30 



the chart) to False Cape, which was then thought to be part 

 of New Guinea, and is in 8 deg. south latitude. Thence he 

 was to sail along the south coast of New Guinea till he 

 reached 9 deg. of south latitude, where there was a large cove, 

 which might be the opening into the South Sea. Into this 

 he was to send the tender, the BraJe, for two or three days to 

 try and find a passage. If one were found he was to follow it 

 until he reached the furthest known discovered land of the 

 east coast in 17 deg. of south latitude (? 7 deg.), and then 

 follow the trend of the coast eastward and southward as it 

 might run until he reached his own discovery of the New Van 

 Dienien's Land. Thence he was to go north-westwards 

 to the islands of S. Peter and S. Francis lying off Peter Nuyt's 

 Land, and try and find another passage between them and 

 the southland eastward into the South Sea again. If this 

 other passage were discovered he was to return by it to 

 S. Peter and S. Francis. In any case he was to return from 

 these islands by the south and west coasts until he reached 

 Wilhelm's Eiver between EndraghtLand and De Witt's Land 

 in 22 deg. south latitude,- "when the known southland would 

 be entirely circumnavigated and discovered to be the largest 

 island of the globe." 



We all know that the fulfilment of these instructions is 

 quite feasible. The " large cove in 9 deg. south latitude and 

 to the south-west of False Cape is the western part of Torres 

 Straits, and the pricked line of Tasman's passage shows that 

 he passed near to the entrance of Endeavour Strait, between 

 the Prince of Wales Island and Cape York, by which Captain 

 Cook entered Torres Straits in 1770. It is at least singular to 

 note that the dotted line showing the edge of shoal water 

 that is drawn across the cove is not also drawn across 

 Endeavour Strait. And in the south, a course easterly from 

 S. Peter and S. Francis would have taken Tasrnan past the 

 Great Australian Bight and through Bass Straits. We shall 

 probably never know whether Tasman did send the BraJe into 

 the cove or strait to report, and if he did why the passage 

 through was not discovered. All that we know is that he did 

 not pass the strait, but instead of doing so fulfilled the 

 alternative course pointed out in the instructions. Before 

 finishing with this part of my subject, I cannot forbear from 

 again calling attention to the prescience of the Dutch 

 authorities in having in the manner mentioned thus indicated 

 the real position of the straits that give passage to the north 

 and south of Australia from the Indian Ocean to the great 

 South Sea, as they certainly knew nothing of what Torres 

 had done. Fifty years after Dampier still held to the opinion 

 that there was a great intermediate passage something like 

 that shown on medieval charts as running between Little Java 





