ENDING OF THE DUTCH PART 303 



Van Diemen's Land " still the Van Diemen's Land of the The South- 

 North and their Chart still exists to prove the excellence ^bably 

 of their work. It covers, however, only the stretch of consists of 

 coast from Bathurst Island to Coburg Peninsula. And, 1S 

 though the survey is far more accurate than that of Tasman, 

 the main features of this very difficult coast are still mis- 

 understood. Bathurst Island and Melville Island are 

 still represented as promontories. And Van Diemen's 

 Gulf, which separates them from the mainland, is still 

 represented as a deep bay. Into this " bay " the Dutch 

 had sailed forty miles, without finding any diminution 

 in the saltness of the water. And it was " supposed 

 by our people that this inlet runs right through to the 

 South side of New Holland," and that there were other 

 passages, both to East and to West. " From this it seems 

 to follow that the South-land in a great measure consists 

 of islands, a supposition not at all improbable, considering 

 that on its South side, from the point called Leeuwin to 

 Nuytsland, it is entirely girt and surrounded by innumerable 

 islands." The theory seemed to be confirmed by " the peopled by 

 rude and barbarous character and malicious disposition " Sc 

 of the natives ; for " such serious defects are much more 

 generally found among islanders than among the inhabi- 

 tants of continents." North-West, in short, was as bad 

 as West ; the best hope was that you might be able to 

 get through it to some better land. 1 



To the Dutch the most interesting part of the South-land Shipwrecks 

 was the Abrolhos, and on those fearful rocks our study 

 of their story shall end. Ships continued to be wrecked 

 on them. Dampier heard over and over again from several 

 able seamen that ships ran aground there, when they 

 thought themselves to be a great way off. He guessed that 

 the Dutch had given that part of the land the name of 

 " Indraught," to warn sailors that it magnetically drew 

 ships in too fast ; though, in his opinion, " it is the nearness 



1 King, vol. i. p. 106, writes of this voyage : They explored " the 

 great bay of Van Diemen, but did not reach its bottom, having been 

 very likely prevented by the strong tides, which in the entrance of 

 Dundas Strait are altogether uncommon." 



