introductory observations.

423

what part of it is land, and what is fea. This trad extends from latitude 43 degreesfouth, to latitude 19 degrees, and has not hitherto been vifited, at lead: as far as we know.Wifcher tells us, that, in going to the Eaft Indies, feveral have run along the coaft ofthis new world, by keeping their courfe due eaft from the Cape of Good Hope , tillthey fell in with the coaft of New Holland. This was the courfe Dampier followed,as we fhall fee in his journal. The Dutch navigators, abundantly occupied in fecuringtheir other poffeffions in the Eaft Indies, have done little more than give names to theprincipal capes, bays, and rivers they fell in with along this coaft, never flaying longerhere than was abfolutely neceffary to get the refrefhments they wanted, and thefe(fays Paulmier) were always furnilhed readily by the inhabitants. He adds, that theDutch have often wintered on thefe coafts, and fpent time enough among the nativesto enable them to give us very particular accounts, both of them and their country,u the Eaft India Company, for interefted reafons, had not hindered them. Nay, wef*ud a Dutchman offering the fame thing, iri his preliminary difcourfe to the northernVoyages, “ II eft certain (fays he) que les Hollandois ont fait des tres grandesdecouverles du cote des Terres Auftrales inconnues, quoiqu’ils ne les ayent prefqueP a s publiees jufqu’ a prefent. Ce fdence myfterieux, et ce que Ton a ditdes richeffesde ces terres, fait croire que les Hollandois n’ont pas a coeur la recherche des Terres•Auftrales, craignant peut-etre qu’il ne prit envie a des etrangers de s’y etablir, auPrejudice du negoce de leur compagnie.” That this is the real nature of their condudtmay be affured from their hard ufage of Le Maire, and the bad reception Dampiertoet with in the ifle of Timor, not to mention many other inftances, equally well known,an d univerfally detefted.

1606.3 We find in Saris’s Journal, preferved by Purchas , under this year, anac count of a fmall veffel, called the Little Sun, being fent by the Dutch from the^folucca iflands for the difeovery of New Guinea ; whic,h country (fays Saris) theyjtoew nothing of at that time ; but where they imagined gold was to be found. In thefollowing year (fays Saris) I was told by a Chinefe captain, juft come from Banda, thatfue Dutch veffel had put in there on her return from New Guinea . The crew gave anac count, that having made a defeent on the coaft in order to learn fomething of thej^untry, the natives received them with a fhower of arrows, which had killed nineu tohmen. They reprefented thefe people as very barbarous, and even cannibals ;an d being afraid to ftay longer on thefe inhofpitable fhores, they returned without‘‘““'g any thing. 8 _ *

k I f JJ 6-3 The firft land difeovered this year was that called Concordia or Endracht,

1 heodoric Hertog, a native of Endracht, who landed there in the month of Odober.ls coaft lies from 19 to 25 degrees fouth latitude. The principal inlet here,*jd Sharp’s Bay, abounds with fea-dogs; and the great ledge of rocks, lying off thej,- 0 f fouthern part of the coaft, is called the Abrolhos of Frederick Houtman. Theer, or rather ftrait, to the northward, goes by the name of Jacob Remeffens, in.^arjy 22 degrees fouth latitude: this country has fince been feen by Pelfart anda mpier, as we fhall find in their journals.

a 1 This year one Zeachen, a native of Arnheim, difeovered the land called^jtoiin. and Diemen about the latitude 14 degrees. Diemen owes its name toret ° n y ^ an fikitten, at that time general of the Dutch Eaft India Company, whoin th" lle ^ t0 ^ uro P e with vaft riches in 1631. It is to be fuppofed that, during his ftayth 6 ^ I ! c ^ es ’ h e had greatly promoted the difeovery of the fouthern world, as we find{^^^igntors impofing his name on many of the capes, rivers and bays of that

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