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the savages. An exploratory voyage was made by the "Leeuwerik" in 1648, and in 1649 the "Vergulde Draeck," laden with rich merchandise and money, was wrecked in latitude 30° 40' and 118 lives lost. Seven of the survivors managed to reach Batavia, leaving sixty-eight behind them to protect the cargo and treasure, and implored assistance. To this end several ships were dispatched in 1657 and 1658, but many of these met with disaster of one kind or another, and all returned from the search unsuccessful. The first of these vessels, the "Witte Valck" and "Goede Hoop," sailed down the coast for some distance, but reappeared after losing a boat and eleven men. The "Vinck," from the Cape to Batavia, was instructed to search, but also failed. The "Waeckende Boey" and the "Emeloort" visited the mainland in 1658 on the same mission, but with abortive results. The first of these vessels foolishly abandoned a boat and fourteen men during bad weather, and only four of them got back to Batavia, the remainder succumbing to incredible suffering and privation. In the same year the "Elburg" joined in the search with the same negative result. Many of these ships observed wreckage of various kinds floating about, which evidently came from the "Vergulde Draeck," but nothing was ever heard of the unfortunate castaways. There was, however, some result from the attempts in improved charts of the coastline.

Some twenty years later the "Vliegende Swaan" coasted the north-west of the continent on her voyage from Ternate to Batavia.

Up to the end of the seventeenth century English maritime enterprise in the Pacific Ocean and Southern Seas had been almost a negligible quantity, confined chiefly to occasional voyages of adventure of more or less piratical intent, and any English interest or even knowledge of the new Southern Land could scarcely be said to exist. Curiously enough that English interest was in the first place stimulated by one who at that period of his life was in every respect a buccaneer—William Dampier. But pirate though he practically was, he had some of the qualities of a hero, and he posssessed that faculty of accurate observation that made his remarks and opinions on places visited of special value to his country.

Born in 1652 of a respectable family in Somerset, Dampier as a young man gained some experience of the sea both in the merchant service and in the navy. In 1674 he went to Jamaica to assist in the management of Colonel Helyar's plantation, but the life was so devoid of adventure that in the following year he went back to sea. In 1679 he joined the buccaneers and made various expeditions in the Pacific with the avowed object of plundering the Spanish settlement. Some four years later he took service with one Cook on a cruise round the world. Finding that the vessel was too small for the purpose they ran along the coast of Africa in the hope of meeting a more suitable craft. At Sierra Leone they fell in with a Dutch ship carrying thirty-six guns, and without any qualms of conscience forcibly took possession of her and ran out to sea. Dampier's narrative says nothing of this, but would lead us to believe that the voyage was one of discovery only, instead of being, as it really was, a purely piratical venture. Cook died in 1684, and Davis, who took his place, joined forces with a Captain Swan of the "Cygnet," and for twelve months they scoured the South American Coast in company. They then parted, as Swan wished to try the Mexican Coast and then go across the Pacific toward the East Indies. With him went Dampier, filled (according to his narrative) with a desire for discovery. Reaching the Philippine Islands in June, 1686, they remained there until early in the following year, when dissatisfaction became rife among the crew owing to the prolonged inactivity. This was ended by Dampier and party sailing away with the ship, leaving Swan and about thirty-six men stranded on Mindanao. After a course of piracy in the China Seas Dampier seems to have tired of the life and set sail for home, taking a lonely route to the south in the hope of avoiding English and Dutch ships, of which he stood in some dread. Contrary winds carried his ship out of her course, and in January, 1688, he decided to land on the shores of New Holland "to see what the country would afford us."

The landing took place in the north-west corner of King Sound, at the spot now known as Cygnet Bay. Here the ship was beached for cleaning and repairs, and it is curious that apparently by accident Dampier found the one place on the whole north-west coast suitable for that purpose. During the stay here, lasting until March 12, the leader appears to have found the society of his fellow-buccaneers uncongenial, and to occupy his