114 SOME PAKTICULARS OF THE VOYAGE
1 of the island Amsterdam.
1 of the island St. Paulo, and
1 of the island Mony. In addition to these we also enclose some big and small chips of wood, brought by Willem de Vlamingh from the before mentioned South Land, and described in his journal under the 30th and 31st of December 1696, also 2nd of January 1697, as a kind of scented wood. Upon this we have not been able to come to any distinct decision ; we have, however, had a portion of it distilled, and forward a small bottle of the oil for your examination by Commander Bichon. Likewise we send a little box containing shells, fruits, plants, etc.,gathered on the coast; these specimens,however,are of less importance, and such as are to be found in a better condition elsewhere in India. So that, generally speaking, with respect to the South Land, along which, in conformity with their in- structions, they have coasted, and to which their accurate ob- servations have been devoted, nothing has been discovered but a barren, bare, desolate region; at least along the coast, and so far as they have penetrated into the interior. Neither have they met with any signs of habitation, some fires excepted, and a few black naked men, supposed to have been seen on two or three occasions at a distance ; whom, however, they could neither come up with nor speak to. Neither, again, were any remarkable animals or birds observed, except princi- pally in the Swan River, a species of black swans, three of which they brought to us alive, and should have been sent to Your Nobilities, had they not died one by one shortly after their arrival here. Neither, so far as we know, have any traces been discovered of the missing ship De Iiidde7'schap van Hollatid or of other vessels, either there or at the islands Amsterdam and St. Paul. Consequently in this voyage and investigation nothing of any importance has been dis- covered. A singular memorial, however, was seen by them. On an island situated on or near the South Land, in 25° lati-
