early australian voyages-第1部分

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Early　Australian　Voyages

by　John　Pinkerton




Contents：

Introduction
Pelsart
Tasman
Dampier



INTRODUCTION。



In　the　days　of　Plato；　imagination　found　its　way；　before　the　mariners；　to　a　new　world　across　the　Atlantic；　and　fabled　an　Atlantis　where　America　now　stands。　　In　the　days　of　Francis　Bacon；　imagination　of　the　English　found　its　way　to　the　great　Southern　Continent　before　the　Portuguese　or　Dutch　sailors　had　sight　of　it；　and　it　was　the　home　of　those　wise　students　of　God　and　nature　to　whom　Bacon　gave　his　New　Atlantis。　　The　discoveries　of　America　date　from　the　close　of　the　fifteenth　century。　　The　discoveries　of　Australia　date　only　from　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth。　　The　discoveries　of　the　Dutch　were　little　known　in　England　before　the　time　of　Dampier's　voyage；　at　the　close　of　the　seventeenth　century；　with　which　this　volume　ends。　　The　name　of　New　Holland；　first　given　by　the　Dutch　to　the　land　they　discovered　on　the　north…west　coast；　then　extended　to　the　continent　and　was　since　changed　to　Australia。

During　the　eighteenth　century　exploration　was　continued　by　the　English。　　The　good　report　of　Captain　Cook　caused　the　first　British　settlement　to　be　made　at　Port　Jackson；　in　1788；　not　quite　a　hundred　years　ago；　and　the　foundations　were　then　laid　of　the　settlement　of　New　South　Wales；　or　Sydney。　　It　was　at　first　a　penal　colony；　and　its　Botany　Bay　was　a　name　of　terror　to　offenders。　　Western　Australia；　or　Swan　River；　was　first　settled　as　a　free　colony　in　1829；　but　afterwards　used　also　as　a　penal　settlement；　South　Australia；　which　has　Adelaide　for　its　capital；　was　first　established　in　1834；　and　colonised　in　1836；　Victoria；　with　Melbourne　for　its　capital；　known　until　1851　as　the　Port　Philip　District；　and　a　dependency　of　New　South　Wales；　was　first　colonised　in　1835。　　It　received　in　1851　its　present　name。　　Queensland；　formerly　known　as　the　Moreton　Bay　District；　was　established　as　late　as　1859。　　A　settlement　of　North　Australia　was　tried　in　1838；　and　has　since　been　abandoned。　　On　the　other　side　of　Bass's　Straits；　the　island　of　Van　Diemen's　Land；　was　named　Tasmania；　and　established　as　a　penal　colony　in　1803。

Advance；　Australia！　　The　scattered　handfuls　of　people　have　become　a　nation；　one　with　us　in　race；　and　character；　and　worthiness　of　aim。　These　little　volumes　will；　in　course　of　time；　include　many　aids　to　a　knowledge　of　the　shaping　of　the　nations。　　There　will　be　later　records　of　Australia　than　these　which　tell　of　the　old　Dutch　explorers；　and　of　the　first　real　awakening　of　England　to　a　knowledge　of　Australia　by　Dampier's　voyage。

The　great　Australian　continent　is　2；500　miles　long　from　east　to　west；　and　1；960　miles　in　its　greatest　breadth。　　Its　climates　are　therefore　various。　　The　northern　half　lies　chiefly　within　the　tropics；　and　at　Melbourne　snow　is　seldom　seen　except　upon　the　hills。　The　separation　of　Australia　by　wide　seas　from　Europe；　Asia；　Africa；　and　America；　gives　it　animals　and　plants　peculiarly　its　own。　　It　has　been　said　that　of　5；710　plants　discovered；　5；440　are　peculiar　to　that　continent。　　The　kangaroo　also　is　proper　to　Australia；　and　there　are　other　animals　of　like　kind。　　Of　58　species　of　quadruped　found　in　Australia；　46　were　peculiar　to　it。　　Sheep　and　cattle　that　abound　there　now　were　introduced　from　Europe。　　From　eight　merino　sheep　introduced　in　1793　by　a　settler　named　McArthur；　there　has　been　multiplication　into　millions；　and　the　food…store　of　the　Old　World　begins　to　be　replenished　by　Australian　mutton。

The　unexplored　interior　has　given　a　happy　hunting…ground　to　satisfy　the　British　spirit　of　adventure　and　research；　but　large　waterless　tracts；　that　baffle　man's　ingenuity；　have　put　man's　powers　of　endurance　to　sore　trial。

The　mountains　of　Australia　are　all　of　the　oldest　rocks；　in　which　there　are　either　no　fossil　traces　of　past　life；　or　the　traces　are　of　life　in　the　most　ancient　forms。　　Resemblance　of　the　Australian　cordilleras　to　the　Ural　range；　which　he　had　especially　been　studying；　caused　Sir　Roderick　Murchison；　in　1844；　to　predict　that　gold　would　be　found　in　Australia。　　The　first　finding　of　goldthe　beginning　of　the　history　of　the　Australian　gold…fieldswas　in　February；　1851；　near　Bathurst　and　Wellington；　and　to…day　looks　back　to　the　morning　of　yesterday　in　the　name　of　Ophir；　given　to　the　Bathurst　gold…diggings。

Gold；　wool；　mutton；　wine；　fruits；　and　what　more　Australia　can　now　add　to　the　commonwealth　of　the　English…speaking　people；　Englishmen　at　home　have　been　learning　this　year　in　the　great　Indian　and　Colonial　Exhibition；　which　is　to　stand　always　as　evidence　of　the　numerous　resources　of　the　Empire；　as　aid　to　the　full　knowledge　of　them；　and　through　that　to　their　wide　diffusion。　　We　are　a　long　way　now　from　the　wrecked　ship　of　Captain　Francis　Pelsart；　with　which　the　histories　in　this　volume　begin。

John　Pinkerton　was　born　at　Edinburgh　in　February；　1758；　and　died　in　Paris　in　March；　1826；　aged　sixty…eight。　　He　was　the　best　classical　scholar　at　the　Lanark　grammar　school；　but　his　father；　refusing　to　send　him　to　a　university；　bound　him　to　Scottish　law。　　He　had　a　strong　will；　fortified　in　some　respects　by　a　weak　judgment。　　He　wrote　clever　verse；　at　the　age　of　twenty…two　he　went　to　London　to　support　himself　by　literature；　began　by　publishing　〃Rimes〃　of　his　own；　and　then　Scottish　Ballads；　all　issued　as　ancient；　but　of　which　he　afterwards　admitted　that　fourteen　out　of　the　seventy…three　were　wholly　written　by　himself。　　John　Pinkerton；　whom　Sir　Walter　Scott　described　as　〃a　man　of　considerable　learning；　and　some　severity　as　well　as　acuteness　of　disposition；〃　made　clear　conscience　on　the　matter　in　1786；　when　he　published　two　volumes　of　genuine　old　Scottish　Poems　from　the　MS。　collections　of　Sir　Richard　Maitland。　　He　had　added　to　his　credit　as　an　antiquary　by　an　Essay　on　Medals；　and　then　applied　his　studies　to　ancient　Scottish　History；　producing　learned　books；　in　which　he　bitterly　abused　the　Celts。　　It　was　in　1802　that　Pinkerton　left　England　for　Paris；　where　he　supported　himself　by　indefatigable　industry　as　a　writer　during　the　last　twenty…four　years　of　his　life。　　One　of　the　most　useful　of　his　many　works　was　that　General　Collection　of　the　best　and　most　interesting　Voyages　and　Travels　of　the　World；　which　appeared　in　seventeen　quarto　volumes；　with　maps　and　engravings；　in　the　years　1808…1814。　Pinkerton　abridged　and　digested　most　of　the　travellers'　records　given　in　this　series；　but　always　studied　to　retain　the　travellers'　own　words；　and　his　occasional　comments　have　a　value　of　their　own。

H。M。



EARLY　AUSTRALIAN　VOYAGES。　VOYAGE　OF　FRANCIS　PELSART　TO　AUSTRALASIA。　1628…29。



It　has　appeared　very　strange　to　some　very　able　judges　of　voyages；　that　the　Dutch　should　make　so　great　account　of　the　southern　countries　as　to　cause　the　map　of　them　to　be　laid　down　in　the　pavement　of　the　Stadt　House　at　Amsterdam；　and　yet　publish　no　descriptions　of　them。　　This　mystery　was　a　good　deal　heightened　by　one　of　the　ships　that　first　touched　on　Carpenter's　Land；　bringing　home　a　considerable　quantity　of　gold；　spices；　and　other　rich　goods；　in　order　to　clear　up　which；　it　was　said　that　these　were　not　the　product　of　the　country；　but　were　fished　out　of　the　wreck　of　a　large　ship　that　had　been　lost　upon　the　coast。　　But　this　story　did　not　satisfy　the　inquisitive；　because　not　attended　with　circumstances　necessary　to　establish　its　credit；　and　therefore　they　suggested　that；　instead　of　taking　away　the　obscurity　by　relating　the　truth；　this　story　was　invented　in　order　to　hide　it　more　effectually。　　This　suspicion　gained　ground　the　more　when　it　was　known　that　the　Dutch　East　India　Company　from　Batavia　had　made　some　attempts　to　conquer　a　part　of　the　Southern　continent；　and　had　been　repulsed　with　loss；　of　which；　however；　we　have　no　distinct　or　perfect　relation；　and　all　that　hath　hitherto　been　collected　in　reference　to　this　subject；　may　be　reduced　to　two　voyages。　　All　that　we　know　concerning　the　following　piece　is；　that　it　was　collected　from　the　Dutch　journal　of　the　voyage；　and　having　said　thus　much　by　way　of　introduction；　we　now　proceed　to　the　translation　of　this　short　history。

The　directors　of　the　East　India　Company；　animated　by　the　return　of　five　ships；　under　General　Carpenter；　richly　laden；　caused；　the　very　same　year；　1628；　eleven　vessels　to　be　equipped　for　the　same　voyage；　amongst　which　there　was　one　ship　called　the　Batavia；　commanded　by　Captain　Francis　Pelsart。　　They　sailed　out　of　the　Texel　on　the　28th　of　October；　1628；　and　as　it　would　be　tedious　and　troublesome　to　the　reader　to　set　down　a　long　account　of　things　perfectly　well　known；　I　shall　say　nothing　of　the　occurrences　that　happened　in　their　passage　to　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　but　content　myself　with　observing　that　on　the　4th　of　June；　in　the　following　year　1629；　this　vessel；　the　Batavia；　being　separated　from　the　fleet　in　a　storm；　was　driven　on　the　Abrollos　or　shoals；　which　lie　in　the　latitude　of　28　degrees　south；　and　which　have　been　since　called　by　the　Dutch；　the　Abrollos　of　Frederic　Houtman。　　Captain　Pelsart；　who　was　sick　in　bed　when　this　accident　happened；　perceiving　that　his　ship　had　struck；　ran　immediately　upon　deck。　　It　was　night　indeed；　but　the　weather　was　fair；　and　the　moon　shone　very　bright；　the　sails　were　up；　the　course　they　steered　was　north…east　by　north；　and　the　sea　appeared　as　far　as　they　could　behold　it　covered　with　a　white　froth。　　The　captain　called　up　the　master　and　charged　him　with　the　loss　of　the　ship；　who　excused　himself　by　saying　he　had　taken　all　the　care　he　could；　and　that　having　discerned　this　froth　at　a　distance；　he　asked　the　steersman　what　he　thought　of　it；　who　told　him　that　the　sea　appeared　white　by　its　reflecting　the　rays　of　the　moon。　　The　captain　then　asked　him　what　was　to　be　done；　and　in　what　part　of　the　world　he　thought　they　were。　　The　master　replied；　that　God　only　knew　that；　and　that　the　ship　was　fast　on　a　bank　hitherto　undiscovered。　　Upon　this　they　began　to　throw　the　lead；　and　found　that　they　had　forty…eight　feet　of　water　before；　and　much　less　behind　the　vessel。　　The　crew　immediately　agreed　to　throw　their　cannon　overboard；　in　hopes　that　when　the　ship　was　lightened　she　might　be　brought　to　float　again。　　They　let　fall　an　anchor　however；　and　while　they　were　thus　employed；　a　most　dreadful　storm　arose　of　wind　and　rain；　which　soon　convinced　them　of　the　danger　they　were　in；　for