Arnhem 1623

Voyage of the Arnhem & Pera 1623

...On the 5th of July (1622) there arrived here [Batavia] a boat with ten men forming part of the crew of an English ship, named the Triall, and on the 8th do. her pinnace with 36 men. They state that they have lost and abandoned their ship with 97 men and {Page 18} the cargo she had taken in, on certain rocks situated in Latitude 20° 10' South, in the longitude of the western extremity of Java. (Heeres)

nla.obj-231245000 de Leeuw c1623

De Leeuw Scale
60 Dutch Miles = 200nm (Nautical Miles) = 230 Statute Miles = 370.4kms
1 Dutch Mile = 3.3nm - 3.8sm - 6.2kms
Note. The 1705 van Delft chart 1dm = 2nm & 2.66nm

11 Feb. 9 dead + Capt. Melisz died next day.

'it was furthermore proposed by me and ultimately approved of by the council, to give 10 pieces of eight to the boatmen for every black they shall get hold of on shore, and carry off to the yachts, to the end that the men may use greater care and diligence in this matter, and Our Masters may reap benefit from the capture of the blacks, which may afterwards redound to certain advantage.' 24 April

Anchorage - Date - Degrees & Minutes Latitude

12 - 20 February

21 - 28 February

Summary February 1623

Broke a yard - lost an anchor - collided at night - nine killed ashore of crew of 20 - Captain died of wounds - broke foretop mast & Arnhem gone.
Sailed 67.5 miles [6+14+10+6-11+5+3+2.5+5 +8+4+9+3+3]

Keerwere

This particular Keerwere - meaning 'turnaround or turn back' - appears on several of the charts including van Dijk - De Leeuw & Thevenot. Each chart shows an island or islands to the east of Vasche (False) Cape where none exist along with a smattering of rivers and headlands. The Vleermuys or Vleermoysen Eylandt - Bat Island - may be Palau Komoran (Gloomy Is.) see below.

1623 Arnhem

1623 De Leeuw

1663 Thevenot

March 1623

1- 9 March

10 - 16 March

Near loss of Arnhem - weak & disabled above waterline

Went ashore - shot 2 Natives

Carpenter gut wound - Assistant leg wound - shot 1 Native

17 - 22 March

Vleermuys Eylandt - Bat Island - Palau Komoran

'Arnhem got adrift owing to the violent current and the strong gale, and ran foul of the bows of the Pera, causing grievous damage to both the ships'

23 - 25 March

26 - 31 March

APRIL 1623

Torres Strait is 136 miles wide on the western side - wider than the English Channel (22m) - Sunda Strait (16m) - Straits of Gibraltar (9m)

Klien J.

Torres-Strait-TS-grid L.B.Mason

1 - 11 April

12 - 15 April

April 26 Note

'the Pera (which had sprung a leak and had to be kept above water by more than 8000 strokes of the pump every 24 hours)'

16 - 21 April

The reference to large quantities of human bones as a clear sign of man-eaters driven by hunger is resonant of those found by those who first ventured inland at Botany Bay. The rich bone marrow would not have escaped starving men hence the likelihood of disease such as Smallpox which is thought to have been introduced to northern Australia by the Macassans in the mid 18th century. 'Invisible Invaders' Judy Campbell MUP.

22 - 26 April