The course of the Duyfhen, from New Guinea, was southward, along the islands on the west side of Torres’ Strait, to that part of Terra Australis, a little to the west and south of Cape York; but all these lands were thought to be connected, and to form the west coast of New Guinea.  Thus, without being conscious of it, the commander of the Duyfhen made the first authenticated discovery of any part of the great South Land, about the month of March 1606; for it appears, that he had returned to Banda in, or before, the beginning of June, of that year.

TORRES 1606

LUIS VAES DE TORRES, a Spanish navigator, was the next person who saw Terra Australis; and it is remarkable, that it was near the same place, and in the same year; and that he had as little knowledge of the nature of his discovery, as had the Duyfhen.

Torres was second in command to Pedro Fernandez de Quiros; when he sailed with three vessels, from the port of Callao in Peru, in the year 1605.  One of the purposes of their expedition was to search for the TIERRA AUSTRAL; a continent which was supposed to occupy a considerable portion of that part of the southern hemisphere lying westward of America.

After the discovery of several islands, Quiros came to a land which he named AUSTRALIA DEL ESPIRITU SANTO, supposing it to be a part of the great Southern Continent; but this, on his separation from the admiral, Torres found could be no other than an island; and then continued his course westward, in prosecution of the research.

About the month of August 1606, and in latitude 111/2 deg. south, he fell in with a coast, which he calls “the beginning of New Guinea;” and which appears to have been the south-eastern part of the land, afterwards named Louisiade, by Mons. DE BOUGAINVILLE, and now known to be a chain of islands.  Unable to pass to windward of this land, Torres bore away along its south side; and gives, himself, the following account of his subsequent proceedings.

“We went along 300 leagues of coast, as I have mentioned, and diminished the latitude 21/2 deg., which brought us into 9 deg..  From hence we fell in with a bank of from 3 to 9 fathoms, which extends along the coast above 180 leagues.  We went over it along the coast to 71/2 S. latitude, and the end of it is in 5 deg..  We could not go further on for the many shoals and great currents, so we were obliged to sail S. W. in that depth to 11 deg..  S. latitude.  There is all over it an archipelago of islands without number, by which we passed, and at the end of the 11th degree, the bank became shoaler.  Here were very large islands, and there appeared more to the southward:  they were inhabited by black people, very corpulent, and naked:  their arms were lances, arrows, and clubs of stone ill fashioned.  We could not get any of their arms.  We caught in all this land 20 persons of different nations, that with them we might be able to give a better account to Your Majesty.  They give much notice of other people, although as yet they do not make themselves well understood.