Chap. I. 
Captain Abel Jansen Tasman. 
profecuted the firft Maxim, has been very largely (hewn in 
the foregoing Section, wherein we have an ample Defcri- 
ption of the mighty Empire in the Hands, at this Day, of 
their Eafi India Company. As for the fecond Maxim, the 
Reader, in the Perufal of Funnel % Dampitr's , and other 
Voyages, but efpecially the firft, muft be fatisfied, that it 
is what they have conftantly at Heart, and which, at all 
Events, they are determined to purfue, at lead, with regard 
to Strangers ; and, as to their own Countrymen, the Ulage 
they gave to Commodore Roggewein , and his People, is a 
Proof, that cannot be contefted. 
Thefe Things being confidered, it is very plain, that the 
Dutch, or rather the Dutch Eafi India Company, are fully 
perfuaded, that they have already as much, or more, Ter- 
ritory in the Eafi Indies , than they can well manage ; and 
therefore they neither do, nor ever will, think of fettling 
New Quinsy , Carpentaria , New Holland , or any of the ad- 
jacent Elands, till either their Trade declines in the Eafi 
Indies , or they are obliged to exert themfelves on this Side, 
to prevent other Nations from reaping the Benefits, that 
might accrue to them by their planting thofe Countries. 
But this is not all •, for, as the Dutch have no Thoughts of 
fettling thefe Countries themlelves, they have taken all ima- 
ginable Pains to prevent any Relations from being publifned. 
which might invite or encourage any other Nation to make 
Attempts this Way , and I am throughly perfuaded, that 
this very Account of Captain Pel far I s Snipwreck would 
never have come into the World, if it had not been thought 
it would contribute to this End *, or, in other Words, would 
ferve to frighten other Nations from approaching fo inho- 
fpitable a Coaft, every-where befet with Rocks, abfolutely 
void of Water, and inhabited by a Race of Savages more 
barbarous, and, at the fame time, more miferable, than any 
other Creatures in the World. 
This Reflection accounts for our publifhing a Voyage^ 
that has neither Beginning, nor End ; a Voyage, which leems 
to give fo little Light, and which ferves only to prefen t to 
our View a Scene of Blood and ConfufioU. But this Voy- 
age, fhort and imperfedt as it feems to be, (hews us how 
large a Country New Holland is, and how conveniently fi t li- 
ar ed, with refpeft to the Trade of the Eafi Indies. But 
whatever there may be dark or obicure in this Section, will 
be fully cleared up in the next, and this Subject fee in fo 
full a Point of View, that it will be impoffible to throw any 
Clouds over it for the future, or to perfuade the World, 
that the Thoughts of difeovering a Southern Indies are vi- 
fionary, or the Means necefiary to be taken for the perfect- 
ing that Difcovery impracticably. 
SECTION XXII. 
The Voyage of Captain Abel Jansen Tasman, for the Difcovery of Southern Countries y 
by Direction of the Dutch Eafi India Company. 
[ Taken from his original Journal, j 
X. "I be Occajion and Dejign of this Voyage. 2. Captain Tafman fails from Batavia, Auguft 14. 1 642. 3. Re* 
marks on the Variation of the Needle. 4. He di [covers a new Country , to which he gives the Name of 
Van Diemen’s Land. 7. Sails from thence for New Zeland. 6. Vi fits the If and of the Three Kings ; 
and goes in Search of other Ifiands dfeovered by Schovten. 7. Remarkable Occurrences in the Voyage. 
8. Qbfervations on, and Explanation of, the Variation of the CompaJ's. 9. Dif covers a new If and , which 
he calls Pyiftaart Ifland. 10. And two Ifiands , to which he gives the Name of Amfterdam and Rotterdam. 
1 1. And an Vlrchipelago of twenty Jmall Ifiands. 1 2. Occurrences in the Voyage. 13. He arrives at the 
Archipelago of Anthong Java. 14. His Arrival on the Coaft of New Guiney. ry. Continues his Voyage 
along that Coaft. 16. Arrives in the Neighbourhood of Burning Ifland, and purveys the whole Coaft; of 
New Guiney. 17. Comes to the Ifiands of Jama and Moa. ] 8. Fr of e cutes his Voyage to Ceram. 19. Ar* 
rives J'afely at Batavia, June 15. 1643. 20. Confequences of Captain Talma ns Difcoveries. 21. Remarks 
upon the Voyage. 
t. CT1HT great Difcoveries that were made by the 
Dutch in thefe Southern Countries, were fub- 
J 1 L. fequent to the famous Voyage of Jaques le 
Maire , who, in 1616, paffed the Streights called by his 
Name. In 1618, that Part of I' err a Aufiralis was difco- 
vered, which the Dutch call Concordia. The next Year, 
the Land of Edels was found, and received its Name from 
its Difcoverer. In 1620, Batavia was built on the Ruins 
' of the old City of Jacatta % but the Seat of Government 
was not immediately removed from Amboyna. In 1622, 
that Parr, of New Holland , which is called Lewins Land,, 
was firft found •, and in 1627, Peter Nuyts difeovered, be- 
tween I lew Holland and New Guiney, a Country, which 
bears his Name. There ‘were alfo fome other Voyages 
made, of which, however* we have no fort of Account* 
except that the Dutch were continually beaten in all their 
Attempts to land upon this Coaft. On their Settlement, 
however, at Batavia, the then General and Council of the 
Indies thought it requifite to have a more per feed Survey 
made of the new-found Countries, that the Memory of them 
at leaft might be preferred, in cafe no further Attempts 
were made to Jettle them * and it was very probably a 
Forefight of few Ships going that Route any more, which 
induced fuch. as had then the Direction of the Company’s 
Affairs to wifh, that fome fuch Survey and Defcription 
.might be made by an able Seaman, who was well acquainted 
with thofe Coafts, and who might be able to add to the 
.Difcoveries already made, as well as furnifh a more accurate 
Defcription, even of them, than had been hitherto given. 
Numb. XXIII. 
This was faithfully performed by Captain Fafman ; and, 
from the Lights afforded by his Journal, a very exacd and 
curious Map was made of all thefe new Countries. But his 
V oyage was never publifiied intire ; and It is very probable, 
that the Eafi India Company never intended it fhould be 
publifiied at all. However, Dirk Rembraniz, moved by 
the Excellency and Accuracy of the Work, publifiied in 
Low Dutch an Extract of Captain Fafman s Journal, which 
has been, ever fince, confidered as a very great Curiofity i 
and, as fuch, has been tranfiated into many Languages, 
particularly into our own, by the Care of the learned Pro- 
feffor of Grefioam College Dr. Hook, an Abridgment of which 
Tranflation found a Place in Dr, Harris's Collection of 
Voyages. But we have made no Ufe of either of thefe 
Pieces, the following being a new Tranflation, made with 
all the Care and Diligence that is poffible. 
2. On Auguft 14. 1642, I failed from Batavia with two 
Veffels •, the one called the tleemfdrk, and the other the 
Zee-Haan. On September 5. I anchored at Maurice Ifland, 
in the Latitude of 20° South, and in the Longitude of Sft 
48k I found this Ifland fifty German Miles more to the 
Eaft than I expefted ; that is to fay, ft 33' of Longitude. 
This Ifland was fo called from Prince Maurice, being be- 
fore known by the Name of Cerne. It is about fifteen 
Leagues in Circumference, and has a very fine Harbour, at 
the Entrance of which there is 100 Fathom Water. The 
Country is mountainous •, but the Mountains, are covered 
with green Trees. The Tops of thefe Mountains are fo 
high, that they are loft in the Clouds, and are frequently 
4 O covered 
