APTAIN ABEL JANSEN TASMAN FOR THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTHERN
COUNTRIES. 1642-43.

By direction of the Dutch East India Company. [Taken from his original
Journal.]

CHAPTER I: THE OCCASION AND DESIGN OF THIS VOYAGE.

The great discoveries that were made by the Dutch in these southern
countries were subsequent to the famous voyage of Jaques le Maire, who in
1616 passed the straits called by his name; in 1618, that part of Terra
Australia was discovered which the Dutch called Concordia. The next
year, the Land of Edels was found, and received its name from its
discoverer. In 1620, Batavia was built on the ruins of the old city of
Jacatra; but the seat of government was not immediately removed from
Amboyna. In 1622, that part of New Holland which is called Lewin's Land
was first found; and in 1627, Peter Nuyts discovered between New Holland
and New Guinea a country which bears his name. There were also some
other voyages made, of which, however, we have no sort of account, except
that the Dutch were continually beaten in all their attempts to land upon
this coast. On their settlement, however, at Batavia, the then general
and council of the Indies thought it requisite to have a more perfect
survey made of the new-found countries, that the memory of them at least
might be preserved, in case no further attempts were made to settle them;
and it was very probably a foresight of few ships going that route any
more, which induced such as had then the direction of the Company's
affairs to wish that some such survey and description might be made by an
able seaman, who was well acquainted with those coasts, and who might be
able to add to the discoveries already made, as well as furnish a more
accurate description, even of them, than had been hitherto given.

This was faithfully performed by Captain Tasman; and from the lights
afforded by his journal, a very exact and curious map was made of all
these new countries. But his voyage was never published entire; and it
is very probable that the East India Company never intended it should be
published at all. However, Dirk Rembrantz, moved by the excellency and
accuracy of the work, published in Low Dutch an extract of Captain
Tasman's Journal, which has been ever since considered as a very great
curiosity; and, as such, has been translated into many languages,
particularly into our own, by the care of the learned Professor of
Gresham College, Doctor Hook, an abridgment of