These Islands Lie, As It Were, On The Confines Of The
Southern Continent, And The East Indies, So That The
Inhabitants
enjoy all the advantages resulting from their own happy climate, and
from their traffic with their neighbours, especially with
Those of
Ternate and Amboyna, who come thither yearly to purchase their
commodities, and who are likewise visited at certain seasons by the
people of these islands in their turn.
CHAPTER XIX: ARRIVES SAFELY AT BATAVIA, JUNE 15, 1643.
On the 18th of May, in the latitude of 26 minutes south and in the
longitude of 147 degrees 55 minutes, we observed the variation to be
5 degrees 30 minutes east. We were now arrived at the western
extremity of New Guinea, which is a detached point or promontory
(though it is not marked so even in the latest maps); here we met
with calms, variable and contrary winds, with much rain; from thence
we steered for Ceram, leaving the Cape on the north, and arrived
safely on that island; by this time Captain Tasman had fairly
surrounded the continent he was instructed to discover, and had
therefore nothing now farther in view than to return to Batavia, in
order to report the discoveries he had made.
On the 27th of May we passed through the straits of Boura, or
Bouton, and continued our passage to Batavia, where we arrived on
the 15th of June, in the latitude of 6 degrees 12 minutes south, and
in the longitude of 127 degrees 18 minutes.
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