It Was In
1802 That Pinkerton Left England For Paris, Where He Supported
Himself By Indefatigable Industry As A Writer During The Last
Twenty-Four Years Of His Life.
One of the most useful of his many
works was that General Collection of the best and most interesting
Voyages and Travels of the World, which appeared in seventeen quarto
volumes, with maps and engravings, in the years 1808-1814.
Pinkerton abridged and digested most of the travellers' records
given in this series, but always studied to retain the travellers'
own words, and his occasional comments have a value of their own.
H.M.
EARLY AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES.
VOYAGE OF FRANCIS PELSART TO AUSTRALASIA.
1628-29.
It has appeared very strange to some very able judges of voyages,
that the Dutch should make so great account of the southern
countries as to cause the map of them to be laid down in the
pavement of the Stadt House at Amsterdam, and yet publish no
descriptions of them. This mystery was a good deal heightened by
one of the ships that first touched on Carpenter's Land, bringing
home a considerable quantity of gold, spices, and other rich goods;
in order to clear up which, it was said that these were not the
product of the country, but were fished out of the wreck of a large
ship that had been lost upon the coast. But this story did not
satisfy the inquisitive, because not attended with circumstances
necessary to establish its credit; and therefore they suggested
that, instead of taking away the obscurity by relating the truth,
this story was invented in order to hide it more effectually. This
suspicion gained ground the more when it was known that the Dutch
East India Company from Batavia had made some attempts to conquer a
part of the Southern continent, and had been repulsed with loss, of
which, however, we have no distinct or perfect relation, and all
that hath hitherto been collected in reference to this subject, may
be reduced to two voyages. All that we know concerning the
following piece is, that it was collected from the Dutch journal of
the voyage, and having said thus much by way of introduction, we now
proceed to the translation of this short history.
The directors of the East India Company, animated by the return of
five ships, under General Carpenter, richly laden, caused, the very
same year, 1628, eleven vessels to be equipped for the same voyage;
amongst which there was one ship called the Batavia, commanded by
Captain Francis Pelsart. They sailed out of the Texel on the 28th
of October, 1628; and as it would be tedious and troublesome to the
reader to set down a long account of things perfectly well known, I
shall say nothing of the occurrences that happened in their passage
to the Cape of Good Hope; but content myself with observing that on
the 4th of June, in the following year 1629, this vessel, the
Batavia, being separated from the fleet in a storm, was driven on
the Abrollos or shoals, which lie in the latitude of 28 degrees
south, and which have been since called by the Dutch, the Abrollos
of Frederic Houtman.
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