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 also saw a man who fled into the wood at their approach, and a small prow or species of vessel also made of bark, together with some fishing-tackle and a kind of assagays made of branches of trees, from 4 to 9 feet long, tipped at one end with a small piece of bone ground to a sharp point.  The fishing-lines seemed to be twisted out of fibrous bark, and, instead of hooks, had pointed claws of beasts fastened to them.  The land was overgrown with tall grass, and they saw a number of fine dells or valleys, through which flowed various small rills of fresh water; the trees were very tall and straight, of regular growth and of different kinds, some of which would, as they presumed, furnish excellent timber for ships’ masts, yards, etc.  The soil was very rich, and on the whole the country looked very promising.  They remained there, making various landings, and taking in firewood and water, till the 26th of April, when they put to sea again...shaping their course E.N.E. close to the wind in depths Of 5, 6 or 7 fathom, following the trend of the coast till they had got into 10 deg. 30’ S. Lat., where they cast anchor on April 28, in order to explore the land also in this latitude.  They found nothing worth mentioning, however, {Page 93} except a few more cabins or huts of the kind before described, the inmates of which took to the wood as soon as our men appeared.  They dragged the boat on the {Page 94} beach here, and repaired the same, remaining there till the 13th of May, waiting for the ship de Buys.  On that day they resolved to continue their voyage, shaping their course along the land as high as they