344 PKOCKKDINGS OF SECTION E. 



New Zealand and South America, had any existence or not, but 

 the condition of his ship did not justify him in facing such a 

 voyage in the depth of winter, whilst, for similar reasons, the 

 thought of proceeding westerly, south of Tasmania, and direct to 

 the Cape of Good Hope, was laid aside, especially as no discovery 

 of moment could be hoped for in that route, since Tasman tiad 

 proved the Jion-existence of land in that direction (other than Aus- 

 tralia) north of his track, which was in the forties. But the 

 existence of land had been proved by the discoveries of various 

 navigators along the northern, western, and southern shores of 

 Australia, although it was not known whether this land formed one 

 continent or a series of islands separated by various straits, and, 

 indeed, this point was not finally determined until the Continent 

 had been circumnavigated by Flinders, many geographers clinging 

 to the idea that the Gulf of Carpentaria would likely extend across 

 to Spencer's or St. Vincent's Gulf. Whilst, however, the shores 

 other than the eastern wei'e more or less known, nothing was known 

 of that from the point where Tasman left the Tasmanian shores, 

 northward to the strait south of New Guinea, passed through bj' 

 Torres in 1605, and, even as regards this strait, laothing definite 

 was known, the main record of his work being stowed away in 

 dusty archives at Manilla. 



The amount of knowledge as to Austyalia available prior to 

 Cook's voyage may be realized from the following extract from 

 Callender's Voyages, Vol. 2, pages 275-6, published in 1768.^ It 

 is just possible that the work was published prior to Cook's depar- 

 ture from England, and that he had a copy on board the 

 Endeavour : — 



" New Holland is that vast region, which extends from the 

 5th to the 34th degree of South latitude, and from longitude 

 124 degrees to 187. To the north it has the Molucca Islands, 

 or the Sea of Lanchidol. To the west and south the Indian 

 Ocean, and the Pacific to the east. But, in this immense 

 stretch of land we are acquainted only with some parts of 

 the coast lying separated from each other, without being able 

 to affirm whether they compose one continent, or (as it is 

 more likely) they are large islands separated from each other 

 by canals or arms of the sea, the narrowest of which have been 

 supposed by navigators to be the mouths of rivers. Neither 

 are we yet assured if New Holland joins New Guinea on the 

 north, or Diemen's Land to the south. Tasman has verified 

 by his course that New Zealand, lying to the south-east, is 

 totally separated by the sea from the continents and islands 

 that lie nearer the equator. The principal countries of New 



1 Callender's work appears to be mainly a translation of the French work of De Brosses on the 

 same subject, published ten years earlier. 



