TASMAN'S VOYAGE OF 1644 291 



definite verdict left men doubting whether after all the 

 Shallow Bight did not end in a practicable strait. The 

 South coast of New Guinea is well known, and also the 

 North coast as far Eastwards as New Britain and New 

 Ireland, which are supposed to be part of New Guinea. 

 But nothing whatever is known about the Eastern coast 

 of New Guinea, though it has a persistently bad reputation, 

 and seamen strike North of it with the greatest care. 

 Nor is anything known of the region between New Guinea 

 and Tasmania, which must contain the Eastern coast 

 of the continent. Tasman can only draw a shaded line 

 bulging widely towards the East, to indicate a coastline 

 which must exist somewhere to connect what he had 

 seen in the North with what he had discovered in the 

 South. 



Tasman's voyages had been profitable to geographers, 

 but very unsatisfactory to shareholders. He had mapped 

 the outline of a huge continent, but it seemed to be as 

 useless as it was huge. Van Diemen and the Councillors, Van 

 however, did not despair. On the contrary their schemes 

 grew larger. New trouble with the Portuguese and the schemes, 

 lack of fitting yachts compelled them to abandon the 

 voyage, that had been planned for September 1644, to 

 make sure there was a clear way round Staten Land to 

 Chili. But they were " strongly inclined," they wrote 

 to the managers in December 1644, "to further discovery 

 of Tartary, and the Northern parts of America, together 

 with the South-lands recently discovered in the East, 

 and the Solomon Islands " ; truly big enough projects ! 

 They were convinced that gold and silver would be found, 

 and convinced also that mines were necessary to the 

 Company's prosperity. They still hoped also, with God's 

 aid, " to attempt some good booty by taking the enemy 

 at unawares." As for Tasman's voyages, they had no 

 doubt been disappointing. But he had at all events outlined 

 an island of eight thousand miles, and it would be odd if 

 nothing good were found between 2-| and 43! S. Lat. ! 

 " Thorough exploration of newly-discovered lands is no 

 work for the first comer. . . . God grant that in one or 



