3rd. A more exact investigation of the bays, shoals, islands, and coasts of ARNHEM’S, and the northern VAN DIEMEN’S, LANDS.  The information upon these was attended with uncertainty; first, because the state of navigation was very low at the time of their discovery; and second, from want of the details and authorities upon which they had been laid down.  The old charts contained large islands lying off the coast, under the names of T’ Hoog Landt or Wessel’s Eylandt, and Crocodils Eylanden; but of which little more was known than that, if they existed, they must lie to the eastward of 135 deg. from Greenwich.  Of the R. Spult, and other large streams represented to intersect the coast, the existence even was doubtful.  That the coast was dangerous, and shores sandy, seemed to be confirmed by Mr McCluer’s chart; and that they were peopled by “divers cruel, poor, and brutal nations,” was certainly not improbable, but it rested upon very suspicious authority.  The Instructions to Tasman. said, in 1644, “Nova Guinea has been found to be inhabited by cruel, wild, savages; and as it is uncertain what sort of people the inhabitants of the South Lands are, it may be presumed that they are also wild and barbarous savages, rather than a civilized people.”  This uncertainty, with respect to the natives of Arnhem’s and the northern Van Diemen’s Lands, remained, in a great degree, at the end of the eighteenth century.

Thus, whatever could bear the name of exact, whether in natural history, geography, or navigation, was yet to be learned of a country possessing five hundred leagues of sea-coast; and placed in a climate and neighbourhood, where the richest productions of both the vegetable and mineral kingdoms were known to exist.  A voyage which should have had no other view, than the survey of Torres’ Strait and the thorough investigation of the North Coast of Terra Australis, could not have been accused of wanting an object worthy of national consideration.

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS.

SECTION II.

WESTERN COASTS.

Preliminary Observations. 
Discoveries of Hartog: 
Edel: 
of the Ship Leeuwin: 
the Vianen: 
of Pelsert: 
Tasman: 
Dampier: 
Vlaming: 
Dampier. 
Conclusive Remarks.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. (ATLAS Pl.  I.)

Under the term WESTERN COASTS, is comprehended the space from the western extremity of the northern Van Diemen’s Land to the North-west Cape of New Holland; and from thence, southward to Cape Leeuwin.  The first is usually termed the North-west, and the second the West Coast:  Taken together, they present an extent of shore of between seven and eight hundred leagues in length; lying in the fine climates comprised between the 11th and 35th degrees of south latitude.

HARTOG. 1616.