The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765

ectedly touched at "divers islands, but uninhabited" and thus for the first time surveyed part of the west-coas of Australia[*

. If, however, we compare this map of the world with KEPPLER'S map of 1630 [***], we become aware that Hondius has not recorded all that was then known in Europe respecting the light which since 1616 European explorers had thrown on the question of the western coast-line of Australia. In Keppler's map, namely, besides the English discovery of the Trial rocks (1622) [****], and the

ill hardly be denied that these pieces of evidence may justly b

Frederik Muller and Co., of Amsterdam. These gentlemen kindly enabled me to reproduce this chart for the present

rt No. 6 on

er No. XIII (

oint p. 54 infra (No

ARDI MERCATORIS Atlas...De Novo...em

the Land of d'Eendracht takes up a good deal of space. To the north it is found bounded by the "Willemsrivier", discovered in July 1618 by the ship Mauritius, commanded by Willem Janszoon [****]. According to the chart this "river" is in about 21° 45' S. Lat., but there are no reliable data concerning this point. If we compare Hessel Gerritsz's chart with those on which about 1700 the results of Willem De Vlamingh's expedition of 1696-7 were recorded [*****] we readily come to the conclusion that the ship Mauritius must have been in the vicinity of Vlaming Head (N.W. Cape) on the Exmouth Gulf. From Willem Janszoon's statements it also appears that on this occasion in 22° an "island (was) discove

on p. 9

5 (foldi

us, for instance, he left unused those furnished by the Zeewolf (No. V

cuments under No

Nos. 13

Chart

ge

t of access by reefs,the so-called (Frederik De) Houtmans-Abrolhos (now known as the Houtman Rocks), also discovered on this occasion [**]. To the south, in about 32° S. Lat. [***] Dedelsland is bounded by the Landt van de Leeuwin,

p. 199 of his interesting Periplus.--The doubts, also, concerning Frederik De Houtman's share in the discoveries on the west-coast

On this point see also the documents of P

Houtman and Dedel estimated themselves to be, when they first

ocuments sub No

elow, and the highly curious

e increase of our forefathers' knowledge of the south-west coast. This revised edition gives the entire coast-line down to the islands of St. Fran?ois and St.

XVIII (p.

thus designated is situated. [**] But with great distinctness the chart exhibits the chain of islands of which the Monte Bello and tha Barrow islands are the principal, and besides, certain islands of the Dampier Archipelago, afterwards so called after the celebrated En

XXI (p. 5

ever, No. XX

s regards what is now called Shark-bay; the coast facing Houtmans Abrolhos is a conjectural one only; the coast-line facing Tortelduyf is even altogether wanting; Dedelsland and 't Land van de Leeuwin are not marked by unbroken lines. This fragmentary knowledge sufficiently accounts for the fact, that

ge

ollandia, or New Holland, from Bathurst Island to a point south of the Tropic of Capricorn. In this case also certain mistakes were committed: they failed, for instance, to recognise the real character of Bathurst Island, which, like Melvil

ratory voyages on the westcoast

chart of 1644 in

st-coast, and the charts then made have been preserved [*]. The coast-line from a point near the Tortelduyf down to past Rottenest (the large island on which Volkertsen did not confer a name, preferring to "leave the naming to the pleasure of the Hon. Lord Governor-General")

p. 75 ff., and the charts

ell as the ISAAC DE GRAAFF chart [**] of circa 1700, give an excellent survey of the expedition. The whole coast-line from the so-called Willemsrivier (N.W. Cape) to a point south of Rottenest, Garden-island and Perth, was now mapped out. And that, too, wit

No.

No.