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Pierre Willemsz, of Amsterdam, was appointed admiral of this fleet; and Francois de Wittert, of the ancient baronial family of that name seignior of Hoogeland, Emeeclaar, etc. was made vice-admiral and president of the council-in-ordinary, with full power to take the place of the admiral, who was very old and infirm."
Francois Wittert, who was later commander of a fleet, was made chief commissary at Bantam and given detailed instructions. The admiral finally reached Holland June 4, 1607, with several vessels. This expedition was destined to come more intimately in contact with the Portuguese and Spaniards than any former expedition.
A Dutch fleet of thirteen vessels, with Pierre Verhoeven as Admiral, and Francois Wittert as vice-admiral, left Holland in 1607. Their course carried them along the shores of India, before Malacca, and among the islands of Sumatra, Java, and others.
We fired 2,250 cannon-shots at this fortress, which is the most important one possessed by the Portuguese in the East Indies; it has four bastions and three ramparts. In January, 1609, Wittert went, with some of the ships, to Johor, and aided the king of that state to resist the Portuguese.
But the brave Lieutenant-colonel Wittert, burning with shame at the loss of the guns, led on his men to the rescue; when took place one of the most terrible encounters on the march. The officers led the attack sword in hand and the hurra in their throats; while the soldiers advanced on the run with fixed bayonets.
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