J. E. Heeres - The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606 1765

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On Sunday the 15th do. at daybreak the wind blew hard from the E.S.E.; it
was mainsail weather; we convened the Plenary Council and resolved with
the same further to explore this land to the north-west and to use all
possible diligence to get knowledge touching the island of Timor, as will
be found more amply set forth in this day's Resolution.

As we were weighing our anchor, a lanyard and a pulley got broken; we
shaped our course to N.W. by N. and N.N.W. Having sailed the space of
about 2 miles, we came to a point, between which point and another point,
a distance of about 4 miles, the land extends W.N.W. and E.S.E. with
hardly any curve, and with rocks and reefs along the shore. Off this
point the surf and the breakers ran very strongly, as if there were a
shoal there, seeing that the wind and the current were opposed to each
other. We therefore sailed along the coast at less than a mile's distance
from the same in 12, 11 and 10 fathom good anchoring-ground. In many
places we saw great clouds of smoke landinward, but no fruit-trees,
houses, vessels or natives; the land seems to be quite wild. Towards the
evening we cast anchor in 9 fathom good anchoring-ground at about half a
cannonshot's distance from the land; the aforesaid point was E. by N. of
us at upwards of half a mile's distance; during the night we had violent
squalls from the E.S.E. with a thick, foggy sky; landinward we observed a
number of fires.

On Monday the 16th do. in the early morning the wind blew from the E.S.E.
as before with sudden violent squalls. As we were weighing our anchor,
the lanyard-pulley broke, and shortly after our anchor-cable snapped off
at about three fathom's distance from the anchor, so that we lost the
latter. As we were setting our foresail, a musket-shot was fired from the
Yacht Wesel, upon which we dropped our other anchor again; when towards
the evening the weather had somewhat improved, we sent our orangbay to
the Wesel, to learn the meaning of the musket-shot; when the men
returned, they informed us that the Wesel had also lost an anchor, but
that the buoyrope had remained entire, so that we remained here till the
following day in order to recover the same.

On Tuesday the 17th do. towards noon we were informed that the buoy-rope
of the Wesel had broken of its own accord close to the anchor, so that
they had also lost their anchor, upon which forthwith weighing the
anchors of both the Yachts, we found that the cables had also been
damaged through rubbing against hidden stones and rocks.

{Page 70}

As beforementioned, the coast here extends W.S.W. for the space of about
4 miles, with hardly any curve; at 3/8 of a mile's distance from the land
there is already 8 and 7 fathom, good clayey bottom; the wind still blew
from the S.E. and E.S.E. with a steady stiff gale; towards the evening we
came to anchor in 7 fathom good anchoring-ground, at about half a mile's
distance from the land, having the point E.S.E. of us at less than a
mile's distance.

Up to now we have seen no men, vessels or houses; we should certainly
have landed with the boats here and there, but that they were both of
them stove in, and had first to be thoroughly overhauled before they
could be used. During the night the weather was lovely and calm.

On Wednesday the 18th do., the wind blowing from the E.S.E., the weather
was calmer, fairer and steadier than before. We gave a coat of tar to
both our yachts, and remained at anchor the whole of this day, chiefly in
order to see if we could not get sight of natives here or there and come
to parley with the same, but we waited in vain for them. During the night
the weather was bright, fair and clear, the wind blowing from the S.S.E.,
S.E., and E.S.E.

On Thursday the 19th do. at daybreak, the wind being E.S.E. with fair
weather and a weak breeze, we weighed anchor and shaped our course to
W.S.W., slightly more to westward. (The land here extends with a great
curve and river as far as the Witte Hoeck [White point], known by the
white sand-hill near the strand when you come from the east).

At 4 glasses after breakfast we came near a stony, rocky reef, which we
kept outside or to seaward of in 8 and 9 fathom. The eastern extremity of
it is less than a mile to the S.W., slightly more southerly, of the Witte
Hoeck, and the western extremity upwards of mile to the S.W. by S.,
slightly more southerly, of the same; the reef extends S.E. by S. and
N.W. by N.; it is not very long or broad, and there were violent breakers
upon it.

When we had weathered the reef, we again ran W.S.W. at less than a mile's
distance from the land, in 8, 9, 7 and 5 fathom good anchoring-ground.
From the Witte Hoeck the land trends nearly to W.S.W. with a slight
curve, as far as one can see; close to the sea the beach is chiefly
sandy, with small, low sand-hills here and there.

The whole day we saw a good deal of smoke landinward; at noon we were in
exactly 11 deg. S.L. From this Witte Hoeck the land trends to W.S.W.,
slightly westerly, with a slight curve for the space of upwards of 3
miles; from there to W.N.W. with a strong curve the space of upwards of
two miles, as far as a point, off which point, at less than half a mile's
distance to N.E. by E., there is a small island on all sides surrounded
by shoals and reefs; beyond this island the land falls off to the S.W.,
making a curve of 2 miles at least but afterwards it trends to the N.W.
again. This island bears from the land about N.W. and S.E.; the beach is
sandy with reefs here, and there.

At sunset it fell a calm, and we came to anchor in 8 fathom good
anchoring-ground at about a mile's distance from the land, having the
island S.S.E. of us at upwards of a mile's distance. Shortly after we saw
two fires on the beach beyond the island. We estimated ourselves to have
sailed about 8 miles this day; during the night the wind blew from the S.
and S.S.W. with lovely weather. We found little or no current running
here.

{Page 71}

On Friday the 20th do. we set sail at daybreak with a weak breeze from
the S.; we kept mainly at a mile's distance from the land in 7 and 71/2
fathom good anchoring-ground. In the course of the day the wind went over
to N.E., after which we ran N.W.; at noon we got near the Roode Hoeck
[red point], situated N.W. of the island aforesaid at about 5 miles'
distance; upwards of half a mile's distance from here the land falls off
to W. by W.; from this point a large reef was seen running out to sea the
length of upwards of 11/2 mile, which reef being unable to weather because
we sailed so close to the wind, we came to anchor in 71/2 fathom good
anchoring-ground, at half a mile's distance from the land; the Roode
Hoeck was S.W. and S.W. by S. of us at upwards of half a mile's distance;
we saw smoke rising in various places.

On Saturday the 21st do. we set sail with a S.S.E. and S.E. by S. wind, a
weak breeze and lovely weather. Here, from the point, the land extended
to S. by W. and S.S.W. as far as one could see, with a slight curve only.
The reef above referred to runs out to sea in a northward direction from
the Roode Hoeck upwards of two miles, and from there very far to
westward, upwards of 11/2 mile from the land. It consists of sandy shoals,
having a small hill or rock above water; alongside it the depth was 7, 6,
5 and 4 fathom, uneven bottom. And since the wind blew from the S.E. by
S. as before, so that we could not make the land again, we resolved to
run N.E. We accordingly shaped our course to the N.N.E. for the purpose
of touching at Timor with the help of Almighty God, and take surveyings
of the same.

In or near this land, which in our chart [*] we have named Van
Diemensland, we have seen no men, houses, fruit-trees or prows, although
we ventured to inspect it paddling with our orangbay close along the
shore; the boats of both the yachts being unfit for use, stove in, and
under repair. About 2 glasses after noon, the wind was N.E., N.N.E., and
N.E. by N. with calm and steady weather. At sunset we estimated ourselves
to have the Roode Hoeck S.S.E. of us at 6 miles' distance; during the
night there was a weak breeze from the E.S.E., N.E. by E. and also N.E.;
course held N.N.W., N. by W. and also N., with bright, lovely and clear
weather.

[* This chart is wanting.]

On Sunday the 22nd do. in the morning the wind was E.S.E. with a lovely
breeze and top-gallant weather; course held N.E. At noon we took the
latitude and found it to be 10 deg. 10' South...[*]

[* The further progress of the voyage has no interest connected with our
present subject.]

* * * * *

{Page 72}

XXVI.

(1642-1643). DISCOVERY OF TASMANIA (VAN DIEMENS LAND), NEW ZEALAND
(STATENLAND), ISLANDS OF THE TONGA AND FIJI GROUPS, ETC. BY THE SHIPS
HEEMSKERK AND DE ZEEHAEN UNDER THE COMMAND OF ABEL JANSZOON TASMAN, FRANS
JACOBSZOON VISSCHER, YDE TJERKSZOON HOLMAN OR HOLLEMAN, AND GERRIT
JANSZ(OON).

_See_ Frederik Muller and Co's _Tasman Folio._

* * * * *

XXVII.

(1644). FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA, THE NORTH-
AND NORTH-WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA BY THE SHIPS LIMMEN, ZEE MEEUW AND DE
BRACQ UNDER THE COMMAND OF TASMAN, VISSCHER, DIRK CORNELISZOON HAEN AND
JASPER JANSZOON KOOS.

A.

_See_ Frederik Muller and Co's _Tasman Folio._

B.

_Letter of the Governor-General and Councillors to the Governor of Banda,
November 29, 1644._

...We shall not recount here how...Tasman had coasted along the land of
Nova Guinea and the South-land without finding any channel or opening up
to Willems River, from where he has returned hither through Sunda Strait,
but would refer Your Worship to the annexed extract from their journals,
which we request you to peruse with attention, and to order...Dortsman
[*] or any other person whom you shall charge with the voyage to
Timorlaut, in case their plans touching these islands should succeed
speedily and prosperously, and they should still have time at their
disposal, to make for the great river which our men have christened
Waterplaets, in 12 degrees Southern Latitude and 1601/4 degrees Longitude,
to sail up the same river landinward, in which there is the less
difficulty, since the river, being deep and wide, can be sailed up by the
yacht, which can conveniently turn, veer and tack in it...

[* Adriaan Dortsman had been ordered on a voyage of discovery east and
south of Banda. This voyage took place in 1645 and 1646, but Australia
was not visited on that occasion.]

* * * * *

{Page 73}

XXVIII.

(1648). EXPLORATORY VOYAGE TO THE WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA ROUND BY
THE SOUTH OF JAVA, BY THE SHIP LEEUWERIK, COMMANDED BY JAN JANSZOON
ZEEUW.

A.

A.

_Instructions for the officers of the Yacht den Leeuwerik...June 27,
1648._

Having learned by the ships last arrived here from Banda, what poor
rice-crops they had in those quarters last year, so that, had not they
received some timely supplies of this grain from Amboyna, they would have
been put to exceeding inconvenience; and having besides seen from the
letter of Governor Cornelis Willemse van Outhoorn that also this year
they are under serious apprehensions of the like scarcity, in case
supplies from Batavia should be long in coming.

Therefore we have lately resolved in our Council to make an express
shipment thither at this time of year...chiefly and principally that, if
this voyage should have the expected success, which may the Almighty
grant in His mercy, we may in future be sure that such voyage could be
made every year after the arrival of the first ships from there, and the
said important Government be by us duly assisted...as regards rice and
other necessaries.

This Yacht, which we consider to be of strong build and a good sailer,
having by us been assigned for this purpose...you will weigh anchor in
the name of God early to-morrow, set sail, and use your utmost endeavours
to get clear of Sunda Strait as soon as possible, and thus gain the
open...

As soon as you shall have got clear of the Prince islands...you will from
there shape your course directly to the south, straight across the sea,
thus sailing by the wind without looking right or left, until you shall
have come to 32 or 33 degrees S.L., where with the help of God you will
meet with the westerly trade-winds; and when you are quite sure of having
got the same, without the least doubt on your part, you will direct your
course to the South-land, trying to make it and get it alongside in 25 or
26 degrees Southern Latitude, where the coast is generally of easy
access, the land being of moderate height and somewhat resembling the
coast of England.

Having reached the South-land in such fashion as we have just indicated,
you will keep the coast alongside, and not leave the same, but use your
best endeavours to skirt it, not parting with it until you have weathered
the Vuylen hoecq (Foul Point); after which you may leave the coast, and
cross over from there, next using the easterly and south-easterly winds
which you will meet with in those waters, for running in sight of the
islands of Arou, Tenember and Damme or any of these, and then making
straight for Banda with the utmost expedition, which port you will with
God's help conveniently reach in the manner hereinbefore described.

As we have already said, the accomplishment of this voyage at this season
of the year (in which only strong headwinds are blowing along the
ordinary route to Banda and other quarters nearer home) is of very great
importance to the Honourable Company...

We herewith hand you a new chart of the South-land, which you may avail
yourselves of in due time, and we noways doubt you will find the same of
great use to {Page 74} you, of which we hope afterwards to receive your
report. Seeing that the waters you are going to navigate are for the
greater part little known as yet, and that accordingly many noteworthy
things are not unlikely to occur in your voyage, we hereby likewise
earnestly enjoin you, not only to keep a complete and elaborate journal
of this voyage, but also to make due observation of the direction of the
winds, the trend of the coasts, the situation of bays, inlets and capes,
and properly to note and make drawings of the same, that on your return
you may be able to hand us a full and perfect report of the whole
undertaking, thus furnishing fresh material for the correction of the
charts now in use, and perhaps also of the courses to be kept...

Given in the Castle of Batavia, June 27, A.D. 1648.

(Signed) CORNELIS VAN DER LIJN, FRANCOIS CARON, CAREL RENIERSZ, JOCHUM R.
VAN DEUTECOM, and GERARD DEMMER.

B.

_Letter of the G.-G. and Councillors to the Managers of the E.I.C.,
January 18, 1649._

...[We have dispatched to Banda] the yacht den Leeuwerck on the 28th of
June of last year...through Sunda Strait, in order, if possible, to make
the voyage to Banda along this route north of the South-land. Which
undertaking has succeeded to our complete satisfaction but especially to
the great joy of our Banda people, for which the Almighty be
praised...since this success is undoubtedly of great advantage to the
General Company, and makes it quite sure that in cases of shipwreck or
other accidents we shall always be able to send succour and supplies to
Banda and the quarters on this side of it along this newly discovered
route...which, on receipt of the first advices in May next, may be done
by the route abovementioned along the South-land. How this voyage was
undertaken and successfully accomplished as far as Banda in the space of
two months and 23 days, your Worships may be pleased to gather from the
annexed daily journal and Chart [*] of Skipper Jan Jansz Zeeuw.

[* Journal and chart are both of them wanting.]

Written in Your Worships' Castle of Batavia, this 18th of January, A.D.
1649.

Your Worships' faithful servants the Governor-General and Councillors of
India:

CORNELIS VAN DER LIJN, F. CARON, CAREL REINIERS, J. P. VAN DUTECUM,
GERARD DEMMER.

* * * * *

{Page 75}

XXIX.

(1656-1658). SHIPWRECK OF THE GULDEN OR VERGULDEN DRAAK ON THE
WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA, 1656.--ATTEMPTS TO RESCUE THE SURVIVORS,
1656-1658.--FURTHER SURVEYINGS OF THE WEST-COAST BY THE SHIP DE WAKENDE
BOEI, COMMANDED BY SAMUEL VOLCKERTS(ZOON), AND BY THE SHIP EMELOORD,
COMMANDED BY AUCKE PIETERSZOON JONCK, 1658.

A.

_Letter of the G.-G. and Counc. to the Managers of the E.I.C, December 4,
1656._

...On the 7th June there arrived here...from the South-land the cock-boat
of the yacht den Vergulden Draeck with 7 men, to our great regret
reporting that the said yacht had run aground on the said South-land in
30 2/3 degrees, on April the 28th, that besides the loss of her cargo, of
which nothing was saved, 118 men of her crew had perished, and that 69
men who had succeeded in getting ashore, were still left there. For the
purpose of rescuing these men, and of attempting to get back by divers or
other means any part of the money or the merchandises that might still be
recoverable, we dispatched thither on the said errand on the 8th of the
said month of June [*], the flute de Witte Valeq, together with the yacht
de Goede Hoop, which after staying away for some time were by violent
storms forced to return without having effected anything, and without
having seen any men or any signs of the wreck, although the said Goede
Hoop has been on the very spot where the ship was said to have
miscarried...[**]

[* The day following that on which the report regarding the Vergulde
Draak had reached Batavia.]

[** Some of the men of the Goede Hoop had gone ashore, but had not
returned.--The Witte Valk had touched at the Southland, but by "bad
weather and the hollow sea" had been compelled to return without having
effected anything.]

In the Castle of Batavia, December 4, A.D. 1656.
Your Worships' Obedt. Servts. the Governor-General and Councillors of India
JOAN MAETSUYKER, CAREL HARTZINCK, JOAN CUNAEUS, NICOLAES VERBURCH, D. STEUR.

B.

_Daily Register of Batavia, 1657._

[July] the 8th. Late in the evening there arrived in the road-stead here,
and came to anchor, the small flute de Vinck of the Zealand Chamber,
which had sailed [from the Netherlands] on December 24, 1656...she came
hither via the Cape of Good Hope and the South-land...

The skipper further reports that, according to the order and instructions
handed him by Commander [*] Riebeeck, he had touched at the South-land,
but it being the bad monsoon on the said coast, they had found it
impossible to sail along the coast so far {Page 76} as to look after the
wreck and the men of the lost ship den Draeck; for in the night of June 8
(having the previous day seen all signs of land, and the weather being
very favourable) they had come to anchor in 29 deg. 7' S.L., and the
estimated Longitude of 130 deg. 43', in 25 fathom coarse sandy bottom mixed
with coral; the following morning at daybreak they saw the breakers on
the reef at the end of which they were lying at anchor, and on one side
ahead of them, the South-land, which there showed as a low-lying coast
with dunes; upon which they weighed anchor and continued sailing along
the coast in order to keep near the land, which was still in sight the
day following; but the weather began to become so much worse and the
breakers on the coast were so violent, that it was a fearful sight to
behold, upon which they shaped their course a little more to seaward. On
the 10th and 11th they kept sailing along the coast in 40 or 50 fathom,
but seeing their chances of touching at the coast this time get less and
less, and the weather continuing very unruly with violent storms of
thunder and lightning, they resolved to keep off the coast, and drifted
on without sail. On the 12th they made small sail, the wind continuing to
blow from the S. and S.S.W., and also from the S.S.E., and shaped their
course for Batavia...

[* Of the Cape of Good Hope.]

C.

_Letter of the G.-G. and Counc. to the Managers of the E. I. C., December
14, 1658._

...By our previous letters we informed Your Worships that on the first of
January last we dispatched from here to the...Southland the galiots De
Waeckende Boeij and Emeloort, for the purpose of making search for the
crew of the lost ship de Vergulden Draecq, and of ascertaining whether
they were still alive. The said ships returned to this place on the 19th
of April following, after exploring the coast about the place of the
disaster each of them for herself, since they had got separated; having
in different places sent manned boats ashore, and fired many cannon shots
time after time both by day and night, without, however, discovering any
Netherlanders or any traces of the wreck, excepting a few planks
[etc.]...which must undoubtedly be looked upon as remnants of the said
ship...We herewith hand you the journals of the galiots [*]
aforesaid...together with the small charts of the coast drawn up on board
each of them[**]...

[* See D and H _infra_]

[* See E, F and I _infra_.]

Written in Your Worships' Castle of Batavia, December 14, 1658.

* * *

JOAN MAETSUYKER, CAREL HARTSINCK, A.D. V. v. OULDTSHOORN, N. VERBURCH, D.
STEUR, PIETER STERTHEMIUS.

{Page 77}

D.

_Daily Journal kept by skipper SAMUEL VOLKERSENN on board the flute de
Waeckende Boeij, sailing in the same from Battavia to the Southland. A.D.
1658 [*]._

[* On December 21, 1657 the G-G. and Counc. resolved to dispatch to the
South-land the ships de Wakende Boei and Emeloord, for the purpose of
making another attempt at rescuing what might still be rescued of the
men, the cargo, etc. of the Vergulde Draak; "and also to get perfect
knowledge, once for all, of the situation and trend of the said coast,
with its shoals, reefs and shallows." The journals of the skippers of
both vessels are preserved in the Hague State Archives. After mature
consideration I have deemed it needless to print the said journals here,
seeing that MAJOR, Terra Australis, refers to them on pp. 77-90, and
gives the substance of the information contained in them (LEUPE,
Zuidland, pp. 105 ff. has printed certain parts of the two journals). But
above all, the charts made on this expedition, which are here carefully
reproduced, give a more convenient survey of the results of it than could
be done by the journals themselves, which for the rest contain little
that is of interest for our present purpose.]

E.

_Chart of Eendrachisland_, 1658, on a small scale.

[Map No. 8. Kaart van (Chart of) Eendrachtsland, 1658]

{Page 78}

F.

_Chart of Eendrachisland_, 1658, on a larger scale.

[Map No. 9. Kaart van (Chart of) Eendrachtsland, 1658]

{Page 79}

G.

_A brief account of the west-coast of the South-land._

The South-land has sandy dunes forming many points on the sea-side; the
dunes all consist of loose sand overgrown with grass into which a man
will sink up to his ankles, and leave deep footprints on withdrawing his
feet.

About a mile more or less off shore, there is as a rule a rocky reef, on
which the breakers may be seen to dash violently in many places, the
depth above the reef being in several places, 1, 11/2 and even 2 fathom, so
that pinnaces and boats may get over it for the purpose of landing, there
being deeper water close inshore, but all of it with a rocky, sharp
coral-bottom, so that it is difficult to land there, and much harder
still to keep a pinnace at anchor with a drag; except in a place about 9
miles north of the island, where there are three rocks close to the
shore, which are connected by a rocky reef, behind which you may
conveniently lie at anchor and effect a landing with pinnaces or boats;
but the bottom is foul and rocky everywhere.

Inward, the land is pretty high, with hills of even height, but barren
and wild to look at, except near the island where a great many trees are
seen.

In slightly under 32 deg. S. Lat. there is a large island, at about 3 miles'
distance from the mainland of the South-land; this island has high
mountains, with a good deal of brushwood and many thornbushes, so that it
is hard to go over; here certain animals are found, since we saw many
excrements, and besides two seals and a wild cat, resembling a civet-cat,
but with browner hair. This island is dangerous to touch at, owing to the
rocky reefs which are level with the water and below the surface, almost
along the whole length of the shore; between it and the mainland there
are also numerous rocks and reefs, and slightly more to southward there
is another small island.

This large island to which we have been unwilling to give a name, leaving
this matter to the Honourable Lord Governor-General's pleasure, may be
seen at 7 or 8 miles' distance out at sea in fine weather. I surmise that
brackish or fresh water might be obtainable there, and likewise good
firewood, but not without great trouble.

Two good and certain landmarks of the West-coast of the Southland:

Firstly: If in these regions you observe about 11 degrees variation of
the compass, you may be sure of not being at more than 18 or 20 miles'
distance from the land.

Secondly: If you see rock-weed floating about, you may be assured that
you will sound the bottom in 70, 60, 50, 40, 30 fathom or less.

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