128 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



about 43 that is eight degrees South of Cape Leeuwin 

 continue to mark rivers at frequent intervals, even 

 after, at about 50, the coastline of Jave la Grande has 

 joined the coastline of the " Austral land not yet wholly (!) 

 discovered," and, finally draw an " Isle of Giants," with 

 full geographic detail, away to the West of the coast 

 which we are asked to believe is the coast of Australia. 

 If one guesses often enough, it is likely that one guess 

 or other will hit the mark. 



The contour of the Western coast does not seem to 

 me to resemble the contour of the coast of West Australia 

 in a convincing degree. It is true that the differences 

 are not sufficiently great to disprove identity. But, 

 as the whole argument depends, in my opinion, on these 

 resemblances, one must demand that they be very con- 

 vincing indeed. Now the distinguishing features of the 

 Western coast of these maps is the great out-jutting 

 promontory ending in Cape de Grace, that is partly cut 

 out from the mainland by the " Baye Bresill " on the North 

 and the " Hame de Cylla " on the South. There 

 seems to be nothing in the Australian coastline that 

 corresponds to this great out-jutting promontory. If 

 we proceed to identify details, Baye Bresill will be King 

 Sound, Cape de Grace will be North-West Cape, Hame 

 de Cylla will be Swan River. It seems to me that the 

 mutual relations of the three places on the Portuguese 

 map do not show the remarkable similarity to the mutual 

 relations of the three places on the modern map that 

 the argument demands. 



When we look at the geographical features of the coast- 

 line separately it is easy to see certain resemblances in 

 detail. The estuary of the Rio Grande looks rather 

 like Queen Channel or Cambridge Gulf. The coastline 

 from Rio Grande to the Baye de Bresill looks rather like 

 the coastline from Cambridge Gulf to King's Sound. 

 The Baye de Bresill is nearly in the same Latitude as 

 King's Sound. One is tempted to guess that Hame 

 de Cylla may be Swan River, and to find Houtman's 

 Abrolhos in the streak of shoals that appears in the 



