The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765 Part 7

X.

(1619)? FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH-COAST OF NEW-GUINEA BY THE s.h.i.+P HET WAPEN VAN AMSTERDAM? [*]

_Instructions for Tasman 1644._

...In the interim in the year 1619 the s.h.i.+p 't Wapen van Amsterdam, pa.s.sing Banda on her way thither, was east on the south-coast of Nova Guinea where also some of her crew were slain by the barbarian inhabitants, so that no certain information respecting the situation of the country was obtained...

[* I place a note of interrogation here. The matter is not quite clear.

For the sake of completeness I mention it here, but without drawing any conclusion. On p. 95, note 5 of my "Life of Tasman" in Fred. Muller's Tasman publication I say: "Leupe, Zuidland, p. 35, cites a letter sent by the Directors to the Gov.-Gen. and Councillors, of Sept. 9, 1620. In this letter there is question of the discoveries made by d'Eendracht, Zeewolff, _'t Wapen van Amsterdam_, and quite recently by Commanders Houtman and D'Edel." When, we may ask, did the s.h.i.+p 't Wapen van Amsterdam survey the South-land? There certainly was a s.h.i.+p of that name by the side of another vessel, named Amsterdam _pur et simple_. According to the Register of departures of vessels of the E.I.C., preserved in the State Archives at the Hague, this s.h.i.+p set sail from the Netherlands on May 11, 1613. I have found no reliable trace of later date of this vessel, and the doc.u.ments know nothing of any exploration of the South-land by her. I am inclined to think that Leupe is mistaken here.

The letter itself, which is contained in the copying-book of letters, preserved in the State Archives, has suffered much from theravages of time. Between the words "Zeewolff" and "Amsterdam" the paper has suffered so much that nothing is left of the intervening letters. L. C. D. Van Dijk, in his Mededeelingen uit het Oost-Indisch archief. Amsterdam, _Scheltema_, 1859 p. 2, note 2, has also printed the letter in question.

He puts the words: "'t Wapen van" in parentheses, in order to denote that they are merely conjectural. Leupe may have inadvertently omitted these parentheses. Perhaps the original text read: "ende Amsterdam". In this case there would have been two times question of Dedel's voyages: once by a reference to the s.h.i.+p Amsterdam; and afterwards by mentioning Dedel's name itself. I must not however omit to make mention here of what the Instructions for Tasman's second voyage, dated January 29, 1644, say about an unsuccessful expedition undertaken by the s.h.i.+p 't Wapen van Amsterdam to the south coast of New Guinea in 1619.]

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XI.

(1619). VOYAGE OF THE s.h.i.+PS DORDRECHT AND AMSTERDAM UNDER COMMANDER FREDERIK DE HOUTMAN, SUPERCARGO JACOB DEDEL, AND SKIPPERS REYER JANSZOON VAN BUIKSLOOT AND MAARTEN CORNELISZOON(?), FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO THE EAST-INDIES.--FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA: DEDELSLAND AND HOUTMAN'S ABROLHOS.

A.

_Letter of Commander_ FREDERIK DE HUTMAN _to Prince Alaurice, October 7, 1619._

Most n.o.ble Highborn Prince,

Most Highborn Prince, my last letter to Your Princely Excellency was dated May the 20th last from the Taefelbay near Cabo de bonne esperance with the s.h.i.+p Anna from England...

Now as regards my subsequent progress I would inform Your Excellency that on the 8th of June we set sail from the Tafelbay with a fair wind with the s.h.i.+ps Dordrecht and Amsterdam, add that on the 19th of July following we suddenly came upon the Southland of Beach [*] in 32 degrees 20 minutes. We spent a few days there in order to get some knowledge of the same, but the inconvenience of being unable to make a landing, together with the heavy gales, prevented us from effecting our purpose, upon which shaping our course for Java, we got sight of the same on the 19th of August, and arrived safely before Jacatra on the 3rd of September...

[* Though De Houtman knew of the discovery of Eendrachtsland (see _infra_), he still uses the name Beach; which clearly proves that in the early part of the seventeenth century the Netherlanders identified the discovered South-land with the mysterious land of Beach.]

From Jacatra, this seventh of October, A.D. 1619.

(Signed)

Your Excellency's most devoted Servant

FREDERICK HOUTMAN.

B.

_Letter of_ FREDERIK DE HOUTMAN _to the Managers of the E.I.C., October 7, 1619._

Most n.o.ble Wise Provident Very Discreet Gentlemn,

My last letter to Your Wors.h.i.+ps was dated May 20th from the Tafelbay...We next sailed from the Tafelbay with the s.h.i.+ps Dordrecht and Amsterdam on June the 8th...

We ran on with a fair north-west wind as far as 36 30', in which lat.i.tude we kept this steady breeze with us up to the 17th of July, when we estimated ourselves to have sailed straight to eastward the s.p.a.ce of a thousand miles. We observed 16 decreasing north-westerly variation of the compa.s.s, and resolved to steer...on a north-east-by-north course, {Page 15} we then being in 35 25' Southern Lat.i.tude. After keeping the aforesaid course for about 60 miles, in the evening of the 19th we suddenly saw land, which we steered away from. On the 20th we found it to be a mainland coast extending South and North. We resolved to use our utmost endeavours to obtain some knowledge of this coast, which seemed to be a very good land, but could find no spot for conveniently landing owing to the surf and the heavy seas. On the 23rd both the Amsterdam and our s.h.i.+p lost an anchor each, since our cables were broken by the strong gale. We kept near the coast till the 28th of July, but owing to the violent storm could not effect a landing, so that we were forced to leave the land aforesaid, not without imminent danger of being thrown on it by the strong gale.

On the 28th we sighted a cape of the said coast, off which we sounded in from 45 to 70 fathom, but shortly after we got no bottom, and in the evening the land was out of sight.

On the 29th do. deeming ourselves to be in an open sea, we shaped our course north-by-east. At noon we were in 29 32' S. Lat.; at night about three hours before daybreak, we again unexpectedly came upon a low-lying coast, a level, broken country with reefs all round it. We saw no high land or mainland, so that this shoal is to be carefully avoided as very dangerous to s.h.i.+ps that wish to touch at this coast. It is fully ten miles in length, lying in 28 46.

On the 2nd of August, the wind becoming contrary, we turned our course eastward at noon we again sighted a long stretch of land in Lat. 27 40'

South. We are all a.s.sured that this is the land which the s.h.i.+p Eendracht discovered and made in the year [*], and noways doubt that all the land they saw in 22, 23, 25 degrees, and which we sighted down to 33 degrees, is one uninterrupted mainland coast.

[* Left blank.]

When in 26 20' we were in sight of the land, we had 8 degrees decreasing northwesterly variation of the compa.s.s. We then shaped our course north and north by west, which leaves it due north, if the variation is deducted. On the 29th of August we made the south-coast of Java, 60 miles to eastward of the western extremity of the said island, so that if you are near this South-land in 23, 24 or 25 degrees S. Lat., and shape your course north by west, which deducting the variation is due north-north-west, you will strike the coast of Java [*] miles to eastward of its south-western extremity. Therefore, in order to have a fixed course from the Cape to Java, it is advisable to set sail from the Cape de bonne Esperance in June or July, and to run on an eastern course in 36 and 37 degrees Southern Lat.i.tude, until you estimate yourself to have covered a thousand miles to eastward, after which you had better shape your course north and north by east, until you get into 26 or 27 degrees, thus shunning the shoal aforesaid which lies off the South-land in 28 46'.

[* Left blank.]

When you have reached the 26th or 27th degree, run eastward until you come in sight of the South-land, and then, as before mentioned, from there hold your course north by west and north-north-west, and you are sure to make the western extremity of Java, as shown in the annexed small chart [*], which I have drawn up for the better a.s.surance. This South-land, as far as we could judge, seems to be a very fair coast, but we found it impossible to land on it, nor have we seen any smoke or signs of inhabitants there; but further investigation is wanted on this point.

[* Not forthcoming.]

On the 25th of August we got into Sonda Strait...

In the fortress of Jacatra, October 7, 1619.

Your Wors.h.i.+ps' obedient servant FREDERICK HOUTMAN.

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C.

_Letter of Supercargo_ JACOB DEDEL _to the Managers of the E.I.C., October 7, 1619._

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

My last letter to you was dated May 20 last, in which I informed you of my arrival at Cabo de bonne Esperance..., where I found Commander Houtman...

On the first of June I was ready to set sail for Bantam from Cabo de bonne Esperance but contrary winds prevented my putting to sea before June 8th, when I sailed in company with the Hon. Houtman, pursuant to a resolution of the Plenary Council. The s.h.i.+ps were found to have nearly the same sailing powers, so that we constantly remained in each other's company. After having had plenty of westerly, south westerly and southerly winds in 35, 36 and 37 degrees Southern Lat.i.tude, with occasional stiff breezes, we safely made the required distance to eastward, and on the 19th of July last came upon the south-lands situated behind Java. We anch.o.r.ed in 14 fathom in 32 degrees lat.i.tude, the bottom being level and hard; in full sight of the land the sea was 100 fathom deep, the coast being steep and mountainous, the interior uniformly high, of which I append a map. We used our best endeavours to make a landing, which, however, could not conveniently be done owing to the steep coast, whereupon we resolved to run a little more north, where the coast seemed easier of access; but the wind steadily blowing very stiffly from the north under the land, and the tide coming in from the south, we spent a good deal of time in tacking, until a sudden squall from the west, which made the coast a lee-sh.o.r.e and made us lose one of our anchors, threatened to throw us on the coast. We then made all sail, and the wind coming round a little, we stood out to sea, not deeming it advisable to continue longer insh.o.r.e in this bad weather with such large heavy s.h.i.+ps and such costly cargoes as we had entrusted to our care, and with great peril to lose more precious time, but being contented with having seen the land which at a more favourable time may be further explored with more fitting vessels and smaller craft. We have seen no signs of inhabitants, nor did we always keep near the coast, since it formed large bays which would have taken up much time. Still we kept seeing the coast from time to time, until in 27 degrees we came upon the land discovered by the s.h.i.+p Eendracht, which land in the said lat.i.tude showed as a red, muddy coast, which according to the surmises of some of us might not unlikely prove to be gold-bearing, a point which may be cleared up in time.

Leaving the 27th degree, we shaped our course north and north by west, until on the 19th of August we struck the island of Java 70 miles to eastward of its western extremity...after which we arrived in Sunda Caleppe Strait on the 23rd of the same month...

This 7th day of October, 1619.

On board the s.h.i.+p Amsterdam at anchor before our fortress of Jacatra.

Your Wors.h.i.+ps' Servant, JACOB DEDEL.