Page:Old Westland (1939).pdf/38

extended southward and formed a great Antarctic continent. He sailed from Batavia, on August 14th, 1642, in the Heemskercq, accompanied by the Zeehaen (the latter commanded by Gerritt Jansan), small vessels of 60 and 100 tons respectively. On November 24th of the same year he discovered and named Van Diemen’s Land, which we now know as Tasmania. One week later, on December 1st, he anchored in Fredrick Hendrik’s Bay (now Prince of Wales Bay), and took possession for Holland. Here he remained until December 9th, when he sailed east, and, as stated, picked up the coast of Westland four days later. He named the new country Staaten Land, as he considered it probably extended across the Pacific to what is now known as Staaten Island, south of Tierra del Fuego. Staaten Land, however, was soon afterwards proved by another explorer to be an island; thereupon the Dutch authorities changed the name of this country to New Zealand, though they did not reveal its existence to the world for some considerable time. Tasman sailed north along the West Coast until he rounded what we now call Farewell Spit, and anchored in what he called Murderers’ (now Golden) Bay. Here the Maoris attacked a boat’s crew and killed four of his men. He then sailed along the coast of the North Island (naming Cape Maria Van Diemen), until he rounded the North Cape, and on Epiphany Eve, some islets coming