Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/276

 EXTRACT FROM THE JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE MADE

TO THE UNEXPLORED SOUTH LAND, BY ORDER

OF THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY,

IN THE YEARS 1696 AND 1697,

BY THE HOOKER DE NYPTANG, THE SHIP DE GEELVINK, AND THE GALIOT DE AVESEL, AND THE RETURN TO BATAVIA,

PRINTED AT AMSTERDAM, 1701.

On the morning of the 29th December (1696) at half-past two o'clock, we discovered the South Land, to east north- east of us at from four to five miles distance. We found the country low, the main coast stretching from south to north. Our people observed a remarkable fish here, about two feet long, with a round head and a sort of arms and legs and even something like hands. They found also several stems of plants. They cast anchor in from fourteen to fifteen fathoms. At nearly half a league from the island on the south side they had good holding ground. The wind south-west by south.

On the 30th December we took counsel, and then with our guns on our arms put the shallop afloat and with the chief pilot I went on shore to look round the island. We rowed round to the east corner of the island about a cannon shot distance from the coast, and found there two fathoms water with muddy bottom, filled with shells, and occasionally a sandy bottom. Proceeding a little further, we sounded the little island bearing to the south of us, and the western-