A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1 by Matthew Flinders
page 96 of 569 (16%)
page 96 of 569 (16%)
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Greenwich), "the coast is barren. The people are bad and wicked, shooting
at the Dutch with arrows, without provocation, when they were coming on shore: It is here very populous." "In 14° 58' S. lon. 138° 59' (about 125° east), the people are savage, and go naked: none can understand them." "In HOLLANDIA NOVA,* in 17° 12' S. (lon. 121° or 122° east) _Tasman_ found a naked, black people, with curly hair; malicious and cruel, using for arms, bows and arrows, hazeygaeys and kalawaeys. They once came to the number of fifty, double armed, dividing themselves into two parties, intending to have surprised the Dutch, who had landed twenty-five men; but the firing of guns frightened them so that they fled. Their prows are made of the bark of trees: their coast is dangerous: there are few vegetables: the people use no houses." [* This expression indicates, that the before-mentioned places were not then included under the term NEW HOLLAND by Witsen: he wrote in 1705.] "In 19° 35' S. long. 134° (about 120°, apparently), the inhabitants are very numerous, and threw stones at the boats sent by the Dutch to the shore. They made fires and smoke all along the coast, which, it was conjectured, they did to give notice to their neighbours of strangers being upon the coast. They appear to live very poorly; go naked; eat yams and other roots." DAMPIER. 1688. The buccaneers with whom our celebrated navigator, WILLIAM DAMPIER, made a voyage round the world, came upon the north-west coast of Terra |
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