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Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 15, 4 June 1872, Page 3

Tin; O'scmV'UY ov AnsruAUA.— On Muro.h 14 ~S\r. R li. M .jor rend ;i inoit inert'-in.: piper in he rooms of t.!)c S'l.'ii'ly of Anti(['i;iries House, mi the subject ol' the eiirly lii.-t.-ry of the. discovery <>f Austr ilia. Th ' |>n'S''iit '-viis r,h- seeund [uvwr on the subject. In IS()1 .Mr. M ijor r-ail a •α-vr in which lie showed that the livst iHi;!ientie;v' t erl (liseos'erv of Australia was made iu 1 01 bv u Poftiiinitsc mariner, thus itsing tin- date :]ve V'.ux I>.'!"im-" the D it;Mi .li-covoiy, and transferring th" I'l-m >ivU- mi 11. 'liiiu ito Portuu-at. Th'S was proved (■■■ I) ■ the I'let I), a.; - " map-!e-:nondi!" found in tin , B.'itish Museum, con.ir ,i'e;l b docu nc its f >uud in the dim f,i!)i;irv of Iji-ussiils in .871. But lie ni:uli- ji new (liscoverv sine." then, which -howed tiiat Australia had hc(>u di-iciver ■(! seventy \ ears before ICO I. This depended on certain inanuscrip' French maps. One of ll.es:' in his wis called the i).iu:>hiu.Map, and bore date 1V!1. Ttio French themselves were wholly unaware that, thev were the real discoverers of \vKtralia. It was from n 'deiiei nev of pitriotic zeal that they did not put f.v.-wiivd their claim. They believed that the manuscript I'vpue'i imps referred to 'the Portuguese legend. He oiilv hoped that as there was found in the Brussels library evidence con'irm itory of the discovery by the Portuguese in lfiiH, there miyht be found documents to establish what he believed to be the earlier diseovery of Australia bv the French.