A NEW EL DORADO.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 376, 11 June 1868, Page 3

A NEW EL DORADO.

[From the Melbourne Argus.] A point of considerable obscurity connected with the early discoveries of the northern portion of this continent has just been cleared up by Mr. Major, whose previous investigations of the same subject resulted in transferring from the Dutch to the Portuguese the honour of having revealed to the world the existence of Australia. Some years ago the researches of that gentleman had convinced him that this country was visited by Manoel Godina de Heredia in 1601, and he has now succeeded in authenticating the fact by documentary evidence pr<.» cured from Lisbon. The discoverer was an eminent mathematician and cosmo- ' grapher, resident in the Portuguese settlement at Goa, and received liis commission to explore the north-western shores of this continent from the then Viceroy of Portuguese India, Ayrea de Saldanba. He did bo, and laid down on a chart with tolerable accuracy, the coastline of what was formerly known as Endracht's Land, while he conjectured that from the eastern extremity of this the land rended upward to what was regarded as the pininsula of New Guinea ; just as at the later period, and until the discovery of Bass' Straits, it was believed that Tasmania was an extension of the main land in that direction, But what gives peculiar interest to the enterprise of Don Manoel is, that it was prompted by the reports which had reached Portugues« India of the auriferous character of this country. The narrative transmitted by the authorities at Goa to the home Government at Lisbon, which continued in manuscript until the commencement of the present century, states that some fishermen of the island of Solor were engaged in their calling, when a violent storm arose and drove their vessel southward for five days, until they reached what they supposed to be a great island due south of Timor. Famishing for the want of food, they immediately applied themselves to search for it, and were not merely successful m satisfying their wants, but found as much gold as they could carry. Embarking with their treasure, they were again exposed to a tempest, under stress of which they put into the island of Great Ende, or Mores. Here the sight of so much gold excited the cupidity of the islanders, and a joint expedition was fitted out to return to the auriferous land, But, says the narrative, when they were all ready to start, their superstitious fears were stronger than their avarice, and " there came upon them so great a trepidation that they did not dare, on account of their ignorauce, to cross that Sea of Gold." The Portuguese Viceroy, however, was so well satisfied with the truth of the fisherman's story, that he authorized Don Manoel to proceed in search of what he called the "Golden Chersonese," enumerating among other reasons the following, in justification of the enterprise: — "First, on account of the first possession of gold by the Crown (f Portugal. Secondly, for the facility of discovering the gold. Thirdly, because of the gold mines being the greatest in the world. Fourthly, because the discoverer is a learned cosmographer. Fifthly, that he may at the same time verify the descriptions of the Southern Islands. Sixthly, on account of the new Christianity." Excepting the map upon which are recorded the discoveries of this "learned cosmographer," no account of his voyage has yet found its way into print, though a searoh among the royal archives at Lisbon would probably bring such narrative to light.