Map of the Tristan De Acunha Islands

Title Leupe: Kaart van de Eylanden Tristan De Acunha.

Jan Jacobsz, skipper on the galliot Nachtglas that had left the Republic in June 1655, was sent out on an expedition to Tristan da Cunha, just upon his arrival at the Cape in October 1655, with orders to investigate the possibilities of the islands as a safe anchorage and victualling station. On this chart Jacobsz gives their names as Tristan da Cuna, Gebrocken Ailant (Broken Island) and Nachtglas Ailant (Hourglass Island). On the first of these they found the board with inscription that the crew of the flute Heemstede had nailed to the rocks there in 1643. They hung their own sign next to it with the text ‘The Galliot Nachtglas, Jan Jacobsz, 10th February 1656’, and likewise on the newly explored little island of Nachtglas, named after their own ship (now Inaccessible Island). Later in 1656, Jan van Riebeeck sent Jacobsz’s chart and his report from the Cape to the Republic, see Received Letters and Papers (OBP) from the Cape, 1656, folio 271, report folio 270 and VOC 3990 1.04.02 inv.nr. fol.271, report fol. 270.

North is below.

Scale-bar of 5 German miles 15 in a degree = [approximately 1 : 127,700].