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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

The people of this island are of ordinary stature: they have amongst
them people white and red, some in colour like those of the Indies,
others woolly-headed blacks and mulattoes. Slavery is in use amongst
them. Their food is yams, fish, cocoa-nuts, and they have hogs and
fowls.

This island is named Taomaco, and the name of the chief is Tomai. We
departed from hence with four Indians whom we took, at which they were
not much pleased: and as we here got wood and water, there was no
necessity for us to go to the Island Santa Cruz, which, as I have said,
is in this parallel sixty leagues farther on.

So we sailed from hence, steering S.S.E. to 12½° S. latitude, where we
found an island like that of Taomaco, and with the same kind of people,
named Chucupia: there is only one small anchoring place; and passing in
the offing, a small canoe with only two men came to me to make peace,
and presented me some bark of a tree, which appeared like a very fine
handkerchief, four yards long and three palms wide: on this I parted
from them.

From hence we steered south. We had a hard gale of wind from the north,
which obliged us to lye to for two days: at the end of that time it was
thought, as it was winter, that we could not exceed the latitude of 14°
S., in which we were, though my opinion was always directly contrary,
thinking we should search for the islands named by the Indians of
Taomaco. Wherefore sailing from this place we steered west, and in one
day’s sail we discovered a volcano, very high and large, above three
leagues in circuit, full of trees, and of black people with much beard.

To the westward, and in sight of this volcano, was an island, not very
high and pleasant in appearance. There are few anchoring places, and
those very close to the shore: it was very full of black people. Here we
caught two in some canoes, whom we cloathed and gave them presents, and
the next day we put them ashore. In return for this they shot a flight
of arrows at a Spaniard, though in truth it was not in the same port,
but about a musket shot farther on. They are, however, a people that
never miss an opportunity of doing mischief.

In sight of this island and around it are many islands, very high and
large, and to the southward one so large that we stood for it, naming
the island where our man was wounded Santa Maria.

Sailing thence to the southward towards the large island, we discovered
a very large bay, well peopled, and very fertile in yams and fruits,
hogs and fowls. They are all black people and naked. They fight with
bows, darts and clubs. They did not choose to have peace with us, though
we frequently spoke to them and made presents; and they never, with
their goodwill, let us set foot on shore.

This bay is very refreshing, and in it fall many and large rivers. It is
in 15⅔° S. latitude, and in circuit it is twenty-five leagues. We named
it the bay de San Felipe y Santiago, and the land del Espiritu Santo.

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

The people of this island are of ordinary stature: they have amongst
them people white and red, some in colour like those of the Indies,
others woolly-headed blacks and mulattoes. Slavery is in use amongst
them. Their food is yams, fish, cocoa-nuts, and they have hogs and
fowls.

This island is named Taomaco, and the name of the chief is Tomai. We
departed from hence with four Indians whom we took, at which they were
not much pleased: and as we here got wood and water, there was no
necessity for us to go to the Island Santa Cruz, which, as I have said,
is in this parallel sixty leagues farther on.

So we sailed from hence, steering S.S.E. to 12½° S. latitude, where we
found an island like that of Taomaco, and with the same kind of people,
named Chucupia: there is only one small anchoring place; and passing in
the offing, a small canoe with only two men came to me to make peace,
and presented me some bark of a tree, which appeared like a very fine
handkerchief, four yards long and three palms wide: on this I parted
from them.

From hence we steered south. We had a hard gale of wind from the north,
which obliged us to lye to for two days: at the end of that time it was
thought, as it was winter, that we could not exceed the latitude of 14°
S., in which we were, though my opinion was always directly contrary,
thinking we should search for the islands named by the Indians of
Taomaco. Wherefore sailing from this place we steered west, and in one
day’s sail we discovered a volcano, very high and large, above three
leagues in circuit, full of trees, and of black people with much beard.

To the westward, and in sight of this volcano, was an island, not very
high and pleasant in appearance. There are few anchoring places, and
those very close to the shore: it was very full of black people. Here we
caught two in some canoes, whom we cloathed and gave them presents, and
the next day we put them ashore. In return for this they shot a flight
of arrows at a Spaniard, though in truth it was not in the same port,
but about a musket shot farther on. They are, however, a people that
never miss an opportunity of doing mischief.

In sight of this island and around it are many islands, very high and
large, and to the southward one so large that we stood for it, naming
the island where our man was wounded Santa Maria.

Sailing thence to the southward towards the large island, we discovered
a very large bay, well peopled, and very fertile in yams and fruits,
hogs and fowls. They are all black people and naked. They fight with
bows, darts and clubs. They did not choose to have peace with us, though
we frequently spoke to them and made presents; and they never, with
their goodwill, let us set foot on shore.

This bay is very refreshing, and in it fall many and large rivers. It is
in 15⅔° S. latitude, and in circuit it is twenty-five leagues. We named
it the bay de San Felipe y Santiago, and the land del Espiritu Santo.

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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