Pieter Nuyts.

Pieter Lauwerijszoon Nuyts' sole claim to fame, as far as Australia is concerned, was his presence on 't Gulden Seepaert, captained by Francois Thijssen, which accidentally discovered the Australian south coast on its way to Batavia, after been carried too far south by the strong westerlies. Nuyts being the highest ranking individual on board, Captain Francois Thijssen named the coast and one of the islands after him.

Born in Middelburg, Holland in 1598, Nuyts was raised in the textile business of his parents Lauwerijs and Elisabeth Waelrans and the ships trading in the Far East and Asia. He was enrolled at the University of Leiden on 14 December 1613. During his studies he lived at the house of Professor Thomas van Erpen, a specialist and lover of anything Arabian.

After completing University Nuyts was well versed in the classics, bible and law. He returned to Middelburg and his father's business. Nuyts married Cornelia Jansdochter Jacot on 26 April 1620 within a few weeks of the death of his parents. Before long they had two sons, Laurens and Pieter and twin daughters Anna Cornelia and Elisabeth. Nuyts used most of his business profits to buy land and invest in reclaiming polders. It was not enough though to keep him happy or even at home. He wanted to see the world and particularly the Far East. What better way to do this than secure a position with the Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, VOC.

On 20 March 1602 the Dutch Republic had granted a trade monopoly to the VOC in the East Indies. With his university education and practical experience gained from his merchant father, Nuyts found employment with the VOC, where he made rapid promotion.

To do even better Nuyts decided to move to Batavia, the main centre of activity of the company. Nuyts and his son Laurens left Vlissingen on 't Gulden Seepaert, fitted out by the Middelburg Chamber of the VOC and commanded by Francois Thijssen on 22 May 1626. His wife, who was pregnant and their son Pieter, would follow at a later date. The ship carried 158 Crew, varent volck, 56 soldiers and six women and was part of a fleet of nine under the command of Admiral Wybrant Janszoon Schram.

After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, 't Gulden Seepaert sailed into history when it was carried too far south by the winds of the Southern Ocean. It touched the South Coast of Terra Australis Incognita, the Great Unknown South Land, on 26 January 1627 in the neighbourhood of Cape Leeuwin. The ship now turned eastward according to instructions given by Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, in 1622. He had wanted a 'thorough investigation of the South Land with a view to ascertain as much of the situation and nature of these regions as God Almighty shall vouchsafe to allow'.

Sailing along the southern coast from Cape Leeuwin for more than 1500 kilometres, the Dutch mapped and named 't Land van Pieter Nuyts and the islands of St. Francis and St. Pieter now known as Nuyts Archipelago. St. Pieter Island is the second largest island of South Australia being about thirteen kilometres in length. This encounter resulted in the first definite map of any part of the Southern Coast and the first knowledge of South Australia. Later French and English explorers praised the accuracy of the Dutch map.

From here it turned around to make its way back to Batavia where the ship arrived, after eleven months at sea, on 10 April 1627. Twenty-eight of the crew and passengers had died on the voyage. The VOC was very impressed with Nuyts and his important connections; he never omitted to mention them and their full titles in his letters. Within three weeks, on 30 April, Nuyts was appointed Ambassador to Japan. He left Batavia on 12 May 1627 in command of five ships, 240 sailors and 60 soldiers to head a special mission to restore and improve relations between the VOC and Japan. After a month of complicated negotiations and his own ignorance of Japanese customs, he had to admit defeat and returned to Formosa. The mission had been a total failure.

Part of Formosa (Taiwan), had been settled by the Dutch in September 1624, to establish a colony to administer the island, conduct missionary work and especially to establish their international trading relations with both Japan and China. Outside of Anping Harbor, they built a fort called Casteel Zeelandia in 1624. This castle (fort) served as the headquarters of the ruling Dutch Council. On 28 June 1627, Nuyts became Governor of Taiwan.

Very soon though the VOC realised that there was something wrong with Nuyts. Not only was he arrogant, haughty and domineering but also a troublemaker who never stopped complaining and often looked more after his own financial interests than those of the company. In 1628, fort Zeelandia was attacked and Governor Pieter Nuyts, his small son Laurens, and four other Dutchmen taken hostage by a band of Japanese buccaneers.

In an effort to free Governor Nuyts it was decided that his son and the four men would be taken to Japan with the Japanese buccaneers. Upon reaching Japan all would be exchanged and set free. After reaching the Japanese shore the plan was not carried out and all Dutch were imprisoned. The governor's son Laurens died in prison three years later on 29 December 1630.

Nuyts turned out to be a disaster as a governor. He alienated most of the locals, his own staff, and his superiors in Batavia who had decided to recall him as early as March 1629. While in Formosa Governor Nuyts had himself married, against the wishes of the bride and her parents, to one of the island's ladies. He also had numerous affairs with other women. To solve the language problems he had an interpreter under his bed to translate his or the ladies' amorous conversations.

Before news of his recall reached Formosa, Nuyts launched another unsuccessful expedition. This time against Chinese smugglers on the island of Mattau in July 1629. It ended in total disaster. Nuyts arrived back in Batavia on 11 October 1629 where he was heavily fined. After several inquiries he was suspended and arrested on 9 May 1630.

While in prison, Nuyts' wife Cornelia, son Peter and daughter Anna, Elisabeth had died in Holland, arrived in Batavia on 15 September 1631. His wife died soon after on 22 October 1631.

When no improvement between the VOC and Japan occurred by 1632, it was decided to hand Nuyts as hostage to the Japanese Imperial Court. Relations improved immediately but Nuyts remained imprisoned. While locked up he studied Japanese and ordered the Latin works of Erasmus, Petrarca, Machiavelli, Seneca and others. He now wrote learned essays on such topics as the Elephant and the origin of the River Nile. He also wrote about the importance of further discoveries and explorations of Australia. He was released on 5 July 1636 and arrived back in Batavia on 11 December 1636. Before returning to Holland a year later, he was made to pay a further fine of 22,000 guilders.

Back in Holland, where he arrived on 18 July 1638, Nuyts was able to come to an arrangement with the VOC who returned some of his money on the condition that he would refrain from making any further claims. On 1 January 1640 Nuyts, now 43, married Anna van Driel but she died nine months later while giving birth to a son called Pieter. His son Pieter by his first wife Elisabeth had died in Batavia.

Business went well for Nuyts Being a large land owner around the city of Hulst, it did not take long before he became a member of its Council. Eventually he became a tax collector of Hulster Ambacht and Hulst. Once again he was involved in many struggles, fights and financial mismanagement. On 26 April 1649 he once more married, this time to Agnes Abrahams Granier. It lasted until his death on 11 December 1655. After the funeral it turned out that he had collected far more tax than was shown in the Council's books. It was eventually repaid by his son Pieter.

On 20 May 1717, Jean Pierre Purry, who had been working for the Dutch East Indie Company, (VOC) tried to convince the Governor of Batavia that a colony should be established in Nuytsland. He came up with several good reasons but was unsuccessful. When back in Holland he put together a small book on the subject, which was published in Amsterdam in 1718. Although unsuccessful once again the ideas were not forgotten altogether.

On 28 January 1802 Matthew Flinders named Nuyts' Reef and Cape Nuyts and on 8 February 1802 named the whole group of islands Nuyts Archipelago. The Western Australian Christmas tree was later named Nuytsia floribunda.