THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2445, 9 March 1909, Page 6

THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA.

[To the Editor.] Sir, —In your issue of March 2nd., under the above.heading, you make .a quotation from “Cornhill” as follows: |[There had been Portuguese Spaniards and Dutchmen -who, for 20f years, had been wrecked upon Australia, but the man who discovered the greatest island in the world was undoubtedly Captain Cook.” I am as great an admirer of the great navigator Captain J as. Cook as anyone, but I think honor should be given where it is due and it is quiet contrary " t-o fact to say that Captain Cook'.was the discoverer of Australia. I will admit that he gave us the most correct charts of the eastern coast of Australia from Botany Bay to Torres Straits on his voyage in 1770, -but we must’ acknowledge that the French Portuguese, Dutch and Spaniard navigators wore exploring the West and Northern coasts of Terra Australis

two centuries before this. A wooden •—globe- has been found in Paris indicating a discovery made in 1499 with an , inscription on it as follows: ‘'Terra Australis riupor inventa, sed nonduni plene esarninata.” (The A us-

;ral land recently discovered but not ct entirely explored.) Then, again in .595 we have an account of a Dutch ieet arriving on the northern coast if Australia and of one of the vessels—i yacht of only 30 tons, called tlu “Duyfken” or “Little Dove” the master's name was Simon Lamberty Man. She had a crew of 20 men, two large and six small guns with 2 bom-, hards. Sho explored the Gulf of Caroentaria and ran along the western shores of York Peninsula till a point was reached in 14-J degrees which retains to this day the Dutch name Keer Weer (Turnagain). Then from 1616 to 1622 the Dutch had five diips on the -Australian coast. Their names were the “Endraoht,” ‘‘Maurities,” “Amsterdam,” “Dordrecht.” and “Leemvin.” The sou’-west Capo has no doubt been named after thir 'vessel. I have in my possession now a Dutch chart dated i6SO, showing the coast line from about -Hobson’s Bay round the west and north coasts a? far as Torres Straits, giving all tipnames of the -headlands and bays in' Dutch. The wreck of the “Batavia” in 1629, a Dutch ship commanded by Captain Pelsart, on the Abroltros reef, western coast of Australia. ,?hows what an enterprising race the Dutch were in those days, s-lie having some 200 emigrants on board for colonising -purposes. To William Dam pier must be given the credit of being the first "English navigator to .reach- Australia or perhaps to Cap tain Swan who commanded the shir “Cygnet”, which reached Australi: on the nor’-west coast on January 4th 1688, on which ship Dampier was a sailor. But in 1699 we find Dampier captain of the “Roebuck” on a voyage of discovery, where he landed at Sharks Bay on August 6th, and explored the nor’-vestern shores. He says: “New Holland is a veiy large tract of land. It is not > T et determined whether it is an island or a main continent; hut I am certain that : t- joins neither to Asia. Africa or America. This part of it that we saw is all low, even land, with sandy banks against the sea.” I think the above historical facts should prove that the discovery of Australia is due ! ‘-o the Dutch nation and not to the English.—l am, etc.,

G. J. BLACK