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powerful kingdom of the Great Khan — the Cathay whose 

 wondefs had been first revealed to Europe by the traveller 

 Marco Polo in the 13th century. Not many years afier Da 

 Gama's discovery of the Cape route (1516), the Portuguese had 

 penetrated to Canton, and by the middle of the 16th century 

 (1542) had established relations with Japan, where, for a time, 

 they exerted a great influence, and carried on a lucrative trade. 

 When .the Dutch reached the East they were not slow to 

 follow in the footsteps of their rivals. Seven years after 

 the foundation of the Company they sent ships to Japan, and 

 continued to trade there every year, in spite of the violent 

 opposition of the Portuguese. Finally they were allowed to 

 set up a factory on Firando, an island to the west of Kiusiu, 

 and this soon became one of the most profitable stations of the 

 Company's trade. 



In 1635 a certain William Verstegen, residing at Firando, 

 sent a letter to Batavia stating that the Japanese reported that 

 many miles to the eastward, in latitude .'37|° North, there was 

 " a very great country or island, rich without measure in gold 

 and silver, and inhabited by civilised and friendly people." 

 This was just.the sort of report to excite the imaginations of 

 those early traders, wdio were constantly tantalised by dreams 

 of a new Mexico or Peru to be discovered in the Pacific. It 

 was known that in 1620 the Spaniards had searched in vain 

 for this golden island ; but, undeterred by the former failure, 

 Governor-General Van Diemen and his Council resolved to 

 fit out an expedition to make the discovery. The scheme, 

 through various domestic troubles, lay in abeyance for some 

 years, but in 1639 two ships were fitted out for the adventure. 

 Tasman's ship, the Eagel, was one of the vessels chosen. The 

 other was named the Gracht (Canal), and was under the com- 

 mand of an experienced sailor and pilot, Matthys Hendrikszoon 

 Quast, under whom Abel had sailed as mate in the Banda on 

 the homeward voyage three years before. Quast was chief, and 

 Tasman second in command. Tasman was now about !35 years 

 old; he had been but six years in the Company's service," and 

 had not only risen from the grade of a simple sailor to that of 

 captain of a ship, but was now entrusted with the second place 

 in a difficult and important enterprise. His rapid promotion 

 proves that Quast and the Colonial authorities had recognised 

 in him hi<rh qualities as a seaman and a leader of men. The 

 ships sailed from Batavia on 2nd June and made their way 

 round the north of the Philippine Islands, keeping a north- 

 easterly course until on 20th July they sighted some islands 

 belonging to a group now known as the Bonin Archipelago. 

 Thence they steered north-east, and then back to the Japan 

 coast searching for the land of gold. From this point they 



