Nieuwe kaart van het Oostelykste Deel der Weereld,…

Scarce c.18th hand coloured Dutch map extending from Africa to Australia.

Australia and New Zealand are shown with the discoveries made by Abel Tasman on his two voyages of exploration in 1642-1644. Australia’s southern and east coasts are show as hypothetical lines, according to the theories put forward by the French School of Theoretical Cartography which popularised the notion of an imaginary east coast of Australia extending from Van Diemen’s Land to the Solomon Islands. It was so influential in propagating its theories that the majority of cartographers at the time depicted Australia on their maps accordingly. This error was to remain until James Cook’s finally discovered and charted the east coast of the South Land on his first voyage of discovery.

Tasman’s discoveries were the results of his instructions contained in the missive of the Governor-General and Council of the Indies to the Heren XVII of 12 December 1642, in which a brief summary of the plan for the voyage was given. The primary objectives of the VOC’s exploratory voyages had always been the opening up of new markets for trade while at the same time the updating of existing charts or creation of new charts. Tasman’s first voyage resulted in the discovery of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and New Zealand which gave the southern and eastern geographical limits of the South Land and proved that it was not connected to Terra Australis. The results of the second voyage, gave shape to Australia’s northern and northwest coasts. The shape of Australia on maps was then to remain virtually unchanged, without any significant discoveries until those of James Cook in 1770.

From: Tirion, I., Nieuwe hand-atlas bestande in eene verzameling van eenige naauwkeudige landkaarten