EARLY NAVIGATORS

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11649, 13 October 1923, Page 12

EARLY NAVIGATORS

[N THE SOUTH PACIFEG DISCOVERY BY THE SPANISH ADVENTURE®. BACK TO BALBOA. In view of the recent dinners held in Wellington and Sydney to commemorate the dircovery of blio Pacific by the Spanish a,dventurer, Balboa, tho lolloiving will bo of considerable interest to renders. It was compiled by Mr Birth, of Wanganui Museum, fl'om various authenic records:

It is strange to think of the time when the vast tract of water which we call the Pacific Ocean, and which covers nearly half the globe, with all its wonderful and beautiful islands, was unknown to the civilised world. Yet it was only in the year 1513 that its existence was discovered by a Spaniard of the name of Nancy de Balboa. This brave and patient man made his way, with utmost toil and peril, on foot across the isthmus of Panama, which separates the Atlantio from the Pacific Ocean, and having been assured by his Indian guides that the sea was seen from a certain mountain, he climbed it all alone, and, when he reached the top, there, sure enough, lay the broad ocean on the other side, its calm waters glittering in the sun and stretching away, who could sav where? When he at last gained the shore on the other side of the mountain, he plunged at once into the water, with his sword drawn, and took possession of it in the name of his king, Ferdinand of Spain. This w-as the, beginning of bho discoveries of nil the' treasures and wonders of the Pacific Ocean,' with its countless islands and stranlje inhabitants. Prom whence, who and where were its countless islands peopled, is still as great n mystery as when Europeans first discovered them. ‘ EXTENSIVE DISCOVERIES. Seven years after Balboa’s journey, Magellan, a Portuguese, discovered the straits which now hear his name, and passing through them, first launched a European ship ir the southern sea, Magellan discovered the Ladrono and afterwards the Philippine Islands. His ship, tho Victor}-, performed the first voyage ©vor made round the world, but tlxe great discoverer himself never received the thanks and praise of 'his king and country, which he had so justly earned. Ho was killed by the natives at one of the Philippine Islands. Afterwards various Spanish, Dutch and British navigators followed Magellan’s adventurous course across 'the waters of the Pacific, and discovered the islands of the Polynesian group, so named after a Greek word signifying “many islands.” The most important and extensive discoveries in this region were not made till Ihe latter part of the 19bh century. It appears tha't early in the 16th century some French merchants equipped a ship to prosecute a voyage to the East Indies. She. ■ departed: from Honfleur in June, 1503, and though severe storms near the Cape of Good Hope caused them to lose their route, and they were driven in a southerly direction, they came to a great country* which is not very distant from the direct navigation to the East Indies, and to which de Gonneville and his company gave the name of Southern India. FIRST TO CROSS PACIFIC. The first w'ho crossed the vast Pacific Ocean was Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese, who, in the service of Spain, sailed from Seville with five ships in 1519. He discovered the straits which hear lis name and having passed through them in November, 1520, entered the South Pacific. After crossing the Equator he discovered the Ladrones, and then proceeded to the Philippine Islands, in one of which he was killed by natives. The Spaniards, after Magellan had showed them the way, made several voyages from America to westward. We know that in them they discovered New Guinea, the Solomon islands and several others. In 1595 Mendona, with the intention of settling these islands, sailed from Callao, and discovered on his route tiio Marquesas and Santa Cruz. In this island. Mendona, with manv of'his companions, died, and t'he shattered remains of his squadron were conducted to Manila by Pedro de Quoirs, the chief pilot. This same Quires nvas the first sent out. with the view to discovering a southern continent. He seems to have been the first who had any idea of the existence of one. He sailed from Callao in 1605 as pilot of the fleet commanded by Luis Paz de Torres. They first discovered the islands afterwards called Pitcairn, still sailing westward till they arrived at the Bay of St. Philip and Jago in the island, of Terra del Espanto Santo Here the two ships parted. Qnlros stood to the north and returned to New Spain. Torres, with tho other vessel, steered to the west and seems to have been the first who sailed between New Holland and New Guinea. THE NEXT ATTEMPT.

••The next attempt to make discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean was conducted by Te Maire and Schouten. They sailed from Texel. 1615, with two ships, Concord and Horn. The latter was burnt in Port Defire. With the other they discovered the strait that bears the name of Te Maire and were the first who entered the Pacific by Cape Horn. They discovered. among others, Cocos Island, the Isle of Hope and Horn. They next visited the North Isle of New Britain and New Guinea, and arrived at Batavia in 1616.

Excepting some discoveries in the vest and north coast of New Holland, no important voyage of the Pacific Ocean was undertaken till 1642, when Captain Tasman sailed from Batavia and discovered Van Diemen's Land, a small part of the west coast of New Zealand, the Friendly Island, and those called Prince Williams. Tho Dutch, in 1721, fitted out three ships to make discoveries in .the South Pacific, under the command of Admiral Roggawien. He left the Texel, and by sailing round Cane Horn, discovered Easter Island, also several other cron ns of •«- lands, among which were those islands, the same Bangainville afterwards called the Isles of Navigators. In 1738 the _ French East India Company sent Lozier Bouver with two shins to make discoveries in the South Pacific, hut without any satisfactory result. Commander Bvron Worry, under liis command the Dolphin and Tomer, under orders from the British Government, sailed in 1764 to make discoveries and explore the Southern Hemisphere. He visited the Falkland Island, passed through the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific Ocean. MENTION OF NEW ZEALAND. There appears on the Admiralty chart of the Indian Ocean, of 1827, the following note:—"New Zealand discovered and named bv Tasman, 1642, hut whose eastern coast was known to the Portuguese about 1550.” Against Cook's Straits are placed the words: “Gulf of the Portuguese, 1550.” Doubtless, before Tasman, there were voyagers who had visited New Zealand, but of these we have no trace or hut the faintest notion. Soon after the great discovery of Columbus, adventurous Portuguese and Spanish poured into the Pacific seas. Their object was not to prosecute research, but to ama3s wealth, and to annex distant lands for their nationalities. Hence each maritime nation was jealous of its neighbour, and guarded its discoveries with every care from prying curiosity. Hence it followed thut published accounts of voyages were few. The journals were consigned

to close keeping and were only used a 3 occasion arose. Similarly tlieie are old maps in existence, issued a hundred yean; beiore Tasman's time, of whose history we know but little, and of which certainly so far there exists no written or printed record Thus we are justified in. chinking that there are buried in the old archives of Portugal and Spanish journals which, if found, would give an earlier account of New Zealand than those we consider are earliest. The iron-bound chests of Portugal and Spain are the probable repositories of these treasures, or these may have been emptied into the Papal and monkish libraries upon whose shelves the contents aro still resting, covered with the accumulated dust of ages. * Sir James Hector caused some inquiry to be made seme years ago, but without lO.SUilt. In "Historic Abrege de la Her de Sud," the a-jvkor, the Abbe de la Horde, sets forth the theory that de Gonneville had touched at New Zealand and the other writers before and after his time have held tho i>robability of the opinion being well founded. De Gonneville left the land he discovered on July 3rd, 1501. Juan Fernandez, in 1576, is stated to have sailed some six weeks towards the south-west from South America, and to have found a land with brown men wearing. woven garments on a fertile shoro in tlic Pacific. A FAINT OUTLINE.

William Bleau, a Dutchman, who wa» born in 1571, and died in 1638, published an atlas* in 14 volumes. In the chart showing the land in the Southern Sea, the outline of Australia is not completed, and the end merely of Van Diemen's Land is scon in the far ocean shaded off into vagueness. But for a century afterwards it was not better represented on our maps, and it surpasses me that in so early a publication as that of Bleau's, only a faint image of Ne\y Zealand should bo given, an indistinct line of the const with the name Zealandia Nova. There scorns io be clear evidence that portions of the middle’ island corst line are to be found in Spanish charts at a comparatively early date, and! in Tasman’s journal a part of his entry on December 13th, 1642, reads as follows:—"I found the variation of 7.30 E. In this situation 1 discovered a high mountainous country which is at present marked in the charts under the name of New Zealand." Tho chart referred to is probably that of Bleau before mentioned. It was from 1606 onwards that the western and southern. coasts of Australia were discovered and named with true patriotic sentiment New Holland.

Tasman's memorable voyage, which is full of interest to us, extended over a period of 10 months, and jesulted in the discovery not only of New Zealand, but also Tasmania, the Tonga or Friendly Isles, the Fijis and others of lesser note. Tho expedition consisted of two vessels. Tho vessels .'ailed from Batavia on Auguest 14th. 1642, for the Isle of France, or as it is now called, Mauritius. Thence they proceeded south. On December 13th they fell in with or descried the high land on the west coast of New Zealand. Staten Island, Tasman first called it, believing it to be part of that great southern continent, which his friend and countryman, Schouten, was supposed to have discovered 25 years before. However, on his return To Batavia, Tasman, finding that. Sohouten's continent was a small island, re-christened his own discovery New Zealand, after one of tho straits of Holland. Tho Governor and Council at Batavia fitted out an expedition in 1642 to ascertain the extent of the great south land Theodoric Hertoge had in 1616 discovered. The command of the expedition was given to Captain Abel Jansen Tasman, who published in Amsterdam in 1694, a relation of bis discoveries. "THE GREAT HIGHLAND."

The . vessels sailed from Batavia on August 14th, 1642, with instructions to make in the first instance for the island of Mauritius, where they were to take in fresh provisions and otherwise refit. ; Mauritius was reached on September sth. Here a month's slay was made refitting and taking in provisions, etc., and they left on October Bth. Nothing further, however, was seen for nearly a month, until on November 24th, when Tasman made his first discovery of Van Diemen's Land, so called after his patron—the Balonian Governor. He named many of the bays and headlands, the names being retained to this day. He explored the coast till December sth; when ho set sail again, steering a due east course. Eight days later Staten Land, or New Zealand, was discovered. The land, "the great high land," as Tasman called - it, ho would first •see > between Hokitika and Okarito, and it is not too fanciful to say that that great mountain, which 250 years later was called by his name, was one of the first sights he saw of the wild west coast. Somewhat further north ho discovered that low point known as Captain Cook's Cape Foulwind, with its outlying steep rocks or cliffs, the steepest, Westport, is not far from this point. North of this, as Tasman says, the land makes a great height. This is ICaramea Bight. Then came the furthermost point, which stood out as boldly that we had no doubt it was the extreme point. This is now Captain Cook's Cape Farewell, with the long spit of sand running from it upon which is a lighthouse. Next in order to it is that bay of tragio, interest called by Tasman "Murderers*" but now known as Golden Bay, in which is the township of Collingwood. The scene of tragedy lies close to Pnrapara. It was on the opening of the western entrance to this strait that Tasman lay anchored with his two ships when the New Zealanders, without the slightest warning, fell upon his boats and killed two of hie crew while going ashoro to get fresh water. THE TRAVELS OF TASMAN. Thankfully escaping from this dreadful spot, Tasman tacked about in what he called Zeehan's Bight, but which, iu truth, was the north-west portion of Cook's -Strait. Proceeding north, Capo Egmont was seen on the 27th, in lat. 38 degrees, and taken at first for an island. He proceeded up the coast. The Three Kings were Tasman's point of departure from New Zealand. This name was given from the fact that the vessels anchored there on January sth. the eve of Epiphany, connected with the religious festival commemorating the meeting of three magic or wise men of the East with the infant Christ. That portion of the sea found between tho islands of Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand was named Tasman's Track, a name which remains to this day, and serves to remind us of that brave man who was tho first to sail round New Holland and New Zealand. -Steering north-west, he discovered in succession Pylstaart, or Tropic Bird Island, and then three islands of Iho Tongan group, which he called Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Middleburg. Here fresh water and provision** were procured from the friendly natives. ' On February 6foil. Prince William Islands and Fiiis were discovered. Several islands were passed on the coast of New Guinea, reached op April Nth, and cn Juno 15th. 1G43, the vessels dropped anchor at Batavia after an absence of nearly two years. In 1644 he was again despatched to examine the north coast of New Holland, and to explore what is known to-day ns Torres Straits, which was successfully accomplished 130 years later by* Captain Cook.