370 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



which only casual glimpses had thus far been obtained. Cap- 

 tain Abel Jansen Tasman was intrusted with this duty by Van 

 Diemen, Governor-General of the Company. He left Batavia 

 in August with two vessels, the Zeehaan and the Heemskirk, 

 and proceeded towards the south and southeast. During this 

 portion of the voyage the needle was in such continual agita- 

 tion, unwilling to remain in any of the eight points and boxing 

 the whole compass in twenty-four hours, that Tasman was led 

 to believe large mines of loadstone to exist in the vicinity. On 

 the 24th of November he discovered land, and gave to it the 

 name of Van Diemen's Land, — a name which it has retained, 

 though in honor of its discoverer it is often, of late years, called 

 Tasmania. He saw no inhabitants, though he fancied he heard 

 human voices. He noticed two trees, fifteen feet in girth and 

 sixty feet in height from the ground to the branches. Up the 

 trunks of these trees steps, five feet apart, had been cut in the 

 bark. By these the natives, apparently of prodigious size, had 

 climbed into the foliage and robbed the birds' nests of their 

 eggs. Though a sound resembling that of a trumpet had been 

 heard, though tracks of wild beasts were fresh in the sand, and 

 though smoke ascended from the interior in several places, 

 no living creature was seen. Tasman set up a post, upon which 

 every man of the company cut his name, and upon the top of 

 which a flag was hoisted, and then set out in quest of the Solo- 

 mon Islands, which he supposed to lie to the east. 



On the 13th of September he discovered a high, mountainous 

 country, to which he gave the name of Staten Land, — Land of 

 the States, [of Holland.] Its present name is New Zealand. He 

 coasted along the shore to the northeast, and anchored in a fine 

 bay, though he did not disembark. The savages, who were shy 

 at first, at last ventured on board the Heemskirk, in order to 

 trade. Tasman, suspicious of their intentions, sent a boat with 

 seven men from the Zeehaan, to put the crew of his consort 

 upon their guard. These seven men, being without arms, were 



