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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

There we remained fifty days:[13] we took possession in the name of Your
Majesty. From within this bay, and from the most sheltered part of it,
the _Capitana_ departed at one hour past midnight, without any notice
given to us, and without making any signal. This happened the 11th of
June. And although the next morning we went out to seek for them, and
made all proper efforts, it was not possible for us to find them; for
they did not sail on the proper course, nor with good intention. So I
was obliged to return to the bay, to see if by chance they had returned
thither. And on the same account we remained in this bay fifteen days;
at the end of which we took Your Majesty’s orders, and held a
consultation with the officers of the frigate. It was determined that we
should fulfil them, although contrary to the inclination of many, I may
say, of the greater part; but my condition was different from that of
Captain Pedro Fernandez de Quiros.

At length we sailed from this bay, in conformity to the order, although
with intention to sail round this island, but the season and the strong
currents would not allow this, although I ran along a great part of it.
In what I saw, there are very large mountains. It has many ports, though
some of them are small. All of it is well watered with rivers. We had at
this time nothing but bread and water: it was the height of winter, with
sea, wind, and ill will [of his crew] against us. All this did not
prevent me from reaching the mentioned latitude, which I passed one
degree, and would have gone farther if the weather had permitted; for
the ship was good. It was proper to act in this manner, for these are
not voyages performed every day, nor could Your Majesty otherwise be
properly informed. Going into the said latitude on a S.W. course, we had
no signs of land that way.

From hence I stood back to the N.W. to 11½° S. latitude: there we fell
in with the beginning of New Guinea, the coast of which runs W. by N.
and E. by S. I could not weather the east point, so I coasted along to
the westward on the south side.

All this land of New Guinea is peopled with Indians, not very white, and
naked, except their waists, which are covered with a cloth made of the
bark of trees, and much painted. They fight with darts, targets, and
some stone clubs, which are made fine with plumage. Along the coast are
many islands and habitations. All the coast has many ports, very large,
with very large rivers, and many plains. Without these islands there
runs a reef of shoals, and between them [the shoals] and the main land
are the islands. There is a channel within. In these ports I took
possession for Your Majesty.

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

There we remained fifty days:[13] we took possession in the name of Your
Majesty. From within this bay, and from the most sheltered part of it,
the _Capitana_ departed at one hour past midnight, without any notice
given to us, and without making any signal. This happened the 11th of
June. And although the next morning we went out to seek for them, and
made all proper efforts, it was not possible for us to find them; for
they did not sail on the proper course, nor with good intention. So I
was obliged to return to the bay, to see if by chance they had returned
thither. And on the same account we remained in this bay fifteen days;
at the end of which we took Your Majesty’s orders, and held a
consultation with the officers of the frigate. It was determined that we
should fulfil them, although contrary to the inclination of many, I may
say, of the greater part; but my condition was different from that of
Captain Pedro Fernandez de Quiros.

At length we sailed from this bay, in conformity to the order, although
with intention to sail round this island, but the season and the strong
currents would not allow this, although I ran along a great part of it.
In what I saw, there are very large mountains. It has many ports, though
some of them are small. All of it is well watered with rivers. We had at
this time nothing but bread and water: it was the height of winter, with
sea, wind, and ill will [of his crew] against us. All this did not
prevent me from reaching the mentioned latitude, which I passed one
degree, and would have gone farther if the weather had permitted; for
the ship was good. It was proper to act in this manner, for these are
not voyages performed every day, nor could Your Majesty otherwise be
properly informed. Going into the said latitude on a S.W. course, we had
no signs of land that way.

From hence I stood back to the N.W. to 11½° S. latitude: there we fell
in with the beginning of New Guinea, the coast of which runs W. by N.
and E. by S. I could not weather the east point, so I coasted along to
the westward on the south side.

All this land of New Guinea is peopled with Indians, not very white, and
naked, except their waists, which are covered with a cloth made of the
bark of trees, and much painted. They fight with darts, targets, and
some stone clubs, which are made fine with plumage. Along the coast are
many islands and habitations. All the coast has many ports, very large,
with very large rivers, and many plains. Without these islands there
runs a reef of shoals, and between them [the shoals] and the main land
are the islands. There is a channel within. In these ports I took
possession for Your Majesty.

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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