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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

On the morning of the 16th, they resolved to return again to the shore,
in the hopes of being able to collect a greater quantity of water from
the rocks, since there remained no chance of their finding it elsewhere.
But no rain had fallen for some time, for they discovered no more, and
the land which they found beyond the rocks which skirted the coast held
out no promise to them. The country was flat, without vegetation or
trees, with nothing in view but ant-hills, and these so large that, from
a distance, they were taken to be the habitations of the Indians. They
found there such a wonderful quantity of flies, that they were compelled
to defend themselves from them. At some distance they perceived eight
savages, each of whom carried a club in his hand; these came up within
musket shot, but when they saw our people advancing to meet them, they
took to flight. At length, finding that there was no longer hope of
obtaining water, our people determined, about mid-day, to leave the
coast, and accordingly departed by another opening in this reef, more to
the northward. Finding by observation that they were in 22° 17´, they
formed the idea of seeking the river of Jacob Remmessens, but the wind
blowing from the north-east, they found they could no longer follow the
coast; when, taking into consideration that they were distant more than
one hundred miles from the place of shipwreck, and that they had with
difficulty found sufficient water for their subsistance, they resolved
to make the best of their way to Batavia, to inform the governor of
their misfortune, and to solicit assistance for the people they had left
in the islands.

On the 17th, they were prevented by fog from taking an observation at
mid-day. This day they made about fifteen miles, the wind being
north-west by north, fresh, and dry, and their route north-east.

On the 18th, they were still unable to take an observation at mid-day,
but, by their reckoning, they made ten miles upon a wind, west
north-west; the weather rough with much rain and wind, which, towards
mid-day, veered from north-east slightly towards the north, their course
lying to the west. The same weather continued the whole of the 19th, so
that they were again unable to take an observation; but by their
reckoning they made about seven leagues, their course lying north
north-east, and the wind being due west.

On the 20th, they found themselves by an observation in 19° 22´ of
latitude, having made, by reckoning, twenty-two miles, their course
lying northerly, and the wind west south-west, fresh, with a slight
rain.

The 21st, they reckoned to have made twenty-three miles in a northerly
direction, the wind varying from south-west to south-east, sometimes
fresh, followed by a calm.

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

On the morning of the 16th, they resolved to return again to the shore,
in the hopes of being able to collect a greater quantity of water from
the rocks, since there remained no chance of their finding it elsewhere.
But no rain had fallen for some time, for they discovered no more, and
the land which they found beyond the rocks which skirted the coast held
out no promise to them. The country was flat, without vegetation or
trees, with nothing in view but ant-hills, and these so large that, from
a distance, they were taken to be the habitations of the Indians. They
found there such a wonderful quantity of flies, that they were compelled
to defend themselves from them. At some distance they perceived eight
savages, each of whom carried a club in his hand; these came up within
musket shot, but when they saw our people advancing to meet them, they
took to flight. At length, finding that there was no longer hope of
obtaining water, our people determined, about mid-day, to leave the
coast, and accordingly departed by another opening in this reef, more to
the northward. Finding by observation that they were in 22° 17´, they
formed the idea of seeking the river of Jacob Remmessens, but the wind
blowing from the north-east, they found they could no longer follow the
coast; when, taking into consideration that they were distant more than
one hundred miles from the place of shipwreck, and that they had with
difficulty found sufficient water for their subsistance, they resolved
to make the best of their way to Batavia, to inform the governor of
their misfortune, and to solicit assistance for the people they had left
in the islands.

On the 17th, they were prevented by fog from taking an observation at
mid-day. This day they made about fifteen miles, the wind being
north-west by north, fresh, and dry, and their route north-east.

On the 18th, they were still unable to take an observation at mid-day,
but, by their reckoning, they made ten miles upon a wind, west
north-west; the weather rough with much rain and wind, which, towards
mid-day, veered from north-east slightly towards the north, their course
lying to the west. The same weather continued the whole of the 19th, so
that they were again unable to take an observation; but by their
reckoning they made about seven leagues, their course lying north
north-east, and the wind being due west.

On the 20th, they found themselves by an observation in 19° 22´ of
latitude, having made, by reckoning, twenty-two miles, their course
lying northerly, and the wind west south-west, fresh, with a slight
rain.

The 21st, they reckoned to have made twenty-three miles in a northerly
direction, the wind varying from south-west to south-east, sometimes
fresh, followed by a calm.

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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