PIRATES & PIRATE TREASURE
In Australia & Beyond
A Lot of What Is Known about Pirates Is Not True
and a Lot of What Is True Is Not Known.
and a Lot of What Is True Is Not Known.
#pirates #Buriedtreasure #Ruthless #Bucaneers #SailingShips #Thieves #Cutthroats #PirateMovies #ModernPirates #Somalia #Blackbeard #
THE ANCIENT PROFESSION of PIRACY
Pirates have existed since ancient times
The Vikings were extraordinary warriors who looted a lot of European countries:
England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia and Spain. A Viking explorer, Leif Ericson, found North America shores 500 years before Columbus did in 1492, and named the new land Vinland. Viking ships carried the settlers to the Greenland and Iceland before Europeans even heard of those islands.
England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia and Spain. A Viking explorer, Leif Ericson, found North America shores 500 years before Columbus did in 1492, and named the new land Vinland. Viking ships carried the settlers to the Greenland and Iceland before Europeans even heard of those islands.
PIRATES & LOST TREASURE
From the beginning of Spanish conquest in the New World, billions of dollars of silver, gold, emeralds and pearls were loaded in ships for the voyage to Spain. Hundreds of these ships were taken by pirates, and almost as many foundered on shoals or were sunk by storms.
Just as long as there have been ships carrying bounty and pirates raiding them, so too have their been shipwrecks and sunken treasure. The Anegada Passage, a principal route between the Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands into the Atlantic, is a treacherous channel lined with hidden reefs which has snared many a vessel over the years. Today, people are still finding these shipwrecks, sometimes discovering treasure in the depths. For more than forty years, Bert Kilbride, based on Saba Rock off Virgin Gorda, has been diving in these waters. He has been designated Her Majesty's Official Receiver of Wrecks, and he knows, perhaps better than anyone, what lies beneath the surface. Kilbride interview, showing artifacts, talking about dive sites, suspected sites, etc. end with... The Kilbrides run a dive operation that will take visitors to explore any number of shipwrecks in the area, to see for themselves what lies in the deep.
PIRATE TREASURE IN INVERLOCH AUSTRALIA?
Inverloch 'Pirate treasure'
The three caves on the beach are said to have once been the pirates hideout.
The story of the pirate’s treasure began with the discovery of 310 gold sovereigns that were stolen in the 1800’s. The sovereigns were part of a 5,000 coin shipment that went missing en route from Sydney to Sri Lanka. The coins are believed to have been taken off the ship by stealth when it was anchored near Inverloch.
The story of the pirate’s treasure began with the discovery of 310 gold sovereigns that were stolen in the 1800’s. The sovereigns were part of a 5,000 coin shipment that went missing en route from Sydney to Sri Lanka. The coins are believed to have been taken off the ship by stealth when it was anchored near Inverloch.
HOLLYWOOD PIRATE MOVIE
The Black Pirate
This 90 year old movie puts many modern movies to shame!
The Black Pirate Starring Douglas Fairbanks, is an amazing old silent adventure film shot entirely in two-colour Technicolor about an adventurer and a "company" of pirates. Seeking revenge, an athletic man joins the pirate band responsible for his father's death.
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THE DISCOVERY OF BLACKBEARD’S SHIP
And the end of the Pirates life!
Before running aground in June 1718 and (sadly for today’s treasure hunters) transferring his treasure to the smaller ships in his fleet, Blackbeard had terrorized the Caribbean in this huge ship that was armed to the teeth with cannon always loaded with iron cannon balls, iron bolts, nails and broken glass.
Lack of funding and an abundance of rough weather have slowed the excavation and it will take years to clean and analyse each and every corroded artefact. So far recovered from 50 percent of the site are a variety of cannons, some of which are eight feet long. The only gold is almost an ounce of gold dust. Nevertheless the ship remains an archaeological treasure. They’ve found hundreds of historically rich treasures including a small signal gun, turtle bones (remnants of a favourite pirate dinner), a funnel shaped urinal, an intact blue green window pane embossed like waves, a pewter syringe, an ornate iron, copper sword hilt and an animal horn. .
However, although there is lots of evidence, there has not been an engraved ship’s bell or anything to prove that the wreck is actually the Queen Anne’s Revenge. But the clues keep on building.
The general location of the wreck, is consistent with historical accounts and antique maps, showing the sandbar and the channel and in that channel sits this wreck of the right size for a three-masted ship, which would have been an unusual vessel to visit to the Beaufort inlet.
However, although there is lots of evidence, there has not been an engraved ship’s bell or anything to prove that the wreck is actually the Queen Anne’s Revenge. But the clues keep on building.
The general location of the wreck, is consistent with historical accounts and antique maps, showing the sandbar and the channel and in that channel sits this wreck of the right size for a three-masted ship, which would have been an unusual vessel to visit to the Beaufort inlet.
Before Blackbeard changed the ship’s name she was La Concorde she had only 16 cannons, but in typical fashion Blackbeard added others . Divers have found the right sort of weaponry including 225,000 pieces of lead shot and at least 25 loaded cannons.
Blackbeard's infamous ship the Queen Anne's Revenge wasn't originally built to be a warship, but the notorious pirate refitted the ship, adding twenty-four canons to its armament.
The guns were apparently kept loaded at all times, a typical pirate practice.
Six months after the sinking of Queen Anne’s Revenge; a Royal Navy lieutenant from Virginia ambushed Blackbeard at sea and sailed home with the pirate’s head dangling from his bowsprit.
Six months after the sinking of Queen Anne’s Revenge; a Royal Navy lieutenant from Virginia ambushed Blackbeard at sea and sailed home with the pirate’s head dangling from his bowsprit.
PIRATE WOMEN
Equality at its worst!
PIRATE 'LADY' WITH PIRATE PARENTS!
‘Lady’ Cheng Shih (or Ching Shih) was not only, a Chinese female successful in the male dominated world of piracy, she was probably the most successful pirate in history and one of the few pirate captains to live long enough to eventually retire free from piracy.
In 1775 Cheng Shih was born in Guangdong province of China, to a family of successful pirates, whose pirate origins can be back to the mid-seventeenth century.
She became a ‘Madam’ in Canton on a floating ‘Party house’ servicing many, who like her own family were, pirates. In 1801, the commander of a fleet of pirate ships called the ‘Red Flag Fleet’ wanted the beautiful Madam Cheng Shih for himself. He had his men raid the party house to abduct her. Perhaps in her pirate culture it was seen as a romantic gesture because soon after she was ‘married’ to the Commander Cheng1.
Her name at birth was Shi Xianggu, but the name she is best remembered by simply means "Cheng's widow" Cheng1 died on 16 November 1807, in Vietnam and ‘Lady’ Cheng Shih, maneuvered herself into the ‘top job’ that we might today call ‘Commander in Chief’. In this position of power she introduced a set of pirate rules of conduct which included special treatment of captured women: Female captives should not be molested. The beautiful ones could be kept as wives but a pirate had to be faithful to his ‘wife’. It gets worse... The ‘ugly’ ones were to be released and the ‘mediocre’ ones held for ransom and released unharmed, when the ransom money was received. If while waiting for the ransom the female had...shall we say ‘a consensual affair’ with a pirate, the man was beheaded and the woman was thrown overboard with cannon balls as weights attached to her ankles.
Other pirate rules included:
‘Lady’ Cheng Shih with hundreds of ships in her fleet became one of the most feared of all Chinese pirate commanders and she also ran a protection racket over coastal villages, who paid her hefty ‘taxes’.
In 1810, the Chinese Government offered all pirates an amnesty and Cheng Shih accepted it, ending her pirate career at 55 years old. She kept her stolen treasures and opened a gambling house.
(It would be interesting to know what her house rules were)
She died in 1844, at the age of 69.
She became a ‘Madam’ in Canton on a floating ‘Party house’ servicing many, who like her own family were, pirates. In 1801, the commander of a fleet of pirate ships called the ‘Red Flag Fleet’ wanted the beautiful Madam Cheng Shih for himself. He had his men raid the party house to abduct her. Perhaps in her pirate culture it was seen as a romantic gesture because soon after she was ‘married’ to the Commander Cheng1.
Her name at birth was Shi Xianggu, but the name she is best remembered by simply means "Cheng's widow" Cheng1 died on 16 November 1807, in Vietnam and ‘Lady’ Cheng Shih, maneuvered herself into the ‘top job’ that we might today call ‘Commander in Chief’. In this position of power she introduced a set of pirate rules of conduct which included special treatment of captured women: Female captives should not be molested. The beautiful ones could be kept as wives but a pirate had to be faithful to his ‘wife’. It gets worse... The ‘ugly’ ones were to be released and the ‘mediocre’ ones held for ransom and released unharmed, when the ransom money was received. If while waiting for the ransom the female had...shall we say ‘a consensual affair’ with a pirate, the man was beheaded and the woman was thrown overboard with cannon balls as weights attached to her ankles.
Other pirate rules included:
- Anyone giving their own orders (ones that did not come directly from Cheng Shih) or anyone disobeying her orders was to be beheaded on the spot.
- No stealing from the public fund or any villagers that supplied the pirates.
- All looted treasure had to be declared, registered by a purser and then distributed by the fleet leader. The original seizer got 20% with 80% into the public fund.
- Cash was handed over to the squadron leader, who gave a small amount back to the seizer. The rest was used to purchase supplies for unsuccessful ships in their group.
- Punishment for a first-time offender for withholding loot was severe flogging. Subsequent offenses resulted in beheading.
‘Lady’ Cheng Shih with hundreds of ships in her fleet became one of the most feared of all Chinese pirate commanders and she also ran a protection racket over coastal villages, who paid her hefty ‘taxes’.
In 1810, the Chinese Government offered all pirates an amnesty and Cheng Shih accepted it, ending her pirate career at 55 years old. She kept her stolen treasures and opened a gambling house.
(It would be interesting to know what her house rules were)
She died in 1844, at the age of 69.
FEARSOME FEMALE PIRATES
Anne Bonny & Mary Read
Anne Bonny from Ireland
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Anne Bonny was a female pirate working in the Caribbean. She was born in Kinsale, Ireland as Anne Mc Cormac. Her Father was William Mc Cormac, a wealthy lawyer and Anne’s mother was Cormac’s servant woman. To escape from the humiliation that the scandal caused him and to get away from his wife's family, Anne's father moved to London with his servant and he disguised Anne as a boy and called her "Andy".
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When eventually the truth got out about the scandal and who they were, they moved again and Mc Cormac dropped the ‘Mc’ from his name and they lived in Charles Town, North America, as Mr& Mrs Cormac and Anne. Cormac attempted to establish himself as an attorney, but instead became a successful merchant businessman and accumulated a substantial fortune by buying and selling goods enabling him to buy a house in town and then a plantation on the fringes of town. When Anne was 12 her mother died.
She was considered to be a ‘good looker’ with fiery red hair and a matching fiery temper. When she was 13 years old in one violent rage, she stabbed a servant girl with a table knife.
Anne was disowned by her father when she married a small-time pirate named James Bonny who had hoped to inherit his father-in-law's estate.
It is said that in retaliation Bonny set fire to Cormac’s plantation. Mr & Mrs James and Anne Bonny moved to New Providence Island, known as a sanctuary for English pirates called the Republic of Pirates where James Bonny became a government informant ‘ratting’ on his mates. Anne Bonny began drank with pirates in the local taverns where she met the ‘Calico Jack’ (John Rackham) the captain of the pirate ship ‘Revenge’ They became lovers, sailed off together and in Cuba they had a son.
She was considered to be a ‘good looker’ with fiery red hair and a matching fiery temper. When she was 13 years old in one violent rage, she stabbed a servant girl with a table knife.
Anne was disowned by her father when she married a small-time pirate named James Bonny who had hoped to inherit his father-in-law's estate.
It is said that in retaliation Bonny set fire to Cormac’s plantation. Mr & Mrs James and Anne Bonny moved to New Providence Island, known as a sanctuary for English pirates called the Republic of Pirates where James Bonny became a government informant ‘ratting’ on his mates. Anne Bonny began drank with pirates in the local taverns where she met the ‘Calico Jack’ (John Rackham) the captain of the pirate ship ‘Revenge’ They became lovers, sailed off together and in Cuba they had a son.
Anne became a pirate herself and together with Rackham, and another female pirate, Mary Read, they stole the ship ‘William’ and put out to sea. They were a success, capturing many, smaller, vessels and heaps of treasure.
Although she was well known as a ruthless Caribbean pirate, who fought like a man alongside her pirate shipmates, she never commanded a ship of her own.
In October 1720, they were attacked by a "King's ship"
In October 1720, they were attacked by a "King's ship"
Read and Bonny fought fiercely and managed to hold off the troops for a short time but most of the pirates were too drunk to fight back. Rackham and his crew were taken to Jamaica and sentenced by Governor Lawes to be hanged. After being sentenced, Read and Bonny both asked for mercy because they were pregnant and in accordance with English law, both women received a temporary stay of execution until they gave birth.
It is said that Bonny's last words to Rackham were: "If you had fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog."
There is no record of Bonny's release or execution. It is thought that her father may have paid a huge bribe to save her and get her released.
There is a story that she may have returned to piracy and then disappeared in Port Royal (a pirate stronghold)in Jamaica and wasn’t heard of again until her death in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 22, 1782 (aged 80)
It is said that Bonny's last words to Rackham were: "If you had fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog."
There is no record of Bonny's release or execution. It is thought that her father may have paid a huge bribe to save her and get her released.
There is a story that she may have returned to piracy and then disappeared in Port Royal (a pirate stronghold)in Jamaica and wasn’t heard of again until her death in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 22, 1782 (aged 80)
Mary Reed from England.
Mary Read died in prison either from a fever or from childbirth.
Mary Read was born in England in 1685 as the illegitimate daughter of a sea captain’s widow. Read's mother hid the birth of her daughter, Mary and disguised her as a boy after the death of Mary's older, legitimate brother Mark. This was done so Read's paternal grandmother would be fooled into continuing to pay financial support for the now deceased Mark. |
The scam paid off and Read and her mother lived on the inheritance into Mary’s teenage years. Mary continued to dress as a boy and found work as an attendant who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats. She then, in male disguise, joined the British Military and fought well in battle. She fell in love with a soldier who she married. They set up an Inn in the Netherlands called "De drie hoefijzers" ("The Three Horseshoes"). Later when her husband died she again dressed as a man and resumed military service in Holland. In Peace there was no way of promotion, so she resigned and as a passenger boarded a ship headed for the West Indies. On the voyage they were attacked by pirates Pirates, who forced her to join them. When the pirates were captured she was given a pardon and was commissioned to a privateer, until that ended with her joining the rest of the crew in a mutiny In 1720 she signed on as crew member of a pirate ship captained by ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham and his lover, the pirate Anne Bonny. When she along with the others were caught and sentenced to death, she was given a reprieve to give birth but she died, probably in child birth.
COULD THERE BE PIRATE TREASURE
IN AUSTRALIA?
Many people have trouble imagining there could be pirate treasure buried somewhere on the coast of Australia. To have pirate treasure in Australia, we would need to have had pirates. Which we have had!
IS THERE PIRATES' BURIED TREASURE IN AUSTRALIA?
'The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia: 1931-1954)
Saturday 20th August 1938 (Page 11)
'The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia: 1931-1954)
Saturday 20th August 1938 (Page 11)
Is there a Pirates' Buried Treasure In Australia?
by Steven Henty
There is buried treasure in Australia, so many people think.
For years good money has been spent in attempting to find Pirate
Benito's treasure, which may be buried at Queenscliff, Victoria, and not Cocos Island. News of another attempt to find it was published only recently. Again, what of the Spanish Mahogany Ship, that strange craft which pursues its mysterious course through the sand hills of western Victoria, not seen for years, appearing unexpectedly, but soon vanishing?
Spanish coins have been found, said to have come from this wreck. Who knows that it was not a pirate treasure ship?
Treasure has been found in Australia; not much, though, only a handful of gold coins. But even this small amount was sufficient to excite the would-be get rich easily for years.
These sovereigns were part of £5,000 that Martin Wyberg, a Swede, stole from the ship Avoca in Australia's bad old days, when crime often paid.
Wyberg was arrested on a Gippsland station, "Tarwin." He led the police to a river, saying he had hidden some of the loot there, in a kettle. " The day was hot. and he asked if he could drink.
The police took off his handcuffs. The Swede punched one policeman, pushed the other into the river, and swam across Anderson Inlet.
He was caught again, and sent to prison for five years. Soon after his
release, he went sailing. His boat was found adrift, and he was believed drowned. However, there is a story that he made his way to Sweden with part of his ill-gotten gold, and settled down to a peaceful and respectable old age, running a country inn.
Sovereigns were found about "Tarwin" for years, some in a clump of grass burnt in a bushfire, others in an old piece of soap.
Many treasure hunters spent countless hours in vain digging for sovereigns around Wybergs one-time hut.
by Steven Henty
There is buried treasure in Australia, so many people think.
For years good money has been spent in attempting to find Pirate
Benito's treasure, which may be buried at Queenscliff, Victoria, and not Cocos Island. News of another attempt to find it was published only recently. Again, what of the Spanish Mahogany Ship, that strange craft which pursues its mysterious course through the sand hills of western Victoria, not seen for years, appearing unexpectedly, but soon vanishing?
Spanish coins have been found, said to have come from this wreck. Who knows that it was not a pirate treasure ship?
Treasure has been found in Australia; not much, though, only a handful of gold coins. But even this small amount was sufficient to excite the would-be get rich easily for years.
These sovereigns were part of £5,000 that Martin Wyberg, a Swede, stole from the ship Avoca in Australia's bad old days, when crime often paid.
Wyberg was arrested on a Gippsland station, "Tarwin." He led the police to a river, saying he had hidden some of the loot there, in a kettle. " The day was hot. and he asked if he could drink.
The police took off his handcuffs. The Swede punched one policeman, pushed the other into the river, and swam across Anderson Inlet.
He was caught again, and sent to prison for five years. Soon after his
release, he went sailing. His boat was found adrift, and he was believed drowned. However, there is a story that he made his way to Sweden with part of his ill-gotten gold, and settled down to a peaceful and respectable old age, running a country inn.
Sovereigns were found about "Tarwin" for years, some in a clump of grass burnt in a bushfire, others in an old piece of soap.
Many treasure hunters spent countless hours in vain digging for sovereigns around Wybergs one-time hut.
At the time of the War of South American Independence, wealthy Lima
was in danger. Images of solid gold, jewels and bullion were to be shipped
to Spain for safety.These were loaded on the sailing vessel, Mary Dyer.
A few hours before sailing time, the crew mutinied, slaughtered guards and
churchmen, and sailed off in the treasure ship, pursued by a frigate. Benito
was In charge.
Although it is said that the frigate caught up with the Benito at Cocos
Island, and that all the pirates but two were killed, Lima did no recover her
treasure. Benito was one of the two escapees.
He died in bed in Newfoundland, telling a friend, Keeting, the treasure's loca-
tion. Keeting is reported to have found £40,000 of it.
So much for the Cocos Island side of the story. Queenscliff's treasure
hunters believe it was not Cocos Island, but Queenscliff, where Benito buried
the loot from Lima. They say he was chased through the Heads of Port Phil-
lip by a British ship, that he buried the bullion, jewels, and golden images
in the caves under Queenscliff that his ship was burned, and the pirates,
again with the exception of two, were hanged.
They tell of a lonely old man coming to Queenscliff to look for the treasure.
He was nicknamed Kerosene Jack, not because he drank kerosene, but because his name sounded like that.
Kerosene Jack is said to have unearthed the treasure, and buried it in
a different spot. He died, but left clues to the new hiding place.
One treasure hunter told me that he has discovered all the clues, and now
only needs permission to dig anywhere in Queenscliff to find whether the
treasure is really there or not. Naturally, he will not divulge the spot of his
choice. He says officials are afraid he might start digging in the middle of
the main street.
was in danger. Images of solid gold, jewels and bullion were to be shipped
to Spain for safety.These were loaded on the sailing vessel, Mary Dyer.
A few hours before sailing time, the crew mutinied, slaughtered guards and
churchmen, and sailed off in the treasure ship, pursued by a frigate. Benito
was In charge.
Although it is said that the frigate caught up with the Benito at Cocos
Island, and that all the pirates but two were killed, Lima did no recover her
treasure. Benito was one of the two escapees.
He died in bed in Newfoundland, telling a friend, Keeting, the treasure's loca-
tion. Keeting is reported to have found £40,000 of it.
So much for the Cocos Island side of the story. Queenscliff's treasure
hunters believe it was not Cocos Island, but Queenscliff, where Benito buried
the loot from Lima. They say he was chased through the Heads of Port Phil-
lip by a British ship, that he buried the bullion, jewels, and golden images
in the caves under Queenscliff that his ship was burned, and the pirates,
again with the exception of two, were hanged.
They tell of a lonely old man coming to Queenscliff to look for the treasure.
He was nicknamed Kerosene Jack, not because he drank kerosene, but because his name sounded like that.
Kerosene Jack is said to have unearthed the treasure, and buried it in
a different spot. He died, but left clues to the new hiding place.
One treasure hunter told me that he has discovered all the clues, and now
only needs permission to dig anywhere in Queenscliff to find whether the
treasure is really there or not. Naturally, he will not divulge the spot of his
choice. He says officials are afraid he might start digging in the middle of
the main street.
This same man showed me pistols and swords that he believes once belonged to Pirate Benito and his band.
These were discovered in a cave under the schoolhouse, where the millions may have been hidden before the arrival of Kerosene Jack.
But the claims of this treasure hunter do not deter the others.
They go on hopefully sinking shafts and exploring caves.
However, the Queenscliff treasure, if any, is the loot of Lima, and Lima will doubtless have something to say about it when, and if, it is found. And this being so, it is quite on the cards that someone unearthed it a long time ago, and said nothing.
These were discovered in a cave under the schoolhouse, where the millions may have been hidden before the arrival of Kerosene Jack.
But the claims of this treasure hunter do not deter the others.
They go on hopefully sinking shafts and exploring caves.
However, the Queenscliff treasure, if any, is the loot of Lima, and Lima will doubtless have something to say about it when, and if, it is found. And this being so, it is quite on the cards that someone unearthed it a long time ago, and said nothing.
DID PIRATES VISIT AUSTRALIA?
The short answer is "Yes!"
The short answer is "Yes!"
YAMADA NAGAMASA JAPANESE PIRATE
The First Pirate to visit Australia and the most famous of the Wako (Japanese Pirates) was Yamada Nagamasa
Yamada Nagamasa
Japanese Pirate
Together with his pirate fleet of 40 ships,Yamada Nagamasa raided the coast of Southeast Asia and visited every land between Japan and Australia.
It is thought that he landed on Cape York Peninsula and legend says his considerable treasure is buried on Magnetic Island.
It is thought that he landed on Cape York Peninsula and legend says his considerable treasure is buried on Magnetic Island.
Hidden away in old Oriental temples, untouched by the passage of centuries, lie records which may have an important bearing on the earliest history of Australia, Hitherto our knowledge of the discovery of this continent has been confined to western sources, but these Chinese and Japanese manuscripts, carefully guarded by the priests, open up a chapter prior to the coming of the European.
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Among these, one of the most interesting recounts the exploits of Yamada Nagamasa, the gentleman pirate of the Pacific. Twenty years before Tasman sailed to Van Diemen's Land, the cultured corsair touched, with his pirate fleet of 40 ships, every land between Australia and Japan. And there is reason to believe he landed on Cape York Peninsula.
On September 3, 1615, the year before the coasts of West Australia were first sighted by Dirk Hartog (1580–1621) Nagamasa sailed from Japan with two merchants, Taki Saemon and Ota Jiroemon. On October 5 Takasago (Formosa) was reached, and there Nagamasa left the ship. After a brief stay on the island he sailed for Siam, where there was a Japanese colony of 300 families.
Shipping was very active in the Pacific in those days. In the year that Torres negotiated the waters that bear his name, there were 179 Japanese merchant ships trading with l8 different countries from New Guinea to Siam. They were called the "Red Seal ships." Dutch and Spanish carried on extensive trade among the Islands from Java to the Philippines. Across the Lower Pacific a regular fleet of vessels served the Japanese and Spanish colonies in Mexico.
On September 3, 1615, the year before the coasts of West Australia were first sighted by Dirk Hartog (1580–1621) Nagamasa sailed from Japan with two merchants, Taki Saemon and Ota Jiroemon. On October 5 Takasago (Formosa) was reached, and there Nagamasa left the ship. After a brief stay on the island he sailed for Siam, where there was a Japanese colony of 300 families.
Shipping was very active in the Pacific in those days. In the year that Torres negotiated the waters that bear his name, there were 179 Japanese merchant ships trading with l8 different countries from New Guinea to Siam. They were called the "Red Seal ships." Dutch and Spanish carried on extensive trade among the Islands from Java to the Philippines. Across the Lower Pacific a regular fleet of vessels served the Japanese and Spanish colonies in Mexico.
THE KING OF SIAM and Nagamasa.
Nagamasa arrived in Siam, the Burmese were pressing hard on the capital. He offered his services to the king, and led the Siamese armies to victory. As a reward he was appointed Governor of the Province of Ibil (now British Malaya).
He took up his official residence at Pattani, a short distance north of Singapore.
Doubtless he selected this place on the coast for the purpose which he had already formulated in his mind. A glance at the map of British Malaya will show how strategic this position was. It dominated all shipping into the Indian Ocean & over- looked the waters of the Dutch possessions in the Indies, it also gave speedy access to the Pacific.
There he built up one of the colourful and most brilliant courts of the period.
Fronting the sea were miles of gardens with their profusion of gardenias and gamboge trees, while jasmine scented the sea for leagues. He even boasted that
the captains of his fleet were guided into harbour by the perfumed winds. The buildings comprising his palace were surrounded by rose terraces upon which were 40,000 blooms. A marble hall of music was provided for the masters of the zither and xylophone, while at evening flutes sent their complaining sounds across the
waters. Poets and painters from all parts of farther Asia were even to be found at the court of Pattani.
He took up his official residence at Pattani, a short distance north of Singapore.
Doubtless he selected this place on the coast for the purpose which he had already formulated in his mind. A glance at the map of British Malaya will show how strategic this position was. It dominated all shipping into the Indian Ocean & over- looked the waters of the Dutch possessions in the Indies, it also gave speedy access to the Pacific.
There he built up one of the colourful and most brilliant courts of the period.
Fronting the sea were miles of gardens with their profusion of gardenias and gamboge trees, while jasmine scented the sea for leagues. He even boasted that
the captains of his fleet were guided into harbour by the perfumed winds. The buildings comprising his palace were surrounded by rose terraces upon which were 40,000 blooms. A marble hall of music was provided for the masters of the zither and xylophone, while at evening flutes sent their complaining sounds across the
waters. Poets and painters from all parts of farther Asia were even to be found at the court of Pattani.
THE PIRATE FLEET OF NAGAMASA
Yamada Nagamasa built a pirate fleet of 40 ships & with these he intercepted merchant vessels in Eastern waters, relieving them of their freight, which was taken to Pattani and sold through the merchants who were part of his institution. There are records of his piracies in the waters of Tanl (Java), Miseya (Philippines), Maruko (Borneo), Junkwa (New Guinea), and Seiyo. This latter name is especially of interest, as we believe it refers to the northern shores of Queensland, and it indicates that Nagamasa was on Cape York Peninsula between the years 1628-1633.
SOUTHERN CORAL LAND SEIYO
Research into the locality "Seiyo" yields the following results:
In the texts of the Hojiki Temple in Japan Selyo appears the name of "The Great Southern Land." The earlier Chinese record known as "Liang Shi" calls it
"Tsu. yo" or "The Coral Land of the South"
In the Japanese Temple text the explanatory adjective "semai" is used, meaning "sharp" or "narrow." in the Borneo story of Om Ping (the wild man of Borneo) mention is made of "Sei-tso," this is "The South Land of Pearls."
According to this 15 Century account, "Om Ping sailed to Sei-tso,
seeking pearls, but feared the land as he saw "wild men, wilder than himself."
He sought refuge in Sei-tso when he was hunted from Java. History records his presence in Java, and his escape to the south.
As the story of Sinbad the Sailor was based on Arabian navigation into the East, so doubtless behind that of Om Ping was the knowledge of a southern land, where there were corals, pearls, and wild naked men, south of Java.
As every other country to the north of Australia was definitely known and named in 'the records of the period- NAGAMASA, Seiyo cannot refer to any of them. There seems sound reason, then, not placing it as the earliest oriental name for North Queensland.
In the texts of the Hojiki Temple in Japan Selyo appears the name of "The Great Southern Land." The earlier Chinese record known as "Liang Shi" calls it
"Tsu. yo" or "The Coral Land of the South"
In the Japanese Temple text the explanatory adjective "semai" is used, meaning "sharp" or "narrow." in the Borneo story of Om Ping (the wild man of Borneo) mention is made of "Sei-tso," this is "The South Land of Pearls."
According to this 15 Century account, "Om Ping sailed to Sei-tso,
seeking pearls, but feared the land as he saw "wild men, wilder than himself."
He sought refuge in Sei-tso when he was hunted from Java. History records his presence in Java, and his escape to the south.
As the story of Sinbad the Sailor was based on Arabian navigation into the East, so doubtless behind that of Om Ping was the knowledge of a southern land, where there were corals, pearls, and wild naked men, south of Java.
As every other country to the north of Australia was definitely known and named in 'the records of the period- NAGAMASA, Seiyo cannot refer to any of them. There seems sound reason, then, not placing it as the earliest oriental name for North Queensland.
MAPS OF AUSTRALIA by FRENCH PIRATE (?)
Guillaume Le Testu Le Testu was an explorer, navigator and privateer. He was also one of the foremost cartographers of his time. It is thought that his maps may have been a compilation of maps from his own exploration and maps produced by others (perhaps part proceeds of the loot from captured ships) including excellent Portuguese maps.
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His sophisticated and detailed maps were used by generations of navigators and explorers.It has been suggested that, although he never claimed to have seen it for himself, Le Testu may have produced a map of Australia. This possibility is based on the fact that his maps' showed a large island (or continent), south of Java, which he claimed was the Jave la Grande ("Great Java") mentioned by Marco Polo and called Terra Australis. He also drew, on these maps, birds that resembled native Australian black swans and cassowaries.
Le Testu's atlas has a particularly strange entry, it shows a southern continent about which he said:
"Not imaginary even though no one has found it!"
Le Testu's atlas has a particularly strange entry, it shows a southern continent about which he said:
"Not imaginary even though no one has found it!"
So if maps show Australia, someone must have visited our Australian coastline before 1556. (Portuguese perhaps?)
AN AUSTRALIAN PIRATE
African American Pirate Jack Anderson
African American Pirate Jack Anderson
Western Australia's Resident Pirate
An 1842 illustration in Perth Gazette
Black Jack' as he was known, was a murderous Pirate with his hideout on a Western Australian Island off the Coast of Esperance in the far southwest of Western Australia.
Not much is known about him apart from a few stories handed down from the local people of Esperance.
There may well have been other Pirates in Australian Waters but officially Black Jack is Australia's only known resident pirate.
There was nothing romantic about this murderous thug.
Anderson was a violent African American who came to Australia as a ruthless Pirate.
He and his crew of brutal pirates were based on Middle Island in
the Recherche Archipelago on the South Western coast of Australia, where they attacked and looted passing boats and ships. They also murdered local Aboriginal men and enslaved their women. The Perth Gazette of October 1835 reported that Anderson and others shot and clubbed Aboriginal men to death and took the women
in their boats.
Not much is known about him apart from a few stories handed down from the local people of Esperance.
There may well have been other Pirates in Australian Waters but officially Black Jack is Australia's only known resident pirate.
There was nothing romantic about this murderous thug.
Anderson was a violent African American who came to Australia as a ruthless Pirate.
He and his crew of brutal pirates were based on Middle Island in
the Recherche Archipelago on the South Western coast of Australia, where they attacked and looted passing boats and ships. They also murdered local Aboriginal men and enslaved their women. The Perth Gazette of October 1835 reported that Anderson and others shot and clubbed Aboriginal men to death and took the women
in their boats.
Statements made in Albany courthouse say that Middle Island was "in the possession of John Anderson, a master of a sealing boat"
The court was also told that Anderson forced seamen to give him their money or they were killed. Like the English Highway man said, while pointing his pistol: “Stand & deliver, Your money or your liver!” |
Black Jack was originally a whaler from Massachusetts, in 1826 Black Jack’s vessel ‘The Vigilant’ limped into the trading post of King George Sound (now called Albany) in Western Australia.
That night while drinking at the store they got into a fight with
another ship’s crew. There was no proof, but Black Jack was blamed for the death of one of these men. So he & several crewmen ran out, stole a small vessel & sailed to the Recherche Archipelago off Esperance, with its uncharted 105 small islands.
At first the Pirates drifted through the islands, living off seals, before making their base on the biggest island in the archipelago- Middle Island. The soil was good, the vegetation healthy and it had fresh water. For the next ten years they ruled the islands, they hunted for seals with their valuable skins, which sold for six shillings each and they raided passing supply ships heading either to Hobart or Sydney.
That night while drinking at the store they got into a fight with
another ship’s crew. There was no proof, but Black Jack was blamed for the death of one of these men. So he & several crewmen ran out, stole a small vessel & sailed to the Recherche Archipelago off Esperance, with its uncharted 105 small islands.
At first the Pirates drifted through the islands, living off seals, before making their base on the biggest island in the archipelago- Middle Island. The soil was good, the vegetation healthy and it had fresh water. For the next ten years they ruled the islands, they hunted for seals with their valuable skins, which sold for six shillings each and they raided passing supply ships heading either to Hobart or Sydney.
Western Australian Museum archaeologists have been to the remote area and surveyed what is believed to have been Anderson's cave.
"Black Jack's Bay" and his cave can only be accessed in rare good weather. People have searched for the pirate's loot and obvious items in the cave would have been illegally removed by now. Perhaps Black Jack's treasure was not buried on the island, but again, according to local legend his body was!
"Black Jack's Bay" and his cave can only be accessed in rare good weather. People have searched for the pirate's loot and obvious items in the cave would have been illegally removed by now. Perhaps Black Jack's treasure was not buried on the island, but again, according to local legend his body was!
It is said that Anderson was murdered by some of his crew & is buried on Middle Island.
Perhaps Black Jack's treasure was not buried on the island, but again, according to local legend his body was!
It is said that Anderson was murdered by some of his crew & is buried on Middle Island.
I hope they didn't leave & take the treasure away with them.
Perhaps Black Jack's treasure was not buried on the island, but again, according to local legend his body was!
It is said that Anderson was murdered by some of his crew & is buried on Middle Island.
I hope they didn't leave & take the treasure away with them.
WILLIAM DAMPIER
British Pirate
William Dampier 1651-1715. We have made him a hero for his exploration of the North West Australian coastand and even put his face on a postage stamps, but nevertheless, William Dampier was an English Pirate. Like the fictional James Bond, who was licensed as an assassin but called Agent 007, William Dampier was
licensed as a Pirate but called a Buccaneer. |
Dampier’s license entitled him and his crew to attack & rob ships and the coastal towns and villages of foreign lands. The main
condition of the licence was that the pirates shared their stolen treasure with the government when they returned to Britain.
Dampier appeared to have little ability in managing the crews placed under him, was accused of cruelty and in 1702 a court martial declared him unfit to command any of His Majesty's ships.
This raises the following questions:
condition of the licence was that the pirates shared their stolen treasure with the government when they returned to Britain.
Dampier appeared to have little ability in managing the crews placed under him, was accused of cruelty and in 1702 a court martial declared him unfit to command any of His Majesty's ships.
This raises the following questions:
Did cruel Pirate captains and rough, tough pirates, declare all the loot? Probably not!
Would a cruel Pirate Captain and his motley crew of co-conspirators declare everything they had stolen? Or would they hide some of their loot on relatively unknown lands for later retrieval? Did Dampier & his Pirate crew bury treasure on the coast of Western Australia? Perhaps other Pirates visited Western Australia's coastline. Did they bury their treasure while they were here? I can easily imagine they did & I can imagine finding it too! |
WILLIAM DAMPIER as a Buccaneer
In 1687 as the Buccaneer Captain of the Sailing ship ‘Cygnet’ Dampier travelled the Pacific Ocean, looting ships of other countries that they came across. A year into the journey (1688) Dampier and his pirate crew landed on the north west coast of Australia, and spent about two months resting and repairing the ship. Ample time to bury treasure to be retrieved at a later date. During his previous and first trip to the area Dampier had the first recorded European encounter with the local Aboriginal people. His description of his encounter was:
“We anchored, as I said before, January the 5th, and seeing men walking on the shore, we presently sent a canoe to get some acquaintance with them: for we were in hopes to get some provision among them. But the inhabitants, seeing our boat coming, run away and hid themselves. We searched afterwards 3 days in hopes to find their houses; but found none: yet we saw many places where they had made fires. At last, being out of hopes to find their habitations, we searched no farther; but left a great many toys ashore, in such places where we thought that they would come. In all our search we found no water, but old wells on the sandy bays.
Again the cynic might imagine that pirates would not really care
enough for the indigenous people, to leave behind ‘’a great many ’toys’?
Perhaps, while saying they had been looking for water they were
actually burying some of their treasure and this story about ‘toys’was a cover story for them, if ever the British Government stumbled across his hidden treasure he could say it was ‘toys’ gifts that he had left for the locals.
“At last we went over to the islands and
there we found a great many of the natives: I do believe there were 40 on one island, men, women, and children. The men at our first coming ashore, threatened us with their lances and swords; but they were frightened by firing one gun, which we fired purposely to scare them”.
Why not offer gifts of more ‘toys’, rather than frightening them
off? After all, they had left gifts to encourage the locals on the mainland, but now they shoot to scare them off (?) Why?
“The island was so small that they could not hide themselves: but they were much disordered at our landing, especially the women and children: for we went directly to their camp. The lustiest of the women snatching up their infants ran away bawling, and the little children run
after squeaking and bawling; but the men stood still. Some of the women, and such people as could not go from us, lay still by a fire, making a doleful noise, as if we had been coming to devour them: but when they saw we did not intend to harm them, they were pretty quiet, and the rest that fled from us at our first coming, returned again.”
Dampier’s navigational skills, carefully produced charts and
illustrations, set him apart from regular ‘pirates’. His account of his
travels, A New Voyage Around the World, aroused the interest of the King and in 1697 Dampier was commissioned to further explore the coasts of New Holland, as Australia was then known, aboard HMS Roebuck.
Dampier arrived at Dirk Hartog Island in August 1699. His report read:
“As soon as I came to anchor in this bay
(of which I have given a plan) I sent my boat ashore to seek for fresh water:
but in the evening my men returned having found none”.
Why did they look for water on a tiny island when they were so close to the mainland with potential for fresh water (usually found by digging six to ten feet behind the first row of coastal sand dunes)?
Dampier said:
“The next morning I went ashore myself, carrying pick-axes and shovels with me, to dig for water; and axes to cut wood. We tried in several places for water, but finding none after several trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any farther search for it, and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we went aboard at night.”
It is difficult to believe that the Captain of a Naval ship would
be part of a team digging for water. He had his crew to do his dirty work and
the digging. Was he with them to bury treasure or perhaps to retrieve
previously buried treasure?
Normally he would have had his crew of like minded pirates &
partners in crime with him, but this time he had a crew of disciplined British
Navy personnel, who might be more loyal to their King than Dampier and his usual rough bunch of Pirates might be and the navy crew were more likely to give to the King what he was due, unlike pirates who would try to keep the treasure for themselves. So it was probably safer for Dampier to do his own digging with perhaps a few of the crew taken in to his confidence and bribed with the promise of a share in the treasure.
Dampier had anchored the Roebuck southeast of Cape Inscription,
at a place now called Dampier’s Landing, and explored the island and surrounding waters, noting Bernier and Dorre Islands and the northern end of Peron Peninsula, which he also (mistakenly) thought was an island. After a week in Shark Bay he sailed north to the Dampier Archipelago, Roebuck Bay (just south of Broome), Timor and beyond. On this trip the Navy crew disliked Dampier& threatened mutiny and the Roebuck leaked so badly that he was forced to return to England. The ship sank at Ascension Island, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Dampier and his crew were rescued about a month later.
“We anchored, as I said before, January the 5th, and seeing men walking on the shore, we presently sent a canoe to get some acquaintance with them: for we were in hopes to get some provision among them. But the inhabitants, seeing our boat coming, run away and hid themselves. We searched afterwards 3 days in hopes to find their houses; but found none: yet we saw many places where they had made fires. At last, being out of hopes to find their habitations, we searched no farther; but left a great many toys ashore, in such places where we thought that they would come. In all our search we found no water, but old wells on the sandy bays.
Again the cynic might imagine that pirates would not really care
enough for the indigenous people, to leave behind ‘’a great many ’toys’?
Perhaps, while saying they had been looking for water they were
actually burying some of their treasure and this story about ‘toys’was a cover story for them, if ever the British Government stumbled across his hidden treasure he could say it was ‘toys’ gifts that he had left for the locals.
“At last we went over to the islands and
there we found a great many of the natives: I do believe there were 40 on one island, men, women, and children. The men at our first coming ashore, threatened us with their lances and swords; but they were frightened by firing one gun, which we fired purposely to scare them”.
Why not offer gifts of more ‘toys’, rather than frightening them
off? After all, they had left gifts to encourage the locals on the mainland, but now they shoot to scare them off (?) Why?
“The island was so small that they could not hide themselves: but they were much disordered at our landing, especially the women and children: for we went directly to their camp. The lustiest of the women snatching up their infants ran away bawling, and the little children run
after squeaking and bawling; but the men stood still. Some of the women, and such people as could not go from us, lay still by a fire, making a doleful noise, as if we had been coming to devour them: but when they saw we did not intend to harm them, they were pretty quiet, and the rest that fled from us at our first coming, returned again.”
Dampier’s navigational skills, carefully produced charts and
illustrations, set him apart from regular ‘pirates’. His account of his
travels, A New Voyage Around the World, aroused the interest of the King and in 1697 Dampier was commissioned to further explore the coasts of New Holland, as Australia was then known, aboard HMS Roebuck.
Dampier arrived at Dirk Hartog Island in August 1699. His report read:
“As soon as I came to anchor in this bay
(of which I have given a plan) I sent my boat ashore to seek for fresh water:
but in the evening my men returned having found none”.
Why did they look for water on a tiny island when they were so close to the mainland with potential for fresh water (usually found by digging six to ten feet behind the first row of coastal sand dunes)?
Dampier said:
“The next morning I went ashore myself, carrying pick-axes and shovels with me, to dig for water; and axes to cut wood. We tried in several places for water, but finding none after several trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any farther search for it, and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we went aboard at night.”
It is difficult to believe that the Captain of a Naval ship would
be part of a team digging for water. He had his crew to do his dirty work and
the digging. Was he with them to bury treasure or perhaps to retrieve
previously buried treasure?
Normally he would have had his crew of like minded pirates &
partners in crime with him, but this time he had a crew of disciplined British
Navy personnel, who might be more loyal to their King than Dampier and his usual rough bunch of Pirates might be and the navy crew were more likely to give to the King what he was due, unlike pirates who would try to keep the treasure for themselves. So it was probably safer for Dampier to do his own digging with perhaps a few of the crew taken in to his confidence and bribed with the promise of a share in the treasure.
Dampier had anchored the Roebuck southeast of Cape Inscription,
at a place now called Dampier’s Landing, and explored the island and surrounding waters, noting Bernier and Dorre Islands and the northern end of Peron Peninsula, which he also (mistakenly) thought was an island. After a week in Shark Bay he sailed north to the Dampier Archipelago, Roebuck Bay (just south of Broome), Timor and beyond. On this trip the Navy crew disliked Dampier& threatened mutiny and the Roebuck leaked so badly that he was forced to return to England. The ship sank at Ascension Island, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Dampier and his crew were rescued about a month later.
DID DAMPIER BURY TREASURE in Western Australia?
The Cygnet depicted on a Christmas Island Stamp
We don’t know if Dampier buried treasure or if he dug up and retrieved treasure on the
Western Australian coast,
but we do know that during his time here he buried the ships cook,
Mr Goodwin, who died,was recorded as the first European to have been buried on Australian soil.
Dampier was a great navigator and one of the first to explore the coast of North Western Australia….but he was also a pirate and as any six year old will tell you: PIRATES BURY THEIR TREASURE!
Western Australian coast,
but we do know that during his time here he buried the ships cook,
Mr Goodwin, who died,was recorded as the first European to have been buried on Australian soil.
Dampier was a great navigator and one of the first to explore the coast of North Western Australia….but he was also a pirate and as any six year old will tell you: PIRATES BURY THEIR TREASURE!
Email Rex Woodmore: [email protected]