After Mature Deliberation, Reflecting On
The Number Of Prisoners, And The Temptation That Might Arise From
The Vast Quantity Of Silver On Board The Frigate, They At Last Came
To A Resolution To Try And Execute Them There, Which Was Accordingly
Done; And They Embarked Immediately Afterwards For Batavia.
REMARKS.
This voyage was translated from the original Dutch by Thevenot, and
printed by him in the first volume of his collections.
Pelsart's
route is traced in the map of the globe published by Delisle in the
year 1700.
As this voyage is of itself very short, I shall not detain the
reader with many remarks; but shall confine myself to a very few
observations, in order to show the consequences of the discovery
made by Captain Pelsart. The country upon which he suffered
shipwreck was New Holland, the coast of which had not till then been
at all examined, and it was doubtful how far it extended. There had
indeed been some reports spread with relation to the inhabitants of
this country, which Captain Pelsart's relation shows to have been
false; for it had been reported that when the Dutch East India
Company sent some ships to make discoveries, their landing was
opposed by a race of gigantic people, with whom the Dutch could by
no means contend. But our author says nothing of the extraordinary
size of the savages that were seen by Captain Pelsart's people; from
whence it is reasonable to conclude that this story was circulated
with no other view than to prevent other nations from venturing into
these seas.
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