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 on board one of the Dutch Company's ships, and that their coming suggested to the Governor, Van Dieman, the idea of despatching a mission to their country for the purpose of establishing trade relations with its inhabit- ants. For this duty Gerard van Wusthof, a sub-factor, was selected, the party under his leadership consisting of four Dutchmen, a servant, and one Malay. A start up the Mekong was made on July 20th, 1641; the party travelled by boat, and Sambor was reached on August 5. Boetzong, which may be identified with Stung-Treng, at the mouth of the Se-Kong, was reached on August 17th, and when on the 19th the party found itself among the maze of islands which here divide the river into many branches, Wusthof believed that he had left upon his west the mouth of a huge stream which took its rise in Burma. How this mistake arose it is im- possible to understand, but it must be remembered that long after Wusthof's day the belief prevailed that the Me- kong took its rise close to the Bay of Bengal, while even later the theory was entertained that the Mekong and the Menam were joined together in the interior by a water- way was widely accepted. Earlier still it was thought that the Mekong had an out-flow in the Bay of Bengal itself.

On August 25th an island was reached, called by Wusthof Saxenham, which would appear to be the island of Sitandong, to this day an important place, situated above the Khon rapids. On September 25th, Ocmum-obviously Pak Mun, the mouth of the Mun River, was reached, the country above Khong being

1 Vide Supra, p. 123.