VOYAGE OF THE "PERA" AND " AERNEM " 55 



The watering-place at PERA HEAD, north of the Coen River, 

 to which de Leeuw assigned the latitude of 13 5' (correctly, 

 12 55') is one of the localities where de Leeuw and the " P era's " 

 log evidently mean the same thing. North of this watering-place 

 de Leeuw shows a bay, at the head of which his supposed 

 " REVIER DE BATAVIA " falls in. This bay (ALBATROSS BAY) is 

 now known to be entered by the Embley and Mission, both con- 

 siderable rivers, and although de Leeuw may have been justified 

 in conjecturing that at least one river would enter the bay, it is 

 more than doubtful if he could see either the Embley or the 

 Mission. In any case, he had no authority to name this hypo- 

 thetical river, or any other. 



The captain of the " Per a " had his authority very much 

 curtailed by the " Full Council," and even Carstenszoon had to 

 bow to its decisions. It is quite possible that de Leeuw's memory, 

 when he made his sketch-chart, may have recalled a discussion in 

 the Council in the course of which the name Batavia was sug- 

 gested, but the log leaves no room for doubt that the name 

 Carpentier was finally adopted for the inlet identified with the 

 " Duyjkerfs " misfortune. 



Nevertheless, de Leeuw " got the ear " of cartographers, so 

 that the name of Batavia appeared on Dutch maps long before 

 Asschens gave that name (in 1756) to the river which enters the 

 Gulf at Port Musgrave. R. L. J.] 



" Set sail at noon [i2tb May], wind SSW., course NNE., along the land, and 

 having run on for 2 miles [8 minutes] came to anchor on the wind failing [say, 11 40' S. 

 lat. R. L. J.]. 



" In the morning of the 13^, the wind SW., good weather, set sail, course NE. 

 by N., in more than 7 fathoms and about 2 miles from the land. At noon, in latitude 

 11 1 6', the wind E. In the evening, anchored in 2 fathoms, near an inlet (revier), 

 which, in the chart, we have entitled the REVIER. VAN SPULT. [SEE MAP A.] On 

 the 14^, sailed before daylight, wind SE., steady weather. From the gih of this 

 month up to date, we have found the land of Nova Guinea to stretch NNE. to SSW., 

 and from here onwards N. and S. Here [while the ship stood by under short sail] 

 I, personally, rowed to the land, with the skipper and 10 musketeers, and saw many 

 human footprints and tracks of dogs (going southwards) and also a very fine fresh 

 water river which runs out into the sea, whence water could conveniently be taken by 

 boats or pinnaces, and which lies in 10 50' latitude, and is noted in the chart as 

 DE WATERPLAETS (the Watering-place). The land is high and duny (sand dunes), 

 with reefs in front of the sandy beach. Seeing that no service could be done, or profit 

 made, here, we returned to the yacht (which was standing by with shortened sail)." 

 [SEE MAPS B AND A.] 



[EDITORIAL NOTE. There is no reason to question the cor- 

 rectness of the observation for latitude (11 16') made at noon on 

 1 3th May. The anchorage for that night, which was " near " 

 an inlet from which fresh water was running out to sea, and which 

 was named VAN SPULT, is another matter. The " Pera " dropped 

 her anchor in the evening of the I3th, and sailed before daylight 



