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Saturday 13 February 2016

Tristan da Cunha supplied good shelter for ships underway towards the East Indies according to the Dutch minister of navy in 1818

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands model NG-MC-336-1. Original link

On 24 March 1818 wrote the Dutch minister of navy that the island Tristan da Cunha supplied an excellent shelter for ships underway towards the East Indies. This conclusion was based on a report of captain lieutenant Van Schuler (1) of the Dutch corvette Zr. Ms. Venus (2) who wrote that the island supplied an excellent stop for taking in fresh water. At the north side of Tristan da Cunha was a very well anchorage available protecting against all winds except for the northern wind. However there were seldom northern winds blowing and is so just in the months April-June and not in the resting nine months. Thanks to the very fertile soil was it also possible to acquire victuals from the local population.

Notes
1. Barend Wilhelm Adolph van Schuler (18 December 1776, Utrecht, Netherlands-27 February 1824, Batavia, Dutch East Indies, married to jonkvrouwe Andrea Elisabeth Strick van Linschooten. Van Schuler was in the Dutch East Indies commanding officer and director of the colonial navy.
2. Of the Department Amsterdam, on stocks at navy yard at Amsterdam, Netherlands by P. Schuijt jr. on 2 January 1806, launched on 2 May 1807, broken up in 1823, dimensions 120 (prow) x 33 9/11 x 16 8/11 feet and an armament of 20 guns.  In a Dutch book written by D.H. Kolff published in 1828 dealing with the voyage of the Venus was stated that for instance an abundance of very good potatoes was available. She left on 28 January 1817 Willemsoord, Netherlands towards Batavia, Dutch East Indies. In April arrived the Venus at Tristan da Cunha. At that moment were there 74 men commanded by a certain colonel Cloete stationed by the British government who ordered that a large numbers of women of Cape of Good Hope, South Africa was to come to the island.

Source
Archive Marine Etablissement Vlissingen (Rijkarchief Zeeland, Middelburg, Netherlands) 95.16.