and his successors, was of small account, yet, considering the state
of nautical science, and that the ships were for the most part Dutch East
Indiamen, the Dutch names which still sprinkle the north and the west
coasts of the continent show that from Cape York in the extreme north,
westward of the great Australian Bight in the south, the Dutchmen had
touched at intervals the whole coast line.

But before leaving the Dutch period there are one or two voyages that,
either on account of their interesting or important character, deserve
brief mention. In 1623 Arnhem's Land, now the northern district of the
northern territory of South Australia, was discovered by the Dutch yachts
Pesa and Arnhem. This voyage is also noteworthy on account of the
massacre of the master of the Arnhem and eight of his crew by the natives
while they were exploring the coast of New Guinea. In 1627 the first
discovery of the south coast was made by the Gulde Zeepard, and the land
then explored, extending from Cape Leeuwin to the Nuyts Archipelago, on
the South Australian coast, was named after Peter Nuyts, then on board
the ship on his way to Batavia, whence he was sent to Japan as ambassador
from Holland.

In the year 1628 a colonizing expedition of eleven vessels left Holland
for the Dutch East Indies. Among these ships was the Batavia, commanded
by Francis Pelsart. A terrible storm destroyed ten of the fleet, and on
June 4, 1629, the Batavia was driven ashore on the reef still known as
Houtman's Abrolhos, which had been discovered and named by a Dutch East
Indiaman some years earlier--probably by the commander of the Leeuwin,
who discovered and named after his ship the cape at the southwest point
of the continent. The Batavia, which carried a number of chests of silver
money, went to pieces on the reef. The crew of the ship managed to land
upon the rocks, and saved some food from the wreck, but they were without
water. Pelsart, in one of the ship's boats, spent a couple of weeks in
exploring the inhospitable coast in the neighborhood, in the hope of
discovering water, but found so little that he ultimately determined to
attempt to make Batavia and from there bring succor to his ship's
company. On July 3d he fell in with a Dutch ship off Java and was taken
on to Batavia. From there he obtained help and returned to the wreck,
arriving at the Abrolhos in the middle of September; but during the
absence of the commander the castaways had gone throug