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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

I left the _Patache_ here and about twenty men, as it was expedient for
the service of Your Majesty. From hence I departed for the city of
Manila, where they gave me so bad a dispatch, as I have mentioned; and
hitherto, which is now two months, they have not given provisions to the
crew; and so I know not when I can sail from hence to give account to
Your Majesty,

                            Whom may God preserve prosperous,
                                      For sovereign of the world.
                                            Your Majesty’s servant,
                                                    LUIS VAEZ DE TORRES.

 Done at Manila, July 12th, 1607.




EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF DISPATCHES FROM BATAVIA; COMMENCING JANUARY THE
          15TH, 1644, AND ENDING NOVEMBER THE 29TH FOLLOWING.

                         TO BE FOUND FOLIO 39.


Instructions for the commodore, Captain Abel Jansz Tasman, the skipper
chief-pilot, Franz Jacobsz Visser, and the counsel of the yachts
_Limmen_ and _Zeemeuw_, and the tender _De Brak_, destined for a nearer
discovery of Nova Guinea, and the unknown coasts of the discovered east
and south lands, together with the channels and the islands supposed to
be situated between and near them.

The several successive administrations of India, in order to enlarge and
extend the trade of the Dutch East India Company, have zealously
endeavoured to make an early discovery of the great land of Nova Guinea,
and other unknown east and southerly countries, as you know by several
discourses, and maps, journals, and papers communicated to you. But
hitherto with little success, although several voyages have been
undertaken.

1st. By order of the president, John Williamsson Verschoor, who at that
time directed the company’s trade at Bantam, which was in the year 1606,
with the yacht the _Duyfhen_, who in their passage sailed by the islands
Key and Aroum, and discovered the south and west coast of Nova Guinea,
for about 220 miles (880) from 5° to 13¾° south latitude: and found this
extensive country, for the greatest part desert, but in some places
inhabited by wild, cruel, black savages, by whom some of the crew were
murdered; for which reason they could not learn anything of the land or
waters, as had been desired of them, and, by want of provisions and
other necessaries, they were obliged to leave the discovery unfinished:
the furthest point of the land was called in their map Cape
Keer-Weer,[14] situated in 13¾° S.

The second voyage was undertaken with a yacht, in the year 1617, by
order of the Fiscal D’Edel, with little success, of which adventures and
discoveries, through the loss of their journals and remarks, nothing
certain is to be found.

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

Opening the text

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

I left the _Patache_ here and about twenty men, as it was expedient for
the service of Your Majesty. From hence I departed for the city of
Manila, where they gave me so bad a dispatch, as I have mentioned; and
hitherto, which is now two months, they have not given provisions to the
crew; and so I know not when I can sail from hence to give account to
Your Majesty,

                            Whom may God preserve prosperous,
                                      For sovereign of the world.
                                            Your Majesty’s servant,
                                                    LUIS VAEZ DE TORRES.

 Done at Manila, July 12th, 1607.




EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF DISPATCHES FROM BATAVIA; COMMENCING JANUARY THE
          15TH, 1644, AND ENDING NOVEMBER THE 29TH FOLLOWING.

                         TO BE FOUND FOLIO 39.


Instructions for the commodore, Captain Abel Jansz Tasman, the skipper
chief-pilot, Franz Jacobsz Visser, and the counsel of the yachts
_Limmen_ and _Zeemeuw_, and the tender _De Brak_, destined for a nearer
discovery of Nova Guinea, and the unknown coasts of the discovered east
and south lands, together with the channels and the islands supposed to
be situated between and near them.

The several successive administrations of India, in order to enlarge and
extend the trade of the Dutch East India Company, have zealously
endeavoured to make an early discovery of the great land of Nova Guinea,
and other unknown east and southerly countries, as you know by several
discourses, and maps, journals, and papers communicated to you. But
hitherto with little success, although several voyages have been
undertaken.

1st. By order of the president, John Williamsson Verschoor, who at that
time directed the company’s trade at Bantam, which was in the year 1606,
with the yacht the _Duyfhen_, who in their passage sailed by the islands
Key and Aroum, and discovered the south and west coast of Nova Guinea,
for about 220 miles (880) from 5° to 13¾° south latitude: and found this
extensive country, for the greatest part desert, but in some places
inhabited by wild, cruel, black savages, by whom some of the crew were
murdered; for which reason they could not learn anything of the land or
waters, as had been desired of them, and, by want of provisions and
other necessaries, they were obliged to leave the discovery unfinished:
the furthest point of the land was called in their map Cape
Keer-Weer,[14] situated in 13¾° S.

The second voyage was undertaken with a yacht, in the year 1617, by
order of the Fiscal D’Edel, with little success, of which adventures and
discoveries, through the loss of their journals and remarks, nothing
certain is to be found.

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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