Transcribed from the 1886 Cassell & Company edition by David Price, email
ccx074@coventry.ac.uk
EARLY AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES
BY JOHN PINKERTON
Contents:
Introduction
Pelsart
Tasman
Dampier
INTRODUCTION.
In the days of Plato, imagination found its way, before the mariners, to
a new world across the Atlantic, and fabled an Atlantis where America now
stands. In the days of Francis Bacon, imagination of the English found
its way to the great Southern Continent before the Portuguese or Dutch
sailors had sight of it, and it was the home of those wise students of
God and nature to whom Bacon gave his New Atlantis. The discoveries of
America date from the close of the fifteenth century. The discoveries of
Australia date only from the beginning of the seventeenth. The
discoveries of the Dutch were little known in England before the time of
Dampier's voyage, at the close of the seventeenth century, with which
this volume ends. The name of New Holland, first given by the Dutch to
the land they discovered on the north-west coast, then extended to the
continent and was since changed to Australia.
During the eighteenth century exploration was continued by the English.
The good report of Captain Cook caused the first British settlement to be
made at Port Jackson, in 1788, not quite a hundred years ago, and the
foundations were then laid of the settlement of New South Wales, or
Sydney. It was at first a penal colony, and its Botany Bay was a name of
terror to offenders. Western Australia, or Swan River, was first settled
as a free colony in 1829, but afterwards used also as a penal settlement;
South Australia, which has Adelaide for its capital, was first
established in 1834, and colonised in 1836; Victoria, with Melbourne for
its capital, known until 1851 as the Port Philip District, and a
dependency of New South Wales, was first colonised in 1835. It received
in 1851 its present name. Queensland, formerly known as the Moreton Bay
District, was established as late as 1859. A settlement of North
Australia was tried in 1838, and has since been abandoned. On the other
side of Bass's Straits, the island of Van Diemen's Land, was named
Tasmania, and established as a penal colony in 1803.
Advance, Australia! The scattered handfuls of people have become a
nation, one with us in race, and character, and worthiness of aim. These
little volumes will, in course of time, include many aids to a knowledge
of the shaping of the nations. There will be later records of Australia
than these which tell of the old Dutch explorers, and of the first real
awakening of England to a knowledge of Australia by Dampier's voyage.
The great Australian continent is 2,500 miles long from east to west, and
1,960 miles in its greatest breadth. Its climates are therefore various.
The northern half lies chiefly within the tropics, and at Melbourne snow
is seldom seen except upon the hills. The separation of Australia by
wide seas from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, gives it animals and
plants peculiarly its own. It has been said that of 5,710 plants
discovered, 5,440 are peculiar to that continent. The kangaroo also is
proper to Australia, and there are other animals of like kind. Of 58
species of quadruped found in Australia, 46 were peculiar to it. Sheep
and cattle that abound there now were introduced from Europe. From eight
merino sheep introduced in 1793 by a settler named McArthur, there has
been multiplication into millions, and the food-store of the Old World
begins to be replenished by Australian mutton.
The unexplored interior has given a happy hunting-ground to satisfy the
British spirit of adventure and research; but large waterless tracts,
that baffle man's ingenuity, have put man's powers of endurance to sore
trial.
The mountains of Australia are all of the oldest rocks, in which there
are either no fossil traces of past life, or the traces are of life in
the most ancient forms. Resemblance of the Australian cordilleras to the
Ural range, which he had especially been studying, caused Sir Roderick
Murchison, in 1844, to predict that gold would be found in Australia. The
first finding of gold--the beginning of the history of the Australian
gold-fields--was in February, 1851, near Bathurst and Wellington, and to-
day looks back to the morning of yesterday in the name of Ophir, given to
the Bathurst gold-diggings.
Gold, wool, mutton, wine, fruits, and what more Australia can now add to
the commonwealth of the English-speaking people, Englishmen at home have
been learning this year in the great Indian and Colonial Exhibition,
which is to stand always as evidence of the numerous resources of the
Empire, as aid to the full knowledge of them, and through that to their
wide diffusion. We are a long way now from the wrecked ship of Captain
Francis Pelsart, with which the histories in this volume begin.
John Pinkerton was born at Edinburgh in February, 1758, and died in Paris
in March, 1826, aged sixty-eight. He was the best classical scholar at
the Lanark grammar school; but his father, refusing to send him to a
university, bound him to Scottish law. He had a strong will, fortified
in some respects by a weak judgment. He wrote clever verse; at the age
of twenty-two he went to London to support himself by literature, began
by publishing "Rimes" of his own, and then Scottish Ballads, all issued
as ancient, but of which he afterwards admitted that fourteen out of the
seventy-three were wholly written by himself. John Pinkerton, whom Sir
Walter Scott described as "a man of considerable learning, and some
severity as well as acuteness of disposition," made clear conscience on
the matter in 1786, when he published two volumes of genuine old Scottish
Poems from the MS. collections of Sir Richard Maitland. He had added to
his credit as an antiquary by an Essay on Medals, and then applied his
studies to ancient Scottish History, producing learned books, in which he
bitterly abused the Celts. It was in 1802 that Pinkerton left England
for Paris, where he supported himself by indefatigable industry as a
writer during the last twenty-four years of his life. One of the most
useful of his many works was that _General Collection of the best and
most interesting Voyages and Travels of the World_, which appeared in
seventeen quarto volumes, with maps and engravings, in the years 1808-
1814. Pinkerton abridged and digested most of the travellers' records
given in this series, but always studied to retain the travellers' own
words, and his occasional comments have a value of their own.
H. M.
VOYAGE OF FRANCIS PELSART TO AUSTRALASIA. 1628-29.
It has appeared very strange to some very able judges of voyages, that
the Dutch should make so great account of the southern countries as to
cause the map of them to be laid down in the pavement of the Stadt House
at Amsterdam, and yet publish no descriptions of them. This mystery was
a good deal heightened by one of the ships that first touched on
Carpenter's Land, bringing home a considerable quantity of gold, spices,
and other rich goods; in order to clear up which, it was said that these
were not the product of the country, but were fished out of the wreck of
a large ship that had been lost upon the coast. But this story did not
satisfy the inquisitive, because not attended with circumstances
necessary to establish its credit; and therefore they suggested that,
instead of taking away the obscurity by relating the truth, this story
was invented in order to hide it more effectually. This suspicion gained
ground the more when it was known that the Dutch East India Company from
Batavia had made some attempts to conquer a part of the Southern
continent, and had been repulsed with loss, of which, however, we have no
distinct or perfect relation, and all that hath hitherto been collected
in reference to this subject, may be reduced to two voyages. All that we
know concerning the following piece is, that it was collected from the
Dutch journal of the voyage, and having said thus much by way of
introduction, we now proceed to the translation of this short history.
The directors of the East India Company, animated by the return of five
ships, under General Carpenter, richly laden, caused, the very same year,
1628, eleven vessels to be equipped for the same voyage; amongst which
there was one ship called the _Batavia_, commanded by Captain Francis
Pelsart. They sailed out of the Texel on the 28th of October, 1628; and
as it would be tedious and troublesome to the reader to set down a long
account of things perfectly well known, I shall say nothing of the
occurrences that happened in their passage to the Cape of Good Hope; but
content myself with observing that on the 4th of June, in the following
year 1629, this vessel, the _Batavia_, being separated from the fleet in
a storm, was driven on the Abrollos or shoals, which lie in the latitude
of 28 degrees south, and which have been since called by the Dutch, the
Abrollos of Frederic Houtman. Captain Pelsart, who was sick in bed when
this accident happened, perceiving that his ship had struck, ran
immediately upon deck. It was night indeed; but the weather was fair,
and the moon shone very bright; the sails were up; the course they
steered was north-east by north, and the sea appeared as far as they
could behold it covered with a white froth. The captain called up the
master and charged him with the loss of the ship, who excused himself by
saying he had taken all the care he could; and that having discerned this
froth at a distance, he asked the steersman what he thought of it, who
told him that the sea appeared white by its reflecting the rays of the
moon. The captain then asked him what was to be done, and in what part
of the world he thought they were. The master replied, that God only
knew that; and that the ship was fast on a bank hitherto undiscovered.
Upon this they began to throw the lead, and found that they had forty-
eight feet of water before, and much less behind the vessel. The crew
immediately agreed to throw their cannon overboard, in hopes that when
the ship was lightened she might be brought to float again. They let
fall an anchor however; and while they were thus employed, a most
dreadful storm arose of wind and rain; which soon convinced them of the
danger they were in; for being surrounded with rocks and shoals, the ship
was continually striking.
They then resolved to cut away the mainmast, which they did, and this
augmented the shock, neither could they get clear of it, though they cut
it close by the board, because it was much entangled within the rigging;
they could see no land except an island which was about the distance of
three leagues, and two smaller islands, or rather rocks, which lay
nearer. They immediately sent the master to examine them, who returned
about nine in the morning, and reported that the sea at high water did
not cover them, but that the coast was so rocky and full of shoals that
it would be very difficult to land upon them; they resolved, however, to
run the risk, and to send most of their company on shore to pacify the
women, children, sick people, and such as were out of their wits with
fear, whose cries and noise served only to disturb them. About ten
o'clock they embarked these in their shallop and skiff, and, perceiving
their vessel began to break, they doubled their diligence; they likewise
endeavoured to get their bread up, but they did not take the same care of
the water, not reflecting in their fright that they might be much
distressed for want of it on shore; and what hindered them most of all
was the brutal behaviour of some of the crew that made themselves drunk
with wine, of which no care was taken. In short, such was their
confusion that they made but three trips that day, carrying over to the
island 180 persons, twenty barrels of bread, and some small casks of
water. The master returned on board towards evening, and told the
captain that it was to no purpose to send more provisions on shore, since
the people only wasted those they had already. Upon this the captain
went in the shallop, to put things in better order, and was then informed
that there was no water to be found upon the island; he endeavoured to
return to the ship in order to bring off a supply, together with the most
valuable part of their cargo, but a storm suddenly arising, he was forced
to return.
The next day was spent in removing their water and most valuable goods on
shore; and afterwards the captain in the skiff, and the master in the
shallop, endeavoured to return to the vessel, but found the sea run so
high that it was impossible to get on board. In this extremity the
carpenter threw himself out of the ship, and swam to them, in order to
inform them to what hardships those left in the vessel were reduced, and
they sent him back with orders for them to make rafts, by tying the
planks together, and endeavour on these to reach the shallop and skiff;
but before this could be done, the weather became so rough that the
captain was obliged to return, leaving, with the utmost grief, his
lieutenant and seventy men on the very point of perishing on board the
vessel. Those who were got on the little island were not in a much
better condition, for, upon taking an account of their water, they found
they had not above 40 gallons for 40 people, and on the larger island,
where there were 120, their stock was still less. Those on the little
island began to murmur, and to complain of their officers, because they
did not go in search of water, in the islands that were within sight of
them, and they represented the necessity of this to Captain Pelsart, who
agreed to their request, but insisted before he went to communicate his
design to the rest of the people; they consented to this, but not till
the captain had declared that, without the consent of the company on the
large is land, he would, rather than leave them, go and perish on board
the ship. When they were got pretty near the shore, he who commanded the
boat told the captain that if he had anything to say, he must cry out to
the people, for that they would not suffer him to go out of the boat. The
captain immediately attempted to throw himself overboard in order to swim
to the island. Those who were in the boat prevented him; and all that he
could obtain from them was, to throw on shore his table-book, in which
line wrote a line or two to inform them that he was gone in the skiff to
look for water in the adjacent islands.
He accordingly coasted them all with the greatest care, and found in most
of them considerable quantities of water in the holes of the rocks, but
so mixed with the sea-water that it was unfit for use; and therefore they
were obliged to go farther. The first thing they did was to make a deck
to their boat, because they found it was impracticable to navigate those
seas in an open vessel. Some of the crew joined them by the time the
work was finished; and the captain having obtained a paper, signed by all
his men, importing that it was their desire that he should go in search
of water, he immediately put to sea, having first taken an observation by
which he found they were in the latitude of 28 degrees 13 minutes south.
They had not been long at sea before they had sight of the continent,
which appeared to them to lie about sixteen miles north by west from the
place they had suffered shipwreck. They found about twenty-five or
thirty fathoms water; and as night drew on, they kept out to sea; and
after midnight stood in for the land, that they might be near the coast
in the morning. On the 9th of June they found themselves as they
reckoned, about three miles from the shore; on which they plied all that
day, sailing sometimes north, sometimes west; the country appearing low,
naked, and the coast excessively rocky; so that they thought it resembled
the country near Dover. At last they saw a little creek, into which they
were willing to put, because it appeared to have a sandy bottom; but when
they attempted to enter it, the sea ran so high that they were forced to
desist.
On the 10th they remained on the same coast, plying to and again, as they
had done the day before; but the weather growing worse and worse, they
were obliged to abandon their shallop, and even throw part of their
breath overboard, because it hindered them from clearing themselves of
the water, which their vessel began to make very fast. That night it
rained most terribly, which, though it gave them much trouble, afforded
them hopes that it would prove a great relief to the people they had left
behind them on the islands. The wind began to sink on the 11th; and as
it blew from the west-south-west, they continued their course to the
north, the sea running still so high that it was impossible to approach
the shore. On the 12th, they had an observation, by which they found
themselves in the latitude of 27 degrees; they sailed with a south-east
wind all that day along the coast, which they found so steep that there
was no getting on shore, inasmuch as there was no creek or low land
without the rocks, as is commonly observed on seacoasts; which gave them
the more pain because within land the country appeared very fruitful and
pleasant. They found themselves on the 13th in the latitude of 25
degrees 40 minutes; by which they discovered that the current set to the
north. They were at this time over against an opening; the coast lying
to the north-east, they continued a north course, but found the coast one
continued rock of red colour all of a height, against which the waves
broke with such force that it was impossible for them to land.
The wind blew very fresh in the morning on the 14th, but towards noon it
fell calm; they were then in the height of 24 degrees, with a small gale
at east, but the tide still carried them further north than they desired,
because their design was to make a descent as soon as possible; and with
this view they sailed slowly along the coast, till, perceiving a great
deal of smoke at a distance, they rowed towards it as fast as they were
able, in hopes of finding men, and water, of course. When they came near
the shore, they found it so steep, so full of rocks, and the sea beating
over them with such fury, that it was impossible to land. Six of the
men, however, trusting to their skill in swimming, threw themselves into
the sea and resolved to get on shore at any rate, which with great
difficulty and danger they at last effected, the boat remaining at anchor
in twenty-five fathoms water. The men on shore spent the whole day in
looking for water; and while they were thus employed, they saw four men,
who came up very near; but one of the Dutch sailors advancing towards
them, they immediately ran away as fast as they were able, so that they
were distinctly seen by those in the boat. These people were black
savages, quite naked, not having so much as any covering about their
middle. The sailors, finding no hopes of water on all the coast, swam on
board again, much hurt and wounded by their being beat by the waves upon
the rocks; and as soon as they were on board, they weighed anchor, and
continued their course along the shore, in hopes of finding some better
landing-place.
On the 25th, in the morning, they discovered a cape, from the point of
which there ran a ridge of rocks a mile into the sea, and behind it
another ridge of rocks. They ventured between them, as the sea was
pretty calm; but finding there was no passage, they soon returned. About
noon they saw another opening, and the sea being still very smooth, they
entered it, though the passage was very dangerous, inasmuch as they had
but two feet water, and the bottom full of stones, the coast appearing a
flat sand for about a mile. As soon as they got on shore they fell to
digging in the sand, but the water that came into their wells was so
brackish that they could not drink it, though they were on the very point
of choking for thirst. At last, in the hollows of the rocks, they met
with considerable quantities of rainwater, which was a great relief to
them, since they had been for some days at no better allowance than a
pint a-piece. They soon furnished themselves in the night with about
eighty gallons, perceiving, in the place where they landed, that the
savages had been there lately, by a large heap of ashes and the remains
of some cray-fish.
On the 16th, in the morning, they returned on shore, in hopes of getting
more water, but were disappointed; and having now time to observe the
country, it gave them no great hopes of better success, even if they had
travelled farther within land, which appeared a thirsty, barren plain,
covered with ant-hills, so high that they looked afar off like the huts
of negroes; and at the same time they were plagued with flies, and those
in such multitudes that they were scarce able to defend themselves. They
saw at a distance eight savages, with each a staff in his hand, who
advanced towards them within musket-shot; but as soon as they perceived
the Dutch sailors moving towards them, they fled as fast as they were
able. It was by this time about noon, and, perceiving no appearance
either of getting water, or entering into any correspondence with the
natives, they resolved to go on board and continue their course towards
the north, in hopes, as they were already in the latitude of 22 degrees
17 minutes, they might be able to find the river of Jacob Remmescens; but
the wind veering about to the north-east, they were not able to continue
longer upon that coast, and therefore reflecting that they were now above
one hundred miles from the place where they were shipwrecked, and had
scarce as much water as would serve them in their passage back, they came
to a settled resolution of making the best of their way to Batavia, in
order to acquaint the Governor-General with their misfortunes, and to
obtain such assistance as was necessary to get their people off the
coast.
On the 17th they continued their course to the north-east, with a good
wind and fair weather; the 18th and 19th it blew hard, and they had much
rain; on the 20th they found themselves in 19 degrees 22 minutes; on the
22nd they had another observation, and found themselves in the height of
16 degrees 10 minutes, which surprised them very much, and was a plain
proof that the current carried them northwards at a great rate; on the
27th it rained very hard, so that they were not able to take an
observation; but towards noon they saw, to their great satisfaction, the
coasts of Java, in the latitude of 8 degrees, at the distance of about
four or five miles. They altered their course to west-north-west, and
towards evening entered the gulf of an island very full of trees, where
they anchored in eight fathoms water, and there passed the night; on the
28th, in the morning, they weighed, and rowed with all their force, in
order to make the land, that they might search for water, being now again
at the point of perishing for thirst. Very happily for them, they were
no sooner on shore than they discovered a fine rivulet at a small
distance, where, having comfortably quenched their thirst, and filled all
their casks with water, they about noon continued their course for
Batavia.
On the 29th, about midnight, in the second watch, they discovered an
island, which they left on their starboard. About noon they found
themselves in the height of 6 degrees 48 minutes. About three in the
afternoon they passed between two islands, the westernmost of which
appeared full of cocoa trees. In the evening they were about a mile from
the south point of Java, and in the second watch exactly between Java and
the Isle of Princes. The 30th, in the morning, they found themselves on
the coast of the last-mentioned island, not being able to make above two
miles that day. On July 1st the weather was calm, and about noon they
were three leagues from Dwaersindenwegh, that is, Thwart-the-way Island;
but towards the evening they had a pretty brisk wind at north-west, which
enabled them to gain that coast. On the 2nd, in the morning, they were
right against the island of Topershoetien, and were obliged to lie at
anchor till eleven o'clock, waiting for the sea-breeze, which, however,
blew so faintly that they were not able to make above two miles that day.
About sunset they perceived a vessel between them and Thwart-the-way
Island, upon which they resolved to anchor as near the shore as they
could that night, and there wait the arrival of the ship. In the morning
they went on board her, in hopes of procuring arms for their defence, in
case the inhabitants of Java were at war with the Dutch. They found two
other ships in company, on board one of which was Mr. Ramburg, counsellor
of the Indies. Captain Pelsart went immediately on board his ship, where
he acquainted him with the nature of his misfortune, and went with him
afterwards to Batavia.
We will now leave the captain soliciting succours from the
Governor-General, in order to return to the crew who were left upon the
islands, among whom there happened such transactions as, in their
condition, the reader would little expect, and perhaps will hardly
credit! In order to their being thoroughly understood, it is necessary
to observe that they had for supercargo one Jerom Cornelis, who had been
formerly an apothecary at Harlem. This man, when they were on the coast
of Africa, had plotted with the pilot and some others to run away with
the vessel, and either to carry her into Dunkirk, or to turn pirates in
her on their own account. This supercargo had remained ten days on board
the wreck, not being able in all that time to get on shore. Two whole
days he spent on the mainmast, floating to and fro, till at last, by the
help of one of the yards, he got to land. When he was once on shore, the
command, in the absence of Captain Pelsart, devolved of course upon him,
which immediately revived in his mind his old design, insomuch that he
resolved to lay hold of this opportunity to make himself master of all
that could be saved out of the wreck, conceiving that it would be easy to
surprise the captain on his return, and determining to go on the
account--that is to say, to turn pirate in the captain's vessel. In
order to carry this design into execution, he thought necessary to rid
themselves of such of the crew as were not like to come into their
scheme; but before he proceeded to dip his hands in blood, he obliged all
the conspirators to sign an instrument, by which they engaged to stand by
each other.
The whole ship's company were on shore in three islands, the greatest
part of them in that where Cornelis was, which island they thought fit to
call the burying-place of Batavia. One Mr. Weybhays was sent with
another body into an adjacent island to look for water, which, after
twenty days' search, he found, and made the appointed signal by lighting
three fires, which, however, were not seen nor taken notice of by those
under the command of Cornelis, because they were busy in butchering their
companions, of whom they had murdered between thirty and forty; but some
few, however, got off upon a raft of planks tied together, and went to
the island where Mr. Weybhays was, in order to acquaint him with the
dreadful accident that had happened. Mr. Weybhays having with him forty-
five men, they all resolved to stand upon their guard, and to defend
themselves to the last man, in case these villains should attack them.
This indeed was their design, for they were apprehensive both of this
body, and of those who were on the third island, giving notice to the
captain on his return, and thereby preventing their intention of running
away with his vessel. But as this third company was by much the weakest,
they began with them first, and cut them all off, except five women and
seven children, not in the least doubting that they should be able to do
as much by Weybhays and his company. In the meantime, having broke open
the merchant's chests, which had been saved out of the wreck, they
converted them to their own use without ceremony.
The traitor, Jerom Cornelis, was so much elevated with the success that
had hitherto attended his villainy, that he immediately began to fancy
all difficulties were over, and gave a loose to his vicious inclinations
in every respect. He ordered clothes to be made of rich stuffs that had
been saved, for himself and his troop, and having chosen out of them a
company of guards, he ordered them to have scarlet coats, with a double
lace of gold or silver. There were two minister's daughters among the
women, one of whom he took for his own mistress, gave the second to a
favourite of his, and ordered that the other three women should be common
to the whole troop. He afterwards drew up a set of regulations, which
were to be the laws of his new principality, taking to himself the style
and title of Captain-General, and obliging his party to sign an act, or
instrument, by which they acknowledged him as such. These points once
settled, he resolved to carry on the war. He first of all embarked on
board two shallops twenty-two men, well armed, with orders to destroy Mr.
Weybhays and his company; and on their miscarrying, he undertook a like
expedition with thirty-seven men, in which, however, he had no better
success; for Mr. Weybhays, with his people, though armed only with staves
with nails drove into their heads, advanced even into the water to meet
them, and after a brisk engagement compelled these murderers to retire.
Cornelis then thought fit to enter into a negotiation, which was managed
by the chaplain, who remained with Mr. Weybhays, and after several
comings and goings from one party to the other, a treaty was concluded
upon the following terms--viz., That Mr. Weybhays and his company should
for the future remain undisturbed, provided they delivered up a little
boat, in which one of the sailors had made his escape from the island in
which Cornelis was with his gang, in order to take shelter on that where
Weybhays was with his company. It was also agreed that the latter should
have a part of the stuffs and silks given them for clothes, of which they
stood in great want. But, while this affair was in agitation, Cornelis
took the opportunity of the correspondence between them being restored,
to write letters to some French soldiers that were in Weybhays's company,
promising them six thousand livres apiece if they would comply with his
demands, not doubting but by this artifice he should be able to
accomplish his end.
His letters, however, had no effect; on the contrary, the soldiers to
whom they were directed carried them immediately to Mr. Weybhays.
Cornelis, not knowing that this piece of treachery was discovered, went
over the next morning, with three or four of his people, to carry to Mr.
Weybhays the clothes that had been promised him. As soon as they landed,
Weybhays attacked them, killed two or three, and made Cornelis himself
prisoner. One Wonterloss, who was the only man that made his escape,
went immediately back to the conspirators, put himself at their head, and
came the next day to attack Weybhays, but met with the same fate as
before--that is to say, he and the villains that were with him were
soundly beat.
Things were in this situation when Captain Pelsart arrived in the
_Sardam_ frigate. He sailed up to the wreck, and saw with great joy a
cloud of smoke ascending from one of the islands, by which he knew that
all his people were not dead. He came immediately to an anchor, and
having ordered some wine and provisions to be put into the skiff,
resolved to go in person with these refreshments to one of these islands.
He had hardly quitted the ship before he was boarded by a boat from the
island to which he was going. There were four men in the boat, of whom
Weybhays was one, who immediately ran to the captain, told him what had
happened, and begged him to return to his ship immediately, for that the
conspirators intended to surprise her, that they had already murdered 125
persons, and that they had attacked him and his company that very morning
with two shallops.
While they were talking the two shallops appeared; upon which the captain
rowed to his ship as fast as he could, and was hardly got on board before
they arrived at the ship's side. The captain was surprised to see men in
red coats laced with gold and silver, with arms in their hands. He
demanded what they meant by coming on board armed. They told him he
should know when they were on board the ship. The captain replied that
they should come on board, but that they must first throw their arms into
the sea, which if they did not do immediately, he would sink them as they
lay. As they saw that disputes were to no purpose, and that they were
entirely in the captain's power, they were obliged to obey. They
accordingly threw their arms overboard, and were then taken into the
vessel, where they were instantly put in irons. One of them, whose name
was John Bremen, and who was first examined, owned that he had murdered
with his own hands, or had assisted in murdering, no less than twenty-
seven persons. The same evening Weybhays brought his prisoner Cornelis
on board, where he was put in irons and strictly guarded.
On the 18th of September, Captain Pelsart, with the master, went to take
the rest of the conspirators in Cornelis's island. They went in two
boats. The villains, as soon as they saw them land, lost all their
courage, and fled from them. They surrendered without a blow, and were
put in irons with the rest. The captain's first care was to recover the
jewels which Cornelis had dispersed among his accomplices: they were,
however, all of them soon found, except a gold chain and a diamond ring;
the latter was also found at last, but the former could not be recovered.
They went next to examine the wreck, which they found staved into an
hundred pieces; the keel lay on a bank of sand on one side, the fore part
of the vessel stuck fast on a rock, and the rest of her lay here and
there as the pieces had been driven by the waves, so that Captain Pelsart
had very little hopes of saving any of the merchandise. One of the
people belonging to Weybhays's company told him that one fair day, which
was the only one they had in a month, as he was fishing near the wreck,
he had struck the pole in his hand against one of the chests of silver,
which revived the captain a little, as it gave him reason to expect that
something might still be saved. They spent all the 19th in examining the
rest of the prisoners, and in confronting them with those who escaped
from the massacre.
On the 20th they sent several kinds of refreshments to Weybhays's
company, and carried a good quantity of water from the isle. There was
something very singular in finding this water; the people who were on
shore there had subsisted near three weeks on rainwater, and what lodged
in the clefts of the rocks, without thinking that the water of two wells
which were on the island could be of any use, because they saw them
constantly rise and fall with the tide, from whence they fancied they had
a communication within the sea, and consequently that the water must be
brackish; but upon trial they found it to be very good, and so did the
ship's company, who filled their casks with it.
On the 21st the tide was so low, and an east-south-east wind blew so
hard, that during the whole day the boat could not get out. On the 22nd
they attempted to fish upon the wreck, but the weather was so bad that
even those who could swim very well durst not approach it. On the 25th
the master and the pilot, the weather being fair, went off again to the
wreck, and those who were left on shore, observing that they wanted hands
to get anything out of her, sent off some to assist them. The captain
went also himself to encourage the men, who soon weighed one chest of
silver, and some time after another. As soon as these were safe ashore
they returned to their work, but the weather grew so bad that they were
quickly obliged to desist, though some of their divers from Guzarat
assured them they had found six more, which might easily be weighed. On
the 26th, in the afternoon, the weather being fair, and the tide low, the
master returned to the place where the chests lay, and weighed three of
them, leaving an anchor with a gun tied to it, and a buoy, to mark the
place where the fourth lay, which, notwithstanding their utmost efforts,
they were not able to recover.
On the 27th, the south wind blew very cold. On the 28th the same wind
blew stronger than the day before; and as there was no possibility of
fishing in the wreck for the present, Captain Pelsart held a council to
consider what they should do with the prisoners: that is to say, whether
it would be best to try them 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 1629--I 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 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.