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THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ABEL JANSEN TASMAN

FOR THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTHERN COUNTRIES,

By Direction of the Dutch Eajl India Company.

[Taken from his original Journal.] *

*• The Occajlon and Defign of this Voyage. — 2. Captain Tafman fails from Batavia ,Augujl 14, 1642. — 3. Remarks on the Variation of the Needle. —4. He dif covers anew Country, to which he gives the Name of Van Diemen's Land. — 5. Sails fromthence for New Zealand . — 6. Vifits the IJland of the Three Kings ; and goes in Searchof other IJlands dif covered by Schovten. — 7. Remarkable Occurrences in the Voyage. —Obfervations on , and Explanation of the Variation of the Compafs. — 9. Difcoversa new IJland, which he calls Pyljlaart IJland. — 10. And two IJlands, to which hegives the Name of Amjlerdam and Rotterdam. — 11. And an Archipelago of twentyfmall IJlands. — 12. Occurrences in the Voyage. —13. He arrives at the Archipelago of Anthong Java. — 14. His Arrival on the Coajl of New Guinea .— 15. Continueshis Voyage along that Coajl. — 16. Arrives in the Neighbourhood of Burning IJland,a ndfurveys the whole Coajl of New Guinea . — x 7. Comes to the IJlands of Jama andMoa. — 18. Profecutes his Voyage to Ceram .— 19. Arrives fafely at Batavia ,June 15, 1643. — 20. Conferences of Captain Tafman's Difcoveries. —21. Remarksupon the Voyage.

*• r T"'HE great difcoveries that were made by the Dutch in thefe fouthern countries,A were fubfequent to the famous voyage of Jaques ie Maire, who in 1616, paffeduie {freights called by his name, in 1618, that part of Terra Auftralis was difcovered^hich the Dutch call Concordia. The next year, the Land of Edels was found, anddeceived its name from its difcoverer. In 1620, Batavia was built on the ruins of the!P e old city of Jacatra; but the feat of government was not immediately removedr °m Amboyna. In 1622, that part of New Holland which is called Lewin’s Land,^’ as _ firft found ; and in 1627, Peter Nuyts difcovered, between New Holland and Newguinea, a country , which bears his name. There were alfo fome other voyages made,w hich, however, we have no fort of account, except that the Dutch were continuallye aten in all their attempts to land upon this coaft. On their fettlement, however, atatav ia, the then general and council of the Indies thought it requifite to have a moreperfect furvey made of the new-found countries, that the memory of them at leaf!*^ght be preferved, in cafe no further attempts were made to fettle them; and it was„ er y probably a forefight of few Ihips going that route any more, which induced fuchs had then the direction of the Company’s affairs to wifh, that fome fuch furvey ande c ription might be made by an able feaman, who was well acquainted with thofe

* From Harris,!. 325.

coafts,