early australian voyages-第5部分

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em　there　upon　the　spot；　or　to　carry　them　to　Batavia；　in　order　to　their　being　tried　by　the　Company's　officers。　　After　mature　deliberation；　reflecting　on　the　number　of　prisoners；　and　the　temptation　that　might　arise　from　the　vast　quantity　of　silver　on　board　the　frigate；　they　at　last　came　to　a　resolution　to　try　and　execute　them　there；　which　was　accordingly　done；　and　they　embarked　immediately　afterwards　for　Batavia。


REMARKS。


This　voyage　was　translated　from　the　original　Dutch　by　Thevenot；　and　printed　by　him　in　the　first　volume　of　his　collections。　　Pelsart's　route　is　traced　in　the　map　of　the　globe　published　by　Delisle　in　the　year　1700。

As　this　voyage　is　of　itself　very　short；　I　shall　not　detain　the　reader　with　many　remarks；　but　shall　confine　myself　to　a　very　few　observations；　in　order　to　show　the　consequences　of　the　discovery　made　by　Captain　Pelsart。　　The　country　upon　which　he　suffered　shipwreck　was　New　Holland；　the　coast　of　which　had　not　till　then　been　at　all　examined；　and　it　was　doubtful　how　far　it　extended。　　There　had　indeed　been　some　reports　spread　with　relation　to　the　inhabitants　of　this　country；　which　Captain　Pelsart's　relation　shows　to　have　been　false；　for　it　had　been　reported　that　when　the　Dutch　East　India　Company　sent　some　ships　to　make　discoveries；　their　landing　was　opposed　by　a　race　of　gigantic　people；　with　whom　the　Dutch　could　by　no　means　contend。　　But　our　author　says　nothing　of　the　extraordinary　size　of　the　savages　that　were　seen　by　Captain　Pelsart's　people；　from　whence　it　is　reasonable　to　conclude　that　this　story　was　circulated　with　no　other　view　than　to　prevent　other　nations　from　venturing　into　these　seas。　　It　is　also　remarkable　that　this　is　the　very　coast　surveyed　by　Captain　Dampier；　whose　account　agrees　exactly　with　that　contained　in　this　voyage。　　Now　though　it　be　true；　that　from　all　these　accounts　there　is　nothing　said　which　is　much　to　the　advantage　either　of　the　country　or　its　inhabitants；　yet　we　are　to　consider　that　it　is　impossible　to　represent　either　in　a　worse　light　than　that　in　which　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope　was　placed；　before　the　Dutch　took　possession　of　it；　and　plainly　demonstrated　that　industry　could　make　a　paradise　of　what　was　a　perfect　purgatory　while　in　the　hands　of　the　Hottentots。　　If；　therefore；　the　climate　of　this　country　be　good；　and　the　soil　fruitful；　both　of　which　were　affirmed　in　this　relation；　there　could　not　be　a　more　proper　place　for　a　colony　than　some　part　of　New　Holland；　or　of　the　adjacent　country　of　Carpentaria。　　I　shall　give　my　reasons　for　asserting　this　when　I　come　to　make　my　remarks　on　a　succeeding　voyage。　　At　present　I　shall　confine　myself　to　the　reasons　that　have　induced　the　Dutch　East　India　Company　to　leave　all　these　countries　unsettled；　after　having　first　shown　so　strong　an　inclination　to　discover　them；　which　will　oblige　me　to　lay　before　the　reader　some　secrets　in　commerce　that　have　hitherto　escaped　common　observation；　and　which；　whenever　they　are　as　thoroughly　considered　as　they　deserve；　will　undoubtedly　lead　us　to　as　great　discoveries　as　those　of　Columbus　or　Magellan。

In　order　to　make　myself　perfectly　understood；　I　must　observe　that　it　was　the　finding　out　of　the　Moluccas；　or　Spice　Islands；　by　the　Portuguese；　that　raised　that　spirit　of　discovery　which　produced　Columbus's　voyage；　which　ended　in　finding　America；　though　in　fact　Columbus　intended　rather　to　reach　this　country　of　New　Holland。　　The　assertion　is　bold；　and　at　first　sight　may　appear　improbable；　but　a　little　attention　will　make　it　so　plain；　that　the　reader　must　be　convinced　of　the　truth　of　what　I　say。　　The　proposition　made　by　Columbus　to　the　State　of　Genoa；　the　Kings　of　Portugal；　Spain；　England；　and　France；　was　this；　that　he　could　discover　a　new　route　to　the　East　Indies；　that　is　to　say；　without　going　round　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope。　　He　grounded　this　proposition　on　the　spherical　figure　of　the　earth；　from　whence　he　thought　it　self…evident　that　any　given　point　might　be　sailed　to　through　the　great　ocean；　either　by　steering　east　or　west。　　In　his　attempt　to　go　to　the　East　Indies　by　a　west　course；　he　met　with　the　islands　and　continent　of　America；　and　finding　gold　and　other　commodities；　which　till　then　had　never　been　brought　from　the　Indies；　he　really　thought　that　this　was　the　west　coast　of　that　country　to　which　the　Portuguese　sailed　by　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　and　hence　came　the　name　of　the　West　Indies。　　Magellan；　who　followed　his　steps；　and　was　the　only　discoverer　who　reasoned　systematically；　and　knew　what　he　was　doing；　proposed　to　the　Emperor　Charles　V。　to　complete　what　Columbus　had　begun；　and　to　find　a　passage　to　the　Moluccas　by　the　west；　which；　to　his　immortal　honour；　he　accomplished。

When　the　Dutch　made　their　first　voyages　to　the　East　Indies；　which　was　not　many　years　before　Captain　Pelsart's　shipwreck　on　the　coast　of　New　Holland；　for　their　first　fleet　arrived　in　the　East　Indies　in　1596；　and　Pelsart　lost　his　ship　in　1629I　say；　when　the　Dutch　first　undertook　the　East　India　trade；　they　had　the　Spice　Islands　in　view：　and　as　they　are　a　nation　justly　famous　for　the　steady　pursuit　of　whatever　they　take　in　hand；　it　is　notorious　that　they　never　lost　sight　of　their　design　till　they　had　accomplished　it；　and　made　themselves　entirely　masters　of　these　islands；　of　which　they　still　continue　in　possession。　　When　this　was　done；　and　they　had　effectually　driven　out　the　English；　who　were　likewise　settled　in　them；　they　fixed　the　seat　of　their　government　in　the　island　of　Amboyna；　which　lay　very　convenient　for　the　discovery　of　the　southern　countries；　which；　therefore；　they　prosecuted　with　great　diligence　from　the　year　1619　to　the　time　of　Captain　Pelsart's　shipwreck；　that　is；　for　the　space　of　twenty　years。

But　after　they　removed　the　seat　of　their　government　from　Amboyna　to　Batavia；　they　turned　their　views　another　way；　and　never　made　any　voyage　expressly　for　discoveries　on　that　side；　except　the　single　one　of　Captain　Tasman；　of　which　we　are　to　speak　presently。　　It　was　from　this　period　of　time　that　they　began　to　take　new　measures；　and　having　made　their　excellent　settlement　at　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　resolved　to　govern　their　trade　to　the　East　Indies　by　these　two　capital　maxims：　　1。　　To　extend　their　trade　all　over　the　Indies；　and　to　fix　themselves　so　effectually　in　the　richest　countries　as　to　keep　all；　or　at　least　the　best　and　most　profitable　part　of；　their　commerce　to　themselves；　2。　　To　make　the　Moluccas；　and　the　islands　dependent　on　them；　their　frontier；　and　to　omit　nothing　that　should　appear　necessary　to　prevent　strangers；　or　even　Dutch　ships　not　belonging　to　the　Company；　from　ever　navigating　those　seas；　and　consequently　from　ever　being　acquainted　with　the　countries　that　lie　in　them。　　How　well　they　have　prosecuted　the　first　maxim　has　been　very　largely　shown　in　a　foregoing　article；　wherein　we　have　an　ample　description　of　the　mighty　empire　in　the　hands　of　their　East　India　Company。　　As　for　the　second　maxim；　the　reader；　in　the　perusal　of　Funnel's；　Dampier's；　and　other　voyages；　but　especially　the　first；　must　be　satisfied　that　it　is　what　they　have　constantly　at　heart；　and　which；　at　all　events；　they　are　determined　to　pursue；　at　least　with　regard　to　strangers；　and　as　to　their　own　countrymen；　the　usage　they　gave　to　James　le　Maire　and　his　people　is　a　proof　that　cannot　be　contested。

Those　things　being　considered；　it　is　very　plain　that　the　Dutch；　or　rather　the　Dutch　East　India　Company；　are　fully　persuaded　that　they　have　already　as　munch　or　more　territory　in　the　East　Indies　than　they　can　well　manage；　and　therefore　they　neither　do　nor　ever　will　think　of　settling　New　Guinea；　Carpentaria；　New　Holland；　or　any　of　the　adjacent　islands；　till　either　their　trade　declines　in　the　East　Indies；　or　they　are　obliged　to　exert　themselves　on　this　side　to　prevent　other　nations　from　reaping　the　benefits　that　might　accrue　to　them　by　their　planting　those　countries。　　But　this　is　not　all；　for　as　the　Dutch　have　no　thoughts　of　settling　these　countries　themselves；　they　have　taken　all　imaginable　pains　to　prevent　any　relations　from　being　published　which　might　invite　or　encourage　any　other　nation　to　make　attempts　this　way；　and　I　am　thoroughly　persuaded　that　this　very　account　of　Captain　Pelsart's　shipwreck　would　never　have　come　into　the　world　if　it　had　not　been　thought　it　would　contribute　to　this　end；　or；　in　other　words；　would　serve　to　frighten　other　nations　from　approaching　such　an　inhospitable　coast；　everywhere　beset　with　rocks　absolutely　void　of　water；　and　inhabited　by　a　race　of　savages　more　barbarous；　and；　at　the　same　time；　more　miserable　than　any　other　creatures　in　the　world。

The　author　of　this　voyage　remarks；　for　the　use　of　seamen；　that　in　the　little　island　occupied　by　Weybhays；　after　digging　two　pits；　they　were　for　a　considerable　time　afraid　to　use　the　water；　having　found　that　these　pits　ebbed　and　flowed　with　the　sea；　but　necessity　at　last　constraining　them　to　drink　it；　they　found　it　did　them　no　hurt。　　The　reason　of　the　ebbing　and　flowing　of　these　pits　was　their　nearness　to　the　sea；　the　water　of　which　percolated　through　the　sand；　lost　its　saltness；　and　so　became　potable；　though　it　followed　the　motions　of　the　ocean　whence　it　came。



THE　VOYAGE　OF　CAPTAIN　ABEL　JANSEN　TASMAN　FOR　THE　DISCOVERY　OF　SOUTHERN　COUNTRIES。　1642…43。　By　direction　of　the　Dutch　East　India　Company。　　＇Taken　from　hi