Abel Janszon Tasman is the most famous navigator of the 17th century. Expeditions of Abel Tasman
Tasman Abel Janszoon, famous Dutch navigator, the discoverer of New Zealand, the Fiji and Bismarck archipelagos, as well as many other small islands. The located south of Australia, which was the very first visited by Abel Tasman. What else this one discovered and also where he visited - read about it in this material.
The mystery of the origin of the navigator
In fact, not much is known about Abel Tasman, at least there are too few documents at the disposal of historians that could shed light on his biography. Available sources include a sailing diary of 1642-1643, written by him, as well as some of his letters. As for the date of birth of the navigator, only the year is known - 1603. The birthplace of Tasman became known only in 1845, when a will drawn up by him in 1657 was found in the Dutch archives - presumably this is the village of Lütgegast, located in the Dutch province of Groningen.
Also, little is known about the sailor's parents, except that his father was supposedly called Jans, because the second name of Abel Janszon means "son of Jans". Where Tasman was educated, how he became a sailor - there is also no information about this. It is probable that before he was thirty years old he held no high positions, and Abel Tasman's voyages were mostly limited to European waters.
Moving to the Dutch East Indies
In 1633 (according to another version - in 1634), the Dutch sailor left Europe and went to the East Indies, where at that time Abel Tasman served as a skipper on ships owned by the Dutch East India Company, gained experience and proved himself quite well, since already in 1638 he was appointed captain of the ship "Angel".
Tasman had to return to Holland, where he signed a new ten-year contract with the company. In addition, he returned to India with his wife, about whom little is known. They had a daughter, who for many years lived with her father in Batavia (now Jakarta), and then got married and left for Europe.
Looking for treasure
Among Spanish and Dutch seafarers, there have long been legends about some mysterious, rich in precious metals, the islands of Rico de Plata and Rico de Oro, which means “rich in silver” and “rich in gold”, allegedly located in the ocean east of Japan. Anthony van Diemen, then Governor General East India set out to find these islands. Two ships were equipped to search for them, with a total crew of 90 people. The ship "Graft" was headed by Abel Tasman.
On June 2, 1639, the ships left the harbor in Batavia and headed towards Japan. In addition to the main task, the expedition had secondary tasks. Yes, on Philippine Islands work was carried out to refine the map of this region, in addition, sailors were lucky enough to discover several new islands from the Bonin archipelago. They were also ordered to barter with the indigenous people of the places they would have to visit. They continued to sail in the intended direction, but soon an epidemic broke out on the ships, as a result of which the expedition was forced to turn back. However, Abel Tasman, whose years of life, by and large, passed in endless voyages, this time did not waste time, continuing to explore the sea on the way back.
New voyages - new dangers
The expedition returned to Batavia on February 19, 1640. Abel Tasman's journey was not entirely successful, since only seven people survived from his team, and the cargo of goods brought did not satisfy van Diemen too much, because mysterious islands rich in treasures could not be found. Nevertheless, the governor general could not help but appreciate the abilities of Abel Tasman, and since then he has repeatedly sent him on various voyages.
During the next expedition to Taiwan, the flotilla was overtaken by a strong typhoon, which sank almost all the ships. Tasman miraculously managed to escape on the only surviving flagship, but his prospects were not bright, because the ship barely kept afloat: the masts and rudder were broken, and the hold was flooded with water. But fate sent the sailor salvation in the form of a Dutch ship that accidentally sailed past.
Preparing a new serious expedition
The Dutch East India Company periodically organized new expeditions to expand its influence. In this regard, the governor-general van Diemen in 1642 equipped another expedition, the purpose of which was to explore the southern part of indian ocean and finding new sea routes. The task was to find after which it was necessary to sail to eastbound looking for optimal route in Chile. In addition, it was necessary to find out the outlines of the southern land, which was discovered by the traveler Willem Janszon at the beginning of the 17th century.
At that time, the Dutch navigator was considered almost the most skilled navigator in East India, so it is not surprising that Abel Tasman was appointed the leader of such an important expedition for the company. What did he discover during this voyage? Tasman wrote about this in detail in his diary.
Discovery of Tasmania
The expedition, which left Batavia on August 14, 1642, was attended by 110 people. The team was supposed to set sail on two ships: the flagship Hemsmerke and the three-masted Seehan with a displacement of 60 and 100 tons, respectively. According to Tasman, the ships on which the sailors were supposed to go on a trip were far from in the best condition, so he understood that it was unlikely that these ships would be able to cross the Pacific Ocean and reach the coast of Chile.
Abel Tasman decided to do a detailed study of the southern Indian Ocean, for which he went to the island of Mauritius, which is located east of Africa, from there turned to the southeast, and then, having reached 49 ° south latitude, took a course to the east. So he reached the shores of the island, which was later named after its discoverer - Tasmania, but the Dutch sailor himself named it Van Diemen's Land, in honor of the governor of the colonies of East India.
Continued sailing and new achievements
The expedition continued sailing and, moving eastward, rounded again open land along south coast. So Abel Tasman reached the western coast of New Zealand, which he then took for the Land of the States (now the island of Estados, located at the southern tip Latin America). Travelers partially explored the coast of New Zealand, and after the captain found out that the lands he had discovered were not the Solomon Islands, he decided to return to Batavia.
Tasman sent the ships of the expedition to the north. On the way back, he happened to discover many new islands, including By the way, European sailors appeared here only 130 years later. Interestingly, Tasman sailed relatively close to the Solomon Islands, which he was ordered to find, but due to poor visibility, the expedition did not notice them.
Return to Batavia. Preparing for the next expedition
The ships Hemsmerk and Zeehan returned to Batavia on June 15, 1643. Since the expedition did not bring any income, and the captain did not fulfill all the tasks assigned to him, the leadership of the East India Company as a whole was dissatisfied with the results of the voyage provided by Abel Tasman. The discovery of Van Diemen's Land, however, pleased the governor, who was full of enthusiasm, believed that all was not lost, and was already thinking about sending a new expedition.
This time he was interested in which, as he believed, it was worth exploring more thoroughly on the subject useful resources. The governor also intended to establish a route between New Guinea and the newly discovered Van Diemen's Land, so he immediately set about organizing a new expedition, led by Tasman.
Exploring the north coast of Australia
Little is known about this voyage of the Dutch navigator, because the only sources testifying to him are a letter from van Diemen addressed to the East India Company, and, in fact, maps compiled by Tasman. The navigator managed to compose detailed map more than three and a half thousand km of the northern coast of Australia, and this served as proof that this land is the mainland.
The expedition returned to Batavia on 4 August 1644. Although the East India Company did not receive any profit this time, no one doubted the merits of the navigator, because Abel Tasman made a great contribution to the study of the outlines of the southern mainland, for which he was awarded the rank of commander in May 1645. In addition, he received a high position and became a member of the Council of Justice of Batavia.
Incorrigible Traveler
Despite the new position that Tasman took, as well as the duties and responsibilities assigned to him, he still periodically went on distant voyages. So, in 1645-1646. he participated in an expedition to the Malay Archipelago, in 1647 sailed to Siam (now Thailand), and in 1648-1649 - to the Philippines.
Abel Tasman, whose biography is full of all sorts of adventures, resigned in 1653. He remained to live in Batavia, where he married a second time, but nothing is known about his second wife, as well as about the first. Living quietly and quiet life before the age of 56, Tasman died in 1659.
An incident that occurred during one of the many voyages
In Tasman's diary there are a lot of various entries telling about the course of the expedition of 1642-1643, in which the Dutch traveler happened to participate. One of the stories he wrote down tells of an incident that happened on some small island that sailors had to visit.
It so happened that a native shot an arrow towards the arrivals and wounded one of the sailors. Local residents, perhaps afraid of the anger of people on ships, brought the culprit to the ship and handed over to the aliens. They probably assumed that the sailors would deal with their delinquent compatriot, however, most of Tasman's contemporaries, most likely, would have done so. But Abel Tasman turned out to be a compassionate person who was not alien to a sense of justice, so he released his prisoner.
As you know, the sailors who were subordinate to Tasman respected and appreciated him, and this is not surprising, because from this story with the delinquent native we can conclude that he was a worthy person. In addition, he was an experienced navigator and a professional, so the sailors completely trusted him.
Conclusion
Since the expeditions of the Dutch navigator are the first major exploration of the waters of Australia and Oceania, Abel Tasman's contribution to geography can hardly be overestimated. His works contributed to a significant enrichment of the geographical maps of that time, so Tasman is considered one of the most significant discoverers of the 17th century.
IN state archive The Netherlands, located in The Hague, contains the most valuable diary for history, which Tasman himself filled out during one of the expeditions. It contains a mass of all kinds of information, as well as drawings that testify to the sailor's exceptional artistic talent. The full text of this diary was first published in 1860 by Tasman's compatriot Jacob Schwartz. Unfortunately, scientists have not yet been able to find the original ship logs from those ships that Tasman sailed on.
Tasmania is far from the only geographical feature that bears the name of its famous discoverer. From what is named after Abel Tasman, one can distinguish the sea located between Australia and New Zealand, as well as the group small islands located in the Pacific Ocean.
Abel Janszon Tasman (born circa 1603 - died October 10, 1659) was a famous Dutch navigator, explorer and merchant who discovered New Zealand, Tasmania, the islands of Tonga, Fiji, the Bismarck Archipelago, etc. In addition to the island of Tasmania, the sea between Australia and New Zealand, a group of small islands north of about. Ontong Java.
Early years. What is known
The name of Abel Tasman, the legendary discoverer of New Zealand, is quite widely known, but almost no documents have been preserved that shed light on his biography, only a sailing diary of 1642-1643 written by him. and individual letters. The place of birth, the village of Lütgegast in the Dutch province of Groningen, became known only in 1845, when Tasman's will, which he made two years before his death, was found in the Dutch archives. It is not known who the sailor's parents were. We know only the name of the father, since the second name of Tasman Janszon means "son of Jans." There is no information where Tasman was educated and how he became a sailor. It is only known that until the age of 30 he was a sailor and sailed on merchant ships in European waters.
Looking for legendary islands
1633 - he moves to the Netherlands East Indies, where he becomes a skipper on the ships of the East India Company. 1639 - Tasman takes part in an expedition sent in search of the legendary islands of Rica de Oro and Rica de Plata, which abounded in gold and silver. These islands were allegedly found by the Spaniards in 1583 to the east of Japan. The search turned out to be fruitless, but on this and other voyages, Tasman was able to gain extensive experience in navigation in the Asian seas.
Tasman with his wife and daughter
New voyages
Governor General Anton Van Diemen, in 1640–1642 more than once sent the captain with various assignments to Japan, Cambodia, China and other countries of South and East Asia. On an expedition to Taiwan, Tasman miraculously survived: during a strong typhoon, all the ships of his flotilla sank, only the flagship could survive.
In an effort to expand its influence, the Dutch East India Company consistently organized expeditions to discover new lands. 1642 - Van Diemen equipped another expedition to an as yet unexplored southern part Indian Ocean to find sea routes to avoid meeting with the Portuguese warships.
Discovery of Tasmania
The head of the expedition, which consisted of two ships of the East India Company, which left Batavia on August 14, 1642, was appointed Abel Tasman, who was considered perhaps the best captain in the Dutch East Indies. The 60-ton flagship was named Hemsmerk. He was accompanied by a three-masted Zeehan vessel with a displacement of 100 tons. 110 people took part in the expedition.
During this voyage, on November 24, 1642, Tasman discovered a vast land (Tasmania) off the coast of Australia, which he named Van Diemen's Land in honor of the governor. 
Discovery of New Zealand
Continuing the voyage, after some time, the sailors discovered another land. It was West Coast big island later known as New Zealand.
Having found shelter in the bay, now known as Golden Bay, the sailors decided to replenish their water supplies. When they landed, they met native Maori, tall, with a swarthy yellow complexion, at first glance friendly. But the very next day, the very first sailors who stepped ashore were attacked. Three sailors were killed, and the rest were barely able to escape with the support of the boats that arrived in time from the ships.
Abel Tasman later called Golden Bay "Killer's Bay". He weighed anchor and headed further along the shore. The cape that ended the island, he called Cape Maria Van Diemen.
After surveying part of the coast of New Zealand, Tasman decided to return. The ships moved north and along the way they discovered a group of Fiji islands, the islands of New Ireland and New Britain, the Tonga archipelago, etc. It should be noted that the next time Europeans appeared here only after 130 years. The expedition testified that the people of Tonga still remembered visiting the Dutch.
After a 10-month voyage on June 15, 1643, the ships safely entered the port of Batavia. The officers were given a 2-month salary in the form of a bonus, the sailors - a month.
First meeting with the Maori. Drawing from the travel journal of Abel Tasman (1642)
Exploring the north coast of Australia
In the same year, 1643, Abel Tasman led an expedition of three ships of the East India Company that sailed along the western coast of New Guinea and the northern coast of Australia. As a result, a significant part of the coast of northern Australia was mapped for the first time.
Very little is known about this voyage, mainly from a single letter from the governor-general of the East India Company and Tasman maps. Not discovering the Strait discovered by Torres, the existence of which the Dutch did not know at that time, Abel decided that all the lands he discovered were one. However, he did survey 3,500 km of the northern coast of Australia, which in those days was called New Holland. Abel Tasman proved with his swimming that this is the mainland.
1644, August 4 - all three ships of the expedition returned to Batavia. Despite the fact that this expedition did not bring material benefits to the company, Tasman's merits as a sailor were not questioned. 1645, May 4 - he was promoted to the rank of commander and he was appointed a member of the council of justice of Batavia.
Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand
More expeditions. Last years. Death
The high position did not force Abel Tasman to give up swimming. In 1645-1646 he went to the Malay Archipelago for military, hydrographic and commercial purposes, in 1647 he was in Siam (Thailand), in 1648-1649 - in the Philippines. 1653 - Abel retired and lived a quiet and peaceful life in Batavia for several years. It is known that he was married a second time, but who his wife was remains unknown. Tasman died in 1659 at the age of 56.
Heritage
His voyages were the first large expeditions to the waters of Australia and Oceania. Their results put the Dutch navigator among the great travelers of the 17th century, who significantly enriched the geographical maps of that era.
The manuscript of Tasman's diary, highly valuable for history, is kept in the State Archives in The Hague. The archives of Holland and England are proud of its two abridged copies. The originals of the ship's logs, which are of exceptional interest to science, have not been found to this day.
The full text of the diary was first published in 1860 by the Dutchman Jacob Schwartz. The diary is supplemented by magnificent drawings made by Tasman himself, by which one can judge the extraordinary artistic abilities.
A. Tasman was born in 1603 in the vicinity of Groningen in the north of Holland. Until the age of 30, he sailed as a sailor in European seas, and in 1633 he moved to the Netherlands East Indies, where he became a skipper on the ships of the East India Company. In 1639, he participated in an expedition sent in search of the legendary Ric de Oro and Ric de Plata, who abounded in gold and silver. These islands were allegedly discovered in 1583 to the east of. The search was unsuccessful, but on this and other voyages, Tasman gained extensive experience in navigation in the Asian seas.
In 1642, Tasman went to new expedition. The ships were supposed to proceed west to the island, and from there, in search of southern mainland head south to 52-54 ° S, then turn east and sail to the eastern tip of New Guinea, from there go north and find the “lost”, then find the most convenient way to the coast and finally find the strait between Australia and. It was grand design which is unlikely to be fully implemented. The main task of all the assigned tasks was the search for the southern land.
On August 14, 1642, two ships of Tasman set sail from the capital of the Netherlands East Indies (now). During this journey, he discovered a territory called Van Diemen's Land. Only in 1853 it was renamed in honor of its discoverer. But Abel Tasman never knew whether the earth was an island or part of the mainland. After the discovery of the island, the expedition turned east and passed along the sea, later named after Tasman, and on December 13, 1642, previously unknown to Europeans, which Tasman mistakenly took for the northwestern ledge of the South Land, was discovered, so he did not try to bypass it from the south. The inhabitants - Maori - met the newcomers with hostility, so Tasman could not stay on this land.
Having discovered the islands and, Tasman passed next to the Solomon Islands, which he so desired, without noticing them because of the thick one, rounded Novaya from the north and dropped anchor in the Netherlands East Indies. On June 15, 1643, his journey was over. It pushed far to the south the proposed boundaries of the Southern Continent and proved that the lands previously discovered by the Dutch were not only not part of it, but also did not fit close to it. These new lands were called New (). During this journey, which meant so much for the discovery and study of Australia, Tasman never approached the shores of the mainland. So the question remains: New Holland- or a single continent? To answer this question, a new expedition was equipped. She has already proved that all the lands discovered here by the Dutch up to Tasman are parts of a single mainland. This expedition was the last. The company banned new research, and for 125 years not a single ship was sent to the shores of Australia.
Saturday, December 15, 2012 7:42 pm + to quote pad
On December 13, 1642 - 370 years ago - the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman set foot on New Zealand for the first time.
Abel Janszon Tasman (Dutch. Abel Janszoon Tasman, 1603, Lutjegast, Groningen province - October 1659, Batavia (now Jakarta) - Dutch navigator, explorer and merchant. Received world recognition for the sea voyages he led in 1642-1644. The first among famous European explorers reached the shores of New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.The data collected during his expeditions helped to prove the fact that Australia is a separate continent.
Cape Jacobs Gerrets (1594-1650) Portrait of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter. (1637)
Abel Janszon Tasman was born in 1603 in the village of Lütjegast near Groningen (now the municipality of Grotegast in the province of Groningen) in the Netherlands in a poor family, independently learned to read and write, and, like many of his countrymen, connected his fate with the sea. The exact date of his birth is unknown. The first documentary mention of him refers to 1631, when he, already widowed by that time, remarried. As follows from the surviving church record, his wife was illiterate and came from a poor family, which indirectly confirmed the validity of the assumptions of the researchers of his biography about his low social status during that period.
Presumably at the same time, Abel Tasman entered the service of the Dutch East India Company as a simple sailor, but already in the records of 1634 he appears as the skipper of one of the company's ships. The main occupation of the company's sailors at that time was the service of transportation of spices and spices, which were an expensive and valuable commodity for the European market.
In 1636, Tasman returned to Holland, but two years later he was back in Java. In 1638, Tasman, commanding a ship, sailed to India. In 1639, the Governor-General of the Dutch Indies, Van Diemen, organized an expedition to the North Pacific Ocean to explore the seafaring areas in the region of Japan and trade opportunities with the local population.
Portrait of Antonio van Diemen (1593-1645).(1636-1675, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) Anthony van Diemen(Dutch. Antonio van Diemen, Antonie van Diemen; 1593 (1593), Culemborg - April 19, 1645, Batavia) - the ninth Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
It was headed by an experienced navigator Mattis Quast. Tasman was appointed skipper on the second ship.
Quast and Tasman had to find mysterious islands, allegedly discovered by the Spaniards east of Japan; these islands on some Spanish maps bore the tempting names "Rico de oro" and "Rico de I" ("rich in gold" and "rich in silver").
The expedition did not justify Van Diemen's hopes, but she explored the Sean waters and reached Kuril Islands. During this voyage, Tasman proved himself to be a brilliant helmsman and an excellent commander. Scurvy killed almost the entire crew, but he managed to navigate the ship from the coast of Japan to Java, withstanding severe typhoon attacks along the way. After 6 months at sea, the Tasman ship, having lost almost 40 out of 90 crew members, returned to the Dutch fort Zeelandia on the island of Formosa (Taiwan). During this voyage, Bonin Island was discovered by him.
In 1640, Tasman again led one of the 11 Dutch ships headed for the shores of Japan. This time he spent Japanese port Hirado is about three months old.
Van Diemen showed considerable interest in Zeidlandt, and he was not disappointed by the failures of the expedition of Gerrit Pohl. In 1641, he decided to send a new expedition to this land and appointed Tasman as its commander. Tasman had to find out whether Zeidlandt was part of the Southern Continent, how far it extended to the south, and to find out the paths leading from it to the east, into the still unknown seas of the western part of the Pacific Ocean.
Karte des Südmeers vor der Reise Tasmans, von Hendrik Hondius um 1650
Tasman was provided with detailed instructions summarizing the results of all voyages made in the waters of Zeidlandt and the Western Pacific. This instruction has survived, and Tasman's daily records have survived, which allow us to restore the entire route of the expedition. The company gave him two ships: a small warship "Heemskerk" and a fast flute (cargo ship) "Sehain". One hundred people took part in the expedition.
The ships left Batavia on August 14, 1642 and arrived on the island of Mauritius on September 5. On October 8, they left the island and headed south, and then south-southeast. On November 6, they reached 49 ° 4 "south latitude, but could not move further south due to a storm. A member of the expedition Vischer proposed sailing to 150 ° east longitude, adhering to 44 ° south latitude, and then along 44 ° south latitude go east to 160° east longitude.
Under the southern coast of Australia, Tasman thus passed 8-10 ° south of the Neates route, leaving the Australian mainland far to the north. He followed east at a distance of 400-600 miles from the southern coast of Australia and at 44 ° 15 "south latitude and 147 ° 3" east longitude noted in his diary: "... all the time the excitement comes from the southwest, and, although everyday we saw floating algae, we can assume that in the south there is no mainland..." This was an absolutely correct conclusion: the nearest land south of the Tasman route - Antarctica - lies south of the Antarctic Circle.
On November 24, 1642, a very high bank was noticed. This was the southwest coast of Tasmania, an island that Tasman considered part of the Zuidlandt and named Van Diemen's Land. It is not easy to establish which part of the coast the Dutch sailors saw that day, because the maps of Vischer and another member of the Gilsemans expedition differ significantly from each other. The Tasmanian geographer J. Walker believes that it was a mountainous coast north of Macquarie Bay - Harbor.
On December 2, sailors landed on the shores of Van Diemen's Land. “On our boat,” writes Tasman, “there were four musketeers and six rowers, and each had a lance and a weapon at his belt ... Then the sailors brought various greens (they saw it in abundance); some varieties were similar to those that grow on the cape Good Hope... They rowed for four miles to a high cape, where all kinds of greenery grew on flat areas, not planted by man, but existing from God, and there were fruit trees in abundance, and in wide valleys there are many streams, to which, however, , difficult to reach, so you can only fill a flask with water.
The sailors heard some sounds, something like the playing of a horn or the blows of a small gong, and this noise was heard nearby. But they didn't see anyone. They noticed two trees, 2-2 1/2 fathoms thick and 60-65 feet high, and the trunks were cut with sharp stones and the bark was torn off here and there, and this was done in order to get to the birds' nests. The distance between the notches is five feet, therefore, it can be assumed that the people here are very tall. We saw traces of some animals, similar to the prints of the claws of a tiger; (sailors) brought the excrement of a four-legged beast (so they believed) and some fine resin that seeped out of these trees and had the aroma of humilak ... There were many herons and wild geese off the coast of the cape ... "
Leaving the anchorage, the ships moved further north and on December 4 passed the island, which was named the island of Mary in honor of Van Diemen's daughter. Passing by the islands of Schaugen and the Frey-sine peninsula (Tasman decided that this was an island), the ships reached 4-34 "south latitude on December 5. The coast turned to the north-west, and the ships could not move in this direction due to headwinds. Therefore, it was decided was to leave coastal waters and go east.
Tasman on his map connected the coast of Van Diemen's Land with Neates' Land, discovered in southern Australia in 1627. Thus, Tasmania became a protrusion of the Australian mainland, and in this form it was shown on all maps until the beginning of the 19th century.
During the period from 5 to 13 December 1642, the expedition crossed the sea separating Tasmania and Australia from New Zealand. At noon on December 13, Tasman and his companions discovered New Zealand land - a cape at the northwestern tip South Island New Zealand, later named Cape Ferwell by Cook. Rounding this cape, Tasman entered the strait separating the South and North Islands (modern Cook Strait). On the southern coast of this strait in a deep bay on December 18, the ships dropped anchor.
Here a meeting was held with the Maori, who went out to the ships in sharp canoes. At first everything was fine. Stately, painted with patterns, people with yellowish skin behaved peacefully (they were all armed with clubs and spears). The canoes came very close to the ships, and the sailors entered into conversation with the islanders. Tasman had recorded phrases in the languages of New Guinea, but these dialects were as incomprehensible to New Zealanders as Dutch. Suddenly the world was broken. The Maori captured a boat sent from the Hemskerk to the Zehain. In this boat were the boatswain and six sailors. The boatswain and two sailors managed to swim to the Hemskerk, but four Maori sailors were killed; their bodies and the boat they took with them. Tasman places all the blame for this skirmish on the locals. He named the bay where this event took place, Assassin's Cove.
Maori canoes and Abel Tasman's ships in Killer's Bay (now Golden Bay).
Isaack Gilsemans (died about 1645) Description English: "A view of the Murderers" Bay, as you are at anchor here in 15 fathom", a drawing made by Abel Tasman"s artist on the occasion of a skirmish between the Dutch explorers and Māori people at what is now called Golden Bay, New Zealand. This is the first European impression of Māori people. 18 December 1642 ("View of the Bay of Murderers, a drawing made by the artist Abel Tasman on the occasion of a skirmish between Dutch sailors and Maori).
Leaving the bay, he headed east, but soon contrary east winds forced him to lie adrift. On December 24, a council of commanders was held. Tasman believed that a passage could be found to the east, but his companions believed that the ships were not in the strait, but in a wide bay that cut deep into the newly discovered land. It was decided to head to the northern shore of this "bay". Since Tasman did not find the passage that divides New Zealand in two, he decided that it was a single landmass and named it the Land of the States (Statenlandt), believing that it was part of the Land of the States of Schouten and Lehmer. Passing to the northern shore of Cook Strait, Tasman then turned west, bypassed the southwestern tip north island and proceeded along its western coast to the north.
On January 4, 1643, he discovered the extreme northwestern tip of New Zealand, which he named Cape Maria Van Diemen. Headwinds prevented him from rounding the cape and surveying the north coast of the North Island. On the map, he mapped only the western coast of the Land of the States. Only one hundred and twenty-seven years later, the true outline of this land was established and proved that it is not part of the southern mainland, but a double island, which in area is only slightly larger than Great Britain.
Having opened on January 5 a small island of the Three Wise Men (Three Kings on modern maps) near the New Zealand coast, Tasman headed northeast.
On January 19, the ships entered the waters of the Tonga archipelago. Tasman was more fortunate here than Schouten and Lemaire.
Those only "touched" the northernmost islands of this archipelago, and Tasman discovered the main Tongan islands - Tongatabu, Eua and Namuku (he called them the islands of Amsterdam, Middelburg and Rotterdam, respectively). This was a very important discovery: until now, the Spaniards and the Dutch in western Polynesia met only small islands lying on the periphery of this vast area.
Inhabitants of New Ireland. Drawing by Abel Tasman
Inhabitants of the island of Rotterdam. Drawing by Abel Tasman
Island of Rotterdam. Drawing by Abel Tasman
Islands of the Three Kings. Drawing by Abel Tasman
Tasman stayed on the islands of Tonga until February 1, 1643. The islanders received him warmly and cordially.
Woodcut Gilseman from the travel diary of Abel Tasman (1642-1643) depicting clothes, boats and settlements the people of Tonga.
Tongatapu, drawing by Isaack Gilsemans
Woodcut by Gilsemans (?) from ship diary by Abel Tasman, showing both ships in the bay(A), the inhabitants of Tongatapu with presents (B and E), showing their cano (C), how they fish (D), and where the king lives (F).
Houtsnede in scheepsdagboek Abel Tasman, met de bewoners van Tongatapu die met geschenken aankomen
From the islands of Tonga, Tasman headed northwest. On February 6, he discovered the Fiji Islands, but fogs and bad weather prevented exploration of this vast archipelago. Continuing northwest, the Tasman passed far to the east of the Banks and Santa Cruz Islands. The Solomon Islands remained to the west of his route; On March 22, he reached a large atoll, which he named Ontong Java.
Further, Tasman, along the route of Schouten and Lemaire, headed along the northern coasts of New Ireland (which he considered part of New Guinea) and New Guinea to Moluccas and to Java and on June 14, 1643 arrived in Batavia.
The well-known historian and geographer J. Baker rightly called this voyage of Tasman a brilliant failure. And indeed, if in terms of navigation the route outlined by Vischer was exceptionally successful, then in a purely geographical sense it could not justify itself. The Australian ring had too large a radius: inside this ring were Australia with Tasmania and New Guinea.
Tasman only touched New Zealand and, without examining it, mistook it for the western ledge of the Land of the States of Schouten and Lemaire. However, passing from New Zealand through the islands of Tonga and Fiji to New Guinea, he separated the Australian-New Guinean land from the mythical southern mainland. Since the South Land of the Holy Spirit of Kyros also happened to be west of the route laid out by Tasman in the Pacific Ocean, the cartographers had to separate it from this mainland and attach it to Zeidlandt. This very real land that appeared on the maps with the New Guinean "pendant", Van Diemen's Land and the Southern Land of the Holy Spirit, was called New Holland (on maps of the 17th and first half of the 18th century, its entire eastern half was shown as a solid "white spot").
The Tasman Expedition of 1642-1643 was one of the most outstanding overseas ventures of the 17th century. Tasman discovered Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), New Zealand and the islands of Tonga and Fiji. He "separated" the New Dutch land from the southern mainland, discovered a new sea route from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific in the band of stable westerly winds of the fortieth latitudes; he rightly assumed that the ocean washing Australia from the south captures a vast expanse in the forties and fiftieth latitudes. Contemporaries did not use these important discoveries Tasman, but they were duly appreciated by James Cook; He owes much of the success of his first two voyages to Tasman.
Immediately after the return of Tasman from the voyage, Van Diemen decided to send him again to the shores of Zeidlandt. The fact is that neither Janszon, nor Carstens, nor Gerrit Paul managed to penetrate the Gulf of Carpentaria. Therefore, it was not clear whether this vast water basin represented a bay or, in its southernmost part, it turned into a strait leading to Neates Land. Tasman was charged with surveying the coast of New Guinea south of 17° south latitude and ascertaining whether it connected with the land known as Seidlandt.
On modern maps, only the tip of the "tail" of New Guinea reaches 10 ° south latitude. However, Van Diemen, like all people of that time, believed that east coast Carpentaria, surveyed in 1623 by Carstens up to 17° south latitude, is part of New Guinea.
At the beginning of 1644, three small ships were equipped in Batavia and a team of one hundred and ten people was selected. Frans Vischer was appointed chief helmsman of the expedition. Records of the participants in this voyage have not been preserved, but the route of the expedition is shown on the "Bonaparte map", which is stored in the Mitchell Library in Sydney (it is called so because it came to Australia from the personal archives of one of Napoleon's relatives). The map is based on Tasman's data and contains his own handwritten notes.
The Abel Tasman map 1644, also known as the Bonaparte Tasman map. This map is part of the collection of the State Library of New South Wales, Australia.
The results of this voyage exceeded all expectations. Tasman passed along the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, then along south coast Gulf of Carpentaria and discovered a number of small islands near it. He explored the western coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, then proceeded along the northern coast of the Arnhemland peninsula, crossed the Dundas Strait between the Coburg Peninsula and Melville Island and entered the bay, which he named after Van Diemen. Without going deep into this bay, Tasman again went out to the open sea, rounded the islands of Melville and Bathurst from the north (he took these islands for part of the mainland) and went southwest along the still unexplored northwestern coast of Australia. At times, because of reefs and small islands, he had to keep at a considerable distance from the coast, but he found that there were no wide breaks anywhere in it, and went along it up to places south of 21 ° south latitude, which had already been surveyed in 20 years of the 17th century. From the Northwest Cape, Tasman headed for Java and arrived in Batavia in early August 1644.
Tasman's First and Second Expeditions.
Designations on the map:
________ first expedition 1642-1643;
_ _ _ _ second expedition in 1644.
- coasts open to Tasman and known to him;
- coasts open to Tasman, but unknown to him;
—
islands open to Tasman;
coasts or islands discovered by Tasman
Thus, Tasman erased from the map large "blank spots" in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the northwestern coast of Australia. West Side After this voyage, the mainland took on the contours that we see on modern maps. The northern coast of Australia on the map of Tasman received only a general outline, and only painstaking research carried out almost two centuries later made it possible to clarify its data and plot a number of bays, capes and islands in this part of the mainland on a hag. But it was Tasman who discovered that the coastline stretches continuously from the Northwest Cape to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
However, the results of both Tasman expeditions disappointed the East India Company. Tasman did not find any gold or spices - he explored the deserted shores of desert lands. In fifty years the company had seized so many rich lands in the Asian East that it was now most concerned with how to retain these distant possessions. The routes laid by Tasman did not promise her any benefits, because she already held in her tenacious hands the sea route leading to the East Indies past the Cape of Good Hope. And in order to prevent competitors from seizing these new routes, the company considered it good to close them and at the same time stop further searches in Seidlandt. “It is desirable,” they wrote to Batavia from Amsterdam, “that this land should remain unknown and unexplored, so as not to draw the attention of foreigners to the ways, using which they can damage the interests of the company ...”
In April 1645, Van Diemen died, and the new trend in the overseas policy of the company finally triumphed.
Until almost 100 years later, the British navigator James Cook traveled, Europeans never began to explore New Zealand, and visits to Australia were isolated and most often caused by shipwrecks.
Tasman, in essence, remained out of work. He fell into disgrace, took part in small expeditions. His nautical skills, however, did not go unnoticed. In 1645, he was awarded the rank of commander, i.e., he became the head of a detachment of ships, and his salary was raised.
In addition, Tasman was appointed a member of the Council of Justice of the city of Batavia. Since he was recognized as a connoisseur of the sea, he was instructed to review the ship's logs of all the ships of the company and give an opinion on their navigation.
For several more years, Tasman led various expeditions to Malay Archipelago. In 1647 he was sent as a representative to the king of Siam, and in 1648 he led a detachment of 8 ships that opposed the ships of the Spanish fleet. In 1651 he was reinstated, but left the company.
Photo 1 - Abel Janszon Tasman.
A Dutch navigator who, at the age of 36, led expeditions to explore "white spots" in the southeastern regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. He was known as the most famous navigator of the 17th century.
Born in 1603 in the small village of Lutjegast, the Dutch province of Groningen. His family was extremely poor, and he owes all his life achievements to his inquisitive mind, perseverance, thirst for new knowledge, discoveries, and success.
Photo 2 - a monument to Abel Tasman in the city of Hobart on the island of Tasmania
The maritime experience of Tasman's wanderings consisted of the skills of a sailor of a merchant ship, work on compiling hydrographic maps. By the age of thirty, he had reached the position of captain of a ship.
The beginning of great discoveries in the "white spots" of the Indian Ocean
Photo 3 - Tasman's drawings in his travel diary. Parking at the island of Tonga.
In 1639, the Dutch East India Trading Company equipped two ships under the command of Tasman in search of the legendary rich islands of the Indian Ocean: Rico de Orgo - “Golden” and Rico de Plateau - “Silver”.
Photo 4 - the island of the Bonin archipelago.
The expedition went to the Philippines, discovered several islands of the Bonin archipelago, made a sailing tour of the coast of the East China Sea, but did not find any islands with treasures. Further searches had to be interrupted: epidemics broke out on the ships. For nine months, the flagship of 90 sailors lost more than 80 people.
Second attempt to find "Terra Incognita".
Photo 5 - map of Tasman expeditions.
Three years later (1642) a second attempt was made to reach the fabulously rich land. Tasman decided to sail to the southern part of the Indian Ocean, to the already known Solomon Islands.
The result was the discovery of the island at southeast coast Australia. Inspired by luck, the captain named the island Van Diemen's Land, in honor of the governor of the Dutch possessions in the East Indies.
Photo 6 - Tasmania.
Two centuries later, in 1855, the island was named Tasmania, perpetuating the name of the discoverer.
Dramatic incident in New Zealand.
Photo 7 - the discovery of New Zealand.
But the paradox was that the ships, due to bad weather conditions, "missed each other" from mainland Australia and rushed on. The land that opened before them was called New Zealand.
Photo 8 - Maori chief.
Photo 9 - modern Maori warriors.
The indigenous population - the Maori met the sailors with great hostility. The captain, without going into research, left the coastal waters, losing four crew members. He called the bloody coast "The Bay of Killers" and did not claim the rights of the discoverer.
Tasman's discoveries on the way to a ghostly goal.
Photo 10 - the archipelago of the Fiji Islands.
The search for Tasman continued to the northeast. He was the first European to discover part of the islands of the Tonga and Fiji archipelagos, studied coastal areas northern New Guinea.
Photo 11 - a silver coin of the island of Tonga depicting the discoverer Tasman.
The purpose of the expeditions to discover new areas of trade, rich gold deposits were not achieved. But the captain's extensive research and discoveries made it possible to clarify the unknown sea spaces southern hemisphere.
Photo 12 - Museum of History and Culture in New Zealand.
Merit recognition.
The outstanding navigator enjoys special honor and respect in the region of the southeastern hemisphere.
Photo 13 - Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand.
A lake, a bay, a sea between Australia and New Zealand are named after Tasman in New Zealand, Mountain peak, National Park, Administrative Region, Cape Australia.
- A sea passage to the island of Taiwan on behalf of Governor Van Diemen in 1640 could have ended tragically for Tasman. Eleven ships of the flotilla were caught in a severe typhoon. Only the badly damaged flagship survived. The doomed sailors were spotted from a passing Dutch ship.
- The second expedition of 1642, led by Tasman, pursued the goal of discovering Terra Incognita- the mysterious Southern Land. Van Diemen sent researchers on two dilapidated ships with rotten decks. The reason was, as the legend says, romantic story Tasmana with Maria, a relative of the governor. The brave sailor named one of the New Zealand capes after Maria Van Diemen.
- The personal qualities of the captain are characterized by the following fact. When one of the natives wounded a sailor with an arrow, Tasman doubted the premeditation of the act. Acting in justice, he released the captured prisoner. Such an unexpected decision for that cruel time caused the tacit approval of the team and the natives.
- 130 years later, the expedition of James Cook once again discovered New Zealand and proclaimed it an English colony. According to Cook, the inhabitants still remembered a few words of the first Dutch newcomers.
