Tweede scheeps-togt, van de Engelse Oost-Indische Maatschappy, onder den Hr. Hendrik Middleton, generaal,...

Saldania.

On the 13th of July, in the forenoon, we sighted the Cape of Good Hope original: "Kaap de Bona Esperance", being 15 miles away from us. On the 17th, we came to anchor in the roadstead of Saldania modern-day Table Bay, South Africa, situated at a southern latitude of 33 degrees 56 minutes, or at 34 degrees. We had 60 men sick with the blauw-schuyt a term for scurvy or a similar wasting illness, lit. "blue-boat", but before we left, God be thanked, they all became healthy again. Captain Cole drowns here. Here Mr. Cole, captain of the Hector, our Vice-Admiral, drowned; we stayed here for 5 weeks less one day.

On the 20th of August, we weighed our anchors and set sail from the roadstead of Saldania with a southerly wind, and sailed westward.

Bantam.

On the 23rd of December, Sunday, we came to anchor at the roadstead of Bantam a major port on the island of Java, where we found 6 Dutch ships and 3 or 4 pinnaces or frigates.

Each sails here to a particular place.

On the 18th of January 1605, we sailed from the roadstead of Bantam with the Draak Dragon and the Ascension toward Amboyna; the General with the Draak took his course toward the Moluccas (of which one can see in his voyage added hereafter), and the Ascension, on which Mr. Colthrust was captain, toward Banda, while the Hector and Susanna took on their cargo of pepper in Bantam and sailed from there around the middle of February.

The Ascension arrives at Banda near Nera.

On the 20th of February, the Ascension arrived at Banda and anchored in 4 and a half fathoms of water near Nera, the main place of these islands. From the southern end of Amboyna, the course is 30 miles to the southeast by south; Banda lies at a latitude of 4 degrees 40 minutes, and one approaches it on the western side. A burning mountain. There is a very high mountain there that is always burning, which one must leave on the port side, How the passage there must be taken toward the roadstead of Nera and leave the other large island on the starboard side. Here is a narrow passage that one cannot see until one is less than half a mile from it, but one must not hesitate to keep to the side of that island where the high mountain is, up to 2 cable lengths...