Although in the sense thus indicated we must here speak of acczdental discoveries on the west-coast, yet the Dutch authorities were fully aware of the importance of such discoveries.  As early as 1618, the Managers of the E.I.C. were considering the possibility of “discovering the Southern Lands in passing,” and in a letter of September 9, 1620, with reference to “the discovery of a vast land, situated south of Java...by the ship Eendracht”, etc., they expressly enjoined the G.-G. and Counc. to dispatch a ship for the purpose of “resuming this work with some hope of success.”  The lands discovered were to be mapped out, and efforts made to ascertain “the situation and condition of the country, its productions, what commodities it yields, the character of the natives, their mode of life, etc.”

The Managers had not preached to deaf ears:  the direction of the Company’s affairs in India was at that time in the hands of Jan Pieternoon Coen, who, being himself strongly disposed in favour of extending the Dutch connections with the East [*], eagerly embraced the idea thus suggested, as is proved by the instructions, dated September 29, 1622, for the ships Haring and Hazewind, “destined for the discovery of the South-land”. [**] Thus we see that one of the projects contemplated by the Dutch authorities certainly was the dispatching of ships also to the west-coast of Australia for the purpose of further discovery and of definitely ascertaining the real state of affairs there.

[* See below.]

[** See below, No.  XIII, B (pp. 18 ff.)]

But not for the purpose of further discovery exclusively, although this continued to be “the principal end in view.”  The instructions of September 29, 1622, also point to other motives that led the Netherlanders to reckon also with regions to be first discovered, in carrying out their colonial policy.  The commanders of this expedition were “specially to inquire what minerals, such as gold, silver, tin, iron, lead and copper, what precious stones, pearls, vegetables, animals and fruits, these lands yield and produce";—­the commercial interests of the E.I.C.—­and what was more natural in the case of a trading corporation?—­were to take a foremost place.  Wherever possible, also political connections were to be formed, and the countries discovered “to be taken possession of”.  The authorities were even considering the idea of at some future date “planting colonies” in some of the regions eventually to be discovered.

Here we have the colonial policy of the E.I.C. of the period to its full extent:  commerce, increase of territory, colonies.  And these ideas were at the bottom of most of the voyages of discovery to the north-coast of Australia before Tasman, and of Tasman’s voyages themselves.  The celebrated voyage of the ship Duifken (1605-6) {Page xv} bears a character of intentionality, and if we bear in mind that the same ship’s voyage of 1602 had for