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Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.Major, Richard Henry

History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Name: Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.
Author: Major, Richard Henry

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

We take the liberty of informing you, that, in sailing from the Cape of
Good Hope to Batavia with the company’s late ship _Zeewyck_, we were
wrecked on a reef on the ninth of June, 1727, at seven o’clock in the
evening, in the first watch.

The reef against which the vessel struck, is surrounded by a very high
and heavy surf, and runs in the shape of a half moon. On the inner side
lie many small islands, called Frederick Houtman’s Ambrollossen
(Abrolhos), which we gained on the eighteenth of June, and upon which we
remained from that day, until we had fetched from the wreck everything
that seemed to us necessary for the preservation of our life, spars,
ropes, timber and provisions. As soon as we had got these materials on
shore, our carpenter at once set to work with his men, by order of the
officers, and by the help of the common people, to build a vessel, so
that we might save our lives, if it pleased God. We called it the
_Sloepie_, that is, the little sloop, made up from the wreck of the
_Zeewyck_. When it was ready for sea, we made sail with a south wind and
fair weather on the twenty-sixth of March, having with us the money
chests of the company, as well as provisions for the voyage. We
continued to enjoy favourable weather throughout the voyage, and so
arrived by God’s blessing, on the twenty-first of April, 1728, in the
Straits of Sunda, eighty-two souls, of whom, we herewith subjoin a list
for the information of your nobility and council. We beg to wish you and
the council from the bottom of our heart, every prosperity and
happiness, and present respectfully our humble services.

                                                  Your etc.,

                                                      (S.) JAN. STEYNS,
                                                           JAN. NOBBENS.


                              APPENDIX II.

My High Excellency, together with the Council of the Netherlandish
India, I pray of you most urgently to send me help and assistance
against these robbers of the money and goods from the wreck _Zeewyk_,
who have divided the money and goods among themselves. I am stark naked;
they have taken every thing from me. O, my God! They have behaved like
wild beasts to me, and everyone is master. Worse than beasts do they
live; it is impossible that on board a pirate ship things can be worse
than here, because every one thinks that he is rich, from the highest to
the lowest of my subordinates. They say among themselves, “Let us drink
a glass to your health, ye old ducats!” I am ill and prostrate from
scurvy.


                             APPENDIX III.

 EXTRACT PROM THE DELIBERATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS IN THE COUNCIL OF INDIA.

                                               Monday, April 26th, 1728.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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History

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Major, Richard Henry

Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels

We take the liberty of informing you, that, in sailing from the Cape of
Good Hope to Batavia with the company’s late ship _Zeewyck_, we were
wrecked on a reef on the ninth of June, 1727, at seven o’clock in the
evening, in the first watch.

The reef against which the vessel struck, is surrounded by a very high
and heavy surf, and runs in the shape of a half moon. On the inner side
lie many small islands, called Frederick Houtman’s Ambrollossen
(Abrolhos), which we gained on the eighteenth of June, and upon which we
remained from that day, until we had fetched from the wreck everything
that seemed to us necessary for the preservation of our life, spars,
ropes, timber and provisions. As soon as we had got these materials on
shore, our carpenter at once set to work with his men, by order of the
officers, and by the help of the common people, to build a vessel, so
that we might save our lives, if it pleased God. We called it the
_Sloepie_, that is, the little sloop, made up from the wreck of the
_Zeewyck_. When it was ready for sea, we made sail with a south wind and
fair weather on the twenty-sixth of March, having with us the money
chests of the company, as well as provisions for the voyage. We
continued to enjoy favourable weather throughout the voyage, and so
arrived by God’s blessing, on the twenty-first of April, 1728, in the
Straits of Sunda, eighty-two souls, of whom, we herewith subjoin a list
for the information of your nobility and council. We beg to wish you and
the council from the bottom of our heart, every prosperity and
happiness, and present respectfully our humble services.

                                                  Your etc.,

                                                      (S.) JAN. STEYNS,
                                                           JAN. NOBBENS.


                              APPENDIX II.

My High Excellency, together with the Council of the Netherlandish
India, I pray of you most urgently to send me help and assistance
against these robbers of the money and goods from the wreck _Zeewyk_,
who have divided the money and goods among themselves. I am stark naked;
they have taken every thing from me. O, my God! They have behaved like
wild beasts to me, and everyone is master. Worse than beasts do they
live; it is impossible that on board a pirate ship things can be worse
than here, because every one thinks that he is rich, from the highest to
the lowest of my subordinates. They say among themselves, “Let us drink
a glass to your health, ye old ducats!” I am ill and prostrate from
scurvy.


                             APPENDIX III.

 EXTRACT PROM THE DELIBERATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS IN THE COUNCIL OF INDIA.

                                               Monday, April 26th, 1728.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.

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