rt drawn by JAN STEIJNS. (No. 16)._

D.

_Chart drawn by ADRIAAN (VAN) DE GRAAF [*]. (No. 17.)_

[* Later in the XVIII century (_inter alia_ in 1755 and 1765) the
West-coast of Australia was again visited by Dutch ships, but what we
know about this point is of no significance.]

* * * * *

{Page 92}

XXXVI.

(1756). EXPLORATORY VOYAGE OF THE SHIPS RIJDER. AND BUIS, COMMANDED
BY LIEUTENANT JEAN ETIENNE GONZAL AND FIRST LAVIENNE LODEWIJK VAN
ASSCHENS, TO THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA.

_Report of the "Master Cartographer" at Batavia, GERRIT DE HAAN, to the
G.-G., and Counc. September 30, 1756._

Pursuant to Your Honourable Worships' highly honoured orders, the
undersigned has the honour to submit to Your Honourable Worships a report
concerning the voyage made by the small bark-ships de Rijder and de Buijs
to the South-land, so far as the same has been touched at by them, as
Your Honourable Worships may be pleased further to gather from the
annexed charts [*].

[* I have not found either these charts or any journals of this
expedition.]

On the 8th of February, 1756 the two ships set sail together from this
roadstead...

On March 26 they were overtaken by a violent storm off the Banda islands,
so that they got separated, and the ship Buijs, finding it impossible to
stand out to sea, entered the port of Banda on March 28; the ship Rijder
held out with fore- and mizen-sails struck until the weather got better,
and not knowing that the ship Buys had returned to port, continued her
voyage. On April 4 those on board the ship Rijder sighted Cape Falso in
Lat. 7 deg. 54' S., in 5 and 41/2 fathom; they then shaped their course to the
S.E. and afterwards to the S.S.E., until on April 10 they saw the high
land of Carpentaria, known by the name of hoog Eijland, near which they
found an island not known to the chart, to which island they gave the
name of Rijders Eijland. From the hooge Eyland a reef runs out to sea a
distance of nearly three miles coming close to the Rijders Eyland...They
then shaped their course along the land in order to get into the bay, in
depths Of 8, 7, 71/2, 61/2 fathom sandy bottom, at which last depth they came
to anchor on April the 16th, where they estimated themselves to be about
two miles off shore. On the 17th do. they went ashore with the boat for
the first time in order to ascertain the nature of the coast. On landing
they found a number of cabins constructed of the bark of trees; they