A Juccinol Mtftcry of the Rife , Progrefs , and Book I, 
he would difeover to them all that related to the Eaft- Indies, 
A 
and the Paffage thither: Accordingly they granted his Re- 
quest, and he performed his Prom he. 
After mature Confideration of what he had offered, they 
rd'oived to eredt another Company, called the Company 
for remote Countries. The Directors of this Company 
were, Henry Hidden, Renter Pauzv, Peter Hajfelaar , John 
Jans , Charles de Oude , John Poppen , Henry Buyck , Dirck 
Van Os, Syvert Pieterfz Seem, and Arenten Grootenhuife. 
Thefe Directors confided ng as yet that ’twas Very uncer- 
tain, whether the North Paffage was practicable ;.tho* at the 
fame time they were fenfible, that it was the fhorteft and 
fureft Paffage, and withal the moft healthy, in regard that 
in it they did not crofs the Equinoctial Line : Upon this 
Confideration, they came to a Refolution Anno Domini 
1595, to fend four Veffels to the Indies, by the Way of 
the Cape of Good-hope . 
3. Houtman, and fome others, who had the Command 
in this Expedition, were ordered to obferve the Courfe 
they fleered very nicely, and to fettle with the Indians the 
Commerce of Spices and other Goods, efpecially in thofe 
Countries where the Portuguese had no Settlements. 
They looked upon this Commerce as a very valuableThing, 
efpecially confidering that it would fave them the Trouble 
of fetching that fort of Goods from Portugal , which they 
could not do without great Hazard. Thefe Ships return- 
ed to Holland in the Space of two Years and four Months 
after their fetting out •, and though they had made no 
great Profit of the Voyage, yet their Succefs animated their 
Owners, and feveral other Merchants, to carry on the De- 
fig n yet further. 
In Effect, a Member of that Company being dead, 
they prefently put into his Place Gerard Bicker, a very 
confiderable Merchant. Then they had Advice that 
lbme other Merchants of Amfterdam defigned to fet out 
Ships for India. The Names of thofe Merchants were 
Vincent Van Broncherft, Simon Janfz, Covert Dirrickz , 
Cornelius Van Catnpen , Jacob Thomafz , Elbert Simonfz 
Jencheyn, and John llarmanfz, The Company, to avoid 
Animofities, thought it neceffary to unite with thofe Mer- 
chants, and, accordingly, the two Fleets, confifling of 
eight Veffels, joined under the Command of James Van 
Nek , their Admiral, and failed from the Tex el A. D. 
*598 
1 Defign of the fame Nature was likewife fet on Foot 
in Zealand, and accordingly Balthafar Moucheron , and 
Adrian Hendnickzten Ilaaf, with fome other Partners, 
fitted out Ships for the Indies. The Inhabitants of Ro- 
tterdam being fpurred forward by fuch Examples, prefently 
formed a Company, and fitted out five Ships, under 
the Command of James Mahu , with Orders to fail to the 
Molucca Iflands, by the Strait of Magellan, and the South- 
Sea. In the mean time, the Amfterdam Merchants grew 
hotter upon the Matter, and the Company before menti- 
oned, without flaying lor the Return of the Fleet they had 
Tent already, fitted out three Ships more, which put to Sea 
May 4, 1599, under the Command of Stephen Vander 
Hagan. On the 8 th of the then next July, four of the 
eight Ships that went out firft, arrived in the Texel, and 
after they were unloaded, were immediately fent back 
again under the Command of James IVillekens. 
4. About the- fame time, feveral Amfterdam Merchants, 
moft of whom were Brabant ers by Birth, formed another 
Company upon the fame Defign, and fitted out four Veffels, 
which put to Sea December 1599, in Confort with four 
ofthe old Company’s Ships. Two Years after all thefe Ships 
came home with rich Cargoes : But before their Arrival 
this new Company had fent out two Ships, which were 
joined by fix more of the oid Company, all of them put- 
ting to Sea A. D. 1600, under the Command of James 
Van Nek ; and, in the Procefs of Time, all of them re- 
turned at feveral Times to their respective Ports. Upon 
the Confideration of thefe lucky Adventures, feveral frefti 
Ships were fitted out in Amfterdam , Zealand , and elfe- 
where j among others, thirteen were fent from Amfterdam, 
viz. four belonging to the oid, and four to the new Com- 
pany, under the Command of James Heemjkirk , and James 
Grenier , and five more of die old Company, bound for 
the Moluccas , under the Command of Wolphart llarmanfz , 
all the thirteen fet fail from the Texel, April 1601. 
At this, the Spaniards were enraged with Anger and 
Grief, partly in regard of the Affront they fuffered’m feeing 
fuch petty Merchants compafs their Ends in fpite of the? 
Teeth-, and partly upon the Account of the Lofs they 
fuftained, and were likely to fuftain hereafter. With this 
View they fitted out a ftrong Squadron, in order to fur- 
prize th t Dutch Ships. This Squadron confifling of thirty 
Men of War, well manned, fell in with eight ofthe Dutch 
Ships in the Month of May, in the Lat. of 140. The 
Dutch perceived the Inequality of their Number and 
Forces, notwithftanding that they had fome Soldiers 
aboard : However, they were not daunted, for they 
fought bravely, and the Spanifh Admiral was fo warmly 
received, that he thought it convenient to let them pals. 
The next Year, three Ships came home from the In- 
dies richly laden they brought Advice , that the 
King of Achen had attempted to feize two of the Mau- 
cherons Ships that had fet out from Holland, A.D. 1599. 
that Cornelius Houtman, the Commander, had loft his Life 
in the Adventure ; and in fine, that the Ships had efcaped., 
but that fome of the Dutch continued Priloners in the 
Hands of the King of Achen . 
Paul Van Caerden, having fet out for the Indies that 
fame Year, arrived at the Port of Achen, without know- 
ing what paffed, and there was expofed to the like Dan- 
ger ; for that the King being egged on by a Francifcan 
Monk, who refided there in the Quality of a Portuguese 
Envoy, and had come thither from the Moluccas on pur- 
pofe to wheedle him. The King, I fay, thus follicited, 
fet all Inftruments at work to feize Caerden ' s Ship ; but all 
his Attempts proved abortive, and the King owned, af- 
terwards, that he was feduced by the Portuguese, and ac- 
cordingly gave a very good Reception to the Fleet com- 
manded by Laurence Bicker , which had fet out from Zea- 
land, A. D. 1 60 1 : Nay, when the Fleet had taken in its 
Lading, which was very confiderable, he fent fome Em r 
baffadors with them. 
This Fleet putting into St. Helens to take in frefti Wa- 
ter, happened to meet with a Portuguese Carrack , richly 
laden, which they took, and brought along with them* 
The fame Year George Spilbergen and the Ships he com- 
manded were as favourably treated by the fame King of 
Achen. The Spaniards, finding themfelves inferior in 
Strength, endeavoured to ruin the Dutch by all manner of 
Stratagems and Tricks ; they fent Emiffaries to all the In- 
dian Kings, to decry the new Adventurers to brand them 
for Pirates, and Men of no Faith or Honour. In fine, 
they ufod all poflible Efforts to affet their Ruin, as will 
appear in the Sequel. 
5. The States-General and Prince Maurice, having re- 
ceived Advice of what paffed, refolved to give Commif- 
fions to all Ships that failed that Way ; and indeed the 
Commanders of the Ships flood in Need of them, in order 
to ftifle the Calumnies of their Enemies. By thefe Com- 
miftions, they were impowered not only to defend them-, 
felves, but to attack and commit Hoftilities upon all that 
iliould aifturb their Commerce. The valiant James 
Heemifkirk , being cloathed with fuch Authority, failed 
with two Ships from Bantam in order to have them loaded 
at Iohor, and falling in with a rich Carrack upon her Re- 
turn to Macaa, or China , with above feven hundred Men 
on board, attacked her, and forced the Portuguese , after 
a flender Shew of Defence, to ftrike, and aik Quarter, 
which was granted them. This was a Proof, that things 
were much changed with this Nation, and that the Dutch 
had not to do with thofe gallant and glorious Portuguese , 
who had fpread the Terror of their Name, and the Au- 
thority of their Crown over the fineft Provinces in Afia. 
Neither had the Dutch yet learned to behave with that 
Haughtinefs and Infolence, with which they have fince 
been reproached in this Part of the World. On the con- 
trary, they behaved fo kindly to their Prifoners, and tranf- 
ated every thing in relation to them, with fo much Ho- 
nour, that they obtained ample Teftimonials to this Pur- 
pofe from the Spanifh Governor in the Molucca Iflands, as 
alfo from him who prefided at Malacca s by which, as they 
no 
