Early Australian Voyages ...................................................................................................................................1

John Pinkerton.........................................................................................................................................1

The Voyage Of Captain Abel Jansen Tasman For The Discovery Of Southern Countries

An Account Of New Holland And The Adjacent Islands. 16991700. By Captain William Dampier

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 northwest coast, then extended to the

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

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

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 foodstore of the Old World begins to be

The unexplored interior has given a happy huntingground 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

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 goldthe beginning of the history of the Australian

goldfieldswas in February, 1851, near Bathurst and Wellington, and today looks back to the morning of

Gold, wool, mutton, wine, fruits, and what more Australia can now add to the commonwealth of the

Englishspeaking 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

John Pinkerton was born at Edinburgh in February, 1758, and died in Paris in March, 1826, aged sixtyeight.

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 twentytwo 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 seventythree 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 twentyfour years of his life. One of the most

useful of his many works was that General Collection of the best and most interesting Voyages and Travels

of the World, which appeared in seventeen quarto volumes, with maps and engravings, in the years

18081814. 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.

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

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 Batavia, 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 Batavia, 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 northeast 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 fortyeight 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,

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

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

tablebook, in which line wrote a line or two to inform them that he was gone in the skiff to look for water in

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 seawater 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 twentyfive 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

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 southwest, 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 southeast 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 northeast, 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

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

twentyfive 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.

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 apiece. 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,

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 anthills, 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 musketshot; 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 northeast, 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 GovernorGeneral with their misfortunes, and to

On the 17th they continued their course to the northeast, 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 westnorthwest, 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.

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 lastmentioned

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, Thwarttheway Island; but towards the evening

they had a pretty brisk wind at northwest, 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 seabreeze, 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 Thwarttheway 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

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 accountthat 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.

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 buryingplace 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 fortyfive 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,

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 CaptainGeneral, 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 twentytwo men, well armed, with orders to destroy Mr.

Weybhays and his company; and on their miscarrying, he undertook a like expedition with thirtyseven 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

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 termsviz., 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

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 beforethat is to say, he and the villains that were with him were soundly beat.

Things were in this situation when Captain Pelsart arrived in the Sardam 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

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

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

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

On the 21st the tide was so low, and an eastsoutheast 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.

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

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.

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

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 selfevident 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.

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 1629I 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;

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

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.

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

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 newfound 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

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

On August 14, 1642, I sailed from Batavia with two vessels; the one called the Heemskirk, and the other the

ZeeHaan. 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.

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 northwest 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

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 suchlike 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.

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.

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 southwest 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

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

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 eastsoutheast 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 northeast 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

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

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 southwest, 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 northnortheast 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

We found here abundance of the inhabitants: they had very hoarse voices, and were very largemade 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,

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 Heemskirk 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 Heemskirk 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

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 southeast, 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 northwest, where we found the sea rolling in from

the northeast, 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

fiveand 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 freshwater 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

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

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 southwest, 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 southeast

and from the southwest. 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

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.

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 southeast and southsoutheast

winds. We called it the Isle of Pylstaart, because of the great number of that sort of birds we saw flying about

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 northeast. 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

northeast, and flows southwest. A southwest moon causes a springtide, which rises seven or eight feet at

least. The wind blows there continually southeast, or southsoutheast, which occasioned the Heemskirk's

being carried out of the road, but, however, without any damage. We did not fill any water here because it

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 goodnatured, 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 wellstocked with cocoatrees, very regularly planted; we likewise saw abundance of gardens,

extremely well laid out, plentifully stocked with all kinds of fruittrees, 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

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.

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 northeast, or the

north northeast, 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 northwest, 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.

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, line 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 nowfound 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,

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

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 ZeeHaan, 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 northwest wind,

having every day, for the space of twentyone 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

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.

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 northwest. 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.

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.

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 northeast, eastnortheast, and again

southsouthwest, 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

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

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.e., 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 halfway 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

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 cocoanuts, 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

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 cocoanuts 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 cocoanuts, 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 watercasks, stuck them into

wooden handles, and filing them to an edge, sold these awkward knives to the inhabitants for their fruits.

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

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

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

He describes it as a very fertile and wellpeopled 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

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.

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

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 stadthouse 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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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 sugarcanes, 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 freshwater 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; cocoanut trees thrive very

well here, as well on the bays by the seaside, 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

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 freshgathered, 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.

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.

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

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 northwest 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

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.

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.

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.

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, welllimbed 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 Roebuck, in which he sailed,

was a wornout 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

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.

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

"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 Statesgeneral. 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, onefourth part to the crown, and another fourth

part to the prosecutor, and the other twofourths 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."

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; viz., 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,

"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; onethird to the crown, and the other twothirds to

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 northwest 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

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 slavetrade 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.

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

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

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

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 RearAdmiral 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

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

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

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 illusage 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.

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 northwest 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

northeast and northwest 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.

Having described his voyage from Brazil to New Holland, this celebrated navigator thus proceeds:

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.

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 leeshore, in a place where there was no shelter, and desiring at least to have

searoom, for the clouds began to grow thick in the westernboard, and the wind was already there and

began to blow fresh almost upon the shore, which at this place lies along northnorthwest and

southsoutheast. By nine o'clock at night we got a pretty good offing, but the wind still increasing, I took in

my maintopsail, 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

fiftysix fathom, fine sand. At twelve we had fiftyfive 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 southwest, 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.

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 ninetyfive 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

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 sweetscented, 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

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 waterfowls

are ducks (which had young ones now, this being the beginning of the spring in these parts), curlews,

galdens, crabcatchers, cormorants, gulls, pelicans, and some waterfowl, such as I have not seen anywhere

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

The seafish 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 seadevil), and

garfish, bonetas, etc. Of shellfish 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

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

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

anchoringplace, 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 anchoringplace 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

topsails, 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 southwest 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 islandsa sign that the water was

shallow. They saw a large turtle, and many skates and thornbacks, but caught none.

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 northeast 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 northeasterly. We plied off and on, getting forward but little till the

next day, when the wind coming at southsouthwest 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 fortysix

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 eightyfathom 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 cuttleshells swimming on the sea, and some watersnakes every day. The 17th we saw the

The 18th, in the afternoon, being three or four leagues off shore, I saw a shoalpoint 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

eightyfive 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 northnortheast), 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 shoalpoint 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 southsoutheast)

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 northwest 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 southsoutheast, 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

northeasterly, and we being to the northward of it, and the wind also shrinking from the southsoutheast to

the eastsoutheast (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 southsouth east, a small gentle gale, which in the morning about sunrising would

shift about gradually (and withal increasing in strength) till about noon we should have it at eastsoutheast,

which is the true sea breeze here. Then it would blow a brisk gale so that we could scarce carry our topsails

doublereefed; 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 fortyfive

fathom, coarse brown sand, mixed with small brown and white stones, with dints besides in the tallow.

The 21st day also we had small land breezes in the night, and sea breezes in the day, and as we saw some

seasnakes 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 fortyfive fathom, sand. We did not make the land till noon, and then saw it first from our

topmast head; it bore southeast 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 topmasthead, 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 eastnortheast to west

southwest, 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 northeast, 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 thirtytwo 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

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.

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, crabcatchers, etc., a few small land

birds, and a sort of white parrots, which flew a great many together. We found some shellfish, 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 watersnakes of several sorts and sizes. The stones were

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.

Accordingly, August 23rd, at five in the morning, we ran out, having a pretty fresh land breeze at

southsoutheast. 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 topsails 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 southsouthwest and southsoutheast: the sea breezes

between the eastnortheast and northnortheast. In the night while calm, we fished with hook and line,

and caught good store of fish viz., snappers, breams, oldwives, and dogfish. 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

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

eastnorth 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.

The 27th day we had twenty fathom water all night, yet we could not see land till one in the afternoon from

our topmasthead. By three we could just discern land from our quarterdeck; we had then sixteen fathom.

The wind was at north, and we steered eastby 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 northwest and

westnorthwest, we tacked again and steered northnortheast, and then deepened our water again, and had

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 noddybirds, 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.

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

twentytwo minutes after sunset, by the reckoning of our glasses, the eclipse was quite gone, which was not

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 haycocks 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.

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 seaside, 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

sandbank between us and them, that they could not then see us, we made a halt, and hid ourselves in a

bending of the sandbank. 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 seashore, and others beating about the

sandhills. We knew by what rencounter we had had with them in the morning that we could easily outrun

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 sandhill, 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

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 fleshflies teazing them,) and with the same black skins, and hair frizzled, tall and thin, as those

were: but we had not the opportunity to see whether these, as the former, wanted two of their foreteeth.

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 seabreeze), in the daytime blows always

one way with them, and the landbreeze is but small. By their fireplaces we should always find great heaps

of fishshells of several sorts; and it is probable that these poor creatures here lived chiefly on the shellfish,

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 shellfish 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 shellfish. 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

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 nunbuoy 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 southeast by

south till the last quarter; then it sets right in towards the shore (which lies here southsouthwest and north

north east) and the ebb runs northwest 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

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

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 sandhills 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 watermark 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 shrublike vine. There was great plenty of all these sorts of

codfruit growing on the sandhills 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

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 seaside, 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 haycock, 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

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

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 seafowl are

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 rockfish and oldwives. Of shellfish, here were oysters both of

the common kind for eating, and of the pearl kind; and also whelks, conchs, muscles, limpits, periwinkles,

and I gathered a few strange shells, chiefly a sort not large, and thickset all about with rays or spikes growing

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.

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 northwest, and expected the wind from that quarter above a month sooner.

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

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 eightythree miles. We sounded several times when near Omba, but had no

ground. On the northeast point of Omba we saw four or five men, and a little further three pretty houses on

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.

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

Having passed the Burning Island, I shaped my course for two islands, called Turtle Isles, which lie

northeast 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 northeast, then northeast by east. On the

28th we saw two small low islands, called LuccaParros, to the north of us. At noon I accounted myself

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 LuccaParros, 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 northeast by east for the islands that we saw. At two

o'clock I went and looked over the foreyard, 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 northwest

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 eastsoutheast, 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 southsoutheast halfeast, 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

twentyseven miles, according to our observation, and the like error in laying down the Turtle Islands might

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 southeast, then to

eastnortheast, 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

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 eastsoutheast and westnorthwest. 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.

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 eastby south halfsouth, distance three leagues, and the westernmost west southwest

halfsouth, 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 landfowl, as big as the largest dunghill cock; it was of a skycolour, 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 fishspear, very ingeniously made, the matter of it was a small cane; they

The next morning I sent the boatswain ashore fishing, and at one haul he caught three hundred and fiftytwo

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 wateringplace;

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 twentyfive 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 pikefish, 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

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 northnorth 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 capeland, the north side trends away northnorthwest, and the east side

eastsoutheast. 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

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 northwestbywest and westnorthwest, we stood to the northward, and had

several soundings: at three o'clock thirtyeight fathom, the nearest part of New Guinea being about three

leagues' distance; at four, thirtyseven; at five, thirtysix; at six, thirtysix; at eight, thirtythree fathom; then

the Cape was about four leagues' distant, so that as we ran off we found our water shallower; we had then

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 thirtyfive 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

thirtyeight 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, 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

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, pineapples, 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 menofwar birds are the chief, some goldens, and

small milkwhite crabcatchers; the landfowl are pigeons, about the bigness of mountainpigeons 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 skycoloured 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, rockfish, and a sort of

fish like mullets, oldwives, whiprays, 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

This island lies in latitude 2 degrees 43 minutes south, and meridian distance from port Babo, on the island

Timor, four hundred and eightysix miles: besides this island, here are nine or ten other small islands.

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

fishspears, 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, 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

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

We stood to the northward till seven in the evening, then saw a rippling; and, the water being discoloured, we

sounded, and had but twentytwo 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, twentytwo; at ten, twentyfive; at

eleven, twentyseven; at twelve, twentyeight fathom; at two in the morning, twentysix; at four,

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 northwest 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 northeast 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.

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 shoalpoint 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.

At one o'clock, being past the shoal, and finding the tide setting to the westward, I anchored in thirtyfive

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

southsouthwest, 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

seventyeight 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 eastsoutheast 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 fortytwo fathom coarse gravelly sand, with some coral.

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 threequarters 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 northeast and

eastsoutheast, 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 tradewind here at east, which yet in higher

latitudes is usually at north northwest and northwest; and so I did expect them here, it being to the south

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

At four o'clock we weighed, having a small westerly wind and a tide with us; at seven in the evening we

anchored in fortytwo 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

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 eastby north, and the ebb westbysouth; 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.

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 eastbysouth, distant twelve leagues; Cape Mabo

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.

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 northeastbynorth, with rain; at five it shuffled about to northwest, from thence to

the southwest, and continued between those two points a pretty brisk gale, so that we made sail and steered

away northeast, till the 13th, in the morning, to get about the Cape of Good Hope. When it was day we

steered northeast half east, then northeastbyeast till seven o'clock, and, being then seven or eight

leagues off shore, we steered away east, the shore trending eastbysouth. 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 topgallant gale, and settled at westbysouth. 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.

The 15th, in the morning, between twelve and two o'clock, it blew a very brisk gale at northwest, and

looked very black in the south west. At two it flew about at once to the southsouthwest, and rained very

hard. The wind settled some time at westsouthwest, and we steered eastnortheast till three in the

morning; then the wind and rain abating, we steered easthalfnorth 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.

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

It was by mere providence that we missed the small island; for, had not the wind come to westsouthwest,

and blown hard, so that we steered eastnortheast, 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

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 twentyfour hours we steered eastbynorth with a large wind, yet made but an

eastby south half south course, though the variation was not above 7 degrees east.

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

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 yellowgreenish 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

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

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 southwest end, intending to run along by it and anchor on the southeast 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 southwest 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

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

southsoutheast, distance ten leagues. We had many great logs and trees swimming by us all this afternoon,

and much grass; we steered in southsoutheast 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 eastsoutheast, 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

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.

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 fortysix 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

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 southeast point I sounded several times within a

mile of the Sandy Bays, but had no ground. About three leagues to the northward of the southeast point we

opened a large, deep bay, secured from west northwest and southwest winds. There were two other

islands that lay to the northeast of it, which secured the bay from northeast winds; one was but small, yet

woody; the other was a league long, inhabited, and full of cocoanut 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 cocoanuts, 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.

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.

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

cocoanut trees, where we also saw some small houses. The sides of the mountains are thick set with

plantations, and the mould in the newcleared land seemed to be of a brownreddish 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

cocoanut 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 welllimbed people, having great round heads, their hair naturally curled

and short, which they shave into several forms, and dye it also of divers coloursviz., red, white, and

yellow. They have broad round faces, with great bottlenoses, 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 cheekbone, 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 devicesviz., 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 fishspears 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 vacousee allamais, 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

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

cocoanut trees. It lies in the latitude of 3 degrees 25 minutes south, and meridian distance from Cape Mabo

1,316 miles. On the southeast part of it are three or four other small woody islands, one high and peaked, the

others low and flat, all bedecked with cocoanut 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 northeast 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 northeast point, we found a

strong current setting to the northwest, 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 lookingglass, and a string of beads. I showed them pumpkins and cocoanut shells, and made signs to

them to bring some aboard, and had presently three cocoanuts 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 northwest. 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, wellshaped 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

Steering away from Cave's Island southsoutheast, 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 wormeaten, and had in it some live worms above an

inch long, and about the bigness of a goosequill, and having their heads crusted over with a thin shell.

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 cocoanut 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

We stood along by St. John's Island till we came almost to the southeast 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

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

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 northnortheast and southsouth west.

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

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 cocoanut 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

westbysouthhalfsouth distance about ten leagues, and, as we thought, still more land bearing

southwestbysouth, 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 westnorthwest 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 bysouthhalfsouth, 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 southeast 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

cocoanut 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

The day after we passed by the southwest 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 southwest about eighteen leagues. Between

them there is a bay about twentyfive 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, fortyfour miles west. The land trends from

this cape northwest by west into the bay, and on the other side southwest per compass, which is

southwest 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 northwest side. The cape itself is a bluffpoint,

of an indifferent height, with a flat tableland at top. When we were to the southwest 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 turtleirons, hoisted it in, and split it for firewood. Afterwards we struck another, but

We steered along southwest 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.

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 cocoanuttrees, 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

fowlingpiece, 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, wellbuilt 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 southsoutheast, 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 cocoanuttrees 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 twentysix 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 cocoanuts; 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

I sent ashore commodities to purchase hogs, 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

cocoanuts, which they used to climb the trees for; and so soon as they gave them our men, they beckoned to

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

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 cocoanuts from the trees, and

driven away their hogs. Our people made signs to them to know what was become of their hogs, 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

At night our boats came aboard with wood, and the next morning I went myself with both boats up the river

to the wateringplace, carrying with me all such trifles and ironwork 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

I visited three of their villages, and, finding all the houses thus abandoned by the inhabitants, who carried

with them all their hogs, I brought out of their houses some small fishingnets 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 cocoanuts, 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

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 lookingglasses, 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 wellstocked with wood and all my watercasks 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 southsoutheast, and the latter

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 freshwater 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,

We departed from hence on the 22nd of March, and on the 24th, in the evening, we saw some high land

bearing northwest halfwest, 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 westnorthwest 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 northwestbywest, 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.

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 fiftytwo 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,

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

northeast 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 seaside, 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

southwestpoint Cape Anne; and the northwest mountain, which is very remarkable, I called Mount

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

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 cocoanut 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

eastsoutheast, 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

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 northwest 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 halfmoon, reaching from the north part of the island to the

southeast; so at noon we got in and anchored in thirtysix fathom, a mile from the isle.

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

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

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 cocoanut 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,

In the afternoon, seeing an island bearing northwestbywest, we steered away northwestbynorth, 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.

On Tuesday, the 2nd of April, about eight in the morning, we discovered a highpeaked 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 twothirds 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.

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 northwest, 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 southeast to

eastbynorth: but at daybreak the clouds began to fly, and it lightened very much in the east, southeast,

and northeast. At sunrising, 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 northwest a little

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 eastbysouth,

and west bynorth, 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

The 14th we passed by Scouten's Island, and Providence Island, and found still a very strong current setting

to the northwest. 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

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 fortyeight 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 ninetyone meridional parts; which

was the furthest that I was to the east. In my outwardbound 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 fortythree; which is fortyseven 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

In the evening we passed by Cape Mabo; and afterwards steered away southeast halfeast, keeping along

the shore, which here trends southeasterly. 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.