...The third voyage was undertaken from Amboyna in the month of January 1623 with the Yachts Pera and Arnhem, commanded by Commander JAN CARSTENS, for the purpose of entering into friendly relations with the inhabitants of the islands of Key, Arou and Tenimber, and of exploring Nova Guinea and the South-lands, on which occasion alliances were made with the islands aforesaid and the south-coast of Nova Guinea was further discovered...but owing to untimely separation the Yacht Arnhem, after discovering the large islands of Arnhem and Speult, returned to Amboyna unsuccessfully enough, while the Yacht Pera, continuing her voyage, navigated along the south coast of Nova Guinea as far as a shallow bay in 10 degrees, and afterwards along the west coast of the same land as far as Cape Keer-Weer, whence she further explored the coast to southward as far as 17 degrees near the Staten river, where she saw the land stretching farther to westward, after which she returned again to Amboyna...

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XV.

(1623) VOYAGE OF THE SHIP LEYDEN COMMANDED BY SKIPPER KLAAS HERMANSZ(OON) FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO JAVA.—­FURTHER DISCOVERY OF THE WEST-COAST OF AUSTRALIA.

Journal kept on board the ship Leyden from the Texel to Batavia, 1623.

Laus Deo.  This 9th day of July, A.D. 1623 in the ship Leyden...

On the 15th do.  Latitude 27 deg. 15’; during the last twenty-four hours we sailed 16 miles East by North and East-north-east...At noon we saw a large dead fish floating near our ship, with a great many birds perched on its carcase.

On the 16th do.  Latitude 26 deg. 27’; sailed 16 miles in 24 hours North by east...

On the 17th do.  Latitude 27 deg. 23’; from last night sailed 16 miles East-south-east...

On the 18th do.  Latitude 27 deg. 25’; sailed 24 miles East-south-east, East by South and East-north-east, on the whole keeping an eastward course...

On the 19th do.  Latitude 27’ 20’. sailed due east 20 Miles in 24 hours...

On the 20th do.  Latitude 27 deg. 20’ sailed 20 miles these 24 hours North-east, East-north-east and East, with a light breeze, fair weather, and a West-south-west wind; course held east.

On the 21st do. in the morning we sighted Eendrachtsland in Latitude 27 deg. at about 6 miles’ distance South-west by west; we sounded off it in 61 fathom fine gravel bottom, the land showing outwardly like Robben Island in the Taffel Bay; at noon in Latitude 26 deg. 43’ we shaped our course to northward, and afterwards drifted in a calm.

On the 22nd do.  Latitude 26` 36, sailed and drifted about 4 miles, at about 8 miles’ distance North~north-west from the land.  We sighted everywhere a hilly coast with large bays, with low-lying land in between, the whole covered with dunes; we drifted in a calm, our course being North-west by West.