Cape Van Diemen, Lieutenant King Ascertained To Be The
Northern Extremity Of An Island, Near Which Was A Deep Gulf.
Although we
have not learnt that Lieutenant King has completed his survey, 8 or 9
degrees of latitude on
The north-west coast still remaining to be explored,
yet we think it may safely be inferred that no great river has its exit
into the ocean from the interior of New Holland. This circumstance, added
to the singular nature of the country through which Lieutenant Oxley
journeyed, and the peculiar and unique character of many of its animals,
seems to stamp on this portion of the globe marks which strongly and widely
separate it from every other portion.
It is remarked in the Quarterly Review, that, before Captain Flinder's
voyage, "the great Gulf of Carpentaria had as yet no definite outline on
our nautical charts. It was the imaginary tracing of an undulating line,
intended to denote the limits between land and water, without a promontory,
or an island, a bay, harbour, or inlet, that was defined by shape or
designated by name. This blank line was drawn and copied by one chart maker
from another, without the least authority, and without the least reason to
believe that any European had ever visited this wide and deeply-indented
gulf; and yet, when visited, this imaginary line was found to approximate
so nearly to its true form, as ascertained by survey, as to leave little
doubt that some European navigator must at one time or other have examined
it, though his labours have been buried, as the labours of many thousands
have been before and since his time, in the mouldy archives of a jealous
and selfish government."
This remark may be extended and applied to other parts of the globe beside
Australasia; but it is particularly applicable to this portion of it. There
can be no doubt that many islands and points of land were discovered, which
were never traced in maps, even in the vague and indistinct manner in which
the Gulf of Carpentaria was traced; that many discoveries were claimed to
which no credit was given; and that owing to the imperfect mode formerly
used to determine the longitude, some, from being laid down wrong, were
afterwards claimed as entirely new discoveries.
We have stated that this remark is particularly applicable to Australasia:
to the progress of geography in this division of the globe (including under
that appellation, besides New Holland, Papua or New Guinea, New Britain,
New Ireland, Solomon's Isles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, &c.) we are now
to direct our attention; and the truth of the remark will soon appear to be
confirmed in more than one instance.
One of the objects of Rogewein, a Dutch navigator, who, sailed from
Amsterdam in 1721, was to re-discover Solomon's Islands, and the lands
described by Quitos. In this voyage he visited New Britain, of which he has
enlarged our information; and be discovered Aurora Island, and a very
numerous archipelago, to which he gave the name of the Thousand Islands.
Captain Carteret, who sailed from England in 1767, along with Captain
Wallis, but who was separated from him in the Straits of Magellan,
discovered several isles in the South Pacific, the largest of which there
is little doubt is that which was visited by Mandana in 1595, and called by
him Santa Cruz.
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