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Yakob RoggeveenDutch navigator
Date of Birth: 01.01.1659
Country:  Netherlands |
Content:
- Early Life and Influences
- Proposal for an Expedition to the Southern Continent
- Jacob Roggeveen's Expedition
- Exploration of the Pacific Ocean
- Discovery of Easter Island
- Fatal Encounters on Easter Island
- Contradictory Accounts of Easter Island
- Further Exploration of the Pacific
- Narrow Escape at Aurora Island
- Ambush and Departure from Refreshment Island
- Return to Batavia
- The natives were not very different
Early Life and Influences
Jacob Roggeveen was born in Middelburg, Netherlands, in 1659. His father, Arend Roggeveen, was an inventive, passionate, and restless individual who pursued various professions, including school teacher, wine and spirits taster, and later became fascinated with expeditions to the Southern Continent.
Proposal for an Expedition to the Southern Continent
Recognizing the indifference of the Dutch East India Company towards his plans, Arend Roggeveen approached its rival, the Dutch West India Company, which had been conducting trade in America since 1621. In 1676, he submitted a proposal echoing the enthusiastic journals of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, a Spanish explorer. Roggeveen argued that the Dutch had underestimated the value of the western route to South Asia through the Strait of Magellan and Le Maire Strait. He believed that taking this route would not only provide access to the territories of the East India Company from behind but also lead to the discovery of the Southern Continent, which he estimated to be located only 15 degrees south of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Pacific Ocean. Like Quirós, Arend Roggeveen painted a vivid picture of the continent's mythical riches.
Jacob Roggeveen's Expedition
While the Dutch West India Company was eager to fund an expedition to the southern seas, it was wary of its East India rival and provided Roggeveen with a rather evasive response. Upon his father's death, Jacob Roggeveen inherited his father's plans and in 1716 or 1717 approached the West India Company with his proposal. His extensive experience in the East Indies as a counselor in the judicial court of Batavia and his knowledge of navigation in the waters off Java and the Moluccas made his project more credible.
In 1721, the West India Company commissioned Roggeveen's expedition, equipping him with three ships: "Arend," "Tienhoven," and "Afrikaanse Galey." The fleet's armament consisted of 70 cannons, and its crew numbered 223 sailors and soldiers.
Exploration of the Pacific Ocean
The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was uneventful. After a stop in Rio de Janeiro, Roggeveen set out to locate the Falkland Islands. Although the islands were well-known at the time, it is believed that the Dutch sailors had vague knowledge of their position. As a result, they abandoned their search and attempted to find the islands referred to by the French as Saint-Louis, unaware that they were the same archipelago.
Upon sighting an island at 80 leagues from the American mainland at the latitude of the Strait of Magellan and estimating its circumference at "200 leagues," Roggeveen named it Zuid-Belgica (Southern Belgium) and entered the Strait of Le Maire. The strong current carried them southward to 62°30', and after rounding Cape Horn, they sailed northward along the coast of Chile and anchored at Moa Island. Subsequently, they reached Juan Fernández Islands, where they reunited with "Tienhoven," which had become separated from them on December 21.
In late March, the three ships departed Juan Fernández Islands and sailed west-northwest towards a location between 27° and 28° south latitude, where land had been reported by John Davis. After days of searching, Roggeveen finally sighted an island on April 6, 1722, Easter Day, which he named "Paaseiland" (Easter Island).
Discovery of Easter Island
The Dutch were particularly astonished by the island's enigmatic stone statues, which were as tall as 30 feet or more. There were numerous statues, each standing on a stone platform and venerated by the islanders with reverence. They were draped in long strips of fabric that hung from their shoulders to the base. Baskets filled with white stones were perched on their heads.
Fatal Encounters on Easter Island
One of the natives fearlessly climbed aboard Roggeveen's ship, where he charmed the crew with his friendly and cheerful nature. The next day, Roggeveen observed a gathering of islanders on the shore, lined with statues, seemingly awaiting the arrival of the strangers with anticipation and curiosity. Inexplicably, a gunshot was fired, causing one of the natives to fall dead, sending the terrified islanders fleeing in all directions. However, after some time, more people gathered on the shore, prompting Roggeveen to order a volley that resulted in numerous casualties. Horrified, the islanders hastily offered gestures of appeasement, piling up all their possessions at the feet of the daunting visitors.
Contradictory Accounts of Easter Island
Fleurieu argued against the notion that Easter Island was the semi-legendary Davis Land sought by Roggeveen. Despite his objections and the differences in descriptions and coordinates between the two islands, it is generally accepted that Roggeveen and Davis's discoveries were the same, as no other island exists in those well-charted latitudes.
Further Exploration of the Pacific
Driven by strong winds, Roggeveen left his anchorage off Easter Island's eastern coast and sailed west-northwest, crossing Schauten's "Boos Zee" (Wicked Sea) and sighting another landmass 800 leagues west of Easter Island, which he mistook for Schauten's Honden Eylandt (Dog Island) and named Carlshoff (Arautoka).
The squadron sailed past this island without stopping, and during the following night, carried away by winds and currents, unexpectedly found themselves amidst a group of low-lying islands. "Afrikaanse Galey" was wrecked on a reef, and its fate was shared by the other two vessels. After five days of strenuous efforts, anxiety, and danger, the Dutch managed to extricate themselves from the archipelago and return to open sea.
The inhabitants of these islands were tall, had long, smooth hair, and painted their bodies in various colors. Today, geographers unanimously agree that Roggeveen's description of "Verderfelijke Eilanden" (Fatal Islands) corresponds to the Tuamotu Archipelago, which James Cook later named Palliser Islands.
Narrow Escape at Aurora Island
Escaping the perils of the Fatal Islands, Roggeveen discovered Aurora Island the following morning. Extremely low-lying, the islet barely rises above the waterline. Had the sun risen a few minutes later, "Tienhoven" would have certainly perished.
As darkness approached, another island was sighted and named Wesel (Evening Star). Its precise identification remains uncertain, but it may have been one of the Tuamotu Islands.
Roggeveen continued his westward voyage between the 15th and 16th parallels and soon found himself navigating amidst semi-submerged islands. "Approaching, we saw a number of canoes sailing along the shore," recounts Behrens, "and came to the conclusion that the country was densely populated. As we got closer, we realized that we had before us several islands situated very near each other. We had imperceptibly sailed so far into this archipelago that we began to doubt whether we could find our way out. The admiral ordered one of the mates to climb to the top of the mast to see which way we could go. We owe our salvation to the calm weather that prevailed at the time: the slightest movement would have thrown our ships against the rocks, and we would have been powerless to prevent it.
We managed to get out of there without any serious damage. This archipelago consists of six islands with a very picturesque appearance, and their total length is approximately 30 leagues. They are located about 25 leagues west of the Fatal Islands. We named them Labyrinth, because we had to zigzag a lot to reach the open sea."
Some authors identify this group with Prince of Wales Islands, later discovered by George Anson. Fleurieu holds a different opinion. Dumont d'Urville suggests that they may have been the Fly Islands, previously sighted by Schauten and Le Maire.
Ambush and Departure from Refreshment Island
After sailing westward for three days, the Dutch mariners spotted a beautiful island. Coconut palms and other vegetation hinted at its fertility. Since the shoreline was too shallow, they landed well-armed parties.
Once again, the Dutch needlessly shed the blood of harmless natives who awaited them on the shore, guilty only of being too numerous. Following this barbarous massacre, Roggeveen attempted to win back the villagers who had fled by offering gifts to their chiefs and feigning friendliness, but the islanders were not fooled. They lure the sailors inland, ambushed them, and began pelting them with stones. Despite the guns firing at the natives, killing many of them, they continued to attack bravely, forcing the intruders to retreat to their boats while carrying their dead and wounded.
The Dutch could only resort to cries of betrayal, condemning the alleged treachery and bloodlust of their adversaries. Despite the losses they had suffered, the Dutch named the island Verversing Eiland (Refreshment Island) in memory of the pleasantness it had offered them. Roggeveen reported his location at the 16th parallel, but the longitude was poorly indicated, making it impossible to identify the island today.
Return to Batavia
The expedition now faced a decision: proceed westward in search of Espiritu Santo (New Hebrides) discovered by Quirós, or head north to take advantage of the monsoon winds to reach the East Indies. A council of war favored the latter.
Three days into the voyage, they sighted three islands simultaneously, named Baumaans Eilanden (now Manua) after the captain of "Tienhoven," who was the first to spot them. Islanders paddled out to the ship eager to trade, while on shore a large crowd gathered, armed with bows and arrows.
