Zll The VOX 
parent Connexion, and Impoffibility of making Forgeries 
tally fo exactly, we muft conclude, that there is very full 
Evidence in Support of both thefe Portions •, viz. that 
theie is a great Continent, and many Iflands, to the South •, 
and that this Continent, and thofe Iflands, are very probably 
•rich anct well-peopled, to which if a Trade could be 
opened, it might, nay, muft, be very commodious, and 
produce as great or greater Advantage's, than thofe which 
have reful ted from the Difcoveries of America. 
It is indeed aftoni fifing, that, confidering even the im- 
perfect Accounts that have been had of thefe Southern 
Lands within the laft and the prefent Century, no Euro- 
pean Potentate ever ferioufly undertook the Conqueft of 
them-. It is true, that many Expeditions have been made 
for difcovering, but not one lor making a Settlement. 
T. here never yet was fitted out any Squadron ftrong enough, 
either in Ships or in Men, to attempt penetrating into the 
Heart oi any ot theie Countries. The Englifh and the 
Dutch have contented themfelves with running along the 
Coafts, without ever venturing to make a Defcent, either 
foi fear of being overpowered by the Inhabitants-, or in 
Apprenenfion of wanting Provifions in their Return, in 
cafe they amuled themfelves too long in this Part of the 
Vv orld, Such are the Reafons aftigned by our Author for 
the Mifcarriage of the Delign in which he was concerned, 
as well as of all the reft upon that Plan. He concludes his 
DilCourfe with laying down certain Maxims, which, he 
thinks, if fteadily purfued, would greatly contribute to, if 
not abfolutely eftecl, this ufeful and important Difcovery. 
In the firft Place, fays he, fuch a Defign is not to be under- 
taken with one or two Ships, but with a Squadron, and 
thofe too of feveral Kinds ; fome Ships of Force, fbme 
Tenders, all well provided, and victualled for a long Voy- 
age. Secondly, fays he, the Ship’s Company ought to be 
compofed chiefly of good Seamen ; whereas hitherto the 
Majority of the Crews of fuch VefTels have confided of Sol- 
diers, or of mere Land-men of fome fort or other. He 
gives this Reafon in Support of the Maxim he lays down : 
In fuch a Voyage, it is natural that both Sorts fhould de- 
creaie ; but the Confequence is, by no means, equal : For, 
if there be Seamen enough left, they can always fight ; but, 
let there be ever fo many Land-men, they cannot work the 
Ship in Time of Danger. Plis third Maxim is, that, fome 
Months after fitting out the firft Squadron, there fhould be 
another Tent after them, which, as he obferves, would pre- 
vent the bad Effe&s of the Scurvy, and of corrupt Provi- 
viftons, ftnce it would give an Opportunity of fhifting 
Crews, and prevent either Squadron remaining too long at 
Sea without a convenient Supply. In the fourth Place, he 
fays, that, as it is impoffible to forefee the Accidents that 
may happen in a Voyage, a certain Place of Rendefvous 
fhould be fixed before the firft Squadron fails, and the Cap- 
tain of each VefTel ftriCtly injoined to repair thither, and 
continue there for a certain Time, in order to wait for his 
Conforts. The laft Rule he lays down is this, that whoever 
is trufted with the chief Command of fuch an Expedition, 
fhould not be limited or reftrained by his Commiftion, but 
that much fhould be left to his Dilcretion ; becaufe other- 
wife he will either be at a Lofs when to follow what the 
Circumftances of the Voyage direCt, and when to adhere to 
his Orders ; or elfe, for his own Security, he will only con- 
fider the latter : Whereas the Succefs of the Defign muft 
always depend on his judging and ading rightly with regard 
to the former. In all Probability, the true Reafon, why 
none of the Princes of Europe have hitherto under- 
taken any thing in this Affair, as if they were in Earneft, is, 
that they all wait till fome one (hall begin, who having 
opened a Way at his own Expence, they 3 may be able to 
follow him with more Certainty, and lefs Danger : Yet 
what Reafon is there, in this Cafe, to hope, that the firft 
Difcoverer fhould be lefs tenacious of his Rights, than the 
French are of theirs in Canada , the Spaniards in Peru , the 
For fugue fe in Brafil, the Englifi in Virginia , and the Dutch 
at the Moluccas ? The Law of Nations gives an exclufive 
Right of Trade to the firft Difcoverer ; and an Attempt to 
violate this would be confidered as an open Rupture. The 
great Point then is to be the firft Difcoverer, the lawful 
Lord and Proprietor of this new Trades which muft very 
AGES of Book I. 
foon render the Power poffeffed of it, if properly managed, 
the moft confiderable Maritime Power in Europe. ° 
1 6. When the Dutch Commodore quitted the Hand of 
Eecre-ation , he (leered a North- weft Courfe, purfuant to 
the Refoiution of the laft Council, in order to attain the 
Height of New Britain. The third Day after they failed, 
they difeovered in the Latitude of 12 0 South, and in the 
Longitude of 290, feveral Iflands, which appeared very 
beautiful at a Diftance \ and, as they came nearer, they 
plainly difeerned, that they were well planted with Fruit- 
trees of ail Sorts; that the Country produced Herbs, Corn, 
and Roots, in great plenty, laid out, towards the Coaft, in 
large and regular Plantations. As foon as the Inhabitants 
difeerned the Ships, they came in their Boats, and brought 
them Fifh, Cocoa-nuts, Indian Figs, and other Refrelh- 
rnents ; in Return for which, the Dutch gave them, as 
ufual, fmall Looking-ejaftes, Strings: of Beads, and other 
Trifles. . .. 
It quickly appeared, that thefe Iflands were very fully 
peopled, ftnce many Thoufands of Men and Women, the 
former, generally fpeaking, armed with Bows and Arrows, 
came down to the Shore to look at them:. They faw, 
amongft the reft, a very majefticPerfonage, whom, from the 
Drefs he wore, and the Honours that were paid him, they 
eafily difeovered to be the Prince or Sovereign of this Na- 
tion. He prefently ftepped into his Canoe, accompanied 
by a fair you.ng Woman, who fat clofe by his Side. His 
Canoe was immediately furrounded by a vaft Number of 
other VefTels, that crouded about it, and feemed intended 
for a Guard. All the Inhabitants of thefe Iflands were 
white, and differed nothing in their Complexion from Eu- 
ropean. r, except that they were a little fun-burnt. They 
feemed to be a very harmlefs good fort of People, very 
brifk and lively, treating each other with vifible Marks of 
Civility, and difeovering nothing that was wild or favage 
in their Behaviour. Their Bodies were not painted like 
thofe of the other Indians they had feen, but very 
handfomely cloathed from the Girdle downwards with a 
fort of Silk Fringes, very neatly folded. On their Heads 
they wore Hats of a very neat kind of Stuff, and very laro- e 
to keep off the Sun ; and, about their Necks, they wore 
Collars of very beautiful and odoriferous Flowers. The 
Country itfelf appeared exquifitely charming, every one of 
the Iflands being agreeably diverftfied with Hills and Val- 
leys, as lovely as Imagination can paint. Some of them 
were ten, fome fifteen, and fome again twenty Miles in 
Compafs. They thought fit to call them Bowman's IJlands , 
after the Captain of the Eienhoven , who firft difeovered 
them. It appeared, that each Family or Tribe had its par- 
ticular DiftriCt, and compofed of feparate Governments, all 
of them being laid out into fair regular Plantations, after 
the fame manner with thofe of the Ifland of Pafch before 
deferibed. Our Author fays, that it is a Point of Juftice 
due to thefe Iflanders to acknowledge, that they were, in 
all refpe&s, the moft civilized and beft difpofed People 
they met with in the South Seas. Inftead of fhewing any 
Terrors or Apprehenfions at their Arrival, they expreffed 
the utmoft Joy and Satisfaction, treated them with a Kind- 
nefs and RefpeCt not to be deferibed, and manifefted the 
moft fincere and moft deep Concern, when they perceived, 
that, in fpite of ail their officious Diligence, thefe New- 
comers were not like to ftay amongft them. 
It feems the Dutch themfelves felt many of them a like 
Concern, and would have been extremely well pleafed to 
have made a longer Stay in fo plentiful a Country, and 
among fo kind a People ; the rather becaufe it was morally 
certain, that, by the Help of the vaft abundance of good 
Provifions, with which thefe Wanders willingly furnifhed 
them, ail their fick People, in a Month’s time, would 
have perfectly recovered. Add to all this, that thefe Iflands 
had one Conveniency fuperior to thofe they had before met 
with; viz. that there was exceeding good Anchoragea long 
their Coafts, where they rode in fifteen or twenty Fathom 
Water in the greateft Safety. So many advantageous Cir- 
cumftances ought certainly to have prevailed on the Com- 
modore, and his Officers, to have remained there ; but 
their Heads were fo full of an Eafi India Voyage, and they 
were fo extremely fearful of miffing the Eafc Monfoon, that 
they 
