On the 18th of May, in the latitude of 26 minutes south and in the
longitude of 147 degrees 55 minutes, we observed the variation to be 5
degrees 30 minutes east. We were now arrived at the western extremity of
New Guinea, which is a detached point or promontory (though it is not
marked so even in the latest maps); here we met with calms, variable and
contrary winds, with much rain; from thence we steered for Ceram, leaving
the Cape on the north, and arrived safely on that island; by this time
Captain Tasman had fairly surrounded the continent he was instructed to
discover, and had therefore nothing now farther in view than to return to
Batavia, in order to report the discoveries he had made.
On the 27th of May we passed through the straits of Boura, or Bouton, and
continued our passage to Batavia, where we arrived on the 15th of June,
in the latitude of 6 degrees 12 minutes south, and in the longitude of
127 degrees 18 minutes. This voyage was made in the space of ten months.
Such was the end of this expedition, which has been always considered as
the clearest and most exact that was ever made for the discovery of the
Terra Australis Incognita, from whence that chart and map was laid down
in the pavement of the stadt-house at Amsterdam, as is before mentioned.
We have now nothing to do but to shut up this voyage and our history of
circumnavigators, with a few remarks, previous to which it will be
requisite to state clearly and succinctly the discoveries, either made or
confirmed by Captain Tasman's voyage, that the importance of it may fully
appear, as well as the probability of our conjectures with regard to the
motives that induced the Dutch East India Company to be at so much pains
about these discoveries.