286

ACCOUNT OF CELEBES , AMBOYNA, &C.

leagues and a quarter. Hence we fleered, in order to make the ifland Madufa, ofwhich we came in fight the next day at noon.

On the 20th, at funrife, we paffed Mandelique, and anchored at two o’clock, P.M.in the outer road of Japara, and fending our boat on fhore for refrefhments, wereceived a plentiful fupply the next day from the worthy refident, Mr. Van der Beke ;at the fame time I received information that my {hip, Ouwerkerk, was appointed, bythe government of Batavia, to go a voyage to Surat .

In the afternoon we faw the point of Pamalang, and the lofty fummit of MountTagal.

On the 23d, the hill of Cheribon was abreafl, and the point of Indramaye nearlya-head of us; in the afternoon we faw the Boomptjens iflands ; and in the evening wereckoned that we had paffed the rock upon which the fhip called the Caftle ofWoerden was loft.

The following day, in the morning, we faw the high trees of Sedary, and at funfetwe came to an anchor oft' Murderer’s Point, and in fight of the ifland Edam.

On the 25th, at eleven o’clock, A. M. we got under fail, and pafling between thelittle iflands of Leyden and Enkhuizen , we fleered for the road of Batavia, wherewe call anchor at three o’clock, P.M.

Before I go any farther, I think it neceffary to fay fomething refpedting the navi-gation to Amboyna, as it is deferving of much attention, and has always been held avery dangerous voyage.

There are three circumftances which often unite to make it very hazardous, andare the chief caufes of the difficulty and peril which are complained of:

Firft, the bad and inaccurate charts of this paftage, which are made ufe of, andwhich are certainly extremely defective, notwithftanding the governor general, Model,alleges, in his further memorial, that at that time (the year 1753) the charts hadbeen fo improved, that, for two or three years before, none of the {hips trading to theeaft had been loft. I am therefore not at all furprized that, before that time, {hipswere loft every year, if they were without any other aid than that of fuch deceitfulguides. If I may judge from the charts which are thus pretended to be improved,and which are at prefent given to the fliips that perform that voyage, they mult un-doubtedly have plunged many an intrepid feaman, uffio had not before ploughed thefedangerous feas, into uncertainty and delpair, and have driven him headlong into themidfl of unknown and unavoidable dangers.

The firft and chiefeft requifite of a good fea-chart is, that in it the iflands and coaftsbe accurately laid down in their proper latitudes; and all the charts from Java toAmboyna, are glaringly defective in this particular : one ifland is placed too far north,another too far fouth ; and this is occafioned by the obfervations, whence thefe chartshave been made, not being exact. This might be adduced as a difculpation of thehydrographer, were it not that the navigators of later times have conflantly noted-down, and pointed out thefe defeats in the journals of their Amboyna voyages. Myobfervations agreed with three of them, which I took with me for reference, whenI went to Amboyna. Yet has not all this fufficed to produce the removal of thishurtful defeat.

The fecond neceffary requifite of a chart is, that the true direction of the coafts, andthe exact pofitions of the iflands, and their bearings with refpedt to the neareft land,be duly and accurately attended to. The defective ftate of the charts in queftion,in this particular too, is not a little complained of, and remains equally unreCtified,although many reports have been made by navigators on the fubjeft. And laftly>

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