A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume I Part 5

The _Batavia_, commanded by FRANCISCO PELSERT, struck, in the night of June 4, 1629, upon a reef, "called by our Flemings the _Abrolhos_ or Rocks of _Frederick Houtman_," lying off the west coast of New Holland.

At daylight, an island was seen about three leagues distant, and two islets, or rather rocks, somewhat nearer, to which the pa.s.sengers and part of the crew were sent. There being no fresh water to be found upon these islands, Pelsert had a deck laid over one of the boats; and, on June 8, put to sea, in order to make search upon the opposite main land: his lat.i.tude, at noon, was 28 13' south.

A short time after quitting the Abrolhos, captain Pelsert got sight of the coast, which, by estimation, bore N. by W. eight leagues from the place of s.h.i.+pwreck.* He had 25 to 30 fathoms, and stood off till midnight, when he again steered for the land; and in the morning of the 9th, it was four leagues off. He ran that day from five to seven leagues, sometimes to the north, sometimes to the west; the direction of the coast being N. by W.: it appeared to be rocky--without trees--and about the same height as the coast of Dover. A small, sandy bay was seen, into which Pelsert desired to enter; but finding too much surf, and the weather becoming bad, he was obliged to haul further off.

[* Thevenot says _six miles_, and does not explain what kind of miles they are; but it is most probable that he literally copies his original, and that they are Dutch miles of fifteen to a degree. Van Keulen, in speaking of Houtman's Abrolhos, says, page 19, "This shoal is, as we believe, 11 or 12 leagues (_8 a 9 mijlen)_ from the coast."]

July 10. He kept in the same parallel, upon a wind; the weather being bad, and his boat very leaky. Next day, the wind was at W. S. W., and more moderate. He then steered north; for the sea was too high to approach the sh.o.r.e in safety. On the 12th, Pelsert observed the lat.i.tude to be 27, and steered along the coast with a fair wind at S. E.; but the sh.o.r.e was too steep to admit of landing; neither could he find any bay or island to break off the sea. At a distance, the land seemed fertile and covered with plants. The lat.i.tude, on the 13th, was 25 40', which showed a current setting to the northward. Here Pelsert found himself a-breast of an opening, where the coast trends to the north-east (apparently into Shark's Bay). The course this day was nearly north; the sh.o.r.e consisted of reddish rock, of an equal height; and there being no island in front, the waves, which broke high upon it, prevented landing.

June 14. The wind was at east; and at noon, the lat.i.tude was observed to be 24. The tides (or rather the current) took the boat further to the north than was desired; for Pelsert then carried but little sail, in the hope to find a landing place without going further. Perceiving some smokes at a distance, he rowed towards them; but the sh.o.r.e proved to be steep, with many rocks, and the sea broke high against it. At length, six of his people leaped overboard, and with much labour and risk got through the surf, whilst the boat remained at anchor, in 25 fathoms. The sailors employed the rest of the day in seeking for water; and on looking about on every side, they saw four natives creeping towards them on their hands and feet. One of "our people" having appeared on an eminence, near them, the natives rose up and took to flight; so that those who were in the boat could see them distinctly. These men were wild, black, and altogether naked; not covering even those parts which almost all savages conceal.

The six sailors, losing all hope of finding water, swam back to the boat, wounded and bruised by the blows they had received from the waves and rocks. The anchor was then weighed, and Pelsert continued his course, under easy sail, along the coast; but keeping without side of the shoals.

The 15th in the morning, they discovered a cape, off which lay a chain of rocks, running out four miles into the sea; and behind this was another reef, close to the sh.o.r.e. The water being tolerably still between them, Pelsert thought to pa.s.s through; but the reefs joined round further on, and obliged him to return. At noon, an opening was seen, where the water was smooth, and they went into it, but with considerable danger; for the depth was no more than two feet, and the bottom stony. On landing, the people dug holes in the sand; but the water which oozed in was salt. At length, fresh rain water was found in the cavities of the rocks, and afforded them great relief; for they had, hitherto, been confined to a pint of water each. They staid on sh.o.r.e that night, and collected full forty gallons. Ashes and the remains of cray fish were found; which showed that the natives had been there no long time before.

July 16. They sought to collect more water, but were unsuccessful; and none could be expected in the sandy, level country behind the coast. This plain was dest.i.tute of both gra.s.s and trees, and covered with ant hills so large, that they might have been taken for the houses of Indians. The quant.i.ty of flies was such, that the people had great difficulty in keeping them off. Eight savages, with with each a stick (probably a spear) in his hand, were seen at a distance. They came within musket shot; but on the Dutch sailors going towards them they took to flight.

Captain Pelsert, being at length convinced of the impossibility of procuring more water, determined to quit this coast. At noon, he got withoutside of the reef by a second opening more to the north; for, having observed the lat.i.tude to be 22 17', his intention was to seek for the _River of Jacob Remessens_ (near the North-west Cape); but the wind veering to north-east, he could no longer follow the direction of the coast. Considering, then, that he was more than four hundred miles from the place of s.h.i.+pwreck, and that scarcely water enough had been found for themselves, Pelsert resolved to make the best of his way to Batavia, to solicit a.s.sistance from the governor-general.

In the mean time, some one of the people left upon the islands of the _Abrolhos_ thought of tasting the water in two holes, which, from its rising and falling with the tide, was believed to be salt; but, to their great surprise and joy, it was found good to drink, and never failed them afterwards.

On Pelsert's return to the Abrolhos in the yacht _Sardam_, he was under the necessity of executing some atrocious conspirators, and two were set on sh.o.r.e upon the opposite main land.* Tasman was directed by his instructions, in 1644, to "inquire at the continent thereabout, after two Dutchmen; who, having forfeited their lives, were put on sh.o.r.e by the commodore Francisco Pelsert, if still alive. In such case, you may make your inquiries of them about the situation of those countries; and if they entreat you to that purpose, give them pa.s.sage hither."

[* For an account of the miseries and horrors which took place on the islands of the Abrolhos during the absence of Pelsert, the English reader is referred to Vol. I. p. 320 to 325 of _Campbell's_ edition of _Harris'

Voyages_; but the nautical details there given are very incorrect.]

TASMAN. 1644.

It is not from any direct information, that ABEL JANSZ TASMAN is placed as the next discoverer upon the western coasts of Terra Australis; for, as has been already observed, no account of his second voyage has ever been made public, or is any such known to exist. It is, however, supposed, with great probability of truth, that, after the examination of the North Coast, he pursued his course westward along the sh.o.r.e to the North-west Cape, conformably to his instructions; but that he did not go further southward along the Land of Endragt than to the tropic of Capricorn, where he quitted his examination, and returned to Batavia.

The chart published by Thevenot, in 1663, gives a form to the Western Coasts, and joins them to the northern Van Diemen's Land; but it is evident from Tasman's instructions, that the part between De Witt's Land and Cape Van Diemen was unknown to the Dutch government at Batavia in 1644. And since there is no account of its having been seen during the intermediate nineteen years, it may be concluded that the North-west Coast was first explored by him; and Dampier says (Vol. III. p. 96), that he had Tasman's chart of it; though none bearing his name can now be found.*

[* The French editor of the _Voyage de Decouvertes aux Terres Australes_, published in 1807, Vol. I. p. 128, attributes the formation of the North-west Coast in the common charts to the expedition of the three Dutch vessels sent from Timor in 1705. But this is a mistake. It is the chart of Thevenot, his countryman, _published forty-two years previously_ to that expedition, which has been mostly followed by succeeding geographers.]

The notes of burgomaster Witsen show, that the North-west Coast was visited by Tasman; and as they give the earliest information of the inhabitants, and are curious in themselves, they are here transcribed from Mr. Dalrymple's Papua.

"In lat. 13 8' S. lon. 146 18'" (probably about 129 east of Greenwich), "the coast is barren. The people are bad and wicked, shooting at the Dutch with arrows, without provocation, when they were coming on sh.o.r.e: It is here very populous."

"In 14 58' S. lon. 138 59' (about 125 east), the people are savage, and go naked: none can understand them."

"In HOLLANDIA NOVA,* in 17 12' S. (lon. 121 or 122 east) _Tasman_ found a naked, black people, with curly hair; malicious and cruel, using for arms, bows and arrows, hazeygaeys and kalawaeys. They once came to the number of fifty, double armed, dividing themselves into two parties, intending to have surprised the Dutch, who had landed twenty-five men; but the firing of guns frightened them so that they fled. Their prows are made of the bark of trees: their coast is dangerous: there are few vegetables: the people use no houses."

[* This expression indicates, that the before-mentioned places were not then included under the term NEW HOLLAND by Witsen: he wrote in 1705.]

"In 19 35' S. long. 134 (about 120, apparently), the inhabitants are very numerous, and threw stones at the boats sent by the Dutch to the sh.o.r.e. They made fires and smoke all along the coast, which, it was conjectured, they did to give notice to their neighbours of strangers being upon the coast. They appear to live very poorly; go naked; eat yams and other roots."

DAMPIER. 1688.

The buccaneers with whom our celebrated navigator, WILLIAM DAMPIER, made a voyage round the world, came upon the north-west coast of Terra Australis, for the purposes of careening their vessel, and procuring refreshments. They made the land in the lat.i.tude of 16 50', due south from a shoal whose longitude is now known to be 122 east. From thence, they ran along the sh.o.r.e, N. E. by E. twelve leagues, to a bay or opening, where a convenient place was found for their purpose. Dampier's description of the country and inhabitants of the place, where he remained from Jan. 5. to March 12., is contained in the account of his voyages, Vol. I. page 462 to 470; and renders it unnecessary to do more than to mark its coincidence or disagreement with what is said, in the above note from Tasman, of the inhabitants and country near the same part of the coast.

Dampier agrees in the natives being "a naked, black people, with curly hair," like that of the negroes; but he says they have "a piece of the rind of a tree tied like a girdle about their waists, and a handful of long gra.s.s, or three or four green boughs full of leaves, thrust under their girdle, to cover their nakedness." Also, "that the two fore teeth of the upper jaw are wanting in all of them, men and women, old and young: neither have they any beards;" which circ.u.mstances are not mentioned in the note from Tasman. Dampier did not see either bows or arrows amongst them; but says, "the men, at our first coming ash.o.r.e, threatened us with their lances and swords; but they were frightened by firing one gun, which we did purposely to scar them." Of "their prows made of the bark of trees," he saw nothing. On the contrary, he "espied a drove of these men swimming from one island to another; for _they have no boats, canoes, or bark logs_." The English navigator is silent as to any dangers upon the twelve leagues of coast seen by him; but fully agrees in the scarcity of the vegetable productions, and in the circ.u.mstance of the natives using no houses.

VLAMING. 1696.

The relation of Willem DE VLAMING'S voyage to New Holland was published at Amsterdam in 1701; but not having been fortunate enough to procure it, I have had recourse to _Valentyn_, who, in his _Description of Banda_, has given what appears to be an abridgment of the relation. What follows is conformable to the sense of the translation which Dr. L. Tiarks had the goodness to make for me; and the reasons for entering more into the particulars of this voyage than usual are, the apparent correctness of the observations, and that no account of them seems to have been published in the English language.*

[* The Abbe Prevost in his _Hist. gen. des Voyages_, Tome XVI. (a la Haye) p. 79-81, has given some account of Vlaming's voyage in French; but the observations on the coast between Shark's Bay and Willem's River are there wholly omitted.]

A Dutch s.h.i.+p, called the _Ridderschap_, having been missing from the time she had left the Cape of Good Hope, in 1684 or 1685, it was thought probable she might have been wrecked upon the GREAT SOUTH LAND, and that some of the crew might (in 1696) be still living. Accordingly, the commodore Willem de Vlaming, who was going out to India with the _Geelvink_, _Nyptang_, and _Wezel_, was ordered to make a search for them.

On Dec. 28, the s.h.i.+ps got soundings in 48 fathoms, coral bottom; in lat.i.tude 31 53', and longitude 133 44' (east, apparently, from the Peak of Teneriffe, 16 45' to the west of Greenwich); where the variation was observed to be 10 28' west: they afterwards had 25 fathoms, on better ground. On the 29th, they anch.o.r.ed under the island _Rottenest_, which lies in lat. 31 50', long. 134 25';* and next day, a piece of wood, which had some time been fixed to the deck of a s.h.i.+p, was found upon the sh.o.r.e; but the nails were then rusted away. Fire wood was abundant here.

[* The account in _Van Keulen_ is somewhat different. He says "we steered for the Land of Endragt: and on Dec. 28, got soundings in 63 fathoms, sandy bottom. The ensuing day we had 30 fathoms, and the coast was then in sight. The Island Rottenest, in 32 south lat.i.tude, was the land we steered for; and we had from 30 to 10 fathoms, in which last we anch.o.r.ed on a sandy bottom."]

VLAMING. 1697.

Jan. 5. Vlaming went on sh.o.r.e (to the main coast), with eighty-eight armed men, and walked inland to the eastward. There were a few large, and some small trees, from which dropped a kind of _gum-lac_; but they found nothing which could be used as food: the birds were small c.o.c.katoos and green parrots, and both were very shy. At the end of three hours walk they came to a piece of water, which was salt, and upon the beach were footsteps of full-grown persons and of children. No men were seen, but they observed many smokes; and found three deserted huts, so low and ill-constructed as to be inferior to those of the Hottentots.

On the 6th, they divided themselves into three parties: one took to the north, another to the south, and the third went four miles east, more into the interior; but, except one or two decayed huts, they met with nothing. Being returned to the salt lake without finding fresh water, they dug a pit near the side of it, and obtained wherewith to relieve their thirst. The lake had fallen a foot, which showed it to have a communication with the sea; and they afterwards found the outlet, a little to the southward. No noxious animal of any kind was seen; and after remaining on sh.o.r.e all night, they returned on board on the 7th.

The s.h.i.+ps were then anch.o.r.ed nearer to the land, with the entrance of the lake or river bearing S. E. by E. The commodore afterwards went up this river, to the distance of fourteen or sixteen leagues, and caught some smelts, as also several black swans, of which two were taken alive to Batavia.*

[* This appears to be the first mention made of the black swan: the river was named _Black-Swan River_.]

Having clearly ascertained the lat.i.tude (of the s.h.i.+ps at anchor, most probably,) to be 31 43' south, and discovered a reef four geographic miles in length, and two miles from the sh.o.r.e, they sailed from thence on Jan. 13. The wind was from the southward; and whilst the s.h.i.+ps steered N.

by W., parallel to the coast, the boats ran along within them, to examine it more closely. On the 15th, the people from the boats reported that they had seen neither men nor animals, and very few trees; but had met with a reef near the sh.o.r.e, in 30 17'; and many shoals, both under and above water.

Fires upon the land were seen from all the s.h.i.+ps in the night of Jan. 16; and next day, a boat was sent with armed people; but they returned with nothing, except some sea-mews which had been caught upon the islands and shoals lying along the coast. On the 18th, the s.h.i.+ps were in lat.i.tude 30 30', and found the variation to be 9 21' west; and the 20th, some small islands were seen, and shrubs observed on the main land. On the 23rd, they were near a steep head, in 28 8', and sent a boat to the sh.o.r.e; but the high surf prevented landing. People were perceived walking on the downs, but at too great a distance to distinguish more than that they were of the common stature, black, and naked.* The boat got on sh.o.r.e soon afterward, when some brackish water was found; and having landed again on the 27th, the people saw some huts, as also the footsteps of men, and some birds; but there was no other vegetation than small shrubs. Some very indifferent water was the sole useful thing met with, and it was too far off for any to be taken on board.

[* It was near this place that captain Pelsert put the two Dutch conspirators on sh.o.r.e in 1629. Vlaming appears to have pa.s.sed within _Houtman's Abrolhos_ without seeing them.]

Jan. 30. The boats were again sent on sh.o.r.e, and discovered two inlets, of which the southernmost, in lat.i.tude 26 16', was three miles in width.

On Feb. 2, they found two other openings, very deep, one of which ran up northward, and the other to the east, far inland. They went eleven leagues up the first of these, and found that it had another communication with the sea, to the N. N. W.* On the 3rd, a boat brought the above account; and also, that the chief mate of the Geelvink had found a plate of tin, with an inscription commemorating the arrival and departure of _Dirk Hartog_. (See the inscription under the article Hartog, preceding.) This Road of Dirk Hartog's Bay, where the plate had been set up, is in 25 24'; and the west variation was 8 34'.

[* These two openings, which in the original are called rivers, were nothing more than the entrance into Shark's Bay. A small island, lying a little within the entrance, probably made it be taken for two openings.]

No mention is made by Valentyn of the s.h.i.+ps entering the road, nor of their departure from it; but it should seem that they anch.o.r.ed on Feb. 4.

On the 5th, commodore Vlaming and the commander of the Nyptang went with three boats to the sh.o.r.e, which proved to be an island. They found also a river, and went up it four or five leagues, amongst rocks and shoals; when they saw much water inland, as if the country were drowned, but no men, nor any thing for food; and, wherever they dug, the ground was salt.

They afterwards came to another river, which they ascended about one league, and found it to terminate in a round basin, and to be entirely salt water. No men were seen, nor any animals, except divers which were very shy; and the country was dest.i.tute of gra.s.s and trees. Returning downward on the 10th, they saw footsteps of men and children, of the common size, and observed the point of entrance into the river to be of a very red sand.

The s.h.i.+ps appear to have left Dirk Hartog's Road on Feb. 12. In the evening, the west variation was observed to be 7 21'; am on the 13th, they saw a cliffy point from whence three shoals, connected by a reef, stretch out to the N. N. E. The sh.o.r.e here, in lat.i.tude 24 42', lies S.

by E. and N. by W. On the 16th, they pa.s.sed round the point, and steered southward along the inner side of this land; and having doubled its south end, found that it was it was an island: their lat.i.tude was then 24 54'.

Feb. 17. The variation was observed to be 5 west, in lat.i.tude 23 59'.

Eight miles south of this situation they saw a bay with a rugged point; but to the northward the land was low: the variation was 7 3', in the evening. They discovered some reefs on the 19th, lying three geographic miles off sh.o.r.e; and also a point or cape (the North-west Cape) from which a reef extended two miles to the N. N. W. On the north side of this cape is a bay, where the Geelvink anch.o.r.ed; and a little further on (eastward), the other two vessels found an _opening like a river, whose entrance was twelve miles wide_. They went into it, _but could no where find anchorage_. The bay is called _Willem's River_; and the two vessels afterwards there joined the Geelvink: it is in 21 28'. The same day it was determined to sail for Batavia, every thing having been done that the commodore's orders required; and, on the 21st, they departed accordingly.

Thus the West Coast, from the island Rottenest to the North-west Cape, was examined with care by Vlaming; and it is most probable, that the chart in Van Keulen, which Mr. Dalrymple republished, and was the best known at the end of the eighteenth century, resulted from this same voyage.

DAMPIER. 1699.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAMPIER visited, a second time, the western coasts of Terra Australis; being then sent out purposely for discovery, in his Majesty's s.h.i.+p the _Roebuck_.