Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/321

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A WRITTEN DETAIL OF THE DISCOVERIES AND

NOTICEABLE OCCURRENCES IN THE VOYAGE

OF THE FLUYT "VOSSENBOSCH," THE SLOOP

"D'WAIJER," AND THE PATSJALLANG

"NOVA HOLLANDIA,"

DESPATCHED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, AO. 1705, FROM BATAVIA EY WAY OF TIMOR TO NEW HOIiAND ; COMPILED AS WELL FROM THE WRITTEN JOURNALS AS FROM THE VERBAL RECITALS OF THE RETURNED OFFICERS, BY THE COUNCIL EXTRAORDINARY, HENDRICK SWAAR- DECRON AND CORNELIS CHASTELIJN, COMOTSSIONED FOR THAT PURPOSE, AND FORMING THEIR REPORT TO HIS EXCEL- LENCY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL, JAN VAN HORN AND THE COUNCIL OF INDIA.

My Lords. — Before entering into a detail of matters of note occurring on the abovementioned voyage, it may not perhaps be superfluous to offer a few preliminary observations, in order to throw a clearer light upon the subject ; briefly these : — that the above mentioned vessels having, in accor- dance with the instructions delivered to their crew by your excellency, on the twentieth of January of this year, weighed anchor from the port of Batavia on the 23rd of the same month, heard on their way, at Rembang on the east coast of Java, how the sloop Doriados, which had been destined for this voyage instead of the Waijer, had been disabled, but has been helped on its way by friendly vessels to Timor, and thence to New Holland.

They arrived on the twelfth of February before Copang, on the island of Timor, where they were obliged, by bad