d six more, which might easily be weighed. On
the 26th, in the afternoon, the weather being fair, and the tide low, the
master returned to the place where the chests lay, and weighed three of
them, leaving an anchor with a gun tied to it, and a buoy, to mark the
place where the fourth lay, which, notwithstanding their utmost efforts,
they were not able to recover.

On the 27th, the south wind blew very cold. On the 28th the same wind
blew stronger than the day before; and as there was no possibility of
fishing in the wreck for the present, Captain Pelsart held a council to
consider what they should do with the prisoners: that is to say, whether
it would be best to try them there upon the spot, or to carry them to
Batavia, in order to their being tried by the Company's officers. After
mature deliberation, reflecting on the number of prisoners, and the
temptation that might arise from the vast quantity of silver on board the
frigate, they at last came to a resolution to try and execute them there,
which was accordingly done; and they embarked immediately afterwards for
Batavia.

REMARKS.

This voyage was translated from the original Dutch by Thevenot, and
printed by him in the first volume of his collections. Pelsart's route
is traced in the map of the globe published by Delisle in the year 1700.

As this voyage is of itself very short, I shall not detain the reader
with many remarks; but shall confine myself to a very few observations,
in order to show the consequences of the discovery made by Captain
Pelsart. The country upon which he suffered shipwreck was New Holland,
the coast of which had not till then been at all examined, and it was
doubtful how far it extended. There had indeed been some reports spread
with relation to the inhabitants of this country, which Captain Pelsart's
relation shows to have been false; for it had been reported that when the
Dutch East India Company sent some ships to make discoveries, their
landing was opposed by a race of gigantic people, with whom the Dutch
could by no means contend. But our author says nothing of the
extraordinary size of the savages that were seen by Captain Pelsart's
people; from whence it is reasonable to conclude that this story was
circulated with no other view than to prevent other nations from
venturing into these seas. It is also remarkable that this is the very
coast surveyed by Captain Dampier, whose account agrees exactly with that
contained