The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765 Part 5

Second volume of "_Het begin ende voortgangh der Vereenighde Nederlantsche Geoctroyeerde Oost-Indische Compagnie._ Gedruckt in den jaere des Heeren 1646" [Rise and Progress of the United Netherlands Chartered East India Company. Printed Anno Domini 1646].

A Narrative and Journal of the voyage made from Bantam to the coast of Choromandel and other parts of India, by Supercargo PAULUS VAN SOLT in the years 1605 1606, 1607, 1608.

"On the 4th of March 1607, through G.o.d's mercy [we] arrived before the Castle [of Victoria in Amboyna]...here we found...the yacht Duyfken, which had come from Nova Guinea"...

V.

(1616). VOYAGE OF THE s.h.i.+PS EENDRACHT AND HOORN, COMMANDED BY JACQUES LE MAIRE AND WILLEM CORNELISZOON SCHOUTEN THROUGH THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ALONG THE NORTH-COAST OF NEW GUINEA.

One of the journals of this voyage has been repeatedly printed in various languages. (See TIELE, Memoire Bibliographique, pp. 42-62, and the same writer's Bibliographic Land- en Volkenkunde, s. vv. Begin ende Voortgangh, Herrera, W. Cz. Schouten, and Spilbergen). I need not, therefore, go into detail on this point here. The voyage was begun on the 14th of June 1615, and in January 1616 the strait of {Page 7} Le Maire was discovered. In the Pacific Ocean various islands unknown to the voyagers were touched at: _inter alia_ Kokos-island (Boscawen or Tafahi), Verraders-eiland [Traitors' island] (Keppel or Niutabutabu), (Goede) Hoop island (Nino-fa), the Hoornsche islands (Fotuna and Alofi). Besides, various islands east of New Guinea were surveyed, and New Ireland, New Hanover and the north-coast of New Guinea with the islands north of it (among others Schoutens island), sailed round or touched at.

VI.

(1616). PROJECT FOR THE FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH-LAND NOVA GUINEA.

A.

_Resolution of the Governor-General and Councillors, October 8, 1616._

...Inasmuch as heretofore the Company has taken in hand to dispatch a s.h.i.+p for the discovery of the South-land-Nova-Guinea and the dependencies thereof, which project has not been executed owing to other intervening business, it has been resolved to take the said project once more in hand at the present time; and that to this end the Lord Admiral...[*] shall dispatch from Amboyna or Banda the s.h.i.+p de Jager with any other small yacht that should lie at anchor there, or happen to put into port, in order to the discovery of the lands aforesaid; seeing that it is much more convenient to visit those parts starting from here than from the Netherlands, and that the same can now be done without any inconvenience or detriment to the Company. And if in Amboyna or Banda no other yacht besides the s.h.i.+p de Jager should be found available, then the Lord Admiral shall be free to a.s.sign the s.h.i.+p Morgenster for the said purpose...

[* Steven Van der Haghen.]

B.

_Resolution of the Governor-General and Councillors, October 21, 1616._

...Considering the confident inclination to the said voyage evinced by the Lord Advocate Dedel [*], and the importance of this enterprise being conducted with great skill and judgment, it has been determined and resolved to employ the Advocate aforesaid in the said voyage, to the end that all things may be conducted in good order, with the requisite courage and resolution, for which purpose the Hon. Advocate will now depart for Amboyna with the Lord Admiral...

[* Cornelis Dedel, LL. D.]

C.

_Letter from the Governor-General LAURENS REAEL to the Managers of the E.I.C., May 10, 1617._

...Mr. Cornelis Dedel, LL. D., had by us been dispatched to this place [*] from the Moluccas, that with two or three yachts and pinnaces he might proceed to the discovery of the Southern lands, which undertaking had heretofore once more by order of...Admiraal Verhagen been engaged in by Jan Rossangin [**]. But when lying at anchor in Amboyna...Dedel's s.h.i.+ps were employed on other services. [***]

[* Reael was then staying in Banda.]

[* This almost certainly refers to the voyage of 1605-6 under Willem Jansz. and Rosengein.]

[* Although, as we see, the project was not carried into execution, I have thought it good to print the above doc.u.ments, because they bear testimony to the earnest intention of the Dutch authorities in India once more to undertake the discovery of the "South-land" (at the same time the matter was by no means lost sight of in the Netherlands, as is proved by a resolution of the Managers of the E.I.C., of October 1616); [and]

because doc.u.ment C in the text is _presumably_ fresh evidence for the voyage of 1605-6.]

{Page 8}

VII.

(1616). VOYAGE OF DE EENDRACHT UNDER COMMAND OF DIRK HARTOGS(ZOON).

DISCOVERY OF THE WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA IN 1616: DIRK HARTOGS ISLAND AND -ROAD, LAND OF THE EENDRACHT OR EENDRACHTSLAND.

A.

_Letter of Supercargo Cornelis Buysero at Bantam to the Managers of the East India Company at Amsterdam._

Wors.h.i.+pful, Wise, Provident, very Discreet Gentlemen,...

...The s.h.i.+p Eendracht [*], with which they had sailed from the Netherlands, after communicating at the Cabo sailed away from them so far southward as to come upon 6 various islands which were, however, found uninhabited [**]...

[* Commanded by Dirk Hartogs, or Hartogszoon.]

[* What "uninhabited islands" the s.h.i.+p Eendracht "came upon", Buysero's letter does not say. Various authentic archival doc.u.ments of 1618 and subsequent years, however, go to show that the land afterwards named Eendrachtsland or Land van de Eendracht, and the Dirk Hartogsreede (island) must have been discovered on this voyage.]

Bantam, this last day of August, A.D. 1617.

Your Wors.h.i.+ps' servant to command CORNELIS BUYSERO [*]

[* Buysero was supercargo at Bantam (DE JONGE, Opkcornst, IV, p. 68,) and was therefore likely to be well informed as to the adventures of the s.h.i.+p, which had sailed from the Netherlands in January 1616, departed from the Cape of Good Hope in the last days of August, and had arrived in India in December of the same year, as appears from what Steven Van der Haghen, Governor of Amboyna, writes May 26, 1617: "That in the month of December 1616, the s.h.i.+p Eendracht entered the narrows between Bima and the land of Endea near Guno Api (Goenoeng Api) in the south of Java"

(Sapi Straits).]

B.

_See infra Doc.u.ment No. IX, of 1618._

It proves that as early as 1618 the name of Eendrachtsland was known in the Netherlands.

C.

The subjoined chart (reproduced on the original scale in _Remarkable Maps_, II, 4) was drawn by HESSEL GFRRITSZ, Cartographer in ordinary to the East India Company {Page 9} (Ress. of the "Heeren XVII", March 21, 1619 and October 21, 1629). He had accordingly at his disposal the official doc.u.ments referring to this discovery.

[Map No. 4. Caert van (Chart of) 't Land van d'Eendracht Ao 1627 door HESSEL GERRITSZ]