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Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.Major, Richard Henry

History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Name: Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.
Author: Major, Richard Henry

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

Diminishing our latitude from hence half a degree, we saw a low island,
with a point to the S.E., full of palms: it is in 18½° S. We arrived at
it. It had no anchorage. We saw people on the beach: the boats went to
the shore, and when they reached it, they could not land on account of
the great surf and rocks. The Indians called to them from the land: two
Spaniards swam ashore: these they received well, throwing their arms
upon the ground, and embraced them and kissed them in the face. On this
friendship, a chief among them came on board the _Capitana_ to converse,
and an old woman; who were cloathed, and other presents were made to
them, and they returned ashore presently, for they were in great fear.
In return for these good offices they sent a heap, or locks of hair, and
some bad feathers, and some wrought pearl oyster shells: these were all
their valuables. They were a savage people, mulattoes, and corpulent:
the arms they use are lances, very long and thick. As we could not land
nor get anchoring ground, we passed on, steering W.N.W.

We went in this direction from that island, getting sight of land. We
could not reach it from the first, on account of the wind being contrary
and strong with much rain: it was all of it very low, so as in parts to
be overflowed.

From this place in 16½° S., we stood N.W. by N. to 10¾° S. In this
situation we saw an island, which was supposed to be that of San
Bernardo, because it was in pieces: but it was not San Bernardo, from
what we afterwards saw. We did not find anchoring ground at it, though
the boats went on shore to search for water, which we were in want of,
but could not find any: they only found some cocoa-nut trees, though
small. Our commander seeing we wanted water, agreed that we should go to
the island Santa Cruz, where he had been with the adelantado Alvaro de
Mendana, saying we might there supply ourselves with water and wood, and
then he would determine what was most expedient for Your Majesty’s
service. The crew of the _Capitana_ at this time were mutinous,
designing to go directly to Manila: on this account he sent the chief
pilot a prisoner on board my ship, without doing anything farther to him
or others, though I strongly importuned him to punish them, or give me
leave to punish them; but he did not choose to do it, from whence
succeeded what Your Majesty knows, since they made him turn from the
course [voyage], as will be mentioned, and he has probably said at Your
Majesty’s court.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

Diminishing our latitude from hence half a degree, we saw a low island,
with a point to the S.E., full of palms: it is in 18½° S. We arrived at
it. It had no anchorage. We saw people on the beach: the boats went to
the shore, and when they reached it, they could not land on account of
the great surf and rocks. The Indians called to them from the land: two
Spaniards swam ashore: these they received well, throwing their arms
upon the ground, and embraced them and kissed them in the face. On this
friendship, a chief among them came on board the _Capitana_ to converse,
and an old woman; who were cloathed, and other presents were made to
them, and they returned ashore presently, for they were in great fear.
In return for these good offices they sent a heap, or locks of hair, and
some bad feathers, and some wrought pearl oyster shells: these were all
their valuables. They were a savage people, mulattoes, and corpulent:
the arms they use are lances, very long and thick. As we could not land
nor get anchoring ground, we passed on, steering W.N.W.

We went in this direction from that island, getting sight of land. We
could not reach it from the first, on account of the wind being contrary
and strong with much rain: it was all of it very low, so as in parts to
be overflowed.

From this place in 16½° S., we stood N.W. by N. to 10¾° S. In this
situation we saw an island, which was supposed to be that of San
Bernardo, because it was in pieces: but it was not San Bernardo, from
what we afterwards saw. We did not find anchoring ground at it, though
the boats went on shore to search for water, which we were in want of,
but could not find any: they only found some cocoa-nut trees, though
small. Our commander seeing we wanted water, agreed that we should go to
the island Santa Cruz, where he had been with the adelantado Alvaro de
Mendana, saying we might there supply ourselves with water and wood, and
then he would determine what was most expedient for Your Majesty’s
service. The crew of the _Capitana_ at this time were mutinous,
designing to go directly to Manila: on this account he sent the chief
pilot a prisoner on board my ship, without doing anything farther to him
or others, though I strongly importuned him to punish them, or give me
leave to punish them; but he did not choose to do it, from whence
succeeded what Your Majesty knows, since they made him turn from the
course [voyage], as will be mentioned, and he has probably said at Your
Majesty’s court.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

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