THE PRECURSORS OF COOK 373 



Leeuwin and Quiros's discovery is so unknown that one 

 cannot tell what part of it is land, and what part is sea," 

 and had thought " more likely " the view that the unknown 

 was, not one continent, but " large islands, separated from 

 each other by canals or arms of the sea." Bougainville 

 had now proved that, in respect to Espiritu Santo, de 

 Brosses' map was wrong, and de Brosses' text was right. 

 The same fact, we remember, had been proved one hundred 

 and sixty years before by Torres ; but the route of Torres 

 was known, it seems, only by Dalrymple, and Dalrymple, 

 who told the fact to Mr. Banks, did not tell it to Bougain- 

 ville. All that Bougainville knew was that, somewhere 

 to the West, must be the East coast of New Holland, and 

 he bravely resolved to sail Westward for three hundred 

 and fifty leagues. " I resolved," he writes, " to do it, 

 though the condition and the quantity of our provisions 

 seemed to give us reason to make the best of our way 

 to some European settlement." 



He therefore sailed West in Latitude 15. Had he 

 persevered he would have come to the Australian coast 

 near Cooktown, and would, likely enough, have been 

 wrecked where Cook was wrecked two years later. But, 

 after a week's sail, he found himself in the midst of dangers. 

 He saw sandbanks and shoals, a low land to the South- 

 West, and breakers to the North-West that appeared 

 to stretch without end. " The sea broke with great 

 violence on the shoals, and some summits of rocks appeared 

 above water. This last discovery was the voice of God, "The voice 

 and we were obedient to it. ... I gave orders to steer of God -" 

 North-East by East, abandoning the scheme of proceeding 

 further Westward in the Latitude of 15." He concluded 

 that the Eastern coast of New Holland was not much better 

 than the Western coast which Dampier had seen in the 

 same Latitude. " I should willingly believe, as he does, 

 that this land is a cluster of isles, the approach to which 

 is made difficult by a dangerous sea, full of shoals and 

 sandbanks. After such an explanation, it would be rashness 

 to risk running in with a coast from whence no advantage 

 could be expected, and which one could not clear but 



