Chap. I. Wi lliam Cornelison Schovten. 1 1 
SECTION IX. 
*fhe remarkable Voyage of William Cornelison Schovten, of Horn, and j A ojj e s 
LE M aire, round the Worlds by a new Pajjage into the South Seas . . 
?[he Rife, Progrefs , zzW Defign , of this Undertaking,, 2. The jirange Reports fpre ad concerning it 
in Holland, and theReaJons which make it probable , that it was grounded upon Intelligence from England, 
5. Phe Unity dW Horn /zzf/ from the Texel, June 24. 1615. 4. Their Arrival on the Englifh Goaf 
where they take in a Gunner and Carpenter, y. Proceed , without any remarkable Accident , to the Coafl 
of Africa. 6. at Sierra Leona for Refrefhments. 7. They careen their Ships on King’s Iftand, 
where by Accident the Horn is burnt. 8. They continue their Voyage chearfully in the Unity, and have 
a Sight of the Sebaldine Iflands. 9. Di (cover the new Sir eights y and call the Eaft Shore States Land, 
and the Weft Maurice Land. 10. They difcover Barneveldtr Iflands, and pafs round Cape Horn. 
11. Defcription of the Iflands of Juan Fernandez, and Dog IJland. 12. yin Account of the If land 
Without Ground, and of its Inhabitants. 13. Defcription of Water IJland , and Fly Iftand. 14. They 
make Prize of a Jirange Bark , with a great many Indians on board it. 15. Account of Coco Iff and , 
and Traitors IJland, inhabited by Negroes. 16. An Account of Hope IJland , and its Inhabitants . 
17. Difcovery of Horn IJland\ and a large Account of the Manners of the People. 18. Defcription of 
Green IJland , and St. Johnh IJland. 19. Arrive on the Coafl of a Continent , which they take to be New 
GuineyV 20. Difcovery and Defcription of Vulcan’* Iftand. 21. A large Account of farther Dift 
coveries. 22. They pafs the Line a Second time , and leave the Coafl of New Guiney. 23. Arrive 
fafely in the Eaft Indies. 24. Anchor in the Port of Jaeatra, in the IJland of Java. 2y. Their Ship 
Seized by their own Eaft India Company, and their Effects confifcated. 26. Their Arrival in Holland, 
July 1. 1617. 27. Obfervations on this Voyage , 
1, T^HE States General of the United Provinces 
M having granted to the Eaft India Company an 
JL exclufive Charter, prohibiting thereby all their 
Subjects, except the faid Company, from carrying on any 
Trade to the Eaftward beyond the Cape of Good Hope , or 
Weftward through the Streights of Magellan , in any 
Countries either known or unknown, under very high 
Penalties, this Prohibition gave very great Diftafte to 
many rich Merchants, who were defirous of fitting out 
Ships, and making Difcoveries, at their own Cofts, and 
could not help thinking it a little hard, that the Govern- 
ment fhould thus, againft the Laws of Nature, bar thofe 
Pafiages which Providence had left free. Amongft the 
Number of thefe Merchants, there was one of Amfterdam , 
who then refided at Egmont , very rich, well acquainted 
with Bufinefs, and who had an earned: Defire to employ a 
Part of that Wealth, which he had acquired by Trade, in 
acquiring Fame as a Difcoverer. With this View he 
applied himfelf to William Cornelifon Schovten , of Horn , 
a Man in eafy Circumftances, and who was defervedly 
famous for his great Skill in maritime Affairs, and for his 
perfedt Knowledge in the Trade to the Indies , having been 
thrice there himfelf, in the different Charaders of Mafter, 
Pilot, and Supercargo, or, as the Phrafe in thofe Days 
was, of Merchant. The great Queftion propofed by Mr. 
le Maire to this intelligent Man was, Whether he did not 
think it poffible to find another Paffage into the South 
Seas than by the Streights of Magellan and whether, if 
this was poffible, it was not highly likely, that the Countries 
to the South of that Paffage might afford as rich 
Commodities as either the Eaft or Weft Indies? Mr. 
Schovten anfwered. That there was great Reafon to believe 
fuch a Paffage might be found, and ftill ftronger Reafons 
to confirm what he conjectured as to the Riches of thefe 
Southern Countries. After many Converfations upon this 
Subject, they came at laft to a Refolution of attempting 
fuch a Difcovery, from a full Perfuafion, that the States 
General could not intend, by their exclufive Charter to the 
Eaft; India Company, to preclude their Subjedts from 
difcovering Countries on the South by a new Route, diftinbt 
from either of thofe mentioned in that Charter. In con- 
fequence of this Agreement, it was ftipulated, that le 
Maire , and his Friends, fhould advance one Moiety to- 
wards the neceffary Expence of the Voyage, and Schovten , 
and his Friends, the other. In purfuance of this Scheme, 
Ifaac le Maire advanced his Part of the Money •, and Cor - 
nelifon Schovten , with the Affiftance of the following Per- 
fons, viz. Peter Clementfon , Burgermafter of Horn ; John 
janfon Molenwert , one of the Schepen or Aldermen of 
the fame Place 5 John Clementfon Keis, Senator of the faid 
5 
id the Difc ov cries made therein. 
T own ; and Cornelius Segetfon , a Merchant of Horn •, laid 
down the reft. It is certain, that fo many People of 
Subftance would never have embarqued in fuch a Projedt, 
if they had fo much as fufpedted, that the Eaft India Com- 
pany had a Right to confifcate their Veflels and Effedls 
whenever they had it in their Power : And we fhall here- 
after fee, that the States General themfelves were of the 
fame Opinion in a Cafe that has happened in our own 
Times, founded not only on the fame Reafons, but on 
the very Difcoveries that were made in this Voyage. As 
foon therefore as thefe Matters were adj ufted, which was 
in the Spring of the Year 1615. the Company engaged in 
this Undertaking began to apply themfelves to the carry- 
ing it into Execution, propofing to equip for that Purpofe 
a larger and a lefs Veffel, to fail from Horn at the proper 
Seafon of the Year. And that all Parries might be throughly 
fatisfied, it was determined, xMtWilliam Cornelifon Schovten , 
on Account of his Age and Experience, fliould have the 
Command of the larger Ship, with the foie Diredtion of 
the Voyage ; and that Jaques le Maire , the eldeft Son of 
Ifaac le Maire , fliould be the firft Supercargo. The 
Company were fo eager in the Profecution of their Defign, 
and fo attentive to whatever might be neceffary to pro- 
jmote it, that in the Space of Two Months all Things were 
ready, and a fufficient Number of Men engaged for navi- 
gating both Ships. But, as Secrecy was abfolutely neceffary, 
the Seamen were articled in general Terms to go when- 
ever their Mafters and Supercargoes fhould require ; and, 
in Confideration of fo unufual a Condition, their Wages 
were advanced confiderably ; which was a Circumftance of 
fuch Confequence, and there were in thofe Days fo .many 
adventurous Spirits, that they did not find it at all difficult 
to make up their intended Complement ^ which gave them 
an Opportunity of duffing none but experienced Mariners, 
on whofe Skill and Fidelity they could depend, a Circum- 
ftance of the utmoft Confequence in a Voyage of this 
Nature, where the Tempers of Men were fure to be 
thoroughly tried. 
2. Thefe extraordinary Preparations, but, above all, the 
mighty Secrecy that was obferved, caufed a great Noife, 
not only at Amfterdam , but all over Holland , where Peo- 
ple reafoned on the Intention of this Voyage, according to 
the feveral Degrees of their Capacity and Experience, fome 
fanfying they were bound to one Place, fome to another ; 
but the common People thought they hit upon their pros- 
per Title, in calling them the Gold-finders ; whereas the 
Merchants, who were better verfed in fuch Matters, called 
them, with greater Propriety, the South Company, and in- 
deed that was their true Designation j for the real Defign 
of Ifaac le Maire was to difcover thofe Southern Regions, 
to 
