Roads, and two
miles from the southern extremity of the road-stead just mentioned.

Towards the evening after supper, we cast the lead and sounded in 50
fathom grayish sand-bottom, at about 21/2 miles' distance by estimation
from the land, and about 3 miles to northward of Dirck Hartochsz Roads.

At night when 4 glasses of the first watch were out, we cast the lead and
sounded in 50 fathom grayish sand with small shells, estimating ourselves
to be about 3 miles off the land, and about 7 miles to northward of Dirck
Hartochsz. Roads.

At the latter end of the first watch when seven glasses were out, we cast
the lead and touched the bottom in 48 fathom, but could not make out how
far we were from the land (since it was night, and we could not see the
coast), except from our course, by which we estimated the distance to be
4 miles.

In the second watch when three glasses had run out, we cast the lead
again and sounded in 47 fathom sandy bottom as before; we kept sounding
every two or three glasses during the whole night until sunrise and found
80 fathom sandy bottom; we saw no land, but from our course and rate of
progress we deemed ourselves to be at 91/2 miles' distance from the nearest
land, estimating our latitude, from the observation we took on the 26th
do. at noon, and from our rate of progress, to be 24 deg. South. But we did
not see any land again throughout the day, and left off sounding, since
our skippers and steersmen, judging from their estimations and from the
course we kept (being north, and two points off the land according to the
trend of the coast), were of opinion that we could get no bottom, so that
we thought it needless to go on sounding...

* * * * *

XXV.

(1636). NEW DISCOVERIES ON THE NORTH-COAST OF AUSTRALIA BY THE SHIPS
KLEIN-AMSTERDAM AND WESEL, COMMANDED BY (GERRIT THOMASZOON POOL AND)
PIETER PIETERSZOON.

[* Pool was killed on the South-west coast of New Guinea, April 28, 1636,
and was succeeded in the command of the ships by Pieter Pieterszoon.
Unlike my treatment of Carstensz's voyage in 1623, the present account
will not embrace the further discovery of the South-west coast of New
Guinea. I had to give the route followed along this coast in 1632 because
it throws light on the expedition under Willem Jansz. in 1605/6.]

A.

_Instructions for Commander Gerrit Thomasz Pool and the Council of the
Yachts Cleen Amsterdam and Wesel, destined for the discovery of the lands
situ