Dutch Commander First to Sight Coastline

In 1627, the Gulden Zeepaard (commander Pieter Nuyts and captain Francois Thyssen) made a landfall at Cape Leeuwin. Then probably bearing in mind Coen's instructions, or possibly only in search of adventure and discovery, the officers decided to follow along the unknown southern coast. 

The scanty records available do not reveal what particular duties, if any, Nuyts had on board, but his position on the Council of India was of sufficient importance to warrant his name being applied to the newly discovered land. Capt. Flinders says that Nuyts on his arrival at Batavia was sent as Ambassador to Japan and afterwards made Governor of Formosa. It seems more probable that he was a civilian, perhaps the company's first merchant on board, rather than captain of the ship. 

There are only three references to the voyage — an entry in the daily diary kept at Batavia ; a map prepared by Hessel Gerritz, cartographer for the East India Company, dated 1618 and 1627-8 ; an entry in ' The Dutch Book of Despatches.'

 J. E. Heeres, in 1899 in his book ' The part borne by the Dutch in the discovery of Australia,' recording the entries he found in reference to the Gulden Zeepaard wrote : — ' Discovery of the South-West coast of Australia by the ship Het Gulden Zeepaard, commanded by Pieter Nuyts, member of the Council of India, and by the skipper, Francorg Thyssen or Thyszoon.  

' A. — Daily register of what has happened here at Batavia from the first of January, 1627 . . . . . On the 10th (of April) there arrived here from the Netherlands the ship t'Gulden Seepaart fitted out by the Zealand chamber, having on board the Hon. Pieter Nuyts, Extraordinary Councillor of India, having sailed from there on the 22nd May, 1626. 

' B.— Hessel Gerritsz — Huydecoper chart. This chart has 'T LAND VAN PIETER NUYTS DISCOVERED JAN UARY 26. 1627, and the islands SINT FRANCORS and SINT PIETER.' The register of outgoing vessels of the East India Company shows the skippers name was Francors Thyssen or Thyszoon. All the Dutch names mentioned herein are spelt in many ways, perhaps no one way being correct. 

Some maps show the month of discovery as February, but January is the most favored month and the date 16 or 26. The map dated 1618, (correct from time to time, but the original date retained) shows the coast line from Cape Leeuwin to about Decres Bay with sundry islands, but only two were named. Here and there an anchor is depicted, possibly where the ships had anchored or alternatively where safe anchorage could be found.  Capt. Flinders, remembering the work done by the Dutch, allowed the names of the two islands to remain on his new map. 

The third reference to the voyage of the Gulden Zeepard is to be found in the Dutch Book of Despatches, giving instructions to Tasman on his expedition. According to William Howitt, portion of the letter to Tasman read :— 'Through the little success of this third voyage, but mostly because no ship could be spared, the discovery was again omitted until 1636, but in the interim, in the year 1627, the South coast of the Great South Land was accidentally discovered by the ship Guide Zeepard outward bound from the Fatherland for the space of 1,000 English miles.' For a momentous voyage, these are scanty records. Practically the whole information gained is recorded on Gerritsz's chart. 

Turning again to Coen's instructions, we may possibly get the reason for the paucity of the information regarding the voyage : — ' In virtue of the oath of allegiance which each of you generally and personally has sworn to the Lord States General, to His Princely Highness and the Lord Managers, none of you shall be allowed to retain for his private use or to abstract any written document, journal, drawings or observations touching this present expedition, but every one of you shall be bound on his return hither faithfully to deliver up the same without exception.' Probably a similar restriction applied to other boats of the East India Company. 

It is not known what happened after the ship reached the Islands of St. Francors and St. Pieter, or why the mapping was discontinued. One writer suggests that the ship circumnavigated Australia, but this seems unlikely, for if so the good work of mapping would assuredly have been continued. It seems more reasonable that having followed 'the eastern extension for some time ' and having found ' no extension southward,' the commander decided to ' turn back ' in conformity with. Coen's instructions. 

Western Australia claims the major share of the land discovered, but the voyage of the Gulden Zeepaard is definitely of interest to Eyre Peninsula and the Far West Coast. The commander was the first to sight and chart the coast line. The survey work was remarkable. Subsequent voyagers were profuse in their praise of its accuracy, more especially considering the instruments and data the ship's crew had to work with. 

The Frenchman, Rear-Admiral Bruny D'Entrecasteaux. who voyaged along the coast 175 years afterwards, commenting on the paucity of details of Nuyts's expedition, wrote : — ' It is not surprising that Nuyts has given no details of this barren coast, for its aspect is so uniform, that the most fruitful imagination could find nothing to say of it.' 

Another writer says that the Dutch only touched the most desolate and uncompromising stretches of the Australian coastline, the cliffs of the Australian Bight, the low shores of the west and the barren coast line of the north. However that may be, Jean Pierre Purry of Neufchatel, thought otherwise, for in 1717 and 1718 he wrote two memorials, urging the establishment of a settlement in Nuyts Land. The scheme was first submitted to the Governor-General of Batavia, but did not meet with approval, for the Governor said : ' Not only as an unfavorable venture from which they could foresee neither use nor profit to the company,' but on the contrary considerable expense. 

Purry after wards submitted it to the directors of the Dutch East India Company at Amsterdam, with no better result. Purry pointed out that Nuyts Land was in the latitude that experienced the best climate on the earth, and might even contain ' one of the best countries in the world.' He further pointed out the length of coast line of Nuyts Land and further east the land discovered by Tasman (Van Dieman's Land and New Zealand), with the possibility of good ' land being found in between ;' and again he says, 'Who knows what there is in New Holland, and whether the country does not, perhaps, contain richer mines of gold or silver than did Chili, Peru or Mexico ?' And again, ' Such a country cannot but be rich, if not in one spot, at least in another, provided it he inhabited and properly cultivated,' and would give 'results worthy of your illustrious company whether in cheese, wine, olives, tobacco or, chief of all. silkworms.' To engage the land a contingent of 500 or 600 men, all good soldiers, would be required to spy out the land, for he pictured the native population possessing ' fortified towns ' and ' machines of war yet more terrifying than our bombs and cannons ' and- the same population might possess ' giants, not only in stature, but in intelligence and knowledge.' Puny was not far out in some of his estimation as witness, the gold mines of West Australia, copper mines of Wallaroo, the Broken Hill silver mines and the good agricultural and horticultural lands of South Australia and Victoria. 

[Further articles by Mr. Somerville will tell of the coming of the English and the arrival of Capt. Matthew Flinders.]