And gave her lovely name to coasts unknown - The story of Tasman’s love for Maria, the daughter of Governor Van Diemen, was generally accepted at the time Kendall wrote; but it has since been disproved. Maria was the wife of Antony Van Diemen, Governor of Batavia, who had no children.
Arakoon - A promontory on the coast of New South Wales.
Araluen - A stream in the Braidwood district, New South Wales, also Henry Kendall’s daughter, who died in infancy
Arrochin - Heaven
Bay of Flowers - Botany Bay
By capes of jasper, came the buccaneer - Dampier
Cava - a drink extracted from a root. (The natives believe it is made and drunk in Arrochin where it grows as in Tanna).
Cathay saw darkness dwelling half the year! - According to Mr. R. H. Major, and others, the Great Southern Land is referred to in old Chinese records as a polar continent, subject to the long polar nights.
Echeu - The rufous-breasted thickhead
Euroma - Charles Harpur was buried at Euroma, N.S.W., but this poem refers to the grave of a stranger whose name is unknown.
faded tomb - A wild lily grows on the spot supposed to be Sutherland’s grave.— H.K.
Forester - Kangaroo
From Indian peaks the rapt Venetian saw! - Marco Polo mentions a large land called by the Malays Lochac. The northern coast was supposed to be in latitude 10 Degrees S.
From zone to zone, four hundred years ago! - Mr. R. H. Major discovered a map of Terra Australis dated A.D. 1555 and bearing the name of Le Testu, a French pilot. Le Testu must have visited these coasts some years before the date of the chart.
His shining name the fair-haired Northman left; - Dirk Hartog left a tin plate, bearing his name, in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Muska - corruption of the English term, musket—of late their chief weapon in war.
Muttow - a fishing-hook
Myall Lakes - A chain of lakes near Port Stephens, N.S.W.
Orara - A tributary of the river Clarence, N.S.W.
Paroo - The name of a watercourse, often dry, which in flood-time reaches the river Darling.
Stroud - A town on the Karuah River, which flows into Port Stephens.
Sutherland’s Grave - Forby Sutherland, one of Captain Cook’s seamen, who died shortly after the Endeavour anchored in Botany Bay, 1770. He was the first Englishman buried in Australia.
Tanna - native name
The tender grasses found forgotten graves. - The sailors of the Duyfken, a Dutch vessel which entered the Gulf of Carpentaria in A.D. 1606, were attacked by the natives. In the fray some of the whites were killed. No doubt these unlucky adventurers were the first Europeans buried in Australia.
Warrigal - The Dingo, or Wild Dog of Australia
Weepan - Fish (their principal food).
Whyeena - woman (this is not the original native appellation; that I could never ascertain).
Williams - Williams River, a tributary of the river Hunter, after Governor Hunter, on which Dungog stands.
Yona - native name