as　a　curiosity；　every　intelligent　Dutchman　may　say　to　himself；　〃Behold　the　wisdom　of　the　East　India　Company。　　By　their　present　empire　they　support　the　authority　of　this　republic　abroad；　and　by　their　extensive　commerce　enrich　its　subjects　at　home；　and　at　the　same　time　show　us　here　what　a　reserve　they　have　made　for　the　benefit　of　posterity；　whenever；　through　the　vicissitudes　to　which　all　sublunary　things　are　liable；　their　present　sources　of　power　and　grandeur　shall　fail。〃
  I　cannot　help　supporting　my　opinion　in　this　respect；　by　putting　the　reader　in　mind　of　a　very　curious　piece　of　ancient　history；　which　furnishes　us　with　the　like　instance　in　the　conduct　of　another　republic。　　Diodorus　Siculus；　in　the　fifth　book　of　his　Historical　Library；　informs　us　that　in　the　African　Ocean；　some　days'　sail　west　from　Libya；　there　had　been　discovered　an　island；　the　soil　of　which　was　exceedingly　fertile　and　the　country　no　less　pleasant；　all　the　land　being　finely　diversified　by　mountains　and　plains；　the　former　thick　clothed　with　trees；　the　latter　abounding　with　fruits　and　flowers；　the　whole　watered　by　innumerable　rivulets；　and　affording　so　pleasant　an　habitation　that　a　finer　or　more　delightful　country　fancy　itself　could　not　feign；　yet　he　assures　us；　the　Carthagenians；　those　great　masters　of　maritime　power　and　commerce；　though　they　had　discovered　this　admirable　island；　would　never　suffer　it　to　be　planted；　but　reserved　it　as　a　sanctuary　to　which　they　might　fly；　whenever　the　ruin　of　their　own　republic　left　them　no　other　resource。　This　tallies　exactly　with　the　policy　of　the　Dutch　East　India　Company；　who；　if　they　should　at　any　time　be　driven　from　their　possessions　in　Java；　Ceylon；　and　other　places　in　that　neighbourhood；　would　without　doubt　retire　back　into　the　Moluccas；　and　avail　themselves　effectually　of　this　noble　discovery；　which　lies　open　to　them；　and　has　been　hitherto　close　shut　up　to　all　the　world　beside。　But　to　proceed。
  CHAPTER　XII：　　OCCURRENCES　IN　THE　VOYAGE。
  On　February　14th　we　were　in　the　latitude　of　16　degrees　30　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　193　degrees　35　minutes。　　We　had　hitherto　had　much　rain　and　bad　weather；　but　this　day　the　wind　sinking；　we　hailed　our　consort　the　Zee…Haan；　and　found　to　our　great　satisfaction　that　our　reckonings　agreed。　　On　the　20th；　in　the　latitude　of　13　degrees　45　minutes；　and　in　the　longitude　of　193　degrees　35　minutes；　we　had　dark；　cloudy　weather；　much　rain；　thick　fogs；　and　a　rolling　sea；　on　all　sides　the　wind　variable。　　On　the　26th；　in　the　latitude　of　9　degrees　48　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　193　degrees　43　minutes；　we　had　a　north…west　wind；　having　every　day；　for　the　space　of　twenty…one　days；　rained　more　or　less。　　On　March　2nd；　in　the　latitude　of　9　degrees　11　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　192　degrees　46　minutes；　the　variation　was　10　degrees　to　the　east；　the　wind　and　weather　still　varying。　　On　March　8th；　in　the　latitude　of　7　degrees　46　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　190　degrees　47　minutes；　the　wind　was　still　variable。
  CHAPTER　XIII：　　HE　ARRIVES　AT　THE　ARCHIPELAGO　OF　ANTHONG　JAVA。
  On　the　14th；　in　the　latitude　of　10　degrees　12　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　186　degrees　14　minutes；　we　found　the　variation　8　degrees　45　minutes　to　the　east。　　We　passed　some　days　without　being　able　to　take　any　observation；　because　the　weather　was　all　that　time　dark　and　rainy。　　On　March　20th；　in　the　latitude　of　5　degrees　15　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　181　degrees　16　minutes；　the　weather　being　then　fair；　we　found　the　variation　9　degrees　eastward。　On　the　22nd；　in　the　latitude　of　5　degrees　2　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　178　degrees　32　minutes；　we　had　fine　fair　weather；　and　the　benefit　of　the　east　trade　wind。　　This　day　we　had　sight　of　land；　which　lay　four　miles　west。　　This　land　proved　to　be　a　cluster　of　twenty　islands；　which　in　the　maps　are　called　Anthong　Java。　　They　lie　ninety　miles　or　thereabouts　from　the　coast　of　New　Guinea。　　It　may　not　be　amiss　to　observe　here；　that　what　Captain　Tasman　calls　the　coast　of　New　Guinea；　is　in　reality　the　coast　of　New　Britain；　which　Captain　Dampier　first　discovered　to　be　a　large　island　separated　from　the　coast　of　New　Guinea。
  CHAPTER　XIV：　　HIS　ARRIVAL　ON　THE　COAST　OF　NEW　GUINEA。
  On　the　25th；　in　the　latitude　of　4　degrees　35　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　175　degrees　10　minutes；　we　found　the　variation　9　degrees　30　minutes　east。　　We　were　then　in　the　height　of　the　islands　of　Mark；　which　were　discovered　by　William　Schovten　and　James　le　Maire。　　They　are　fourteen　or　fifteen　in　number；　inhabited　by　savages；　with　black　hair；　dressed　and　trimmed　in　the　same　manner　as　those　we　saw　before　at　the　Bay　of　Murderers　in　New　Zealand。　　On　the　29th　we　passed　the　Green　Islands；　and　on　the　30th　that　of　St。　John；　which　were　likewise　discovered　by　Schovten　and　Le　Maire。　　This　island　they　found　to　be　of　a　considerable　extent；　and　judged　it　to　lie　at　the　distance　of　one　thousand　eight　hundred　and　forty　leagues　from　the　coast　of　Peru。　　It　appeared　to　them　well　inhabited　and　well　cultivated；　abounding　with　flesh；　fowl；　fish；　fruit；　and　other　refreshments。　　The　inhabitants　made　use　of　canoes　of　all　sizes；　were　armed　with　slings；　darts；　and　wooden　swords；　wore　necklaces　and　bracelets　of　pearl；　and　rings　in　their　noses。　　They　were；　however；　very　intractable；　notwithstanding　all　the　pains　that　could　be　taken　to　engage　them　in　a　fair　correspondence；　so　that　Captain　Schovten　was　at　last　obliged　to　fire　upon　them　to　prevent　them　from　making　themselves　masters　of　his　vessel；　which　they　attacked　with　a　great　deal　of　vigour；　and　very　probably　this　was　the　reason　that　Captain　Tasman　did　not　attempt　to　land　or　make　any　farther　discovery。　　On　April　1st；　we　were　in　the　latitude　of　4　degrees　30　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　171　degrees　2　minutes；　the　variation　being　8　degrees　45　minutes　to　the　east；　having　now　sight　of　the　coast　of　New　Guinea；　and　endeavouring　to　double　the　cape　which　the　Spaniards　call　Cobo　Santa　Maria；　we　continued　to　sail　along　the　coast　which　lies　north…west。　　We　afterwards　passed　the　islands　of　Antony　Caens；　Gardeners　Island；　and　Fishers　Island；　advancing　towards　the　promontory　called　Struis　Hoek；　where　the　coast　runs　south　and　south…　east。　　We　resolved　to　pursue　the　same　route；　and　to　continue　steering　south　till　we　should　either　discover　land　or　a　passage　on　that　side。
  It　is　necessary　to　observe；　that　all　this　time　they　continued　on　the　coast；　not　of　New　Guinea　but　of　New　Britain；　for　that　cape　which　the　Spaniards　called　Santa　Maria　is　the　very　same　that　Captain　Dampier　called　Cape　St。　George；　and　Caens；　Gardeners；　and　Fishers　Islands　all　lie　upon　the　same　coast。　　They　had　been　discovered　by　Schovten　and　Le　Maire；　who　found　them　to　be　well　inhabited；　but　by　a　very　base　and　treacherous　people；　who；　after　making　signs　of　peace；　attempted　to　surprise　their　ships；　and　these　islanders　managed　their　slings　with　such　force　and　dexterity；　as　to　drive　the　Dutch　sailors　from　their　decks；　which　account　of　Le　Maire's　agree　perfectly　well　with　what　Captain　Dampier　tells　us　of　the　same　people。　　As　for　the　continent　of　New　Guinea；　it　lies　quite　behind　the　island　of　New　Britain；　and　was　therefore　laid　down　in　all　the　charts　before　Dampier's　discovery；　at　least　four　degrees　more　to　the　east　than　it　should　have　been。
  CHAPTER　XV：　　CONTINUES　HIS　VOYAGE　ALONG　THAT　COAST。
  On　April　12th；　in　the　latitude　of　3　degrees　45　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　167　degrees；　we　found　the　variation　10　degrees　towards　the　east。　　That　night　part　of　the　crew　were　wakened　out　of　their　sleep　by　an　earthquake。　　They　immediately　ran　upon　deck；　supposing　that　the　ship　had　struck。　　On　heaving　the　lead；　however；　there　was　no　bottom　to　be　found。　　We　had　afterwards　several　shocks；　but　none　of　them　so　violent　as　the　first。　　We　had　then　doubled　the　Struis　Hoek；　and　were　at　that　time　in　the　Bay　of　Good　Hope。　　On　the　14th；　in　the　latitude　of　5　degrees　27　minutes　south；　and　in　the　longitude　of　166　degrees　57　minutes；　we　observed　the　variation　to　be　9　degrees　15　minutes　to　the　east。　　The　land　lay　then　north…east；　east…north…east；　and　again　south…south…west；　so　that　we　imagined　there　had　been　a　passage　between　those　two　points；　but　we　were　soon　convinced　of　our　mistake；　and　that　it　was　all　one　coast；　so　that　we　were　obliged　to　double　the　West　Cape　and　to　continue　creeping　along　shore；　and　were　much　hindered　in　our　passage　by　calms。　　This　description　agrees　very　well　with　that　of　Schovten　and　Le　Maire；　so　that　probably　they　had　now　sight　again　of　the　coast　of　New　Guinea。
  It　is　very　probable；　from　the　accident　that　happened　to　Captain　Tasman；　and　which　also　happened　to　others　upon　that　coast；　and　from　the　burning　mountains　that　will　be　hereafter　mentioned；　that　this　country　is　very　subject　to　earthquakes；　and　if　so；　without　doubt　it　abounds　with　metals　and　minerals；　of　which　we　have　also　another　proof　from　a　point　in　which　all　these　writers　agree；　viz。；　that　the　people　they　saw　had　rings　on　their　noses　and　ears；　though　none　of　them　tell　us　of　what　metal　these　rings　were　made；　which　Le　Maire　might　easily　have　done；　since　he　carried　off　a　man　from　one　of　the　islands　whose　name　was　Moses；　from　whom　he　learned　that　almost　every　nation　on　this　coast　speaks　a