Guinea, and on one trip the commander, after coasting the island, sailed southward on through the west side of Torres Straits to that part of Australia to west and south of Cape York, marked on modern maps as Duyphen Point, thus making the first authentic discovery of that continent. In 1623, Arnheim's Land, now the northern district of the Northern Territory of South Australia, was discovered by the Dutch ships Pesa and Arnheim, and the master of the latter and eight of his crew murdered by the natives.
John Evelyn in his Diary gives us a glimpse of Dampier the explorer.
“August 6, 1698.—I dined with Mr. Pepys, where was Captain Dampier, who has been famous buccaneer, had brought hither the painted Prince Job, and printed a relation of his very strange adventures and his observations. He was now going abroad again by the King's encouragement, who furnished a ship of 290 tons. He seemed a more modest man than one would imagine by the relation of the crew he had consorted with.” I wonder did they have for dinner “a hen with great content”?
The Spaniards, the Dutch, and the Portuguese did so much—now, perhaps, it is the turn of the Germans. The keys of the East are Singapore and Hong-Kong. Between them and Australia lie all these wonderful isles, yet not a single British ship is ever seen. We, too, have our share in Borneo, the largest island in the world next to New Guinea, yet it might not exist for all sign here of our being there. It is inexplicable.
I have always these brave old explorers in their quaint little ships in my mind here. How little has changed since they saw it, save where volcanic disturbances have altered the aspect of the land!—and such catastrophes have not been infrequent.
