The Treasure of Captain William Kidd.

[Randawg72]

South China Sea 4th NE at ... would make sense doesn't it? Yes it does look its one Word but maybe he wrote N at and squeezed the 'e' in later. Near or even nearly makes no sense as it adds no information (of course no one measures exactly how deep they dig!)
Could'nt "1-1/2 feet deep" be considered "Nearly 2 feet deep"? In what context does that Not make sense?

As I wrote before the island is probably part of a very ancient volcano that is about t sink back into the sea. I assume it has a tilt as the maps show higher structures in the south of it plus 'hill' 'small hill' - so it highest in the southern part - this is where additional islands could still be above sea-level (4th island in the NE means the rest of them must be SW of it).
That's possible. Just like Oahu is the '4th' island NW in the Hawaiian Islands.

But I am really warming up to:
"At oR Near 2 Ft Deep at Back of Cave"

Look carefully:

"A toR Near"

 

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[Bocaj]

South China Sea 4th NE at ... would make sense doesn't it? Yes it does look its one Word but maybe he wrote N at and squeezed the 'e' in later. Near or even nearly makes no sense as it adds no information (of course no one measures exactly how deep they dig!)
Could'nt "1-1/2 feet deep" be considered "Nearly 2 feet deep"? In what context does that Not make sense?

As I wrote before the island is probably part of a very ancient volcano that is about t sink back into the sea. I assume it has a tilt as the maps show higher structures in the south of it plus 'hill' 'small hill' - so it highest in the southern part - this is where additional islands could still be above sea-level (4th island in the NE means the rest of them must be SW of it).
That's possible. Just like Oahu is the '4th' island NW in the Hawaiian Islands.

But I am really warming up to:
"At oR Near 2 Ft Deep at Back of Cave"

Look carefully:View attachment 2187716 "A toR Near"

Probably you like it better otherwise it wouldn't fit your island. Its called "conformation bias".

4th is without question (th is always written like that as a short, you will find it in many letters of that time). Apart from that there is no real information in the above. Maybe the technology mad people of modern times would write "At or near 2ft", no one who dig in the sand would have done that in the 17th century - forget it.
btw the 't' of 'th' is the same as in 'Ne at'

I really think you on the same road as many have been before you and failed:
you try to hard to fit the facts to your theory instead the other way around!

 

[Randawg72]

Maybe the technology mad people of modern times would write "At or near 2ft", no one who dig in the sand would have done that in the 17th century - forget it.

So..
"At or near 2 Ft deep at back of cave" makes no sense to you, but
"4th N.E. at 2 Ft deep at back of cave" does?

I'm familiar with 'confirmation bias' and it does not apply here. If the Yunnan parchment is truly instructions for what to do at the cave, then you would already be standing on the correct island. It's OK for us to agree to disagree.

(Now if there happens to be four adjacent caves, That's a different story!)