The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888Favenc, Ernest
History
The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888
Favenc, Ernest
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
up, but subsequent discoveries, and a closer scrutiny of the Norman
captain's narrative, prove, we think, clearly that De Gonneville's
"Southern Indies" could be no other than the Australian Continent, and
that he landed in reality at the mouth of some of the rivers on the
north-western coast.
In the first place, the judicial declaration cited above, which had been
for more than three centuries and a half mislaid among the records of the
Admiralty of Normandy, was discovered in the year 1873 by the French
geographer, Benoit D'Avezac, who published it in a pamphlet in which he
discusses this question, and concludes that the land visited by De
Gonneville must have been some part of South America. But this official
document, which is similar in almost all points to the memoirs of the
priest, Paulmier, and establishes at once the fidelity of his extracts
and the absolute truth of the voyage of the French captain, does not
contain any additional information which could lead to such conclusion,
based only on his description of the natives of the "Southern Indies."
D'Avezac's contention cannot be sustained, and must give way before the
evidence of other facts; but as the same arguments against his theory
apply also to that of Burney and Major, we need not discuss it here for
the present.
It is, however, necessary, in order that the reader may form a clear idea
of the subject, to quote at length the original memoirs as published by
the worthy priest. As the translation of Callender is, on the whole, a
fairly good one--although it may be inferred that the Scotch geographer,
who wrote in 1761, was better acquainted with the pure French of the
eighteenth century than with the quaint terms of the old Norman dialect,
in which De Gonneville's narrative is written--we shall transcribe here
that portion which bears on the subject, reserving to ourselves the duty
of pointing out the few inaccuracies which may have led Burney and others
to erroneous conclusions.
EXTRACT FROM THE MEMOIRS OF J. B. PAULMIER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account