3iS The V O Y 
friendly, except that they would fteal a little. The Cur- 
rent is not very confiderable in this Place, where it ebbs 
North-eaft, and flows South-weft. A South-weft Moon 
caufes a Spring-tide, which rifes feven or eight Feet at 
leaft. The Wind blows there continually South-eaft, or 
South South-eaft, which occafioned the Heemskirk' s being 
carried out of the Road, but, however, without any Da- 
mage, We did not fill any Water here, becaufe it was 
extremely hard to get it to the Ship. 
On the 25th, we were in the Latitude of 20 ’ 15' South, 
and in the Longitude of 20 6 3 19b The Variation here 
was 6 20' to the Eaft •, and, after having had Sight of 
Feveral other Iflands, we made that of Rotterdam: The 
Wanders here refemble thofe on the Iftand of Amfierdam. 
The People were very good-natured, parted readily with 
what they had, did not feem to be acquainted with the Ufe 
of Arms, but were given to Thieving, like the Natives of 
Amfierdam Iftand. Here we took in Water, and other 
Refrefhments, with all the Conventency imaginable. We 
made the whole Circuit of the Iftand, which we found 
well flocked with Cocoa-trees, very regularly planted 
we likewife faw abundance of Gardens, extremely well laid 
out, plentifully flocked with all kind of Fruit-trees, all 
planted in ftrait Lines, and the Whole kept in fuch excel- 
lent Order, that nothing could have a better Efifedl upon 
the Eye. After quitting, the Eland of Rotterdam , we had 
Sight of feveral other Iflands •, which, however, did not 
engage us to alter the Refolution we had taken of failing 
North, to the Height of 17 0 South Latitude, and from 
thence to fhape a Weft Courfe, without going near either 
Traitors Iftand, or thofe of Horne , we having then a very 
brifk Wind from the South-eaft, or Eaft South-eaft. 
I cannot help remarking upon this Part of Captain T afi 
man’s Journal That it is not eafy to conceive, unlefs he 
was bound up by his Inftrudlions, why he did not remain 
fome time either at Rotterdam or at Amfierdam Ifland, 
but el penally at the former fince, perhaps, there is not a 
Place in the World fo happily feated, for making new Dif- 
coveries with Eafe and Safety. He owns, that he traverfed 
the whole ifland •, that he found it a perfect Paradife ; and 
that the People gave him not the leaft Caufe of being diffi- 
dent in point of Security •, fo that, if his Men had thrown 
up ever fo flight a Fortification, a Part of them might 
have remained there in Safety, while the reft had attempted 
the Dilcovery of the Iflands of Solomon on the one hand, 
or the Continent of He Sfiuiros on the other •, from neither 
of which they were at any great Diftance: And, from his 
negleding this Opportunity, I take it for granted, that he 
was circutnicribed, both as to his Courfe, and to the Time 
he was to employ in thefe Difcoveries, by his Inftrudlions , 
for ctherwife, fo able a Seaman, and fo curious a Man, as 
his Journal fhews him to have been, would not certainly 
have neglected fo fair an Opportunity. 
1 1. On February 6. being in 17° 19' of South Latitude, 
and in the Longitude of 20 1° 35', we found ourfelves em- 
barafled by nineteen or twenty fmall Iflands, every one of 
which was furrounded with Sands, Sholes, and Rocks. 
Thefe are marked in the Charts by the Name of Prince 
William' s Iflands , or Hemskirk' s Shallows. On the 8th, 
we were in the Latitude of 15 0 29k and in the Longitude 
of 199° 31 . We had abundance of Rain, a ftrong Wind 
from the North-eaft, or the North North-eaft, with dark, 
cold Weather. Fearing therefore that we were run farther 
to the Weft, than we thought ourfelves by our Reckoning, 
and dreading that we fhould fall to the South of New Gtti- 
ney , or be thrown 'upon fome unknown Coaftin fuch blow- 
ing, mifty Weather, we refblved to fland away to the North, 
or to the North North-weft, till we fhould arrive in the La- 
titude ol 4, 5, or 6° South •, and then to bear away Weft 
for the Coaft of New Guiney , as the leaft dangerous Way 
that we could take. 
It is very plain from hence, that Captain Taflman had 
now laid afide all Thoughts of difeovering farther and, I 
'think, it. is not difficult ta guefs at the Reafon: When he 
was in this Latitude, he was morally certain, that he could, 
without further Difficulty, fail round by the Coaft of New 
Guiney , and fo back again to the Eaft Indies . It is therefore 
extremely probable, that he was diredled, by his InftrufUons, 
to 'coaft round that great Southern Continent already difeo- 
AGES of Book I. 
vered, in order to arrive at a Certainty, whether it was 
joined to any other Part of the World, or whether, not- 
withftanding its vaft Extent, viz. from the Equator to 43® 
of South Latitude, and from the Longitude of 123° to near 
190% it was, notwithftanding, an Ifland: This, I fay, was, 
in all Appearance, the true Defign of his Voyage •, and the 
Reafon of it feems to be this, that, an exadi Chart being 
drawn from his Difcoveries, the Eaft India Company might 
have perfect Intelligence of the Extent and Situation of this 
new-found Country, before they executed the Plan they 
were then contriving* for preventing its being vifited, or 
farther difeovered, by their own, or any other Nation : 
And this too accounts for the Care taken in laying down the 
Map of this Country on the Pavement of the new Stadt- 
houfe at Amfierdam for, as this Country was hencefor- 
ward to remain as a kind of Depofit, or Land of Referve, 
m the Hands of the Eafi India Company, they took this 
Method of intimating as much to their Countrymen j fo 
that, while Strangers are gaping at this Map as a Curiolity. 
every intelligent Dutchman may fly to himfelf, Behold the 
Wifldcm of the Eaft India Company / By their prefent Empire ^ 
they fupport the Authority of this Republic abroad , and, by 
their extenfive Commerce , enrich its Subjects at home , and 5 
at the fame time , fioew us here , what a Referve they have made 
for the Benefit of Pofterity , whenever , thro' the Vicijftudes 
to which all fublunary Things are liable , their prefent Sources 
of Power and Grandeur Jh all fail. 
I cannot help fupporting my Opinion,- in this refpedl, by 
putting the Reader in mind of a very curious Piece of an- 
cient Hiftory, which furnifbes us with the like Inftance in 
the Condudt of another Republic. Diodorus Siculus , in the 
filth Book of his Hifiorical- Library , informs us, that, in the 
African Ocean, fome Days Sail Weft from Libya , there had 
been difeovered an Ifland, the Soil of which was exceedingly 
fertile, and the Country no lefts pleafant,, all the Land being 
finely diverfified by Mountains and Plains, the former thick 
cloathed with Trees, the latter abounding with Fruits and 
Flowers, the Whole watered by innumerable Rivulets, and 
affording fo pleafant an Habitation, that a finer, or more 
de’ightful Country Fancy itfelf could not feign : Yet he 
allures us, the Carthaginians , thofe great Mailers of mari- 
time Power and Commerce, tho’ they had difeovered this 
admirable Ifland, would never fuffer it to be planted , but 
referved it as a Sandluary, to which they might fly, when- 
ever the Ruin of their own Republic left them no other Re- 
fource. This tallies exadlly with the Policy of the Dutch 
Eafi India Company, who, if they fhould, at any time, be 
driven from their Poffeffions in Java , Ceylon , and other 
Places in that Neighbourhood, would, without doubt, re- 
tire back into the Moluccas , and avail themfelves effedtually 
of this noble Difcovery, which lies open to them, and has 
been hitherto clofe fhut up to ail the World beftde. But to 
proceed : 
12. On February 14. we were in the Latitude of 16 0 
30 South, and in the Longitude of 193 0 35k We had 
hitherto had much Rain, and bad Weather •, but this Day, 
the Wind finking, we hailed our Confort the Zee-Haan •, and 
found, to our great Satisfaction, that our Reckonings agreed. 
On the 20th, in the Latitude of 13° 45', and in the Longi- 
tude ol 1 93 0 35', we had dark, cloudy Weather, much 
Rain, thick Fogs, and a rolling Sea-, on all Sides the Wind 
variable. On the 26th, in the Latitude of 9 0 48’, South, 
and in the Longitude of 193 0 43', we had a North-weft 
Wind, having every Day, for the Space of twentv-one 
Days, rained more or lefts. On March 2. in the Latitude 
of 9 0 1 ft South, and in the Longitude of 192° 46, the 
Variation was io° to the Eaft, the Wind and Weather Hill 
varying. On March 8. in the Latitude of 7 • 46' South, and 
in the Longitude of 190’ 47', the Wind was ftill variable. 
13. On the 14th, in the Latitude of 10T2' South, and 
in the Longitude of i86 J 14', we found the Variation 8* 
45/ to the Eaft.. We palled fome Days, without being able 
to take any Obfervation, becaufe the Weather was, all that 
time, dark and rainy. On March 20. in the Latitude of 
5 0 15' South, and in the Longitude of 18T 16', the Wea- 
ther being then fair, we found the Variation 9 0 Eaft ward. 
On the 2 2d, in the Latitude of 5 0 2 1 South, and in the 
Longitude of 178° 32', we had fine fair Weather, and the 
Benefit of the Eaft Trade-wind. This Day, we had Sight' 
