The manuscript is written in a Dutch printed pilot`s log-book, and the final entry and postscript are signed by Anderson (folios 79-80).

In December 1640, Anderson, an experienced seaman, sailed as navigator in a Dutch ship bound from Holland to Java. From July 1641 to May 1642, he was with the Dutch fleet blockading the Portuguese off the coast of Goa, and in December 1642 he returned to Holland. His log consists chiefly of a record of distance covered, wind direction, land sighted, etc., but some incidents are described, such as the capture of a Portuguese carrack off Goa (folio 26). The manuscript is particularly interesting for its lengthy digressions on India, the East Indies, the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar and St. Helena, in which Anderson describes and comments on these countries, their people, towns, religions and customs.