Who Discovered Australia?

Was There Portuguese Landing on Northern Shores Before Dutch and Spaniards Came In 1606?

Written for "The Pacific Islands Monthly" by Philip R. Firth, of Jervis Island, Torres Strait, who is a well-known historian and investigator.

ASK any person who discovered America, and nearly all, without hesitation, will reply “Christopher Columbus.”

Then ask a similar question as to who discovered Australia—and varied will be the answer.

It is a generally accepted fact that the Dutch and Spanish claim discoveries in March and September respectively, of 1606. Both of these alleged dis coveries were in the vicinity of Cape York Peninsula.

In 1512 Dr. Abreu, a Portuguese, dis covered the Spice Islands, and claimed them on behalf of his King, as Portu guese territory. Shortly afterwards, the Portuguese established trading stations throughout the Moluccas, sending their ships to trade with the natives on adjoining islands. Chief among these stations was Ternate.

There is on record the account of a voyage undertaken in 1525, which has been studied by historians, but apparently passed over as doubtful.

The school books dealing with the all-absorbing topic, history, or even books which the general public have access to, contain any reference to this voyage. But one always finds mention of Marco Polo, Bartholomew Diaz, and Vasco da Gama, as a lead up to Jansz and Torres.

Of Gomez de Sequeira we read nothing, and it is doubtful if many have heard of him.

Two statements were made by people of undoubted integrity. The first was a Portuguese writer named Castanheda (Major’s “Early Voyages to Australia,’’ page 35), who states that a Portuguese ship was fitted out at Ternate, to trade with the people of the Celebes; and, on its return voyage it was driven by storms and currents no less than 300 leagues out of her course, into an open sea, between the Spice Islands and the Strait of Magellan. Many times they gave themselves up for lost, and the ship was severely damaged. At last they reached an island 30 leagues in circumference, on which they landed and remained four months. The in habitants had long hair, and wore beards, and were of a tawny colour.

They left Ternate in July, 1525, and arrived back in port on the 20th January, 1526, after an absence of nearly seven months.

The next statement is that made by the Jesuit Maffei. It is very similar to that of Castanheda; but he adds the captain’s name, which was Gomez de Sequeira, and says that the captain named the island or islands he discovered after himself.

So much for the condensed reports of the two authors. Anyone wishing to read them in full may find the trans lations in Major’s “Early Voyages to Australia.’’

The open sea referred to must have lain S.E. of the Celebes, as it was situated between the Spice Islands and Strait of Magellan. A line taken 300

leagues from the Celebes, brings us to the eastern boundary of the Arafura Sea, The inference to be drawn from the reports is that Sequeira attempted to trade with the southern portion of the Celebes; otherwise, if he had sailed west from Ternate to Celebes, he would have been driven back to one of the Spice Islands. Instead of that, he found himself in an open sea, travelling east wards.

The island, according to this reason ing, should be found somewhere in this locality, and of about the circumference stated. The inhabitants had long black hair and beards. There can be no doubt, surely, that this is a fair descrip tion of the Australian aboriginal, as all early Australian explorers have re marked on these two characteristics.

The Papuans have short curly hair.

It would not be amiss, here, to re member the incident of Bass and Flin ders and the scissors, which occurred during their voyage in the “Tom Thumb,” and which probably saved them from discomfiture.

There is on record, however, Gastal di’s map, published in Venice in 1554, which clearly shows the islands of Gomez de Sequeira in 8 deg, latitude South, and about 134 deg. longitude East. This is empty ocean, between Australia and Dutch New Guinea.

It must be remembered, however, it was at this time the Courts of Spain and Portugal were at the climax of their animosity towards one another, regarding the line of demarcation in

the Eastern Hemisphere—the Spice Islands being the prize in dispute.

The natural conjecture would be that both nations would place whatever dis coveries they made on that side of the imaginary line in which their own sphere lay. There would have been no territorial gain in falsifying a latitude.

The famous French geographer, Mons Barbie-du Bocage, is of the opinion that the island of Sequiera was the Prince of Wales Island, in the Torres Strait.

R. H. Major, a great historian, does not agree. He thinks it was Tobi, or Lord North’s Island (North of New Guinea).

Collingridge, yet another authority, disagrees with this latter opinion on several important counts, chief among which are that Tobi Island is only 60 leagues from the Spice Islands, and that it is not, correctly speaking, situated in between the Celebes and the Strait of Magellan. In dealing with Bocage s opinion, Collingridge states that Prince of Wales Island is more than 300 leagues from the Celebes.

Collingridge himself does not make

any definite assertion; but thinks it is more likely to have been one of the Wessel Islands off N.E. Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.

Collingridge’s theory certainly sounds more reasonable than those of Major and du Bocage.

Gastaldi’s map shows the Sequeira Islands in the longitude of Northern Territory of Australia. That is approximately 300 leagues from the Celebes, and is peopled by Australian aboriginals. The “open sea’’ would be the Arafura Sea. Du Barros, the most famous of all Portuguese historians, in his translation, states “they were driven into an open sea, with not a single island in sight, and constantly towards the east.”

Looking at our modern maps, it seems rather an impossibility to travel 300 leagues east of the Celebes without sighting an island.

In dealing with the very vexed ques tion of the discovery of Australia, all claims, however pretentious, should be well perused.

There seems to be no doubt that the ship left the Moluccas; and that it pro ceeded to the Celebes, and was then blown by a contrary wind hundreds of miles east of its course. Prom the de scription, it is apparent that the people encountered were Australian natives.

Taking into consideration the fact that the Portuguese were a trading nation, it seems highly probable that, as they sent their ships east and west from the Spice Islands for trade, they also sent them in search of Terra Aus tralis —but in secrecy, owing to the jealousy existing between the two nations.

In view of the statements and opinions of Bocage and Collingridge (although they both differ) it appears as if Australia was discovered many years before the arrival of the Dutch at Cape Keer-Weer.

Every year, old manuscripts are being refound in archives, and new data being presented, which may one day settle definitely the priority claim to the dis covery of Australia.

Apparently, the laurels still rest with the Dutch and Spaniards, as the state ments of the Jesuit Maffei and Castan heda are too vague a description of a voyage to Australian waters to satisfy the governing bodies of historical geography.

Yet Jode and Wytfliet’s maps of 1593 and 1597 respectively both show New Guinea as separated from Australia.

Therefore, it seems highly probable that the northern coastline of Australia was visited many years before the Dutch and Spaniards arrived there.