whether the
regions or any part of the same are inhabited, and whether any trade
might with them be established.

_Therefore_, for the purpose before mentioned, we have resolved to fit
out the yachts Haringh and Hasewint for undertaking the said voyage, and
for ascertaining as much of the situation and nature of these regions as
God Almighty shall vouchsafe to allow them.

{Page 19}

You will accordingly set sail from here together, run out of Sunda
Strait, and steer your course for the South-land from the western
extremity of Java, keeping as close to the wind as you will find at all
possible, that by so doing you may avoid being driven too far westward by
the South-easterly winds which generally blow in those waters. You may
therefore run on as far as the 32nd or 33rd degree, if you do not fall in
with land before that latitude; having got so far without seeing land,
you may conclude that you have fallen off too far to westward, for sundry
ships coming from the Netherlands have accidentally come upon the
South-land in this latitude; you will in this case have to turn your
course to eastward, and run on in this direction until you sight land.

In running over to the _South-land_ aforesaid, you will have to keep a
careful lookout, as soon as you get in 14 or 15 degrees, seeing that the
English ship Trial before mentioned got aground in 20 deg. 10' Southern
Latitude on certain sunken rocks, bearing north-east and south-west for a
length Of 7 miles, according to the observation of the English pilot, but
without having seen any mainland thereabouts. But the men who saved
themselves in the pinnace and the boat, and thus arrived here, deposed
that in the latitude of 13 or 14 degrees they had seen sundry pieces of
wood and cane, and branches of trees floating about, from which they
concluded that there must be land or islands near there. The _sunken
rocks_ aforesaid on which the _Triall_ was wrecked, were exactly south of
the western extremity of _Java_ according to the statements made by the
English sailors.

When you shall have come upon the _South-land_ in the said latitude or
near it, you will skirt the coast of the same as far as Latitude 50 deg., in
case the land should extend so far southward; but if the land should fall
off before you have reached the said latitude, and should be found to
trend eastward, you will follow its eastern extension for some time, and
finding no further extension to southward, you will n