early australian voyages-第6部分

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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　his　original　Journal。＇



CHAPTER　I：　　THE　OCCASION　AND　DESIGN　OF　THIS　VOYAGE。



The　great　discoveries　that　were　made　by　the　Dutch　in　these　southern　countries　were　subsequent　to　the　famous　voyage　of　Jaques　le　Maire；　who　in　1616　passed　the　straits　called　by　his　name；　in　1618；　that　part　of　Terra　Australia　was　discovered　which　the　Dutch　called　Concordia。　　The　next　year；　the　Land　of　Edels　was　found；　and　received　its　name　from　its　discoverer。　　In　1620；　Batavia　was　built　on　the　ruins　of　the　old　city　of　Jacatra；　but　the　seat　of　government　was　not　immediately　removed　from　Amboyna。　　In　1622；　that　part　of　New　Holland　which　is　called　Lewin's　Land　was　first　found；　and　in　1627；　Peter　Nuyts　discovered　between　New　Holland　and　New　Guinea　a　country　which　bears　his　name。　　There　were　also　some　other　voyages　made；　of　which；　however；　we　have　no　sort　of　account；　except　that　the　Dutch　were　continually　beaten　in　all　their　attempts　to　land　upon　this　coast。　On　their　settlement；　however；　at　Batavia；　the　then　general　and　council　of　the　Indies　thought　it　requisite　to　have　a　more　perfect　survey　made　of　the　new…found　countries；　that　the　memory　of　them　at　least　might　be　preserved；　in　case　no　further　attempts　were　made　to　settle　them；　and　it　was　very　probably　a　foresight　of　few　ships　going　that　route　any　more；　which　induced　such　as　had　then　the　direction　of　the　Company's　affairs　to　wish　that　some　such　survey　and　description　might　be　made　by　an　able　seaman；　who　was　well　acquainted　with　those　coasts；　and　who　might　be　able　to　add　to　the　discoveries　already　made；　as　well　as　furnish　a　more　accurate　description；　even　of　them；　than　had　been　hitherto　given。

This　was　faithfully　performed　by　Captain　Tasman；　and　from　the　lights　afforded　by　his　journal；　a　very　exact　and　curious　map　was　made　of　all　these　new　countries。　　But　his　voyage　was　never　published　entire；　and　it　is　very　probable　that　the　East　India　Company　never　intended　it　should　be　published　at　all。　　However；　Dirk　Rembrantz；　moved　by　the　excellency　and　accuracy　of　the　work；　published　in　Low　Dutch　an　extract　of　Captain　Tasman's　Journal；　which　has　been　ever　since　considered　as　a　very　great　curiosity；　and；　as　such；　has　been　translated　into　many　languages；　particularly　into　our　own；　by　the　care　of　the　learned　Professor　of　Gresham　College；　Doctor　Hook；　an　abridgment　of　which　translation　found　a　place　in　Doctor　Harris's　Collection　of　Voyages。　　But　we　have　made　no　use　of　either　of　these　pieces；　the　following　being　a　new　translation；　made　with　all　the　care　and　diligence　that　is　possible。



CHAPTER　II：　　CAPTAIN　TASMAN　SAILS　FROM　BATAVIA；　AUGUST　14；　1642。



On　August　14；　1642；　I　sailed　from　Batavia　with　two　vessels；　the　one　called　the　Heemskirk；　and　the　other　the　Zee…Haan。　　On　September　5　I　anchored　at　Maurice　Island；　in　the　latitude　of　20　degrees　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　83　degrees　48　minutes。　　I　found　this　island　fifty　German　miles　more　to　the　east　than　I　expected；　that　is　to　say；　3　degrees　33　minutes　of　longitude。　　This　island　was　so　called　from　Prince　Maurice；　being　before　known　by　the　name　of　Cerne。　　It　is　about　fifteen　leagues　in　circumference；　and　has　a　very　fine　harbour；　at　the　entrance　of　which　there　is　one　hundred　fathoms　water。　　The　country　is　mountainous；　but　the　mountains　are　covered　with　green　trees。　　The　tops　of　these　mountains　are　so　high　that　they　are　lost　in　the　clouds；　and　are　frequently　covered　by　thick　exhalations　or　smoke　that　ascends　from　them。　　The　air　of　this　island　is　extremely　wholesome。　　It　is　well　furnished　with　flesh　and　fowl；　and　the　sea　on　its　coasts　abounds　with　all　sorts　of　fish。　　The　finest　ebony　in　the　world　grows　here。　　It　is　a　tall；　straight　tree　of　a　moderate　thickness；　covered　with　a　green　bark；　very　thick；　under　which　the　wood　is　as　black　as　pitch；　and　as　close　as　ivory。　　There　are　other　trees　on　the　island；　which　are　of　a　bright　red；　and　a　third　sort　as　yellow　as　wax。　　The　ships　belonging　to　the　East　India　Company　commonly　touch　at　this　island　for　refreshments　on　their　passage　to　Batavia。

I　left　this　island　on　the　8th　of　October；　and　continued　my　course　to　the　south　to　the　latitude　of　40　degrees　or　41　degrees；　having　a　strong　north…west　wind；　and　finding　the　needle　vary　23；　24；　and　25　degrees　to　the　22nd　of　October；　I　sailed　from　that　time　to　the　29th　to　the　east；　inclining　a　little　to　the　south；　till　I　arrived　in　the　latitude　of　45　degrees　47　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　89　degrees　44　minutes；　and　then　observed　the　variation　of　the　needle　to　be　26　degrees　45　minutes　towards　the　west。

As　our　author　was　extremely　careful　in　this　particular；　and　observed　the　variation　of　the　needle　with　the　utmost　diligence；　it　may　not　be　amiss　to　take　this　opportunity　of　explaining　this　point；　so　that　the　importance　of　his　remarks　may　sufficiently　appear。　　The　needle　points　exactly　north　only　in　a　few　places；　and　perhaps　not　constantly　in　them；　but　in　most　it　declines　a　little　to　the　east；　or　to　the　west；　whence　arises　eastern　and　western　declination：　　when　this　was　first　observed；　it　was　attributed　to　certain　excavations　or　hollows　in　the　earth；　to　veins　of　lead；　stone；　and　other　such…like　causes。　　But　when　it　was　found　by　repeated　experiments　that　this　variation　varied；　it　appeared　plainly　that　none　of　those　causes　could　take　place；　since　if　they　had；　the　variation　in　the　same　place　must　always　have　been　the　same；　whereas　the　fact　is　otherwise。

Here　at　London；　for　instance；　in　the　year　1580；　the　variation　was　observed　to　be　11　degrees　17　minutes　to　the　east；　in　the　year　1666；　the　variation　was　here　34　minutes　to　the　west；　and　in　the　year　1734；　the　variation　was　somewhat　more　than　1　degree　west。　　In　order　to　find　the　variation　of　the　needle　with　the　least　error　possible；　the　seamen　take　this　method：　　they　observe　the　point　the　sun　is　in　by　the　compass；　any　time　after　its　rising；　and　then　take　the　altitude　of　the　sun；　and　in　the　afternoon　they　observe　when　the　sun　comes　to　the　same　altitude；　and　observe　the　point　the　sun　is　then　in　by　the　compass；　for　the　middle；　between　these　two；　is　the　true　north　or　south　point　of　the　compass；　and　the　difference　between　that　and　the　north　or　south　upon　the　card；　which　is　pointed　out　by　the　needle；　is　the　variation　of　the　compass；　and　shows　how　much　the　north　and　south；　given　by　the　compass；　deviates　from　the　true　north　and　south　points　of　the　horizon。　　It　appears　clearly；　from　what　has　been　said；　that　in　order　to　arrive　at　the　certain　knowledge　of　the　variation；　and　of　the　variation　of　that　variation　of　the　compass；　it　is　absolutely　requisite　to　have　from　time　to　time　distinct　accounts　of　the　variation　as　it　is　observed　in　different　places：　　whence　the　importance　of　Captain　Tasman's　remarks；　in　this　respect；　sufficiently　appears。　　It　is　true　that　the　learned　and　ingenious　Dr。　Halley　has　given　a　very　probable　account　of　this　matter；　but　as　the　probability　of　that　account　arises　only　from　its　agreement　with　observations；　it　follows　those　are　as　necessary　and　as　important　as　ever；　in　order　to　strengthen　and　confirm　it。



CHAPTER　III：　　REMARKS　ON　THE　VARIATION　OF　THE　NEEDLE。



On　the　6th　of　November；　I　was　in　49　degrees　4　minutes　south　latitude；　and　in　the　longitude　of　114　degrees　56　minutes；　the　variation　was　at　this　time　26　degrees　westward；　and；　as　the　weather　was　foggy；　with　hard　gales；　and　a　rolling　sea　from　the　south…west　and　from　the　south；　I　concluded　from　thence　that　it　was　not　at　all　probable　there　should　be　any　land　between　those　two　points。　　On　November　15th　I　was　in　the　latitude　of　44　degrees　33　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　140　degrees　32　minutes。　　The　variation　was　then　18　degrees　30　minutes　west；　which　variation　decreased　every　day；　in　such　a　manner；　that；　on　the　21st　of　the　same　month；　being　in　the　longitude　of　158　degrees；　I　observed　the　variation　to　be　no　more　than　4　degrees。　　On　the　22nd　of　that　month；　the　needle　was　in　continual　agitation；　without　resting　in　any　of　the　eight　points；　which　led　me　to　conjecture　that　we　were　near　some　mine　of　loadstone。

This　may；　at　first　sight；　seem　to　contradict　what　has　been　before　laid　down；　as　to　the　variation；　and　the　causes　of　it：　　but；　when　strictly　considered；　they　will　be　found　to　agree　very　well；　for　when　it　is　asserted　that　veins　of　loadstone　have　nothing　to　do　with　the　variation　of　the　compass；　it　is　to　be　understood　of　the　constant　variation　of　a　few　degrees　to　the　east；　or　to　the　west：　　but　in　cases　of　this　nature；　where　the　variation　is　absolutely　irregular；　and　the　needle　plays　quite　round　the　compass；　our　author's　conjecture　may　very　well　find　place：　　yet　it　must　be　owned　that　it　is　a　point　far　enough　from　being　clear；　that　mines　of　loadstone　affect　the　compass　at　a　distance；　which；　however；　might　be　very　easily　determined；　since　there　are　large　mines　of　loadstone　in　the　island　of　Elba；　on　the　coast　of　Tuscany。



CHAPTER　IV：　　HE　DISCOVERS　A　NEW　COUNTRY　TO　WHICH　HE　GIVES　THE　NAME　OF　VAN　DIEMEN'S　LAND。



On　the　24th　of　the　same　month；　being　in　the　latitude　of　42　degrees　25　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　163　degrees　50　minutes；　I　discovered　land；　which　lay　east…south…east　at