(jfi A factina Hiftory of the Rife , Progrefs , and Book II 
folded as fobn as the Time for which he was engaged 
elapfe’d, to return to Europe , nor could all the Offers that 
were made him either of Power or Profit, induce him to 
alter his Refolution, or to think of flaying in the Indies . 
Accordingly, on the 6th of February 1624, he failed 
from Batavia, in Quality of Captain of the Holland, with 
two other large Ships, viz. the Middlebourgb and the Gou- 
da ; but in their Paffage, they met with fuch a Storm, as 
carried away the Mainmaft of the Holland , all the Mafts 
of the Middleboufgh, and funk the Gouda to the Bottom. 
In this D.iftrefs, Captain Bontekoe behaved with his ufual 
Courage and Prudence, by which both Ships were for that 
Time preferred ; for notwithstanding the perilous Diflrefs 
his own Ship was in, he, with much difficulty, and yet, 
without ufiiig any other Courfe than that of Perfuafion, 
prevailed upon his Men to fpare their Mizenmaft and 
Boltfprit to the Middlebourgb , which otherwife could not 
have been kept above Water. This was on the 2 2d of 
March 1624, and having performed this good Office for 
their Friends and Countrymen, Captain Bontekoe bore 
away with his own Ship for the Ifland of Madagafcar , 
where, in the Bay of St. Lewis , he found Means to ca- 
reen, refit, and remaft his Ship, with which he then pro- 
ceeded for Holland. 
On the Coaft of the Ifiand of St. Helena , they met with 
a Spanijb Carrack, fo ftationed in the Road, as to pre- 
vent their watering, which was what they abfolutely want- 
ed. Captain Bontekoe did all that in his Power lay to 
have engaged the Spaniards to allow them to put on 
Shore, and take in Water, but they could not be peffwa- 
ded by fair Means, and thereupon an obftinate Engage- 
ment enfued, without any Advantage to either Party ; for 
the Dutch were at laft obliged to continue their Voyage, 
with the little Water they had, and the Carrack was fo 
dreadfully torn in the Fight, that the Spaniards finding it 
impoffible to keep her above Water, took out her Guns 
and Cargoe, and then let her fink. The remaining Part 
of their Voyage was not attended with any remarkable 
Accident, except their being able to perform it with fo 
fmall an Allowance as a Quart of Water a Day per Man, 
from the Ifiand of St. Helena to the Coaft of England. 
At length, on the 15th of September 1625, Captain Bon - 
iekoe arrived fafely at Zealand , after having been abfent 
from his Country feven Years, and in that Time run 
through fuch a Variety of Fortunes, as fcarce any other 
Seaman ever met with. It may not be amifs, to clofe 
this Account with obferving, that the Middlebourgb , tho* 
fo happily preferved by Captain Bontekoe , never returned 
to Holland , but was undoubtedly loft, tho* its impoffible 
to fly when or where. 
After the Holland parted with her, fhe put into the 
Ifiand of Madagafcar , . and there buried a Part of her 
Ships Company, amongft whom was the famous William 
Cornelius Schouten , who failed round the World with 
James le Maire , as the Reader has already feen in the 
large Account given of their Voyage in the firft Chapter 
of this Work. But to return from this Digreffion to the 
Thread of our Hiftory, which will fhew, how as the firft 
Beginning of the Company was fortunate, fo In her fu- 
ture Progrefs her Profperity has never failed. 
11. Their Commerce flourifhed fo much, that they 
were obliged to enlarge the Number of their Ships every 
Year, and the Company being fenfible, that their Profpe- 
rity was chiefly owing to the good Conducft of their Ad- 
mirals, they fo'Hicited John Peter Coen to make a fecond 
Voyage to the Indies, in the Quality of Governor- General ; 
at laft Coen confented, and put to Sea in April 1627, foon 
after the Rotterdam came Home, and was quickly followed 
by four other Veffels, under the Command of John-Wil- 
lidm Verfcboer , who had failed from Holland with P Her- 
mit e , and arrived at this Port in July. The rich Cargoe 
of thefe Ships was fcarce unloaded, and lodged in the 
Warehouses, when Adrian-Block Martfen was ready to 
fall with a Squadron of eleven Ships, this being his fecond 
Voyage as well as Admiral Coen’s. He put to Sea in 
October , and loft two of his Ships in a Storm, but laved 
fhe Men and the Cargoes. In the fame Month of Octo- 
ber, John Karjienfz of Embden, a Merchant, whofe Vi- 
gilance and Experience rendered him very famous, return- 
ed to the United Provinces ; after feveral Years Ad min IF 
tration. He brought with him three rich Ships laden ac 
Surat, and had been obliged to put in at Pcrtfmoutb , 
where an Embargo was put upon his Ships, for fome 
Time. In June 1628, tne Company had the Satisfaction 
bf feeing five other Ships come Home, under the Com- 
mand of the Sieur Carpehtier, who had been the Compa- 
ny’s General in the Indies , and the Cargoes of thefe Ships 
were as valuable as that of the former. 
Notwithftanding thefe lucky Adventures, the Company 
was perplexed by fome Accidents, moft of which they had 
no Reafon to expebt. The Englifh flopped their Ships as 
often as they had Occafion ; and the Dunkirk Privateers 
never failed to give them chafe. This obliged them to 
refolve upon keeping a ftrong Squadron every Year in the 
German Ocean, in order to cruize for their homeward- 
bound Ships, and conduct them fafe to their Ports. The 
firft Squadron that fcoured the German Ocean was com- 
manded by John Dierkfz Lam, who had been in the Indies ; 
upon his Approach the Dunkirk Privateers retired. The 
three Ships that I mentioned above as coming from Surat 
under the Command of John Karjienfz of Embden , being 
flopped for fome Time in England, were afterwards dii- 
miflbd, and their Arrival infpired the Company with frefti 
Courage. Soon after their Arrival, a Squadron of eleven 
Ships fet off for India in OClober , under the Command of 
James Spex, who was accompanied by John Valbeck , a 
famous Mathematician. 
On the other Hand, the Company had the Mortifica- 
tion of feeing a Ship, called the Viana, arrive with the 
unwelcome News that they had fet fail from Batavia the 
fore-going January , in hopes to pafs the Strait of Baly 
in Time; but being difappointed, run affiore in the Lat. 
of 21 0 , upon the South- fide of the Terra Magellanica in- 
cognita ; upon which they were obliged to throw over- 
board a great Quantity of their rich Effebts, and fo got 
the Ship afloat again with great Difficulty and Danger* 
Upon their Way they met with Block's Squadron, which 
had likewife had very ftormy Weather. By this Ship they 
had Notice, that the People of Java had formed a Confpi- 
racy to affaffinate John Peter Coen, which was difcovered 
by a young Chinefe Boy, and thereby the Execution of 
that deteftable Defign entirely defeated. 
It was within this Compafs of Time that thofe great Dif- 
coveries were made by the Dutch Officers on the Southern 
Continent, of which we have fo often fpoke. The large 
Country of Carpenteria, now better known by the Name 
of Ntw-Holland , was fo called from General Carpenter, 
who difcovered it in 1628. The weftern Part of the 
fame Country, which lies to the South of Java, was dif- 
covered the. fame Year, on the Behalf of the Company, 
and from the Name of the Commodore who commanded 
the Squadron, was ftiled Dewitt' s-Land. But all the 
fouthern Coafts lying towards the Sea, which feparates this 
Continent from that which lies clofe to the South-Pole, 
was difcovered in January 1627, by Peter de Nuyts, who 
had thereby an Opportunity of bellowing his Name on 
one of the fineft Countries in the World. 
All thefe Difcoveries, together with a juft Report of 
their Affairs, the Company received from General Carpen- 
ter, who returned with five Veffels richly laden. And 
upon his Report it was that the Direbtors refolved to fend 
a Squadron of eleven Sail into thofe Parts, under the Com- 
mand of Commodore Francis Pel fart, of whom we have 
elfewhere given a large Account. It may not be amifs to 
obferve, that while the Company was doing all thefe great 
Things, their Country was torn with civil Diffentions, 
chiefly thro* the Ambition of the Prince of Orange, who 
endeavoured to make himfelf in fome meafure independent 
of the States ; fo that if the Affairs of the Indies had not 
been under a Direction diftinbt from that of the Govern- 
ment, it is Amply impoffible that they ffiould have fuc- 
ceeded as they did, or brought fuch Advantage to the. 
Dutch Nation. 
12. The Year 1629 was as favourable to the Company 
as thofe that went before, for they had the Satisfaction of the 
Arrival of fix Veffels, under the Command of three fe- 
veral Commodores, who informed them, that after fe- 
veral diffionourable Attempts, in order to furprize the 
Dutch s 
