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South Pacific cruise director: 1642 The greatest of all Dutch navigators was Abel Janszoon Tasman who com- manded the most ambitious voyage ever undertaken for the exploration of the Southern Hemisphere. It was on August 14, 1642, that Tas- man left Batavia, Java, with two ships, to search for "rich southern and eastern lands',' and investigate the possibility of a sea passage eastward to Chile. In this single voyage of ten months, Tasman managed to discover Tasmania (which, of course, bears his name), New Zealand, the Tonga and Fiji Islands. Curiously enough, the great explorer sailed completely around Australia without ever seeing it! On June 15, 1643, he returned tp Batavia and reported to the Dutch East India Company which had sponsored the voyage. The council of the company was disappointed in Tasman, finding him negligent in not investigating the lands he had discovered. So, in 1644, they sent him on another voyage. Here, too, although Tasman ex- plored a number of new lands, he found none of potential wealth, and the company regarded his voyage as a failure. Tasman left the Dutch East India Company shortly later, and although he remained active on the seas, he died in comparative obscurity in 1659. This advertisement, prepared by Gulf Oil, a leading supplier of quality ma- rine fuels and lubricants, is one of a series paying tribute to the great ex- plorers of the sea. It is published in the interest of the shipping industry and those associated with it. GULF OIL TRADING COMPANY, NEW YORK. N.Y. U.S.A.
