Visit of an Austrian Ship in 1778. 5 



Theresa^ commanded by Captain Bennet, landed on the N.E. 

 side of Kar-Nicobar, or New Denmark. This vessel had 

 been commissioned by the Imperial Government to select, 

 in the name of H. M. Joseph II., Austrian plantations 

 and commercial stations on the farther side of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. Of this remarkable expedition nothing more has 

 been handed down to us than is related by excellent Nicolas 

 Fontana, who accompanied the expedition as surgeon, in 

 his book of travels, which was published at LeijDzig in 

 1782.* 



Neither the libraries nor the archives of the empire seem 

 capable of furnishing more definite information respecting 

 this interesting undertaking. However, on the other hand, 

 through the kind offices of H.I.H. the Archduke Ferdinand 

 Maximilian with the Government of H.M. the King of the 

 Belgians, there have been found in the Royal Archives at 

 Brussels several highly important documents, bearing upon 

 this expedition, of which M. Gachard, keeper of the State 

 Archives in that country, had the kindness to furnish us with 

 copies ; and while we propose in the following remarks to 

 avail ourselves of the most interesting data, the more particu- 

 lar consideration of this cii'cumstance, so interesting in the 

 history of the develo^jment of our trade, will be deferred till 



• Journal of the Voyage of the I. R. Ship Joseph and Theresa to the new Aus- 

 trian plantations in Asia and Africa, by Nicolas Fontana, ship-surgeon to Mr. 

 Brambilla, body physician to the Emperor, assistant surgeon in the army. Trans- 

 lated from the Italian MS. by Joseph Eyerie. Dessau and Leipzig, — '■'■ Buch-hand- 

 Imig der Gelehrten." 



