Chap, 1. Captain Abel Jansen Tasman. 
from which New Zeland feems to be feparated by a 
Straight ; and, perhaps, is Part of another Continent, ah- 
fwenng to Africa , as this, of which we are now fpeaking, 
plainly does to America. This Continent reaches from 
the Equinoctial to 44° of South Latitude, and extends from 
122 0 to 1 88° of Longitude, making indeed a very large 
Country, but nothing like what de fjuiros imagined ; 
which fhews how dangerous a thing it is to trull too much 
to Conje&ure in fuch Points as thefe. It is, fecondiy, 
obfervable, that as New Guiney , Carpentaria , and New 
Holland , had been already pretty well examined. Captain 
Tafman fell directly to the South of thefe j fo that his fir ft Dif- 
covery was V an Diemen s Land, the moil Southern Part of 
the Continent on this Side the Globe j and then, palling 
round by New Zeland , he plainly difcovered the oppofite 
Side of that Country towards America , though he vifited the 
Xfiands only ; and never fell in again with the Continent, 
till he arrived on the Coaft of New Britain , which he mif- 
took for that of New Guiney ; as he very well might, that 
Country having never been fufpefted to be an Eland, till 
Dampier difcovered it to be fuch in the Beginning of the 
prefent Century. Thirdly, by this Survey, theie Coun- 
tries are for ever marked out, fo long as the Map, or Me- 
mory or this Voyage, fh all remain. The Dutch Raft India 
Company have it always in their Power to direCt Settle- 
ments, or new Difcoveries, either in New Guiney , from the 
Moluccas , or in New Holland , from Batavia dire&ly. The 
Prudence fhewn in the ConduCl of this Affair, deferves 
tne highefl Praife. To have attempted heretofore, or 
even now, . the eftabli thing Colonies in thofe Countries, 
would be impolitic, becaule it would be grafping more 
than the Eajl India Company, or than even the Republic 
of Holland , could manage : For, in the firfl place, to 
reduce a Continent, between three and four thoufand Miles 
broad, is a prodigious Undertaking ; and to fettle it by 
degrees, would be to open, to all the World, the Importance 
of that Country, which, for any thing we can tell, may 
be much fuperior to any Country yet known. The only 
Choice therefore that the Dutch had left, was to referve 
this mighty Difcovery till the Seafon arrived, in which 
they fhould be either obliged by Neceffity, or invited by 
Occafion, to make ule of it. But though this Country be 
referved, it is . no longer either unknown or neglected by 
the Dutch , which is a Point of very great Confequence. 
To the other Nations of Europe, the Southern Continent 
is a Chimera, a 1 hing in the Clouds, or at leafl a Country 
about which there are a thoufand Doubts and Sufpicions fo 
that to talk of difcovering or fettling it, muft be regarded 
as an idle and empty ProjeCl : But, with refpedt to them, 
it is a thing perfectly well known ; its Extent, its 
Boundaries, its Situation, the Genius of its feveral Na- 
tions, and the Commodities of which they are pofleffed, 
are abfolutely within their Cognizance-, fo that they are at 
Liberty to take fuch Meafures as appear to them befl for 
fecunng the eventual Pofifeffion of this Country, when- 
1 ever they think fit. This Account explains at once all the 
!! Myfteries which the bell Writers upon this Subjeft have 
I tound m the Butch Proceedings. It fhews why they have 
[ b f n at fo much Pains to obtain a clear and diftinCl Survey 
| of thefe diftant Countries ; why they have hitherto forborn 
I Lttling, and why they take fo much Pains to prevent other 
Nations from coming at a diftinCt Knowledge of them : 
f .-^ na ^ ma Y add t0 this another Particular ; which is, that 
lit accounts for their permitting the Natives of Amboyna , 
f wl \° are th f. ir Subjeds, to carry on a Trade to New Guiney , 
and the adjacent Countries ; fince, by this very Method 
it is apparent, that they gain daily frefh Intelligence, as to 
the Produd and Commodities of thofe Countries. Havino- 
thus explained the Confequence of Captain TafmanK 
' y °U l Ug and thereby fully juflified my giving it a Place 
m this Part of my Work, I am now at Liberty to purfue 
the Refledions with which I promifed to clofe this Sedion, 
ai l d n he T m 1 u Qry f Lircum-navigators ; and, in doing 
which i mail endeavour to make the Reader fenfible of 
tne Advantages that anfe from publifhing thefe Voyages in 
1 e , ir P r °P er Order, fo as to fliew what is, and what is yet, 
1 10 be difcovered of the Globe on which we live. 
21. In fpeaking of the Confequences of Captain Taf- 
man s Voyage,, it has been very amply fhewn, that this 
3 
Part of Terra Aufiralis, or Southern Country, has been 
fully and certainly difcovered. To prevent, however, the 
Reader’s making any Miftake, I will take this Oppor- 
tunity of laying before him feme Remarks on the whole 
Southern Hemifphere-, which will enable him immediately 
to comprehehd all that I have afterwards to fay on this 
Subjed. - J 
If we fuppofe the South Pole to be the Centre of a 
Chart of which the Equinodial is the Circumference, 
we fhall then difeern four Quarters ; of the Contents 
of which, if we could give a full Account, this Part 
of the World would be perfedly difcovered. To 
begin then with the firfl of thefe, that is, from the 
firfl Meridian, placed in the Ifland of Fero : Within this Di- 
vilion, that is to fay, from the firfl to the ninetieth Degree 
of Longitude, there lies the great Continent of Africa ; 
the moll Southern Point of which is the Cape of Goad 
Hope, lying in the Latitude of 34 0 if South: Between 
that and the Pole, feveral fmall, but very inconfiderable 
Elands, have been difcovered, affording us only this De- 
gree of Certainty, that, to the Latitude of 50°, there is 
no Land to be found of any Confequence. There was 
indeed a Voyage made by Mr. Bovet, in the Year 1738, 
on purpofe to dilcover, whether there were any Lands to 
the South in that Quarter or not. This Gentleman failed 
fiom Port l Orient July the 18th, 1738 ; and, on the iff 
of January 1739, difcovered a Country, the Coafts of 
which were covered with fee, in the Latitude of 54 0 South, 
and in theLongitude of 28° 30'; the Variation of the Com- 
pafs being there 6 Degrees 45 Minutes to the Weft. 
In the next Quarter, that is to fay, from 90° Longitude 
to 180G lie the Countries of which we have been fpeak- 
ing 1 or that large Southern Ifland, extending from the 
Equinoctial to the Latitude of 43 0 10', and the Longi- 
tude of 167 55 5 which is the Extremity of Van Diemen's 
Land. 
In the third Quarter, that is, from the Longitude of 
150 to 170°, there is very little difcovered with any Cer- 
tainty. Captain Tafman, indeed, vifited the Coaft of New 
Zeland, in the Latitude of 42 0 10' South, and in the 
Longitude of 188 0 28': But befides this, and the Elands 
of Amjlerdam and Pot ter dam, we know very little ; and 
thei efore, if there be any Doubts about the Reality of the 
Terra Aufiralis, it muft be with refpeft to that Part of it 
which lies within this Quarter, through which Schovten and 
le Maire failed, but without difcovering any thing more 
than a few fmall Elands. 
The fourth and laft Quarter is from 270° of Longitude 
to the firfl Meridian ; v/ithin which lies the Continent of 
South America , and the Ifland of Terra del Fuego \ the 
moft Southern Promontory of which is fuppofed to be 
Cape Horne ; which, according to the befl Obfervations, is 
in the Latitude of 56°, beyond which there has been no- 
thing with any Degree of Certainty difcovered on this 
Side. 
On the Whole, therefore, it appears, there are three 
Continents already tolerably difcovered, which point to- 
wards the South Pole ; and therefore ’tis very probable 
there is a fourth, which if there be, it muft lie between 
the Country of New Zeland, difcovered by Captain Taf- 
man, and that Country which was feen by Captain Sharpe 
and Mr. JVafer in the South Seas j to which Land there- 
fore, and no other, the Title of Terra Aufiralis Incognita 
properly belongs. Leaving this, therefore, to the Induftry 
of future Ages to difeover, we will now return to that great 
Southern Eland, which Captain Tafman actually furrounded, 
and the Bounds of which are tolerably well known. 
In order to give the Reader a proper Idea of the Im- 
portance of this Country, it will be requifite to fay fome- 
thing of the Climates in which it is fituated : As it lies from 
the Equinoctial to near the Latitude of 44°, the longeft Day 
in the moft Northern Parts muft be twelve Hours° and ip 
the Southern about mfteen Flours, or fbmewhat more , lb 
that it extends from the firfl to the feventh Climate,- which 
fhews its Situation to be the happieft in the World j the 
Country called Van Diemen' s Land refembling in all refpe&s 
the South of France. As there are in all Countries feme 
Parts more pleafant than others, fo there feems good Rea- 
fori to believe, that within two or three Degrees of the 
