erritz, it should appear that J. DE EDEL commanded an
outward-bound ship; and, in July 1619, accidentally fell in with that
part of the West Coast to which his name is applied. The extent of Edel's
discovery appears, from Thevenot's chart, to have been from about the
latitude 29 deg., northward to 261/2 deg., where the Land of Endragt commences; but
in a chart of this coast, by _Van Keulen_, the name is extended southward
to 32 deg. 20', past the island Rottenest, which, according to Thevenot,
should rather have been the discovery of the ship Leeuwin.

The great reef lying off the coast of Edel, called _Houtman's Abrolhos_,
was discovered at the same time; probably by Edel, or by some ship in the
same squadron.

THE LEEUWIN. 1622.

I do not find it any where said who commanded the _Leeuwin_, or Lioness;
but it should appear, that this was also one of the outward-bound ships
which fell in with the West Coast. In Thevenot's chart, Leeuwin's Land
comprehends about ninety leagues of the south-west extremity of New
Holland; and, from the latitude of 35 deg., extends northward to about 31 deg.;
but in later publications, it has been much restricted in its northern
limit, apparently, upon the authority of Van Keulen.

THE VIANEN. 1628.

The next discovery upon the Western Coasts was that of the ship _Vianen_,
one of the seven which returned to Europe under the command of the
governor-general Carpenter. The Dutch recital speaks of this discovery in
the following terms. The coast was seen "again accidentally in the year
1628, on the north side, in the latitude 21 deg. south, by the ship Vianen,
homeward bound from India; when they coasted two-hundred miles, without
gaining any knowledge of this Great Country; only observing a foul and
barren shore, green fields, and very wild, black, barbarous inhabitants."

This was the part called DE WITT'S LAND; but whether the name were
applied by the captain of the Vianen does not appear in the recital. De
Brosses says, "William de Witt gave his own name to the country which he
saw in 1628, to the north of Remessen's River; and which _Viane_, a Dutch
captain, had, to his misfortune, discovered in the month of January in
the same year; when he was driven upon this coast of De Witt, in 21 deg. of
latitude, and lost all his riches." The confusion that reigns in the
president's account does not render it improbable, that the country might
have received its _name_ in the way he describes, a