TASMAN. 1642. (Atlas. Plate VII.)

CAPTAIN ABEL JANSZ TASMAN sailed from Batavia on Aug. 14, 1642, with the
yacht _Heemskerk_ and fly-boat _Zeehaan_; and, after touching at
Mauritius, steered south and eastward upon discovery. Nov. 24, at four
p.m., high land was seen in the E. by N., supposed to be distant forty
miles. The ships steered towards it till the evening; when there were
high mountains visible in the E. S. E., and two smaller ones in the N. E.
They sounded in 100 fathoms, and then stood off from the land, with the
wind at south-east.

In the morning of Nov. 25., it was calm; but on a breeze springing up
from the southward, Tasman steered for the land; and at five p.m., when
it was twelve miles distant, sounded in 60 fathoms, coral bottom: at four
miles off, the bottom was fine white sand. The latitude was then 42° 30'
south; the _mean of all their longitudes_ 163° 50' east (of Teneriffe
apparently); and the compass had no variation. The coast here lies S. by
E. and N. by W. It is of an even height; and was named ANTONY VAN
DIEMEN's LAND, in honour of the governor-general, "our master, who sent
us out to make discoveries. The islands round about, as many of them as
were known to us, we called in honour of the Council of India."

The ships stood off again for the night, with a light breeze at S. S. E.
On the 26th, the wind was from the eastward, and weather rainy, so that
no land could be seen; but its distance was supposed to be twelve or
thirteen leagues. At noon, the latitude from dead reckoning was 43° 36',
and longitude 163° 2'; the course having been S. S. W. 72 miles.* In the
evening the wind shifted to the north-east, and their course was directed
E. S. E.: the variation was then half a degree west.