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these islands, but failed to accomplish his object, as he was unable to again locate them. Associated with him on this voyage as chief pilot was Fernandez de Quiros, to whom much of the honour of Australia becoming definitely known is clue, though he himself never set foot upon it. Failing to locate the Solomon Group, Mendana attempted to form a settlement on the island of Santa Cruz, but the venture met with no success and resulted in his death.

The discovery of Santa Cruz led De Quiros to think that the much-discussed southern continent was at last found, and he addressed two memorials to the Viceroy of Peru in which the question is set forth with much geographical detail, and which may be said to have brought about a definite solution of the problem, though he was not destined to demonstrate it by actual discovery. Two centuries later (when advocating the same cause as De Quiros) Dalrymple, speaking of that navigator, says:—"The discovery of the southern continent, whenever and by whomsoever it may be completely effected, is in justice due to this immortal name."

The Viceroy of Peru, while sympathizing with De Quiros and favourably inclined toward his projects, felt that it was beyond his power to afford the assistance asked for, and advised him to address himself to the monarch in person, for which purpose he armed the navigator with letters of support. The appeal to Philip 111, was successful, and De Quiros returned to Peru with the necessary authority to carry out his plans. Two large vessels and a corvette were equipped for the expedition, which left Callao at the end of 1605. The second ship of the three was under the command of Luis Vaez de Torres, whose name remains in the nomenclature of Australian waters. The object of the voyage was to make a second attempt to found a colony at Santa Cruz and then to proceed in search of the southern continent.

After the discovery of various small islands Quiros reached a land which he called Australia del Espiritu Santo (really the New Hebrides), and which he considered to be part of the continent.

At this place, through unknown causes, the ships became separated. Torres finding that Espiritu Santo was an island continued his way westward, passing southward of what is now known as the Louisiade Archipelago, and proceeding thence south of New Guinea through the passage that was in future to bear his name —Torres Straits. In his description of the difficulties encountered in this passage he refers to large islands to the southward. These were without doubt the hills of Cape York Peninsula, so that to Torres, though he was unaware of the fact, we owe the first definite mention of the north-east coast of the island continent. De Quiros, after leaving or being separated from Torres, set his course for Mexico, where he arrived in October, 1606, and from that time until his death in 1614 unsuccessfully urged upon the Spanish King the great desirability of prosecuting further searches in these unknown regions.

From this time we may safely say that the existence of a southern continent was definitely known, though its coastline was still undefined and unexplored. What for centuries had been merely rumour and suggestion was at last established fact, and though nearly two more centuries were to pass before its area was accurately determined and its boundaries charted, yet from the end of the sixteenth century Australia was practically endowed with a habitation as well as with a name.

Having discussed thus far the question of the discovery of Australia as a whole, we may, with regard to voyages taking place after the seventeenth century had opened, reasonably confine ourselves to those which are of interest in dealing with that portion of the continent the history of which is the subject of this work—Western Australia.

Western Australia was—and indeed from its geographical position must have been—the first part of the continent to become known, lying as it does just off what was then the main trade route to the East. No evidence can be found of this statement better than a study of the map showing the prevailing winds. We notice that south of the Tropic of Capricorn the general direction of the wind is westward, while just above the tropic we meet the south-east trades and monsoonal disturbances. Mariners but doubtfully acquainted with the seas in which they were sailing would have a tendency, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, to go east as far as possible before bearing northward to Java and Timor, thus hoping to get the benefit of the wind in both directions, and avoid if they could the area of disturbance. This would apply particularly to the Dutch, whose information of the route was first gained by the study of navigation and not by its actual practice; and it explains' in great measure the frequency of Dutch names on the west coast of Australia. It is more than probable that the first knowledge of a new continent many of them had was when they felt it under their keels.

It is curious to note how great a part the struggle for the control of the East Indian trade played in the gradual determination of the coastline of this side of the continent. Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and French in turn endeavoured to command the commerce and resources of these regions of marvellous wealth, and from the discovery of the Abrolhos by Mcneses in 1527 we have the same procession of nationalities in the progress of Australian discovery.

Early in the seventeenth century we find important changes taking place in the political conditions of Europe. The great naval strength of Spain and the