On the 29th of April the wind was S.S.E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a fresh topsail breeze; at daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail on courses between N.N.E. and N.N.W. over depths of 10, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 7, 8, 9 fathom, hard foul bottom; they estimated themselves to be at 3 miles’ distance off the land.  At noon their estimated latitude was 11 deg. 3’ South; in the afternoon the wind blew from the S.E. with a fresh topsail breeze.  At 2 o’clock they came to anchor, since they estimated themselves to be close to Van Spults river; at 3 miles’ distance from the land they were in 8 fathom.

On the 30th of April the wind was S.E. by E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a fresh breeze.  They got the boat ready for the purpose of taking soundings ahead.  At noon their estimated latitude was 10 deg. 56’; at 4 o’clock they had nearly lost sight of the boat, and fired a gun charged with ball in order to recall the same, but the boat not returning, they kept a light burning at the top-mast, and during the night fired a gun now and then.  In this way they waited for the boat until the 12th of May, when they finally resolved to depart from there, since their stock of water and firewood would not allow of their waiting longer.  On board the missing boat were two steersmen, to wit, Hendrick Snijders and Pieter van der Meulen, one quartermaster and five common sailors.

On the 12th of May the wind was E.S.E. and S.E. in the morning and forenoon, with a moderate top-gallant gale and good weather.  At daybreak they weighed anchor and set sail on a western course from the shallows, passing over depths of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 fathom fine grey sand.  At noon their estimated latitude was 10 deg. 55’ South.  In the afternoon and during the night they had good weather with occasional showers of rain; next running W.N.W., they sighted the island of Timoor Laudt on the 20th of May.

...From the above Your Honourable Worships will gather that Lieutenant Jean Etienne Gonzal, in command of the small bark de Rijder, has executed Your Honourable Worships’ honoured orders, so far as the shores of the Land of Carpentaria are concerned; but that no exploration of the interior has been undertaken as enjoined by Your Honourable Worships’ instructions [*] and no landing has been effected on the coast of Nova Hollandia, because they had only one anchor left, so that such landing was judged too hazardous to be undertaken.  Of the part borne in this expedition by the first mate Lavienne Lodewijk Aschens who was in command of the small bark de Buys, the undersigned can make Your Honourable Worships no report worth any serious consideration, since his statements and annotations are so misleading that it is evident {Page 100} at first sight that he can never have had any first-hand knowledge or ocular view of the matters referred to by him, seeing that he has hardly ever been nearer to the land than 3 miles off it, at which