early australian voyages-第11部分

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ontrived　than　their　neighbours；　that　they　readily　parted　with　their　bows　and　arrows　in　exchange　for　goods；　and　that　they　were　particularly　fond　of　glass　and　ironware；　which；　perhaps；　they　not　only　used　themselves；　but　employed　likewise　in　their　commerce。　　The　most　western　point　of　the　island　he　called　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　because　by　doubling　that　cape　he　expected　to　reach　the　island　of　Banda；　and　that　we　may　not　wonder　that　he　was　in　doubts　and　difficulties　as　to　the　situation　on　of　these　places；　we　ought　to　reflect　that　Schovten　was　the　first　who　sailed　round　the　world　by　this　course；　and　the　last　too；　except　Commodore　Roggewein；　other　navigators　choosing　rather　to　run　as　high　as　California；　and　from　thence　to　the　Ladrone　Islands；　merely　because　it　is　the　ordinary　route。

In　the　neighbourhood　of　this　island　Schovten　also　met　with　an　earthquake；　which　alarmed　the　ship's　company　excessively；　from　an　apprehension　that　they　had　struck　upon　a　rock。　　There　are　some　other　islands　in　the　neighbourhood　of　this；　well　peopled；　and　well　planted；　abounding　with　excellent　fruits；　especially　of　the　melon　kind。　　These　islands　lie；　as　it　were；　on　the　confines　of　the　southern　continent；　and　the　East　Indies；　so　that　the　inhabitants　enjoy　all　the　advantages　resulting　from　their　own　happy　climate；　and　from　their　traffic　with　their　neighbours；　especially　with　those　of　Ternate　and　Amboyna；　who　come　thither　yearly　to　purchase　their　commodities；　and　who　are　likewise　visited　at　certain　seasons　by　the　people　of　these　islands　in　their　turn。



CHAPTER　XIX：　　ARRIVES　SAFELY　AT　BATAVIA；　JUNE　15；　1643。



On　the　18th　of　May；　in　the　latitude　of　26　minutes　south　and　in　the　longitude　of　147　degrees　55　minutes；　we　observed　the　variation　to　be　5　degrees　30　minutes　east。　　We　were　now　arrived　at　the　western　extremity　of　New　Guinea；　which　is　a　detached　point　or　promontory　（though　it　is　not　marked　so　even　in　the　latest　maps）；　here　we　met　with　calms；　variable　and　contrary　winds；　with　much　rain；　from　thence　we　steered　for　Ceram；　leaving　the　Cape　on　the　north；　and　arrived　safely　on　that　island；　by　this　time　Captain　Tasman　had　fairly　surrounded　the　continent　he　was　instructed　to　discover；　and　had　therefore　nothing　now　farther　in　view　than　to　return　to　Batavia；　in　order　to　report　the　discoveries　he　had　made。

On　the　27th　of　May　we　passed　through　the　straits　of　Boura；　or　Bouton；　and　continued　our　passage　to　Batavia；　where　we　arrived　on　the　15th　of　June；　in　the　latitude　of　6　degrees　12　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　127　degrees　18　minutes。　　This　voyage　was　made　in　the　space　of　ten　months。　　Such　was　the　end　of　this　expedition；　which　has　been　always　considered　as　the　clearest　and　most　exact　that　was　ever　made　for　the　discovery　of　the　Terra　Australis　Incognita；　from　whence　that　chart　and　map　was　laid　down　in　the　pavement　of　the　stadt…house　at　Amsterdam；　as　is　before　mentioned。　　We　have　now　nothing　to　do　but　to　shut　up　this　voyage　and　our　history　of　circumnavigators；　with　a　few　remarks；　previous　to　which　it　will　be　requisite　to　state　clearly　and　succinctly　the　discoveries；　either　made　or　confirmed　by　Captain　Tasman's　voyage；　that　the　importance　of　it　may　fully　appear；　as　well　as　the　probability　of　our　conjectures　with　regard　to　the　motives　that　induced　the　Dutch　East　India　Company　to　be　at　so　much　pains　about　these　discoveries。



CHAPTER　XX：　　CONSEQUENCES　OF　CAPTAIN　TASMAN'S　DISCOVERIES。



In　the　first　place；　then；　it　is　most　evident；　from　Captain　Tasman's　voyage；　that　New　Guinea；　Carpentaria；　New　Holland；　Antony　van　Diemen's　Land；　and　the　countries　discovered　by　De　Quiros；　make　all　one　continent；　from　which　New　Zealand　seems　to　be　separated　by　a　strait；　and；　perhaps；　is　part　of　another　continent；　answering　to　Africa；　as　this；　of　which　we　are　now　speaking；　plainly　does　to　America。　　This　continent　reaches　from　the　equinoctial　to　44　degrees　of　south　latitude；　and　extends　from　122　degrees　to　188　degrees　of　longitude；　making　indeed　a　very　large　country；　but　nothing　like　what　De　Quiros　imagined；　which　shows　how　dangerous　a　thing　it　is　to　trust　too　much　to　conjecture　in　such　points　as　these。　　It　is；　secondly；　observable；　that　as　New　Guinea；　Carpentaria；　and　New　Holland；　had　been　already　pretty　well　examined；　Captain　Tasman　fell　directly　to　the　south　of　these；　so　that　his　first　discovery　was　Van　Diemen's　Land；　the　most　southern　part　of　the　continent　on　this　side　the　globe；　and　then　passing　round　by　New　Zealand；　he　plainly　discovered　the　opposite　side　of　that　country　towards　America；　though　he　visited　the　islands　only；　and　never　fell　in　again　with　the　continent　till　he　arrived　on　the　coast　of　New　Britain；　which　he　mistook　for　that　of　New　Guinea；　as　he　very　well　might；　that　country　having　never　been　suspected　to　be　an　island；　till　Dampier　discovered　it　to　be　such　in　the　beginning　of　the　present　century。　　Thirdly；　by　this　survey；　these　countries　are　for　ever　marked　out；　so　long　as　the　map　or　memory　of　this　voyage；　shall　remain。　　The　Dutch　East　India　Company　have　it　always　in　their　power　to　direct　settlements；　or　new　discoveries；　either　in　New　Guinea；　from　the　Moluccas；　or　in　New　Holland；　from　Batavia　directly。　　The　prudence　shown　in　the　conduct　of　this　affair　deserves　the　highest　praise。　　To　have　attempted　heretofore；　or　even　now；　the　establishing　colonies　in　those　countries；　would　be　impolitic；　because　it　would　be　grasping　more　than　the　East　India　Company；　or　than　even　the　republic　of　Holland；　could　manage；　for；　in　the　first　place；　to　reduce　a　continent　between　three　and　four　thousand　miles　broad　is　a　prodigious　undertaking；　and　to　settle　it　by　degrees　would　be　to　open　to　all　the　world　the　importance　of　that　country　which；　for　anything　we　can　tell；　may　be　much　superior　to　any　country　yet　known：　　the　only　choice；　therefore；　that　the　Dutch　had　left；　was　to　reserve　this　mighty　discovery　till　the　season　arrived；　in　which　they　should　be　either　obliged　by　necessity　or　invited　by　occasion　to　make　use　of　it；　but　though　this　country　be　reserved；　it　is　no　longer　either　unknown　or　neglected　by　the　Dutch；　which　is　a　point　of　very　great　consequence。　　To　the　other　nations　of　Europe；　the　southern　continent　is　a　chimera；　a　thing　in　the　clouds；　or　at　least　a　country　about　which　there　are　a　thousand　doubts　and　suspicions；　so　that　to　talk　of　discovering　or　settling　it　must　be　regarded　as　an　idle　and　empty　project：　　but；　with　respect　to　them；　it　is　a　thing　perfectly　well　known；　its　extent；　its　boundaries；　its　situation；　the　genius　of　its　several　nations；　and　the　commodities　of　which　they　are　possessed；　are　absolutely　within　their　cognisance；　so　that　they　are　at　liberty　to　take　such　measures　as　appear　to　them　best；　for　securing　the　eventual　possession　of　this　country；　whenever　they　think　fit。　　This　account　explains　at　once　all　the　mysteries　which　the　best　writers　upon　this　subject　have　found　in　the　Dutch　proceedings。　　It　shows　why　they　have　been　at　so　much　pains　to　obtain　a　clear　and　distinct　survey　of　these　distant　countries；　why　they　have　hitherto　forborne　settling；　and　why　they　take　so　much　pains　to　prevent　other　nations　from　coming　at　a　distinct　knowledge　of　them：　　and　I　may　add　to　this　another　particular；　which　is　that　it　accounts　for　their　permitting　the　natives　of　Amboyna；　who　are　their　subjects；　to　carry　on　a　trade　to　New　Guinea；　and　the　adjacent　countries；　since；　by　this　very　method；　it　is　apparent　that　they　gain　daily　fresh　intelligence　as　to　the　product　and　commodities　of　those　countries。　　Having　thus　explained　the　consequence　of　Captain　Tasman's　voyage；　and　thereby　fully　justified　my　giving　it　a　place　in　this　part　of　my　work；　I　am　now　at　liberty　to　pursue　the　reflections　with　which　I　promised　to　close　this　section；　and　the　history　of　circumnavigators；　and　in　doing　which；　I　shall　endeavour　to　make　the　reader　sensible　of　the　advantages　that　arise　from　publishing　these　voyages　in　their　proper　order；　so　as　to　show　what　is；　and　what　is　yet　to　be　discovered　of　the　globe　on　which　we　live。



CHAPTER　XXI：　　REMARKS　UPON　THE　VOYAGE。



In　speaking　of　the　consequences　of　Captain　Tasman's　voyage；　it　has　been　very　amply　shown　that　this　part　of　Terra　Australis；　or　southern　country；　has　been　fully　and　certainly　discovered。　　To　prevent；　however；　the　reader's　making　any　mistake；　I　will　take　this　opportunity　of　laying　before　him　some　remarks　on　the　whole　southern　hemisphere；　which　will　enable　him　immediately　to　comprehend　all　that　I　have　afterwards　to　say　on　this　subject。

If　we　suppose　the　south　pole　to　be　the　centre　of　a　chart　of　which　the　equinoctial　is　the　circumference；　we　shall　then　discern　four　quarters；　of　the　contents　of　which；　if　we　could　give　a　full　account；　this　part　of　the　world　would　be　perfectly　discovered。　　To　begin　then　with　the　first　of　these；　that　is；　from　the　first　meridian；　placed　in　the　island　of　Fero。　　Within　this　division；　that　is　to　say；　from　the　first　to　the　nineteenth　degree　of　longitude；　there　lies　the　great　continent　of　Africa；　the　most　southern　point　of　which　is　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　lying　in　the　latitude　of　34　degrees　15　minutes　south。　Between　that　and　the　pole；　several　small　but　very　inconsiderable　islands　have　been　discovered；　affording　us　only　this　degree　of　certainty；　that　to　the　latitude　of　50　degrees　there　is　no　land　to　be　found　of　any　consequen