Part 33

From the 18th to the 23rd their course was mainly westerly, with variable winds and good weather.

On the 24th of June the wind was S.E. by S., E.S.E. and S.E. by E. in the morning and forenoon, with a stiff reefed topsail-gale. Shortly after noon they sighted the mainland of Nova Hollandia, S.S.W. of them, showing as a very low-lying coast; they passed over depths of 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8Ω fathom, good anchoring ground and muddy sand, keeping a N.W. by W. course, since the shallows prevented them from running nearer to the land than where they could just sight it from the ship's deck; they next got into 9, 10 and 11 fathom again as before, and dropped anchor at sunset.

On the 25th of June the wind was S.S.E. to S.E. in the morning and forenoon with a moderate top-gallant gale, a brightening sky and good weather. At daybreak, as they were weighing anchor, the cable snapped off, and the buoy having disappeared, they thus lost their third anchor, so that they had only one left. They therefore resolved to call at the island of Timor, and shaped their course to N.W. by W. over {Page 98} depths of 11, 10, 10Ω and 8 fathom; they next steered higher in order to get into deeper water, and thus passed over 12, 7, 8, 15, 9, 10, 12, 14, 13, 7, 5, 3Ω, 4, 5, 6, afterwards running up to 20 fathom, muddy bottom. At noon their estimated course and distance performed were N.W. by W. slightly Northerly, 5Ω Miles; their estimated latitude 11° 30' South; Latitude taken 11° 37' South; estimated distance from the land 9 or 9Ω miles.

They next shaped their course to north-west in these known waters, and on the 3rd of July following sighted the island of Rottie to westward of them...

The ship de Buys, having, as hereinbefore mentioned, put into the port of Banda on the 28th of March, and having there again been provided with all necessaries, set sail from there again on April 1, shaping her course to eastward. On April 23 she sighted the land of Carpentaria, and the so-called Cape Keerweer, when she was in the observed latitude Of 12° 58' South, so that the land was found to be at least 12 miles more to eastward than it was believed to be. They had sounded depths of 20, 18, 15, 13, 12, and 11Ω fathom, sandy bottom, at which last depth they came to anchor shortly after sunset.

On the 24th of April the wind was E.S.E. by S. in the morning and forenoon with a weak top-gallant gale and fine weather; at daybreak they got their boat ready and made her sail ahead of them in order to take soundings; they then weighed anchor and set sail, keeping an E.N.E. and N.E. course close to the wind in 11Ω, 12, 13, 12, and 11Ω fathom, sharp sandy bottom with small pebbles. At noon their estimated latitude was 12° 54' South, and their estimated distance from the land 4 or 4Ω miles. At sunset they observed Cape Keerweer E. º point N. of them, and the interior point looking to the river E.N.E. They had sounded depths of 11Ω, 10Ω, 11, and 12 fathom sandy bottom, at which last depth they came to anchor just after sunset. In the course of the day they had seen a good deal of smoke ascend from the land.

On April the 25th the wind was E., E.N.E., and N.N.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a weak breeze and fine weather. They weighed anchor at daybreak and set sail on a northern course close by the wind over depths of 12, 14, 15 and 17 fathom sandy bottom. At noon their estimated latitude was 12° 42' South; the wind continued variable with occasional calms; the land here showed level with a red and white beach; the interior seemed to be covered with straight, tall trees as far as the eye reached. At sunset they came to anchor and during the night had a moderate top-gallant gale with good weather.

On the 26th of April the wind was E. and E. by S. in the morning and forenoon, with a fresh breeze and fine weather. At daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail, shaping their course between N.N.W. and N.N.E.; in the forenoon they observed a pretty high hill N.E. by N. º point N. and a red point N.N.E. Ω point E. of them. They also came upon a deep bay or bight named Vliegenbaay, in which the trees on shore were hardly visible from the top-mast. The N. corner of the said bay is here known by the name of Aschens hoek. At noon their estimated latitude was 12° 16' South. They also saw columns of smoke rising up, and thought they could discern men and cabins. At sunset they came to anchor in 12Ω fathom. During the night the wind was variable.

On the 27 th of April the wind was E. by S.E. in the morning and forenoon with a fresh topsail breeze, a covered sky and dry weather. At daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail on a N.N.E. course over depths between 12Ω and 14 fathom good anchoring-ground. The land here begins to fall off to eastward. They here saw a {Page 99} river with an island lying off its mouth, the river being known as Batavia River, and the island as Buys Eijland. At noon they took the approximate latitude of 11° 38' South. They repeatedly saw columns of smoke rising up from the land; in the afternoon they came to anchor in 11 fathom coarse sand, about 4 miles Off the shore.

On the 28th of April the wind was E. and E.S.E. in the morning and forenoon; they weighed anchor and set sail on a N.E. course. At noon they took the latitude of 11° 29' South, being then 3Ω miles off shore, and having passed depths of 11 and 10 fathom, coarse sand and good anchoring-ground. In the afternoon the wind blew from the E.S.E., S.E., S., S.S.W., with a moderate top-gallant gale and fine weather; course held N.E. by E. and N.E.Ω% point N.; they still kept sailing along low-lying land only.

On the 29th of April the wind was S.S.E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a fresh topsail breeze; at daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail on courses between N.N.E. and N.N.W. over depths of 10, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 7, 8, 9 fathom, hard foul bottom; they estimated themselves to be at 3 miles' distance off the land. At noon their estimated latitude was 11° 3' South; in the afternoon the wind blew from the S.E. with a fresh topsail breeze. At 2 o'clock they came to anchor, since they estimated themselves to be close to Van Spults river; at 3 miles' distance from the land they were in 8 fathom.

On the 30th of April the wind was S.E. by E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a fresh breeze. They got the boat ready for the purpose of taking soundings ahead. At noon their estimated latitude was 10° 56'; at 4 o'clock they had nearly lost sight of the boat, and fired a gun charged with ball in order to recall the same, but the boat not returning, they kept a light burning at the top-mast, and during the night fired a gun now and then. In this way they waited for the boat until the 12th of May, when they finally resolved to depart from there, since their stock of water and firewood would not allow of their waiting longer. On board the missing boat were two steersmen, to wit, Hendrick Snijders and Pieter van der Meulen, one quartermaster and five common sailors.

On the 12th of May the wind was E.S.E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a moderate top-gallant gale and good weather. At daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail on a western course from the shallows, passing over depths of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 fathom fine grey sand. At noon their estimated latitude was 10° 55' South. In the afternoon and during the night they had good weather with occasional showers of rain; next running W.N.W., they sighted the island of Timoor Laudt on the 20th of May.

...From the above Your Honourable Worships will gather that Lieutenant Jean Etienne Gonzal, in command of the small bark de Rijder, has executed Your Honourable Worships' honoured orders, so far as the shores of the Land of Carpentaria are concerned; but that no exploration of the interior has been undertaken as enjoined by Your Honourable Worships' instructions [*] and no landing has been effected on the coast of Nova Hollandia, because they had only one anchor left, so that such landing was judged too hazardous to be undertaken. Of the part borne in this expedition by the first mate Lavienne Lodewijk Aschens who was in command of the small bark de Buys, the undersigned can make Your Honourable Worships no report worth any serious consideration, since his statements and annotations are so misleading that it is evident {Page 100} at first sight that he can never have had any first-hand knowledge or ocular view of the matters referred to by him, seeing that he has hardly ever been nearer to the land than 3 miles off it, at which distance, however, he pretends to have seen a river with a small island before its mouth, together with natives, cabins, etc.; all which seems impossible to the undersigned on a level coast such as this, nor has he made any landing on the said coast, although, contrary to Your Honourable Worships' orders, he has sailed along it from the south to the north a distance Of 40 miles, before the mishap of the loss of the boat came to pass, as Your Honourable Worships may further gather from the annexed rough sketch of a chart [**] of the coast sent in by him...

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INDEX OF PERSONS.

Asschens, (Lavienne Lodewijk Van) Bewindhebbers der Nederlandsche Oost-Indische Compagnie, (Heeren Majores) Blom, (Michiel) Bounian, (Cornelis) Bremen, (Joannes Van) Brouwer, (Hendrik) Buysero, (Cornelis)

Carstensz (oon), Jan Chastelijn, (Cornelis) Claeszoon van Hillegom, (Haevick) Cock, (Daniel Janssen) Coen, (Jan Pieterszoon) Collaert, (Gerrit) Cook, (James) Coolsteerdt of Colster, (Willem Joosten Van) Corneliszoon, (Maarten)

Dampier, (William) Dedel, (Cornelis) Dedel, (Jacob) Delft, (Maarten Van) Diemen, (Antonio Van) Dircksz, (Pieter) Dirkszoon, (Pieter) Dortsman, (Adriaan)

Eckebrecht, (Philippus) Engelschen

Gerrits, (Coert) Gerrits, (Gerrit) Gerritsz, (Hessel) Gonzal (Jean Etienne) Gouverneur-Generaal en Raden (Hooge Regeering) te Batavia Graaff, (Isaac De) Graeff, (Adriaan Van de)

Haan, (W. Gerrit De) Haen, (Dirk Corneliszoon) Haghen, (Steven Van der) Hartogs(zoon), (Dirk) Heermans, (Theodorus) Hendrikszoon, (Pieter) Hermansz(oon), Klaes Holman, (Yde Tjerkszoon) Hoorn, (Joan Van) Houtman, (Frederik De)

Jacobsz(oon), Lenaert Jansz., (Jan) Jansz(oon), Gerrit Janszoon van Buiksloot, (Reyer) Jansz(oon), Willem, Koopman Jansz(oon), Willem, schipper Jansz., (Willemtje) Jonck, (Aucke Pieterszoon) Jongh, (Wollebrand Geleynszoon De)

Keppler, (Joannes) Koos, (Jasper Janszoon), Koster, (Jan)

Lastman, (C. I.) Ledoecker van Bil(?), (Pieter) Leeuw (Arend Martensz. De) Le Maire, (Jacques) Linschoten, (Jan Huygen van) Lintiens (Pieter) Lijn, (Cornelis Van der)

Maetsuyker, (Joan) Melisz(oon), Dirk Meulen, (Pieter Van der) Miebaise, (Gilles)