21 



When the Hollanders first made their way to the East 

 Indies they naturally followed the old routes taken by their 

 Portuguese predecessors and rivals. After rounding the Cape 

 of Good Hope they shaped their course either inside or outside 

 Madagascar, and thence made their way as best they could — 

 either north to India or east to Java. This route had many 

 disadvantages. Numerous rocks and islands, the positions 

 of which were imperfectly known, lay in the track, and were a 

 constant source of danger. The south-east trade winds drove 

 the ships to the northward, and, as they got into the tropics, 

 they met with light, variable, and baffling winds, which 

 delayed them for Ions; weeks, so that it was no uncommon 

 thing for the outward voyage to last thirteen months. Nor 

 was the loss of time, and consequent damage to cargo, the only 

 evil. Scurvy — the scourge of all early voyagers — produced by 

 the long and exclusive use of salt diet, attacked the crews. 

 Many died, and the survivors arrived at their destination broken 

 down by sickness, and often short of provisions and water. 

 Bad as the Madagascar route was, the Hutch, for more than 

 fifteen years, were unable to find a better. At last, however, 

 in Hecember, 1611, Commander Hendrik Brouwer, who had 

 sailed with two ships from Holland to the east, wrote to the 

 Council of Seventeen, reporting his arrival at Java. After 

 leaving the Cape he had run due east in about 36° S. hit. for 

 some 3000 miles. He had kept a strong westerly wind for 

 28 days, and had reached Batavia after a passage of less than 

 seven months, having lost only two men from sickness. This was 

 unprecedented ; and he strongly advised that all outward-bound 

 ships should be ordered to take the south route, by which they 

 might make sure of short passages — seeing that if they failed 

 to get west winds in 36° S. they would be certain to do so if 

 they ran to 40° or 44° S. A Ithough the long distance run to the 

 south seemed a disadvantage, it was largely compensated for 

 by the gain of running down the easting in a high latitude. It 

 was open sea all the way in this southern ocean, with none of 

 the rocks and dangers which beset the northern route, and the 

 coolness of the weather was of great importance to the health 

 of the crews. 



In consequence of Brouwer's report, seconded by the 

 recommendation of Governor-General Coen, the Hirectors 

 ordered their outward-bound ships to take the new route. 

 Rewards were offered for quick passages — 150 guilders for a 

 passage under nine months, 600 guilders if they arrived within 

 seven months. The superiority of the new route was soon 

 apparent. Of three ships sailing at the same time from 

 Holland in 1614, the Hardt took Brouwer's route and reached 

 Batavia iu six months, while the two others by the Mada- 



