WITH THE "INVESTIGATOR" 137 



Carstenszoon landed on 8th May, 1623, and which he named the 

 COEN REVIER. The unfortunate misidentification of this inlet 

 with the " Coen River " of the goldfield has already been alluded 

 to. Carstenszoon's latitude (13 7' S.) places it north of the 

 blunt projection which Gonzal named RIJDER'S HOEK on I3th June, 

 1756, and which Flinders saw obviously from a distance and 

 named FALSE PERA HEAD (not what is called False Pera Head on 

 modern charts). In Chapters LXXXV and LXXXIX it is shown 

 that Carstenszoon's Coen Revier is the creek located by the 

 missionaries about 13 4' S. 



" On getting under way again [loth November]" continues Flinders, " we closed 

 in with the shore and steered along it at the distance of 2 or 3 miles, in 

 soundings from 3 to 7 fathoms, until noon. Our latitude was then 13 42' 35", long. 

 141 32', being nearly the position of CAPE KEERWEER, at which the yacht ' Duyfken ' 

 gave up her examination. I could see nothing like a cape here ; but the southern 

 extreme of the land, seen from the masthead, projects a little, and from respect to 

 antiquity the Dutch name is there preserved [i.e., at 13 57' S. R. L. J.]. At 4, 

 we passed the southern extremity of CAPE KEERWEER, round which the coast falls 

 back somewhat ; the water then became more shallow and did not admit of [the coast] 

 being safely approached nearer than 4 miles. An opening is laid down here in 

 the Dutch chart, called VEREENICHDE RIVER, which certainly has no existence. 

 [Evidently referring to Thevenot's map, which puts the Vereenichde River in 14 

 and makes no mention of Cape Keerweer. Flinders does not deny the existence of 

 the river, but merely states that it is not in the position assigned to it by the Dutch 

 chart. R. L. J.] All this afternoon the sea breeze was fresh and favourable, and 

 by 8 o'clock, when we anchored in 5 fathoms [This would be about opposite the 

 mouth of Jardine's Hersey Creek. R. L. J.], the distance run from noon exceeded 

 40 miles. A fire was seen on the land about 4 miles off, and some smokes had been 

 passed in the day ; so that the country should seem to be at least as well peopled in this 

 part of Carpentaria as further northward. The coast was, if possible, still lower 

 than before ; not a single hill had yet been seen ; and the tops of the trees in the 

 highest land had scarcely exceeded the height of the ship's masthead." 



In coasting from the mouth of the ARCHER RIVER southward 

 to CAPE KEERWEER, Flinders failed to observe two inlets noted 

 on Tasman's chart, in 13 27-30' and 13 42' S. The former 

 was erroneously identified by Tasman with Carstenszoon's COEN 

 and the latter was named by him VISSCHER'S REVIER. It would 

 not surprise me if both inlets should turn out to be mouths of 

 the Archer River. It would be surprising if a river of such im- 

 portance as the Archer were almost the only one on the western 

 coast of Carpentaria to have a single mouth. In fact, the 

 Dugally River, located on a missionary sketch-map in 13 33$' S., 

 is obviously a mouth of the Archer, and probably the same is true 

 of Visscher's Revier. 



Continuing his account of the voyage. Flinders writes (II, 

 p. 130) ; 



" nth November, 1802. The land wind came from NNE., and our course was 

 pursued along the shore at the usual distance. At 8 o'clock, the depth decreased 



