Early Dutch Voyages

1598 to 1601

The principal voyagers in the Pacific so far had been the Spanish and Portuguese, with a little activity on the part of the British. The Dutch, however, had been running ships for years in the East India trade, carrying goods from the Portuguese trading posts in the Spice Islands to the port of Lisbon. But the Dutch were not allowed to share in active trading, and when Portugal united with Spain in 1588, even the carrying trade was refused them. As the Dutch could not afford to allow their many ships to remain idle, they tried during 1594 to 1596 to discover a northeast passage above Europe and Asia and a northwest passage above North America. This attempt to enter the Pacific from the north in order to establish trade with China failed, however. Thus, though the routes round the Cape of Good Hope or through the Strait of Magellan across the "South Sea" involved fighting with the Portuguese and the Spanish, the Dutch traders prepared to vie for a share of eastern prosperity.

The first Dutch expedition was organized in 1598 to go by way of the Strait of Magellan. Five ships were fitted out by the Company of Pieter Verhagen. The names of the ships are interesting, for to the three virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, a fourth, Fidelity, was added. Wishful thinking evidently inspired the name Good News for the fifth vessel. They sailed under Admiral Jacob Mahu on the Hope from Goree, Holland, on June 27, 1598. The fleet started through the Strait of Magellan on April 6, 1599, and after exploring various bays and being delayed by contrary winds, the five ships entered the Pacific on September 3, accompanied by a 16-ton shallop, the Postillion, which had been set up while the expedition was in the Strait. During their five months in the Strait, more than 120 men had been buried out of a full complement of 491 for the five ships. Of the five ships, the Good News was the first to become bad news, for it was captured by the Spanish off Valparaiso. Then the Fidelity was captured by the Portuguese at the Moluccas. Hope and Charity sailed for Japan to sell their stock of woolen goods; one was lost at sea, the other plundered by the Japanese. Faith alone survived, and under the command of Sebald de Weert, she arrived at Goree, Holland on July 13, 1600, after a voyage of two years and 16 days. Thirty-six of her original crew of 109 had survived.