322 
First Discovery 
came in sight of point Hibbs, in the neighbourhood of Macquarie 
Harbour, on the afternoon of November 24th, 1642. Upon the 
following day he drew into the shore, within one German (four 
English) mile; and as the land was not before known to any 
European, he called it “ Antony Van Diemen’s Land,” in honor 
of the chief magistrate of the East India Company, who had 
sent him out to make discoveries. 
Upon the 26th he fixed the longitude of the newly-discovered 
land 163° 50 ' east from Ferro, or 145° 40' east from Greenwich, 
which is ten or fifteen miles too much. The latitude he made out 
42° 30', which is probably very near the truth. This supposition 
is grounded upon the correctness of his latitude, observed under 
favourable circumstances off the eastern coast of the Island, 
where he only errs in defect about three or four miles, the same 
quantity as the Admiralty charts at present in use will be found 
to err in excess. 
The two following days brought unsettled weather, and although 
the land was sighted more than once, an extraordinary error in 
excess, of one degree or more, appears from the printed account 
to have crept into the longitudes given by Tasman, during the rest 
of his stay in the neighbourhood of our Island. 
The 29th November at noon lie was between the Pedra Blanca 
and the mainland, somewhat advanced to the eastward; and 
about five p.m., when almost in Storm Bay, was obliged by stress 
of weather to give up his intention of anchoring, and put out to 
sea. The storm by which he was repulsed gave a name to the 
Bay, which it has ever since retained. His chart preserves some 
of the principal features of the entrance of the Bay, as far up as 
Betsey’s Island, although none are named except the Boreel 
Islands on the western horn of the Bay, and South Cape (now 
Cape Pillar) with Tasman’s Island on the eastern horn. The two 
following days our discoverer was out at sea, and did not make 
the land again^till the evening of December 1st, 1642, when he 
anchored, an hour after sun-set, in a good port, in twenty-two 
fathoms, the bottom fine light grey sand. To the N.N.E. of the 
position which he had taken up lay the steep cliffs of Maria 
Island, with its two bold masses of mountain scenery receding 
