These three books together offer some interesting issues for comparative analysis and rich illustrative material.

The first is the human perspective: Father Isaac le Maire, an important investor in trade with the Indies and the VOC. With his investment of 85.000 Florins in the VOC he was its biggest investor and so Isaac le Maire becomes one of the Heren XVII, the VOC Board of Directors. He remains Governor till 1605 (van der Straaten, 2016: 108). After 1605 le Maire becomes the fiercest opponent of the VOC and attacks its privileges.

His first, unfriendly, action is to sell VOC shares widely at a certain price and to start negative rumours about the VOC’s chances thereafter. He buys the shares back at a far lower price, an early case of naked short selling. The VOC’s value falls to a historical low in 1609.

Isaac la Maire continues his fight with the VOC, conspiring with the French to create the French East Indian Company.

Finally, after creating his own Australian Company in 1614 he sends out his son on a voyage to the Indies through the Pacific. Having seen the reports of Drake (1577) and de Quiroz (1612, Claeszoon, Amsterdam) the old man concluded there is a way South of Magellan’s Strait to reach the Pacific. He instructed his son accordingly. In that way the monopoly on the passage through Magellan’s Strait by the VOC could be avoided. The primary motive was to establish trade with the Indies in his own right. The son discovers the route around Cape Horn but upon reaching Bantam his ship and all its cargo is decommissioned and le Maire is imprisoned by Jan Pieterszoon Coen. Sent back home with Spilbergen who was on his way back from molesting Spain’s Pacific ports in Chile and Peru, the son dies en route and his skipper, Willem Schouten, claims le Maire’s discoveries. In spite of this claim both le Maire and Schouten respectfully mention each other in all three books!

Another interesting perspective of these three books together is the view they offer on the role of the Dutch at this episode of the European voyages of discovery. The Dutch were fully involved in their war of liberation against the King of Spain which started in 1568. Frustrated by levies to be paid (one tenth of all economic movement) and proud to be protestants the fight moved like the waves of the sea with cities falling to Spanish forces and later again being occupied by the Dutch. The unification of Spain with Portugal in 1580 under one crown, that of Philips II, lead to the closure for Dutch ships of the Lisbon harbour and its oriental trade. From 1595 onwards the Dutch went on their own. They advanced aggressively and chased the Portuguese from Malacca (1606) while fighting the English for dominance in the Moluccas. They also explored the entrance into the Moluccas from the East. Olivier van Noort was the first Dutchman to pass through Magellan’s Strait and sail around the world (1602). Later Dutch expeditions included the aim of destroying the Spanish settlements on the Pacific coast of South America.

The three books presented here document these efforts of establishing a dominant position in (oriental) trade in developing an approach from the West and at the same time fighting Spain (and Portugal). All of this while an official armistice was in place between Holland and Spain between 1609 and 1621. Peace did not reach that far!!

Finally the three books provide a nice overview of European knowledge of South America, the Pacific and the search for the Southland. Herrera’s and Ordonez Beschrijvinge(n) provide an overview including maps of mainly Spanish knowledge of the Americas and the Pacific at the time. The Spanish called the Pacific a Spanish lake! Spilbergen’s order to molest the Spanish settlements on the Pacific coast and bring back spices from the Indies shows the warlike situation around 1620, even if peace was official. America was far away! Finally the exploratory voyage of le Maire and Schouten showed a new way to the Indies. Father Isaac le Maire, retired into the dunes of Holland, fought the legal battles for his son, a fight he eventually won. Le Maire got his due and his son the name of the Strait he discovered.
Bibliography:
Heeres J.E. The part borne by the Dutch in the discovery of Australia, London, Luzac 1899
Straaten, Alban van der: De Belgische ontdekkingsreizigers. Lanoo. 2016
Engelbrecht & Herwerden: De ontdekkingsreis van Jacob le Maire and Willem Corneliszoon Schouten, den Haag, Nijhoff 1945

i De eerste Schip-vaerdt der Hollandsche NATIE in Hartgers 1648. The other three ships were 3 times bigger and carried up to 100 last.
ii Schouten, Willem Corneliszoon; Journael ofte Beschrijvinghe…reyse in de jaren 1616, 1617 and 1618, Amsterdam, Willem Janszoon (= Blaeu). 1618
iii The three books have their complete and separate descriptions further on.