Note 23 — ACCOUNT OF THE WRECK OF THE SHIP “DE VERGULDE DRAECK” ON THE SOUTHLAND, AND THE EXPEDITIONS UNDERTAKEN, BOTH FROM BATAVIA AND THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, IN SEARCH OF THE SURVIVORS AND MONEY AND GOODS WHICH MIGHT BE FOUND ON THE WRECK, AND OF THE SMALL SUCCESS WHICH ATTENDED THEM.
Reading edition
From another extract from these MS. logbooks at the Hague, which was made at the editor’s request, there was an additional observation of importance which is here omitted. Three times Captain Jonck speaks of a southern current running along the coast, which struck his attention in these seas. Among other passages he speaks of it in these terms: “We had deviated from our course fifteen minutes to the south, and this we attributed to a southern current, which we have observed several times on this coast, which is a strange thing, the being drawn by the current in spite of the wind and the waves.” Elsewhere he estimates the force of this current at ten miles in the twenty-four hours.