The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
History
The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765
Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Dutch -- Australia
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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