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IV. THE RETURN VOYAGE OF THE "PERA"

COASTING NORTHWARD FROM STATEN INLET. "AERNEM" LAGS BEHIND AND DISAPPEARS. Two LANDINGS AND UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR WATER. "PERA ” CONTINUES NORTHWARD VOYAGE. NASSAU INLET NAMED. MISIDENTIFICATION BY SUBSEQUENT OBSERVERS. FURTHER SEARCH FOR WATER. SUCCESSFUL AT LAST (1ST MAY) IN THE MITCHELL RIVER DELTA. THE WATERING-PLACE RECORDED. CARSTENSZOON'S POOR OPINION OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE. THE VEREENICHDE INLET (THE PRINCIPAL MOUTH OF LEICHHARDT'S MITCHELL RIVER) NAMED. LANDING AT CAPE KEERWEER (5TH MAY). WARLIKE NATIVES. LANDING (7TH MAY). FORMIDABLE OPPOSITION BY NATIVES. ANCHOR SOUTH OF PERA HEAD IN LATITUDE 13° 7' S. LANDING NEXT MORNING (8TH MAY). TRACK NATIVE FOOTPRINTS NORTHWARD TO THE COEN INLET. COLLECT ESCULENT HERBS AND CARRY THEM TO BOAT. NATIVES APPEAR. A NATIVE CAPTURED BY A RUSE. ANOTHER KILLED. FLINDERS' MISIDENTIFICATION OF CARSTENSZOON'S COEN RIVER. FALSE PERA HEAD = RIJDER'S HOEK. LANDING AT PERA HEAD (9TH MAY). ANOTHER WATERING-PLACE. ACROSS ALBATROSS BAY. ROUND DUYFKEN POINT. LAN DING SOUTH OF PORT MUSGRAVE (10TH MAY). SAND DUNE S. FOOTPRINTS. NATIVES REFUSE TO PARLEY. PORT MUSGRAVE (ESTUARY OF BATAVIA RIVER) NOT OBSERVED. INLET (SKARDON RIVER, DE FACTO) NAMED CARPENTIER INLET AND IDENTIFIED AS THAT WHERE ONE OF THE "Duyfken's" CREW WAS KILLED. LANDING AT THIS INLET. ENCOUNTER WITH NATIVES. VAN SPULT INLET, WHERE SHIPS CAN DIP FRESH WATER (ONE OF THE MOUTHS OF THE "JARDINE" RIVER) RECORDED AS A WATERING-PLACE. WOODY, WALLIS AND PRINCE OF WALES ISLANDS. SANDBANKS AND SHOALS FINALLY CLEARED (22ND MAY). SAIL FOR AMBOINA.

"On the 26th [April, 1623], as in this place there was no water (whereof there was great need), as we could hold no parley with the savages, and as nothing of importance could be done, set sail again, the wind ENE., stiff breeze, course N. along the land. [SEE MAP M.] At midday latitude 16° 44'. In the evening anchored in 4 fathoms close under the land. [SEE MAP H.]

"NOTE.—That the yacht 'Aernem,' because of its poor sailing qualities and the small liking and inclination for the voyage which the skipper and steersman had shown, had on various occasions and at different times seriously delayed the voyage, for the Pera (which was leaking badly and had to get more than 8,000 strokes of the pump every 24 hours) was nevertheless obliged to seek and follow her every day for I, 2 or more miles to leeward. "On the 27th, the wind E. by S., good weather, the skipper of the 'Pera' rowed ashore, with both boats, duly provided for defence, to look for fresh water, and sunk several holes, in which none was found; whereupon we set sail, course SE. by E.,[1]

[1) An obvious mistake, as (1) a SE. by E. course would have run the ship ashore, (2) the coast here runs NNE. to SSW., and (3) the "Pera" made thirty-eight or forty minutes of northing between morning and noon.—R.L.J.]

along the land. Midday latitude 16° 30' wind W. by N. So we made for the land, two full hours before sunset, with foresail only, so as not to outpace the 'Aernem' (which was a howitzer shot behind us), and in the evening, in 3 fathoms, 1½ miles from the land, hung out a lantern, that the 'Aernem' might keep clear of us when dropping anchor, but this proved useless, because it is quite clear that, with deliberate malice and perversity, and contrary to the instructions and resolution, she ran away from us and shaped a course for Aru (to have a good time there); but that time will show."

[The few particulars available regarding the subsequent proceedings of the "Aernem" will be mentioned later on.—R.L.J.]

"In the morning of the 28th, the wind E. by S., lovely weather, the skipper landed here with the boat, to look for water, and sunk several holes in the sand, without finding any: therefore set sail, course NE. by N., in 2, 3, 4 and 5 fathoms, along the land, and had got 2½ miles [10 minutes] when a violent land wind drove us off the land, and we anchored in 3 fathoms: and the BLACKS made on the land such a great fire and smoke that we could hardly see the shore. In the night, in the first watch, again set sail, and, having gained 3½ miles NNE., anchored in 2 fathoms.

"In the morning of the 29th, wind SE. good weather, course NE. by E., ran 1½ miles along the land, in 2½ and 3 fathoms, and anchored in 2 fathoms, and here also, as before, landed to look for water. Several pits were dug, a good way in from the shore, and no fresh water was found. Here the BLACKS showed themselves at a distance, but were too shy to parley, nor did we succeed in luring any towards us by any sort of strategy. At noon, in the latitude of 16° to', we passed an inlet which is named the REVIER NASSAU in the chart, and having satisfied ourselves [by landing or by observation from the sea?—R.L.J.] that nothing profitable could be done here, set sail again, the wind E., course NNE., along the land, and in the evening anchored in 2½ fathoms."

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—The inlet, in lat. 16° 10', named the NASSAU by Carstenszoon was, no doubt, the mouth of the unnamed creek between Leichhardt's "Rocky Creek" and the "Staaten River" of modern land maps. The creek in question has been traced from east to west through the pastoral blocks Rocky No. 2, Wynola No. 4 and Wynola No. 3 for a distance of about 13 miles. It may be referred to as the NASSAU de jure, to distinguish it from the NASSAU de facto, which falls into the Gulf in lat. 15°55'. The lower course of the Nassau de facto has been named the Nassau from an erroneous identification of it with the Nassau de jure, while its upper course is known as Dunbar Creek. This creek or river is one of the mouths of Leichhardt's MITCHELL RIVER.

The Nassau de jure traverses the continuous deltas of the Mitchell and the Staaten de facto, and in times of high flood would probably be found to be connected with both rivers, as in the whole of this coastal flat the mouths of the large rivers anastomose in a manner which could only be satisfactorily traced in flood seasons (when nobody goes there) with the aid of a canoe. It is, perhaps, more likely that a canoe survey would prove the Nassau de jure to be a trickle emanating from the Mitchell River than from the Staten River de facto.

Although it is quite clear that the inland rivers have, in many cases, been erroneously identified with the "reviers," or inlets,

named by the Dutch navigators, a wholesale RENAMING of the rivers would be IMPRACTICABLE at the present day. The names of the inland rivers have been irrevocably fixed by the fact that they have entered into history, into literature, into official maps, proclamations and other documents, and even into title deeds. In the circumstances, all that can now be done is to distinguish between the inlets named by the Dutch (de jure) and the watercourses to which the Dutch names have been erroneously applied in the first place, to be afterwards sanctioned by usage (de facto). It must, however, be clearly understood that the de facto names are not names conferred by the Dutch navigators, but names given in compliment to them.—R.L.J.]

"In the morning of the 30th, the wind SE., steady weather, course NNE., in 3 fathoms, along the land. At noon, latitude 15° 39', and anchored in 2½ fathoms, and here, as before, LANDED with the boat to look for fresh water and try to fall in with natives, and after diligently digging several pits found nothing. Then set sail again and in the evening anchored in ½ fathoms [say, 15° 30' S.—R.L.J.]. [SEE MAP F.]

"May.—In the morning of the 1st, the wind E., and the skipper again went ashore with the boat, and in three holes which were dug found fresh water (which forced its way through the sand), and we did our best to take in a supply. About 400 paces north of the outermost hole sunk was a little lake (lagoon) with fresh water, but the water collected in the pits was thought to be better.

"In the morning of the 2nd, the wind ENE., and later in the day SW., continued taking in water.

"On the 3rd, continued taking in water as before, the wind NE., and about midday SW., and I LANDED personally with 10 musketeers and went a good way into the thick bush, without meeting any human beings. The land here is low and flat, the same as hitherto, and continues so as far as 15° 20',[1] but very dry and barren, for during all the time we have been ashore here and have explored the same and examined it to the best of our ability, we did not see a single fruit-bearing tree nor anything that man could make use of. There are no mountains or heights, so that it may safely be presumed that there are no metals, nor any valuable timbers, such as sandalwood, aloe or calumba, and in our judgment this is the dryest and barrenest region that could be found in the world. And even the men are more miserable and unsightly than any I have seen in my age and time. Here they use no implements, large or small, which results from the scarcity of large trees, of which there is not one on the whole coast.[2] This is near the place we were at[3] on the voyage out on Easter Day, 16th April, and we have, in the newly made chart, called it the WATERPLAETS (Watering-place). At this place, in the more sheltered localities, are fine and good-looking sandy beaches, with delicate fish." [A marginal note reads: "De Waterplaats leijdt op de hoochte van 15 gr., 30 minuten." Van Dijk and Heeres agree in this.]

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—In the marginal note, the verb is evidently "liegen," "to lie." Writers of the early seventeenth century

[1) "Leijt op de hoochte van 15 gr. 20 min." Here the verb employed is obviously "leiden," "to lead to."—R.L.J.]

[2) This sentence is obscurely expressed in the original, but I think I have got the drift of it. Mr. Stoffel translates it: "As there are no large trees anywhere on this coast, they have no boats or canoes, whether large or small."—R.L.J.]

[3) They did not land on the 16th, but on the following day, after a few hours' run in the afternoon, the anchor was dropped, on the failing of the wind, "towards evening," and Carstenszoon went ashore, and remarked on the flat, good-looking land, with few trees. The probability is that, writing on 3rd May, he inadvertently referred to the landing as having taken place on the 16th instead of the 17th April.—R.L.J.]

were trammelled by no canons of spelling. in the text, the writer meant to convey that the dry and barren country he described extended from the Watering-place to 15° 20' (his knowledge of its extent having been derived from the observations made on the outward voyage), and in the marginal note he estimates the position of the Watering-place as 15° 30', or 10 minutes south of the place touched at on 16th (correctly, 17th) April. Accepting this as correct, the Watering-place was about 8 English miles SSW. of Angeram Mission Station, at the mouth of Topsy Creek.—R.L.J.]

"In the morning of the 4th, the wind ENE., good weather, course N. in 7½ fathoms, the land plainly in sight. At noon the latitude 15° 12', and a little to the north an inlet was seen, which we have named the VEREENICHDE REVIER. Wind W., course NNE., near the land for the whole of the night."

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—Evidently the "main" mouth of the river which Leichhardt afterwards named the MITCHELL. The latter name has been too well established by usage for a restoration of the original name to be practicable at this date.—R.L.J.] [See Map D.]

"In the morning of the 5th, the wind E., course N. Noon latitude 14° 5'. Shortly afterwards, the wind W., whereupon made for the land and anchored in 2 fathoms, and I personally went ashore with the boat, duly armed. The BLACKS came towards us offensively with their weapons, but afterwards took to flight. Then our party walked some way inland, and found, leaning against trees,. specimens of their weapons, such as assegais and callaways, which we did not disturb, except that we tied pieces of iron and beads to them to attract the blacks, of which, however, they took little notice, but, in the course of several advances, they insolently held up their shields and launched them at the muskets. These men, like all the others, are lank and meagre of body, and quite naked, but malignant and cruel by nature. [Cape Keerweer.—R.L.J.]

"In the morning of the 6th, the wind E., whereupon set sail, course N., in 3 and 4 fathoms, along the land. At noon, the wind W., in latitude 13° 29'. In the evening, E., 3 fathoms, anchored [13° 20' S.].

"In the morning of the 7th, the wind SE., fine weather, and the skipper rowed to the shore in the boat, having been most strictly ordered to treat the BLACKS well and attract them with iron and beads and capture one while they were engaged with these things. At noon, when they returned, we were given to understand that on their arrival upwards of 100 blacks, with their weapons, had collected on the strand and in a very hostile mood sought to prevent the landing; that a musket shot was fired (to frighten them), whereupon they fled and retreated into the bush, whence they tried every method and trick to surprise and overpower our men. In features and build these people are the same as those we have seen before, pitch black and quite naked, but some of them had their faces painted red and others white, with feathers stuck through their noses. Set sail at noon, wind E., course N., along the land, being then in latitude 13° 20'. [West of mouth of ARCHER RIVER.—R.L.J.] Towards evening, wind W., and anchored in 3½ fathoms.

"In the morning of the 8th, wind ESE., good weather, and I LANDED personally with 10 musketeers. We saw numerous footprints of men and tracks of dogs (going from south to north). We therefore spent some considerable time in following the said footprints, which took us to a river, where we plucked very delicate vegetables

or pot herbs. When we had got into the boat again, the BLACKS emerged with their weapons from two different points of the bush and came out on the strand. There we enticed them with iron and beads which we held out, till we got close to them, and one of them, who had dropped his weapon, was seized round the waist by the skipper, and then the quartermaster threw a noose round his neck, by which he was dragged to the boat. The others, seeing this, tried to help the captive, furiously throwing their assegais, so that, in our defence, one of them was shot dead, and the others ran away, upon which we embarked without further delay. These men are, like all the others, pitch black and quite naked, with a braided net on their head. Their weapons are assegais, callaways and shields. Beyond this, we cannot give any account of their manners or their ceremonies, or of how the land is populated, on which points we could throw no light, with the few opportunities which we had for exploration or examination. As to what relates thereto, Your Worships may in time, please God 1 get something out of the captive, to whom I refer you. The above-named river lies in latitude 13° 7' and is entitled the REVIER COEN in the the chart. In the afternoon, the wind W. Set sail, course N., along the land, and in the evening anchored in 3 fathoms." [MARGINAL NOTE.-"The Revier Coen lies in lat. 13° 7'."]

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—It is quite clear from the narrative that the "Pera" anchored on 7th May in lat. 13° 7', and that on the following morning a party landed, probably on a beach, and without having observed any inlet, but having found human footprints, followed them north to a river which they named the COEN (the COEN, de jure). [1] Nothing is said as to whether the water was fresh or salt, the only observation made being that the neighbourhood yielded esculent herbs (pigweed). There cannot be a river of any importance in this locality, as the Ward River, running from north to south, a few miles to the east, restricts the possible catchment area of the Coen within very narrow limits.

The name Coen has been irrevocably attached to a river (the COEN, de facto) rising near the Pacific coast in lat. 13° 50' and which falls into the still larger Archer River, which empties into the Gulf of Carpentaria in 13° 20'. GOLD was found in this river in 1876, by a party of prospectors, who erroneously identified it with Carstenszoon's Coen River. The establishment of a township named Coen, with a post and telegraph office, followed in due course. As it had become impossible to confer a new name on the Coen, de facto, the Survey Office has begun to call the river of the goldfield the SOUTH COEN, to distinguish it from the COEN, de jure, which it would be an historical injustice to omit from the map. It remains to be seen whether the name of South Coen will receive popular recognition.

It is quite clear that the landing party had for their walk north and south only the time between daylight and noon, when they returned to the "Pera," less the time taken by (breakfast?), rowing ashore, tracking the footprints, gathering herbs, fighting

[1) In the course of the "Investigator's" survey, FLINDERS landed on 7th November, 1802, at an inlet in 12° 13' S., which he described in his Chart as "INLET, PROBABLY COEN R. OF THE OLD CHARTS." It was a most unfortunate misidentification, which has given rise to much confusion. What Flinders took to be the "COEN RIVER of the old charts" is now charted as the PENNEFATHER RIVER, but had been called the Prince Revier by Tasman in. 1644.]

and rowing to the ship. It was just after noon when they came alongside, and the latitude of the anchorage (13° 7' S.) having been taken, the anchor was lifted, and the "Pera "resumed her northward voyage. I conclude that they walked about four miles north, and the same distance back,. which would put the COEN RIVER in 13° 4' S. latitude. MR. N. HEY, of the Mapoon Mission, informs me that precisely in this position is a creek, which is the only watercourse between False Pera Head (12° 58' S.), and the mouth of Ina Creek (13° 12' S.). This must be CARSTENSZOON'S COEN REVIER. The subject is discussed in greater detail in the chapters devoted to Mr. J. T. Embley's Explorations and Surveys and Missionary Explorations.

It may be noted here that Flinders' "Chart of Terra Australis," 1802-3 (Admiralty Chart No. 1043), gives the name of "False Pera Head" to a small promontory in lat. 13° 7', while on Sheet 20D of the modern 4-mile map of Queensland issued by the Department of Lands the name is given to a promontory about 3 minutes south of Pera Head, which is in 12° 55'. Although I am not aware on what ground the change was made, I accept it as authoritative, especially as what Flinders called False Pera Head had been named RIJDER'S HOEK in 1756 by JEAN ETIENNE GONZAL.—R.L.J.]

NOTE IN THE DIARY.—" Wherever we have landed, we have treated the blacks or savages with especial kindness by every means in our power, such as offering them presents of iron, beads and cloth, so as by this pretence to win their friendship and be allowed to penetrate some distance inland and make a reliable report on what we saw. But, notwithstanding all this care and fair seeming,[1] the blacks everywhere met us with the most marked hostility, so that in most places our landings were attended with great peril. Thus, and for various other reasons afterwards to be mentioned, it has not been possible to learn how Nova Guinea is populated, what sort of people and soil there are, what towns, what inhabited villages, what distribution of wealth, what religion, what politics, what preparation for war, what waters, what shipping, what raw materials, what manufactures, or what ores of gold, silver, tin, iron, lead, copper or quicksilver are to be had. In the first place, in any further landings, we should have to look out for rain which, at times when need for muskets might arise, would be very damaging to them, whereas the weapons of the savages would not be injuriously affected. Secondly, the paths and roads, which are unknown to us, would have to be surveyed. Thirdly, we might easily, seeing the number of the blacks, be surrounded and cut off from the boats, and then the boats' crews which we always employed in the landings, but who could not be depended upon in the use of their weapons, would have been

[1) This is a very subjective way of putting it!—Note by Heeres.]

in danger. If, on the other hand, we could make use of trained and proved soldiers (who are really necessary on such an expedition), we might make good reddings and scourings.[1] Still, in spite of all these obstacles and difficulties, we have spared neither labour, trouble nor risk, with the means at our command, to inquire into everything, for our honour and reputation, and that nothing may pass unmarked, the following are the results of our investigations:—

"The land between 13° and 17° 8' is a dry and barren tract, without any fruit trees or anything that man could make use of. It is low and flat, without mountains or heights, overgrown in many places with scrub and stunted timber, with little fresh water and what there is must be collected in holes dug for the purpose. There is also an entire absence of capes or inlets, except for a few bights not sheltered from the sea winds. It extends mainly N. by E. and S. by W., with clay- and sand-bottomed shoals, with numerous salt inlets extending into the interior, across which the natives ferry their women and children by means of dry logs or boughs of trees. The men are in general utter barbarians and built very much alike as to shape and features, pitch black and stark naked, with a braided net on head or neck for keeping their food in, the same consisting, so far as we could make out, of roots which they dig out of the earth, very evil-smelling. Their residences or dwelling-places appeared to us to be on the beaches during the easterly monsoons, as there we saw numerous huts made of hay. We also saw many dogs, herons and water curlews and other wild fowl, and also delicate fish, which may easily be caught with a seine net. They have absolutely no acquaintance with gold, silver, tin, iron, lead or copper, nor even with nutmegs, cloves or pepper, all of which we repeatedly showed them without their evincing any sign of recognising or setting any value on the same. From all of which, taken together with the rest of our observations, it may safely be concluded that they are poor and miserable creatures who prize most such things as iron and beads. Their weapons are shields, assegais and callaways, of the length of I+ fathoms, made of light wood and cane, some with fish-bones and others with human bones fastened to them. As we discovered, they are particularly expert in throwing them by means of a stick half a fathom in length, on which a hook is bound, so as to catch the upper part of the callaway or assegai."

The text of the diary continues:—

"In the morning of the 9th, the wind ESE., good weather: whereupon set sail, course NE. along the land, and after running 2 miles [8 minutes], anchored close to the shore in 9 fathoms [Pera Head.—R.L.J.]. I LANDED IN PERSON, with 10

[1) "Reddinge ende scheuringh," pickings of odds and ends. The old English verb "to redd" means to clean up. Stoffel's free rendering of the phrase is "we might have done a good deal of useful work."—R.L.J.]

musketeers, and found numerous FOOTPRINTS OF MEN AND TRACKS OF LARGE DOGS, going in a SOUTHERLY direction. We also found FRESH WATER FLOWING INTO THE SEA, and named this the WATERPLAETS. The land is higher here than what we have seen to the south, and in front of the strand there are reefs, which are in 12° 33'."

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—The latitude of 12° 33' is, not 2, but 8½ Dutch miles north of the anchorage at the Coen, de jure. It is evident from what follows that the midday ANCHORAGE of 9th May was still SOUTH of ALBATROSS BAY, and the distance named (2 Dutch miles) would bring the "Pera" to what is now known as PERA HEAD, which is in 12° 55', according to the modern Lands Department map. In deciphering the manuscript, some transcriber, no doubt, mistook the figures 55 for 33.

The latest issue (1908) of the 4-mile Sheet 20D of the Department of Lands shows a small creek falling into the Gulf in 12° 59' S. lat. In this position, says MR. N. HEY (in a letter dated 5th February, 1919), there is only, in wet weather, a SMALL RUNNEL OF FRESH WATER, which could not be called a creek. It is, I have no doubt, the "WATERPLAETS" of 9th May, 1623, regarding which MR. J. T. EMBLEY has given me the following additional particulars, in a letter dated 10th August, 1916: "The Waterplaets is at Pera Head. These headlands are about 80 feet high and consist of soft reddish and whitish sandstone. The red is most conspicuous, as being uppermost, and gives rise to the expression low reddish cliffs 'as in the sea chart and land maps. After the wet season—April and May—small SOAKAGES OF FRESH WATER may be noticed oozing out from the base, and it is this which must have given rise to the WATERPLAETS.'"]

"In the afternoon," continues Carstenszoon, "wind SW., course as before. From the aforesaid watering-place to a high hook, or cape [DUYFKEN POINT.—R.L.J.], is a great bight [ALBATROSS BAY.—R.L.J.] extending NE. by N. and SW. by S., 7 miles [28 minutes]. Anchored in the evening in 4½ fathoms."

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—This night anchorage was in ALBATROSS BAY, and, judging by the course on which next day's journey had to be begun, so as to clear Duyfken Point, outside of the shoals which guard the mouths of the Embley and Mission Rivers. It is singular that Carstenszoon gave no name to the bay, nor to its two "horns," Pera Head and Duyfken Point. On 26th April, 1756, Lavienne Lodowijk van Asschens, in charge of the "Buijs," recognised the bay as that which TASMAN, in 1644, had named VLIEGEBAAIJ, and on 31st May, 1756, Lieut. Jean Etienne Gonzal, commanding the "Rijder," called it MOSSELBAAIJ. The name now current was that of the Queensland Government's steamer "Albatross," which used to patrol Torres Strait during the administration of the Hon. John Douglas.—R.L.J.] [SEE MAP B.]

"In the morning of the l0th, wind ESE., steady weather, set sail, course WNW. [to clear Duyfken Point, after which the course, off the shore, would be N. by E.—R.L.J.] At midday, the latitude 12° 5' [10 miles north of the Pennefather River.—R.L.J.],

and I personally landed, with the skipper, and, as before, saw many footprints of men and tracks of dogs (going southwards). High dung land, with reefs in front of the sandy beach. When we were pulling back to the ship, the savages showed themselves, with their weapons; whereupon we landed again and threw them some pieces of iron, which they picked up, refusing, however, to come to parley with us; after which we re-embarked. [Apparently the "Pera" lay at anchor in 12° 5' S. from noon of the 10th till the following morning.—R.L.J.] "In the morning of the 11th, the wind ESE., good weather; thereupon set sail, course NNE., along the land, and in the afternoon passed a LARGE INLET (which the men of the Duyfken,' in the year 1606, went into with the boat, and one man was killed by the missiles of the savages) and which lies in 11° 48', and is by us, in the new chart, entitled the REVIER DE CARPENTIER. [Although it is not distinctly stated, it is evident that the anchor was dropped here for the night.—R.L.J.] "In the morning of the 12th, the wind ESE., lovely weather, and here I personally rowed, with the skipper, to the shore, on which stood many NATIVES, quite 200 of them, making a violent noise and with their ARROWS (pijlen) ready to throw, and evidently very distrustful, for, though pieces of iron and other things were thrown to them, they would not stop to parley, but tried every trick with the object of wounding and capturing one of our men. This compelled us to fire one or two shots to frighten them, one of them being hit in the breast and carried to the boat, while all the others retired into the sand dunes. In their wretched huts on the beach we found nothing but a four-edged assegai, two or three little stones, and some human bones, with which they make and scrape their weapons. We also found a quantity of resin and a piece of metal, which the wounded man had in his net, and which had probably been got from the 'Duyfken's' men. At last, there being nothing more to be done here, we turned back to go aboard the ship, the wounded man dying on the way."

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—We are now confronted with the most difficult problem raised by the narrative of the "Pera's" eventful voyage, viz., the identification of the "reviers" Batavia and Carpentier.

It will be readily conceded that the diary for 11th May, 1623, proves that the navigators of the "Pera" were familiar with the charts of the "Duyfken," which were undoubtedly then extant. They probably carried copies with them, and would naturally make them their daily study.

Our difficulties begin with the discovery of the "Chart by the Upper Steersman Arend Martensz(oon) DE LEEUW, who took part in the Voyage," in the State archives at the Hague. The chart has no date, but it may be taken for granted that it was compiled prior to 1630, since in that year, Kepler and Eekerbrecht's map followed de Leeuw's in naming the Carpentier Revier the Batavia. It is not stated to what voyage reference is made in the title of de Leeuw's chart, but there can be no doubt that the "Pera's" voyage is indicated. The chart is reproduced in Remarkable Maps, II, 5, and (on a reduced scale) by Heeres (p. 46).

I offer the following as a fair and unbiassed paraphrase of the diary of 11th May, 1623:—

In the morning of the 11th, we left the anchorage at 12° 5', and, with good weather and a favourable wind (ESE.), sailed NNE. along the land. Observed the sun at noon and made the latitude

11° 48'. North of this latitude, and in the afternoon, having passed a large inlet, which we identified as that where the Duyfken' had one of her men killed, and which we named the REVIER DE CARPENTIER (Carpentier Inlet), we dropped the anchor. We landed here next morning..."

The mouth of a river, now known as the SKARDON, enters the Gulf in 11° 45', and everything points to this having been the inlet which Carstenszoon named the Carpentier.

It is very strange that the "Pera" should have passed, without remark, the entrance to PORT MUSGRAVE, which is practically the estuary of the great river which Tasman was the first to notice in 1644 and to which Asschens, in 1756, gave the name of BATAVIA, no doubt believing it to be de Leeuw's Batavia, that is to say, Carstenszoon's Carpentier. According to Mr. J. T. Embley, who is very familiar with the aspect of this portion of the coast, the entrance to Port Musgrave could hardly be missed by a ship passing in daylight and fine weather. Perhaps it was not unobserved by the officers of the "Pera," but the true explanation of their silence regarding it may lie in their anxiety to make northing, coupled with the fact that they were making good progress and the consideration that they passed the entrance too early in the day to be willing to stop. On the other hand, the identification, later in the day, of the inlet which had been the scene of the "Duyfken's" mishap formed a perfectly sound reason for a halt with the object of making observations on shore.

Returning to DE LEEUW'S CHART: it bears, to my thinking, internal evidence of having been constructed—perhaps by request—some time after the conclusion of the voyage, and from memory, possibly with the aid of notes, by a man who had not, at the time, access to the ship's log or diary, or to the authentic newly made chart so often referred to therein. The following table shows, by means of parallel columns, how imperfect was de Leeuw's knowledge (or recollection) of the positions of the various inlets referred to in the log.

APPROXIMATE LATITUDES (BY SCALE) ON DE LEEUW'S CHART, COMPARED WITH LATITUDES GIVEN IN THE "Pera's" LOG AND CONFIRMED BY MODERN CHARTING

De Leeuw. Correct. R. Van Spult 11° 50' S. 10° 58' S. R. Batavia (a river supposed by de Leeuw to enter Albatross Bay, but not mentioned in the log). 12° 34' — R. Carpentier (not mentioned by de Leeuw) — 11° 48' Watering-place (Pera Head) 13° 5' 12° 55' R. Coen 13° 35' 13° 7' R. Vereenichde (Mitchell River) 14° 50' 15° 12' Watering-place (south of Angeram Mission Station) 15° 46' 15° 30' R. Nassau 16° 40' 16° 10' R. Staten (Accident Inlet, Gilbert River) 17°,20-30' 17° 12'

The watering-place at PERA HEAD, north of the Coen River, to which de Leeuw assigned the latitude of 13° 5' (correctly, 12° 55') is one of the localities where de Leeuw and the "Pera's" log evidently mean the same thing. North of this watering-place de Leeuw shows a bay, at the head of which his supposed "REVIE R DE BATAVIA falls in. This bay (ALBATROSS BAY) is now known to be entered by the Embley and Mission, both considerable rivers, and although de Leeuw may have been justified in conjecturing that at least one river would enter the bay, it is more than doubtful if he could see either the Embley or the Mission. In any case, he had no authority to name this hypothetical river, or any other.

The captain of the "Pera" had his authority very much curtailed by the "Full Council," and even Carstenszoon had to bow to its decisions. It is quite possible that de Leeuw's memory, when he made his sketch-chart, may have recalled a discussion in the Council in the course of which the name Batavia was suggested, but the log leaves no room for doubt that the name Carpentier was finally adopted for the inlet identified with the "Duyfken's" misfortune.

Nevertheless, de Leeuw "got the ear" of cartographers, so that the name of Batavia appeared on Dutch maps long before Asschens gave that name (in 1756) to the river which enters the Gulf at Port Musgrave.—R.L.J.]

"Set sail at noon [12th May], wind SSW., course NNE., along the land, and having run on for 2 miles [8 minutes] came to anchor on the wind failing [say, 11° 40' S. lat.—R.L.J.].

"In the morning of the 13th, the wind SW., good weather, set sail, course NE. by N., in more than 7 fathoms and about 2 miles from the land. At noon, in latitude 11° 16', the wind E. In the evening, anchored in 2 fathoms, near an inlet (revier), which, in the chart, we have entitled the REVIER VAN SPULT. [SEE MAP A.] On the 14th, sailed before daylight, wind SE., steady weather. From the 9th of this month up to date, we have found the land of Nova Guinea to stretch NNE. to SSW., and from here onwards N. and S. Here [while the ship stood by under short sail] I, personally, rowed to the land, with the skipper and to musketeers, and saw many human footprints and tracks of dogs (going southwards) and also a very fine fresh water river which runs out into the sea, whence water could conveniently be taken by boats or pinnaces, and which lies in 10° 50' latitude, and is noted in the chart as DE WATERPLAETS (the Watering-place). The land is high and duny (sand dunes), with reefs in front of the sandy beach. Seeing that no service could be done, or profit made, here, we returned to the yacht (which was standing by with shortened sail)." [SEE MAPS B AND A.]

[EDITORIAL NOTE.—There is no reason to question the correctness of the observation for latitude (11° 16') made at noon on 13th May. The anchorage for that night, which was "near" an inlet from which fresh water was running out to sea, and which was named VAN SPULT, is another matter. The "Pera" dropped her anchor in the evening of the 13th, and sailed before daylight

of the 14th, so that there was no opportunity for a solar observation.

The latitude attributed to the anchorage at the Van Spult Inlet must therefore have been more or less of a guess based upon dead reckoning. The guess made by the navigators was 10° 50'. Carstenszoon must have overestimated the distance sailed in the afternoon of the 13th. Had the "Pera" reached the latitude of 10° 50', Barn Island and Red Island could not have escaped observation, and indeed the high land of Prince of Wales Island must have appeared a much more striking object than the low-lying mainland. In view of what took place on the following day (14th May), the probability is that the observed inlet was where the modern chart shows a breach in the coast-line, in 10° 59'. The Van Spult is, therefore, probably a mouth of the JARDINE RIVER. The principal channel of that river (which has been carefully surveyed almost to its head), discharges into the Gulf in 10° 54', and the Jardine Brothers, in 1865, found the tide to flow up it for about 6 miles, even in a very wet season. It is quite possible, however, that another mouth, that named the Van Spult, carries fresh water down to the beach. The point could easily be settled, even by a party on foot, as the inlet is, apparently, not more than 10 miles west of Jardine's crossing of the river at his camp 87. After the landing party rejoined the "Pera" on 14th May, 1623, the narrative continues as follows.—R.L.J.]

"Towards evening [14th May], we were about one mile from three little islands, of which the southmost was the largest [WOODY and WALLIS ISLANDS] and some 5 miles [20 minutes] to the north, by our estimate, was mountainous land [PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND], which, however, it was impossible to approach by reason of shoals; for in almost every direction in which we took soundings very shallow water was found, and we sailed for a long time over 5, 4, 3, 2½, 2 and 1½ fathoms, or even less, and at last were obliged to anchor in fathoms, without knowing where to look for greater or less depths. After sunset, therefore, we sent out the boat to take soundings, and water deeper than 2, 3 and 4½ fathoms was found, to which, very well pleased, we brought the yacht, and anchored in 8 fathoms, thanking God Almighty for His unspeakable grace and mercy on this occasion, as on all others.

"In the morning of the 15th, the wind SE., good weather, thereupon set sail, course W., which took us into shallower water, such as 2, 2½. and 3 fathoms; altered course to SW., where we had 3½, 4, 5 and 6 fathoms, or more. Lost sight of the land, which, because of the shoals, reefs and banks, as well as of the easterly winds, it was not possible to reach and follow further. This was agreed to, and it was resolved—to avoid all the obvious dangers which would be encountered if we continued to coast the land any longer—to TURN BACK and, firstly to shape our course for the Yleermuis Eijlant. We therefore stood out to sea, westwards, in 9½ fathoms and upwards, and, keeping west, made 17 miles [68 minutes] in 24 hours, finding no bottom in 27 fathoms.

"NOTE.—That in our landings between 13° and 11°, we only saw blacks or savages twice, and that they received us with even greater hostility than had the men further south; also that they have some knowledge of muskets, of which, apparently, they had learned, to their great cost, from the men of the 'Duyfken,' who landed here in the year 1606.]

"...In the morning of the 22nd...we turned our course westward...About noon, we saw the island of ARU ahead of us...The yacht Aernem,' which on the 27th ultimo, being then in 17°, alongside of Nova Guinea, deliberately ran away from the Pera, was not to be seen, nor was she heard of from the Aruese who came alongside us with their prows... "On 8th June, in the evening, anchored before the castle of AMBOINA, having thus completed our voyage through the gracious providence of God, Who, we pray, will bestow on Their High Mightinesses the States-General, on His Excellency the Prince of Orange and on the Directors of the United East India Company, and especially on the Most Noble the Governor-General and his Governors, fortune and success in all their good undertakings. Remaining ever, Their High Mightinesses', etc., most obedient and affectionate Servant, JAN CARSTENSZOON."

On the home voyage of the "Pera" MONUMENTS were erected at Aru and Queij, with inscriptions which have to be recorded here because of their significance as historical documents.

I. AT ARU (SEE VAN DIJK, UNDER DATE 22ND MAY, 1623)

"Anchored opposite the native village of Woodgier on the second of the northmost islands of the Aroe group, where they received a friendly welcome. The same day concluded with the Aroe chiefs a TREATY under which they accepted Dutch protection. A high column was erected bearing the inscription:—

"In the year 1623, on the 1st of February, there came here to Aroe the yachts "Pera" and "Arnhem," Commandeur Jan Carstensz., Koopleiden (Traders) Jan Bruwel and Pieter Lingtes,[1] Skippers Jan Sluijs, Dirck Melisz., Stuurlieden (Mates) Arent Martensz. and Jan Jansz., dispatched under order and command of the Noble Lord General Jan Pietersen Coen, on behalf of their High Mightinesses the States-General, His Excellency the Prince of Orange and Messrs. the Directors of the United East India Company; and we have also on the 4th day of the same taken possession of the island for the above-mentioned Highnesses. Likewise the Chiefs and People have placed themselves under the protection and rule of the aforesaid Lords and saluted the Princely flag."

II. AT QUEIJ (SEE VAN DIJK, UNDER DATE 30th MAY, 1623)

"Reached Queij, in front of the native village of Waijer, whose inhabitants, as well as those of Laer and Ada, were informed of the protectorate of the Dutch. At Laer, a high column was erected, bearing the inscription:—

"Anno 1623, the last day of May, here to Queij came the yacht "Pera," Commandeur Jan Carstensz., Coopman Pieter Lingtes, Schipper Jan Sluijs, Stierman Arent Martensz., by order and command of the Noble Lord General Jan Pietersen Coen, sent on behalf of the High Mighty Lords the States-General, His Excellency the Prince of Orange, etc., and Messrs. the Directors of the United East India Company, and by us also on the said 30th the villages of Waijer, Laer and Ada were

[1) Named Lintiens in the Diary.—R.L.J.]

taken possession of for the aforesaid personages and the Chiefs and People placed themselves under the protection and rule of the said Lords and saluted the Prince's flag."

The formality and quasi-legal phraseology of these inscriptions contrast strongly with the simplicity of the inscription on the board nailed up at the Staten River.