The 18th, in lat. 15 deg. 43’ N. we had sight of an island called Pulo-cotan, being high land, and is about twenty leagues, according to report, from the shoal called Plaxel.  In the morning of the 19th the coast of Cambodia was on our starboard side, about two leagues off, along which we steered S.E. by E. easterly, our latitude at noon being 13 deg. 31’ N. estimating the ship to be then athwart Varella.  We have hitherto found the wind always trade along shore, having gone large all the way from Firando, the wind always following us as the land trended.  The 20th at noon we were in latitude 10 deg. 53’, and three glasses, or an hour and half after, we had sight of a small island, which we concluded to be that at the end of the shoal called Pulo-citi.  We found the book of Jan Huyghens van Linschoten very true, for by it we have directed our course ever since we left Firando.  The 22d we had sight of Pulo Condor about five leagues off, our latitude at noon being 8 deg. 20’ N.

About four a.m. on the 25th we made the island of Pulo Timon, and two hours afterwards saw Pulo Tinga.  The 28th at three p.m. we had oosy ground at twenty fathoms, having divers long islands on our starboard and sundry small islands on our larboard, forming the straits of China-bata, which we found to be truly laid down in a chart made by a Hollander called Jan Janson Mole, which he gave to Mr Hippon, who gave it to the company. Pulo Bata, one of these islands, is low land, and is full of trees or bushes at the S.W. end.

A little before noon on the 29th, we perceived the colour of the water a-head of the ship to change very much, by which observation we escaped an imminent danger.  This shoal seemed of a triangular shape, the S.W. end being the sharpest, and is not far from the entrance into the straits of China-bata.  At noon our latitude was 4 deg. 6’ N. At eight p.m. we came to anchor in seven fathoms, the weather threatening to be foul in the night, the place very full of shoals, and our experience little or nothing.  Before our anchor took hold, we had six 1/4, five 1/2, six, and then seven fathoms, soft sandy ground.

In the morning of the 30th we spoke the Darling, then bound for Coromandel, her company consisting of twenty-one English and nine blacks.  By her we first learnt of the death of Sir Henry Middleton, the loss of the Trades-increase, and other incidents that had occurred during our voyage to Japan.  In the night of the 30th God mercifully delivered us from imminent danger, as we passed under full sail close by a sunken ledge of rocks, the top of which was only just above water within a stone’s throw of our ship; and had not the noise of the breakers awakened us, we had not cleared our ship.  We instantly let go our anchor, being in a rapid current or tide-way, in seventeen fathoms upon oozy ground.  When morning broke on the 31st we had sight of the high land of Sumatra, having an island a-stern, the ledge of rocks we had passed on our starboard, and three small islands forming a triangle on our larboard bow.  We were about eight leagues off the high land of Java, but could not then get into the straits of Sunda, as the wind was quite fallen.