The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
History
The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765
Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Dutch -- Australia
Formerly, when we were sailing about here with the pinnace, we had also
been close inshore, but did not then see any men or smoke-clouds at this
place. Thinking this a fitting opportunity, I have here sent on shore the
two condemned delinquents [*] Wouter Loos and Jan Pelgrom de By, of
Bemmel, in a sampan provided with all necessaries. God grant that this
punishment may ultimately redound to the service of the Company, and that
the two delinquents may come off with their lives, so as to be able to
give trustworthy information about these parts. This inlet is in 27° 51'.
In the afternoon, seeing there was no hope or chance of finding the
skipper, we made sail and shaped our course to north-west, two points off
the land, because it began to blow hard, and in the evening we turned to
west-north-west...[**].
[* They had been sentenced to being marooned.]
[* The ship returned to Batavia on the 5th of December.]
* * * * *
XXIV.
(1635). [*] FURTHER SURVEYINGS OF THE WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA BY THE
SHIP AMSTERDAM UNDER COMMANDER WOLLEBRAND GELEYNSZOON DE JONGH AND
SKIPPER PIETER DIRCKSZ, ON HER VOYAGE FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO THE EAST
INDIES.
[* In 1629 the west-coast of Australia in the neighbourhood of Dirk
Hartogsz Roads was touched at by Dutch vessels, and in 1632 the Trialls
were passed by Dutch ships on the outward voyage. What we know about
these two points is of no interest as regards our subject.]
_Journal of Commander WOLLEBRAND GELEYNSZOON DE JONGH._ [*]
[* I know this journal only from what LEUPE extracts from it in his
"Zuidland", pp. 62 ff. (the passages in question being given above), and
from certain written notes from Leupe's hand. From the latter I have
learned _inter alia_, the name of the skipper, the date of departure from
the Texel (December 26, 1634), and the date of arrival at Batavia (June
24, 1635).]
...[May 25] Last night when two glasses of the first watch were out, we
got a slight breeze from the N.W., which gradually stiffened, so that
there was a fair breeze at the latter end of this watch, which kept
blowing through the night till the following forenoon, when the wind
turned to W. by N. and W.N.W. with a squall of rain, it blowing a strong
top-gallant gale until the evening, course kept E. by N. until one hour
after daybreak when we sighted the South-land.
We went over to port directly, keeping a N.E. and N.E. by E. course until
noon, when we stood out to sea from the land, on a W. and W. by S. course
with a top-gallant gale. We took the latitude, which we found to be 25°
16' South, but of {Page 63} this we are not quite sure; we were not able
to take the sun's azimuth, either in the morning or in the evening; we
sailed 20 miles until we saw the land, from which we were at 4 or 4Ω
miles' distance by estimation, on an E. by N. course, and on various
courses during the day, course N.N.E. for 6 or 7 miles.
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