Part 6

To all which particulars and whatever else may be worth noting, you will pay diligent attention, keeping a careful record or daily journal of the same, that we may get full information of all your doings and experiences, and the Company obtain due and perfect knowledge of the situation and natural features of these regions, in return for the heavy expenses to which she is put by this expedition.

To all the places which you shall touch at, you will give appropriate names such as in each instance the case shall seem to require, choosing for the same either the names of the United Provinces or of the towns situated therein, or any other appellations that you may deem fitting and worthy. Of all which places, lands and islands, the commander and officers of these yachts, by order and pursuant to the commission of the Worshipful Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen, sent out to India by their High Mightinesses the States-General of the United Netherlands, and by the Lords Managers of the General Chartered United East India Company established in the same, will, by solemn declaration signed by the ships' councils, take formal possession, and in sign thereof, besides, erect a stone column in such places as shall be taken possession of; the said column recording in bold, legible characters the year, the month, the day of the week and the date, the persons by whom and the hour of the day when such possession has been taken on behalf of the States-General above mentioned. You will likewise endeavour to enter into friendly relations and make covenants with all such kings and nations as you shall happen to fall in with, and try to prevail upon them to place themselves under the protection of the States of the United Netherlands, of which covenants and alliances you will likewise cause proper documents to be drawn up and signed.

All such lands, islands, etc. as you shall take possession of in the fashion aforesaid, you will duly mark in the chart in their true latitude, longitude and bearings, together with the names newly conferred on the same.

In virtue of the oath of allegiance which each of you generally and personally has sworn to the Lords States-General, to His Princely Highness and the Lords Managers, none of you shall be allowed to retain for his private use or to abstract any written documents, journals, drawings or observations touching this present expedition, but every one of you shall be bound on his return hither faithfully to deliver up the same without exception.

According to the written statements of Jan Huygen [*], and the opinion of sundry other persons, certain parts of this South-land are likely to yield gold, a point into which you will inquire as carefully as possible.

[* _Scil_. Van Linschoten.]

For the purpose of making a trial we have given orders for various articles to be put on board your ships, such as ironmongery, cloths, coast-stuffs [*] and linens; which you will show and try to dispose of to such natives as you may meet with, always diligently noting what articles are found to be most in demand, what quantities might be disposed of, and what might be obtained in exchange for them; we furthermore hand you samples of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead and pearls, that you may inquire whether these articles are known to the natives, and might be obtained there in any considerable quantity.

[* i. e. drawn from the Coast of Coromandel.]

In landing anywhere you will use extreme caution, and never go ashore or into the interior unless well-armed, trusting no one, however innocent the natives may be {Page 21} in appearance, and with whatever kindness they may seem to receive you, being always ready to stand on the defensive, in order to prevent sudden traitorous surprises, the like of which, sad to say, have but too often been met with in similar cases. And if any natives should come hear your ships, you will likewise take due care that they suffer no molestation from our men.

When you get near the northern extremity and the east coast of the South-land, you will diligently inquire whether it yields anywhere sandal-wood, nutmegs, cloves or other spices; likewise whether it has any good harbours and fertile tracts, where it would be possible to establish settlements, which might be expected to yield satisfactory returns. In a word, you will suffer nothing to escape your notice, but carefully scrutinise whatever you find, and give us a full and proper report on your return, by doing which you will render good service to the United Netherlands and reap special honour for yourselves.

In places where you meet with natives, you will either by adroit management or by other means endeavour to get hold of a number of full-grown persons, or better still, of boys and girls, to the end that the latter may be brought up here and be turned to useful purpose in the said quarters when occasion shall serve.

The command of the two yachts has been entrusted to Jan Vos, who during the voyage will carry the flag, convene the council and take the chair in the same, in virtue of our special commission granted to the said Vos for the purpose.

Given in the Fortress of jacatra, this 29th of September, A.D. 1622 [*].

[* Unforeseen circumstances prevented the expedition from setting out (Letter of the G.-G. and Counc. to the Managers, 1 Febr. 1623).]

* * * * *

XIV.

(1623). VOYAGE OF THE SHIPS PERA AND ARNHEM, UNDER COMMAND OF JAN CARSTENSZOON OR CARSTENSZ, DIRK MELISZOON, AND WILLEM JOOSTEN VAN COLSTER [*] OR VAN COOLSTEERDT.--FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH-WEST COAST OF NEW GUINEA. DISCOVERY OF THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA.

[* He replaced Meliszoon after the latter's death in February.]

I.

JOINT VOYAGE OF THE TWO SHIPS.--VOYAGE OF THE PERA BY HERSELF UNDER CARSTENSZ, AFTER THE ARNHEM HAD PARTED COMPANY WITH HER [*].

[* This took place on April 27.]

A.

_Letter of the G.-G. and Counc. to the Managers of the E.I.C, dated January 3, 1624._

...In the month of January 1623, Governor Van Speult dispatched from Amboina the yachts Arnhem and Pera, for the purpose of concluding treaties of friend ship with the natives of Quey, Aroe and Tenimber, and of further discovering and {Page 22} exploring the land of Nova Guinea; as Your Worships may gather from the enclosed document, the islanders aforesaid have of their own free will placed themselves under the obedience and dominion of their High Mightinesses the States-General of the United Netherlands, and have promised to come and trade with our fortresses in Banda and Amboyna. From there the yachts ran over to Nova Guinea and skirted the said coast as far as 17° 8' Southern Latitude our men landed in sundry places, but found nothing but wild coasts, barren land and extremely cruel, savage and barbarous natives, who surprised and murdered nine of our men, partly owing to their own negligence; according to the report we have received of the said coast, there would be nothing in particular to be got there; what winds, currents, shores, rivers, bights, capes, forelands and other features of the coast have been further met with, surveyed and explored, Your Worships may gather from the enclosed journal and minutes, to which we would beg leave to refer you for further particulars...

B.

_Journal kept by JAN CARSTENSZ [*] on his voyage to Nova Guinea..._

[* CARSTENSZ got the Instructions originally drawn up for the ships Haringh and Hazewind. (See VAN DIJK, Carpentaria, pp. 9-10).]

A.D. 1623.

_In the name of God Amen._

JANUARY.

On Saturday the 21st we weighed anchor before Amboyna and set sail from there, together with the yacht Aernem...On Saturday the 28th...about 3 o'clock in the afternoon...we anchored off the east side of the island of Quey.

The following night...we made for Aro on an East-by-North and Eastern course.

On Saturday the 29th in the evening we dropped anchor near the northern island of Aro.

FEBRUARY.

On the 6th...the wind being south-east by east, we set sail again for the island which in some charts [*] is called Ceram, and in others de Papues; course held north-east by north; in the evening N.N.E.; about midnight it fell a calm; sailed 6 miles.

[* Cf. _Remarkable Maps_ II, 2, II, 3. Under date of March 31 the present journal once more refers to this mistake in the older charts.]

{Page 23}

In the morning of the 6th the wind was N.E. with a tolerable breeze, course held N.N.W., we saw high land ahead both on the lee and the weather bow--at noon latitude 4° 57', sailed three miles on the said course; for the rest of the day we had a calm, towards the evening the wind went round to S.E., course held N.E. by E., sailed 4 miles.

On Sunday the 8th the wind was S. by W., with rain; course held N.E. by E., at noon latitude 4° 27, sailed 4 miles on the said course. We then went on a N.E. course, with a variable wind, which at last fell to a calm; towards evening after sunset the wind turned to S. by E., we sailed with the fore- and mizen-sails only on an E. course, sailed three miles to E.S.O. [sic] In the night the two yachts ran foul of each other in tacking, but got no damage worth mentioning. The latter part of the night we drifted in a calm without sails until daybreak.

In the morning of the 9th we made sail again and with a weak N.E. wind held our course for the land: somewhat later in the day the wind turned to N.W., at noon we were in latitude 4° 17' and had the south-coast of the land east slightly north of us, course and wind as before; in the evening we were close inshore in 25 fathom clayey ground, but since there was no shelter there from sea-winds, we again turned off the land, and skirted along it in the night with small sail, seeing we had no knowledge of the land and the shallows thereabouts; variable wind with rain.

* * *

NOTE.

The same day the plenary council having been convened, it was determined and fixed by formal resolution to continue our present course along the coast, and if we should come upon any capes, bights, or roads, to come to anchor there for one or two days at the utmost for a landing, in which we shall run ashore in good order with two well-manned and armed pinnaces, to endeavour to come to parley with the inhabitants and generally inspect the state of affairs there; in leaving we shall, if at all practicable, seize one or two blacks to take along with us; the main reason which has led us to touch at the island aforesaid being, that certain reports and writings seem to imply that the land which we are now near to, is the Gouwen-eylandt [*], which it would be impossible to call at on our return-voyage in the eastern monsoon, if we are to obey our orders and instructions.

[* An allusion perhaps to the "provincia aurifera", as the so-called Beach was sometimes styled; VAN LINSCHOTEN, we know, had also surmised the presence of gold in the South-land.]

* * *

In the morning of the 10th, the wind being N.W. by north, being close inshore, we again held our course for the land; somewhat later in the day we had West wind with a hard gale, with which we sailed along the coast; about noon we cast anchor in 12 fathom clayey bottom without any shelter from the W.N.W. wind; when we were at anchor there, the pinnace of the Pera, in conformity with the above resolution was sent ashore well-manned and armed, under command of the sub-cargo, but the heavy rolling of the sea made it impossible to effect a landing. We accordingly made a man swim ashore through the surf, who deposited a few small pieces of iron on the beach, where he had observed numerous human footprints; but as nothing more could be done, the pinnace went back to the yacht, which we could not get round to eastward owing to the strong current; we were accordingly forced to weigh the anchor again, and drift with the current, and thus ran on along the coast till the first watch, when we cast anchor, it being a dead calm and we having no knowledge of the water.

In the morning of the 11th we took the sun's altitude, which we found to be 8°, we being in 14° 14', which makes a difference of 6° 14'. When we had sailed along the land for about a mile's distance we cast anchor in 9 fathom muddy bottom and sent the pinnace ashore in the same fashion as last time, but earnestly charged the subcargo to use great caution, and to treat with kindness any natives that he should meet {Page 24} with, trying if possible to lay hands on some of them, that through them, as soon as they have become somewhat conversant with the Malay tongue, our Lords and Masters may obtain reliable knowledge touching the productions of their land. At noon we were in Latitude 4° 20'; at night when our men returned with the pinnace, they informed us that the strong surf had prevented them from landing, and that they had accordingly, for fully two miles' distance, rowed up a fresh-water river which fell into the sea near the yacht, without, however, seeing or hearing any human beings, except that in returning they had seen numerous human footprints near the mouth of the river, and likewise two or three small huts made of dry grass, in which they saw banana-leaves and the sword of a sword-fish, all which they left intact in conformity with their orders; they also reported that the interior is very low-lying and submerged in many places, but that 5, 6, or 7 miles from the coast it becomes hilly, much resembling the island of Ceram near Banda.

* * *

NOTE.

(The skipper of the Arnem and nine persons along with him, slain by the savages, in consequence of their want of caution.)

This same day the skipper of the yacht Aernem, Direk Melisz(oon) without knowledge of myself, of the subcargo or steersman of the said yacht, unadvisedly went ashore to the open beach in the pinnace, taking with him 15 persons, both officers and along common sailors, and no more than four muskets, for the purpose of fishing with a seine-net; there was great disorder in landing, the men running off in different directions, until at last a number of black savages came running forth from the wood, who first seized and tore to pieces an assistant, named Jan Willemsz Van den Briel who happened to be unarmed, after which they slew with arrows, callaways (spears) and with the oars which they had snatched from the pinnace, no less than nine of our men, who were unable to defend themselves, at the same time wounding the remaining seven (among them the skipper, who was the first to take to his heels); these last seven men at last returned on board in very sorry plight with the pinnace and one oar, the skipper loudly lamenting his great want of prudence, and entreating pardon for the fault he had committed.

* * *

In the evening the wind West with a very stiff breeze, so that we did not sail in the night, considering our ignorance of these waters and our fear of cliffs and shallows that might lie off the coast, which in every case we had to keep near to, if we wanted to get further north.

On Sunday morning the 12th we set sail again with a stiff breeze from the west; we held our course E. by S. along the land, and sailed 14 miles that day; in the evening we altered our course to E.S.E., with a N.W. wind; in the night we had variable wind and weather, so that we kept drifting; in the day-watch the skipper of the Aernem, Direk Melisz., died of the wounds received the day before, having suffered grievous pains shortly before his death.

In the morning of the thirteenth the wind was N.E. with fair weather and little wind, so that we ran near the land again; at noon we were in Lat. 4° 25'; the wind West with a very stiff breeze, course held East by South, and by computation sailed 10 miles until the evening; in the night the wind was variable; towards daybreak it came on to rain; at 2Ω miles' distance from the low-lying land we were in 28 fathom, black sandy bottom, the land bearing East and West.

In the morning of the 14th the wind was East with a faint breeze, which continued for the rest of the day; we kept tacking; in the evening the wind was N.E. by N. with a very strong current setting westward.

{Page 25}

On the 15th before daybreak the wind was N. by W. with a stiff breeze, course held East by South; in the morning we took the sun's altitude at sunrise, which we found to be 7 degrees; at night ditto 21° 30'; the difference being divided by two comes to 7° 15'; somewhat later in the day, the wind being N.E. by N., we were five miles or upwards from the land in 33 fathom, drifting rapidly to westward; at noon we were in Lat. 4° 51', the wind W. by N.; course held N.E. by E. towards the land; shortly after the wind became due North; from the morning to the evening we had sailed 6 miles, and in 36 hours had been driven back, i.e. westward, at least 11 miles.

This same day the plenary council having been convened, it has been deemed advisable to appoint another skipper in the Aernem in the room of the deceased, to which place has been appointed a young man, named Willem Joosten van Colster [*] second mate in the Pera, as being very fit for the post, while at the same time the second mate Jan Jansz has been named first mate in the said yacht.

[* Or Van Coolsteerdt, as the Summary (see _infra_) has at this date.]

(Mountains covered with snow.)

In the morning of the 16th we took the sun's altitude at sunrise, which we found to be 5° 6'; the preceding evening ditto 20° 30'; the difference being divided by two Comes to 7° 42'. increasing North-easterly variation; the wind N. by E.; we were at about 1Ω mile's distance from the low-lying land in 5 or 6 fathom, clayey bottom; at a distance of about 10 miles by estimation into the interior, we saw a very high mountain-range in many places white with snow, which we thought a very singular sight, being so near the line equinoctial. Towards the evening we held our course E. by S. along half-submerged land in 5, 4, 3 and 2 fathom, at which last point we dropped anchor; we lay there for five hours, during which time we found the water to have risen 4 or 5 feet; in the first watch, the wind being N.E., we ran into deeper water, and came to anchor in 10 fathom, where we remained for the night.

In the morning of the 17th the wind was N.E. with a faint breeze with which we set sail, course held S.E.; at noon we were in Lat. 5° 24', and by estimation 5 miles more to eastward than on the 15th last, seeing that a very strong current had driven us fully 11 miles to westward; in the evening we found ourselves at 3 miles' distance from the land, and dropped anchor in 15 fathom, having in the course of the day sailed three miles E. by S. and E.S.E.

In the morning of the 18th the wind was N.E. with a strong breeze and a strong current setting to the west; in the afternoon the wind went round to the S.W., so that we meant to set sail with it, but as it fell a dead calm we had to remain at anchor.

In the morning of the 19th the wind was N.E. by N., so that we made sail, keeping an E.S.E. course along the coast, with a strong current setting westward; at noon we were in Lat. 5° 27'; it then fell calm and we had continual counter-currents, so that we cast anchor in 14 fathom, having sailed 2Ω miles; the land bearing from us E.S.E., slightly South; towards the evening the wind went round to S.S.W., so that we set sail again and ran on S.E. 1 mile; when it became dark we cast anchor in 6 fathom.

At noon on the 20th the wind was S. and shortly after S.W., with which we set sail, keeping our course E. by S. and S.O. along the land in 6 fathom; in the evening we cast anchor at about 3 miles' distance from the land, having sailed 5 miles this day.

{Page 26}

On the 21st the wind was N.E. by N. with a weak breeze and the current running south straight from the land, which is no doubt owing to the outflow of the rivers which take their source in the high mountains of the interior. The eastern part of the high land, which we could see, bore from us N.E. and N.E. by N; in the morning we set sail with a N.W. wind and fair weather course held S.E. by E. and S.E. for three miles, and then S.S.E. for five miles; in the evening we dropped anchor in 7 fathom about 3 miles from the land, the wind blowing hard from the west with violent rains.

In the morning of the 22nd the wind was N., a strong gale with rain and a strong current setting westward, so that we were compelled to remain at anchor; towards the evening the wind went round to W.S.W., with dirty weather, so that we got adrift by our anchor getting loose, upon which we dropped our large anchor to avoid stranding; in the afternoon the storm subsided and we had variable winds.

In the morning of the 23rd we set sail, course held S.E. with a S.W. wind and violent rains; when we had run a mile, the heavy swells forced us to drop anchor; in the afternoon we lifted anchor with great difficulty and peril owing to the violent rolling of the yacht, and set sail, but shortly after, the yacht Aernem making a sign with her flag that she could not manage to heave her anchor, we cast anchor again.

In the morning of the 24th the weather was unruly, with a W. wind and a very hollow sea; in the afternoon the weather getting slightly better, both the yachts set sail again with the wind as before, holding a S. by E. course; in the evening we dropped anchor in 14 fathom, having sailed 4 miles S.S.E., and found the land to extend E.S.E. ever since the 20th instant.

In the morning of the 25th we set sail with a N.N.W. wind, sailing 4 miles on an E.S.E. course, and then 5 miles on a S. by E. and S.S.E. course, after which the foretop-mast of the Aernem broke, so that we were both compelled to drop anchor in 10 fathom about 4 miles from the land.

In the morning of the 26th we set sail to get near the Aernem and speak to her crew, who were engaged in repairing the rigging and replacing the foremast; we both drifted with the current in the teeth of the wind, and thus ran 3 miles, when the Aernem cast anchor 1Ω mile from us on the weather-side; in the evening there was a strong current from the W.S.W. with rain, which lasted the whole night.

* * *

NOTE.

(Here end the mountains of the western extremity of Nova Guinea.)