparison of its east or west course, +on a coast lying as this doth; which yet we did not perceive. +If therefore we were deceived by a current, it is very probable that +the land is here disjoined, and that there is a passage through to the +southward, and that the land from King William’s Cape to this +place is an island, separated from New Guinea by some strait, as Nova +Britannia is by that which we came through. But this being at +best but a probable conjecture, I shall insist no farther upon it.</p> +<p>The 14th we passed by Scouten’s Island, and Providence Island, +and found still a very strong current setting to the north-west. +On the 17th we saw a high mountain on the main, that sent forth great +quantities of smoke from its top: this volcano we did not see in our +voyage out. In the afternoon we discovered King William’s +Island, and crowded all the sail we could to get near it before night, +thinking to lie to the eastward of it till day, for fear of some shoals +that lie at the west end of it. Before night we got within two +leagues of it, and having a fine gale of wind and a light moon, I resolved +to pass through in the night, which I hoped to do before twelve o’clock, +if the gale continued; but when we came within two miles of it, it fell +calm: yet afterwards by the help of the current, a small gale, and our +boat, we got through before day. In the night we had a very fragrant +smell from the island. By morning light we were got two leagues +to the westward of it; and then were becalmed all the morning; and met +such whirling tides, that when we came into them, the ship turned quite +round: and though sometimes we had a small gale of wind, yet she could +not feel the helm when she came into these whirlpools: neither could +we get from amongst them, till a brisk gale sprang up: yet we drove +not much any way, but whirled round like a top. And those whirlpools +were not constant to one place but drove about strangely: and sometimes +we saw among them large ripplings of the water, like great over-falls +making a fearful noise. I sent my boat to sound, but found no +ground.</p> +<p>The 18th Cape Mabo bore south, distance nine leagues; by which account +it lies in the latitude of 50 minutes south, and meridian distance from +Cape St. George one thousand two hundred and forty-three miles. +St. John’s Isle lies forty-eight miles to the east of Cape St. +George; which being added to the distance between Cape St. George and +Cape Mabo, makes one thousand two hundred and ninety-one meridional +parts; which was the furthest that I was to the east. In my outward-bound +voyage I made meridian distance between Cape Mabo and Cape St. George, +one thousand two hundred and ninety miles; and now in my return, but +one thousand two hundred and forty-three; which is forty-seven short +of my distance going out. This difference may probably be occasioned +by the strong western current which we found in our return, which I +allowed for after I perceived it; and though we did not discern any +current when we went to the eastward, except when near the islands, +yet it is probable we had one against us, though we did not take notice +of it because of the strong easterly winds. King William’s +Island lies in the latitude of 21 minutes south, and may be seen distinctly +off Cape Mabo.</p> +<p>In the evening we passed by Cape Mabo; and afterwards steered away +south-east half-east, keeping along the shore, which here trends south-easterly. +The next morning, seeing a large opening in the land, with an island +near the south side; I stood in, thinking to anchor there. When +we were shot in within two leagues of the island, the wind came to the +west, which blows right into the opening. I stood to the north +shore, intending, when I came pretty nigh, to send my boat into the +opening and sound, before I would venture in. We found several +deep bays, but no soundings within two miles of the shore; therefore +I stood off again, then seeing a rippling under our lee, I sent my boat +to sound on it; which returned in half an hour, and brought me word +that the rippling we saw was only a tide, and that they had no ground +there.</p> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EARLY AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES***</p> +<pre> + + +***** This file should be named 2660-h.htm or 2660-h.zip****** + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/6/6/2660 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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