224 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



Company," our modern Dutch historian quaintly explains, 

 " gave as much attention to Christianity as could in reason 

 be demanded from a man of business." 



The Dutch Nor, again, do our Dutch records show any trace of that 

 business. cultured and instructed inquisitiveness that lightens 

 every page of later travellers like Dampier and Cook. 

 Science is interesting only as science helps business. 

 Business is interesting only as business produces dividends. 

 Many of the merchant princes, who ruled the East from 

 Amsterdam, were no doubt men of culture wide and deep, 

 and they were prepared to listen with a fairly open mind 

 to proposals of exploration ; but those proposals must 

 suggest more business for the Company. And the men 

 who went to Java to trade, and to sail, and to govern, 

 seem generally to have been drawn from the poorest 

 and least educated class. They were good men of business 

 and skilful navigators, and that sufficed. In the whole 

 story no single individual stands out from the crowd 

 of able skippers by virtue of distinct character and ideas. 

 All we learn from our records is, that men with Dutch 

 names sailed on voyages for the benefit of the Company, 

 and that they discovered barren coasts of no benefit 

 to the Company, nor to anyone else. 



The Duyfhen T ne Dutch discovered Australia by exploring the Southern 

 the West coast of New Guinea. The existence of New Guinea 

 coast of h ac i now been known for nearly a century, and it had 



Cape York 



Peninsula to a. reputation interesting to the commercial traveller. 

 Cape Already in 1526 Saavedra had named the North coast 



Keerweer - J 



in 13!, the " land of gold." When, late in 1606, Torres came 

 March to t k e South-West end, he was told by the Moors, whom 



IDOD. J 



he found conquering the Papuans, that " in all the land 

 there was much gold, and other good things, such as pepper 

 and nutmegs." The same news had reached the Dutch 

 at Java. In November 1605 a small pinnace named the 

 Duyfhen was sent from the Company's factory at Bantam 

 " for the discovery of the land called Nova Guinea which, 

 it is said, affordeth great store of gold." In their passage, 

 says our Dutch record, " they sailed by the islands of 

 Key and Aroum, and discovered the South and West 



