North Coast] 
INTRODUCTION. 
xi 
under the command of Jan Carstens , were despatched from Jlmboina, carstens. 
by order of His Excellency Jan Pieterz Caen. Carstens, with eight of 1623, 
the Arnhem's crew, was treacherously murdered by the natives of 
New Guinea; but the vessels prosecuted the voyage, and discovered 
" the great islands Arnhem and the Spult."* They were then 
" untimely separated," and the Arnhem returned to Amboina. The 
Pera persisted ; and " sailed along the south coast of New Guinea, 
" to a flat cove, situate in io° south latitude ; and ran along the 
" West Coast of this land to Cape Keer-Weer; from thence dis- 
" covered the coast further southward, as far as 17 0 , to Staten 
" River. From this place, what more of the land could be dis- 
" cerned, seemed to stretch westward:" the Pera then returned to 
Amboina. " In this discovery were found, every where, shallow 
" water and barren coasts ; islands altogether thinly peopled by 
" divers cruel, poor, and brutal nations ; and of very little use to 
" the (Dutch East-India) Company." 
Gerrit Tomaz Pool was sent, in April 16*36, from Banda, with Foot, 
the yachts Klyn Amsterdam and Wezel, upon the same expedition as 
Carstens ; and, at the same place, on the coast of New Guinea, he 
met with the same fate. Nevertheless " the voyage was assiduously 
" continued under the charge of the supra-cargo Pieterz Pietersen ; p IE teksew. 
" and the islands Key and Arouw visited. By reason of very strong 1636 " 
" eastwardly winds, they could not reach the west coast of New 
" Guinea (Carpentaria) ; but shaping their course very near south, 
" discovered the coast of Arnhem, or Van Diemen's Land, in 11 0 
" south latitude ; and sailed along the shore for 1 20 miles ( 30 
" mijlen), without seeing any people, but many signs of smoke." 
* In the old charts, a river Spult is marked, in the western part of Arnhem's Land ; 
and it seems probable, that the land in its vicinity is here meant by The Spult. 
