PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 345 



Holland we are as yet acquainted with are — Carpentaria, to 

 the north-east, the coast of which, forming a great bay, faces 

 to the west. At the entry of this bay are the Molucca Islands ; 

 to the north lie the lands of Arnhem and Diemen, which last 

 is different from the Diemen of Abel Tasman. To the north- 

 west lies the Land of De Witte. Towards the west lie 

 Endracht or Concordia, Edels, and Lewin. This last occupies 

 the point which lies south-west. To the south lies the Land 

 of Peter Nuytz; and, further south, but trending eastwards, 

 the Land of Diemen, if, indeed, this last should be compre- 

 hended under the division we are now describing. 



In running along the east coast of this country, back towards 

 the equator, we find the Terra Australus del Espiritu Santo, 

 discovered by Quiros. But all this vast interval, lying 

 betwixt Lewin and Quiros's discovery, is so little known that 

 we cannot tell what part of it is land and what is sea. This 

 tract extends from latitude 43 degrees south to latitude 19 

 degrees, and has not hitherto been visited, at least, as far as 

 we know." 



It is to be noted that the longitudes are not from Greenwich. 

 In Callender's time, and more especially in tlie times of the 

 voyagers of whom he wrote, it was usual to adopt as an initial 

 meridian that of some point in the Canaries or Azores, &c. The 

 following, amongst others, were adopted: — Corvo (31o 7' W.), 

 Fogo (24° 20' W.), Ferro (18° 10' W.), Teneriffe (16° 31' W.), 

 and Forte Ventura (14° W.). Probably, in the extract, the 

 meridian of Teneriffe had been adopted, but, in any case, the total 

 difference of longitude allowed — 63 degrees — is vastly in excess of 

 the correct difference in longitude of the extreme eastern and 

 western points of Australia — about 40 degrees — and is another in- 

 dication as to the vague knowledge as to the Continent at that 

 time. 



The writer has discussed the location of Captain Cook's Austra- 

 lian landfall in two papers read before the Royal Geographical 

 Society of Australasia (Victoria Branch), on 19th April, 1907, and 

 5th September, 1910, respectively, and has shown that, when day 

 broke on the memorable 19th April, 1770, the ranges of north- 

 eastern Victoria, from How^e Hill to the Diana Range, would be 

 above the horizon, and form the first Victorian land seen by white 

 men. 



As already mentioned. Cook sailed northward on sighting land, 

 and his charts show " Point Hicks " as being the extreme west 

 end of the coast-line he sighted. ^ It has been alleged that this 



' Cook describes aud shows thu coast as running nearly N.E. and S.W., shows Point Hicks as 

 tha most g.-Western Point, and describjs it as the most southern. Under such conditions it is 

 ■clear that he must also have considered it to be the most western land ho sighted. 



