was the west coast of that country to which the
Portuguese sailed by the Cape of Good Hope, and hence came the name of
the West Indies. Magellan, who followed his steps, and was the only
discoverer who reasoned systematically, and knew what he was doing,
proposed to the Emperor Charles V. to complete what Columbus had begun,
and to find a passage to the Moluccas by the west; which, to his immortal
honour, he accomplished.

When the Dutch made their first voyages to the East Indies, which was not
many years before Captain Pelsart's shipwreck on the coast of New
Holland, for their first fleet arrived in the East Indies in 1596, and
Pelsart lost his ship in 1629--I say, when the Dutch first undertook the
East India trade, they had the Spice Islands in view: and as they are a
nation justly famous for the steady pursuit of whatever they take in
hand, it is notorious that they never lost sight of their design till
they had accomplished it, and made themselves entirely masters of these
islands, of which they still continue in possession. When this was done,
and they had effectually driven out the English, who were likewise
settled in them, they fixed the seat of their government in the island of
Amboyna, which lay very convenient for the discovery of the southern
countries; which, therefore, they prosecuted with great diligence from
the year 1619 to the time of Captain Pelsart's shipwreck; that is, for
the space of twenty years.

But after they removed the seat of their government from Amboyna to
Batavia, they turned their views another way, and never made any voyage
expressly for discoveries on that side, except the single one of Captain
Tasman, of which we are to speak presently. It was from this period of
time that they began to take new measures, and having made their
excellent settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, resolved to govern their
trade to the East Indies by these two capital maxims: 1. To extend their
trade all over the Indies, and to fix themselves so effectually in the
richest countries as to keep all, or at least the best and most
profitable part of, their commerce to themselves; 2. To make the
Moluccas, and the islands dependent on them, their frontier, and to omit
nothing that should appear necessary to prevent strangers, or even Dutch
ships not belonging to the Company, from ever navigating those seas, and
consequently from ever being acquainted with the countries that lie in
them. How well they have