1767. Auguft.

Monday 17.

empties itself. Upon taking a view of this
river from the maft-head, it appeared to run
very
far into the country, and at the entrance,
at leaf, to be navigable for fmall veffels. This
river we called GRANVILLE'S RIVER, and to
the weftward of it is a point, to which we gave
the name of FERRERS'S POINT. From this
point the land forms a large bay, and near it is a
town of great extent, which feemed to fwarm like
a bee-hive: an incredible multitude came out
of it as the fhip paffed by, holding fomething
in their hands which looked like a wifp of green
grafs, with which they feemed to stroke each
other, at the fame time dancing, or running in a
ring. About feven miles to the weftward of
Point Ferrers, is another, that was called CAR-
TERET POINT, from which a reef of rocks, that
appears above water, runs out to the diftance of
about a cable's length. Upon this point we
faw a large canoe, with an awning or fhade
built over it; and a little to the weftward, ano-
ther large town, fronted, and probably fur-
rounded, with a breaft-work of ftone like the
laft: here also the people thronged to the beach
as the fhip was paffing, and performed the fame
kind of circular dance. After a little time they
launched several canoes, and made towards us;
upon which we lay to, that they might have
time to come up, and we conceived great hopes
that we should prevail upon them to come on

board,

board, but when they came near enough to have a more diftinct view of us, they lay upon their paddles and gazed at us, but feemed to have no defign of advancing farther, and therefore we made fail, and left them behind us. About half a mile from Carteret Point, we had fixty fathom, with a bottom of fand and coral. From this point the land trends away W. S. W. and S. W. forming a deep lagoon, at the mouth of which lies an ifland, that with the main forms two entrances into it: the island we called TREVANION'S ISLAND. This entrance is about two miles wide, and the lagoon, if there is anchorage in it, is certainly a fine harbour for fhipping. After croffing the firft entrance, and coming off the north-weft part of Trevanion's Ifland, which we called CAPE TREVANION, we faw a great rippling, and therefore fent the boat off to found; we had, however, no bottom with fifty fathom, the rippling being caused only by the meeting of the tides. Having hauled round this Cape, we found the land trend to the fouthward, and we continued to ftand along the fhore, till we opened the western paffage into the lagoon between Trevanion's Iland and the main. In this place, both the main and the ifland appeared to be one continued town, and the inhabitants were innume. rable. We. fent a boat to examine this entrance or paffage, and found the bottom to be

1767. Auguft.

Monday 17.

coral

1767. Auguft.

coral and rock, with very irregular foundings over it. As foon as the natives faw the boat Monday 17. leave the fhip, they fent off feveral armed canoes to attack her: the first that came within bowfhot discharged her arrows at the people on board, who being ready, fired a volley, by which one of the Indians was killed, and another wounded; at the fame time we fired a great gun from the fhip, loaded with grapefhot, among them, upon which they all pulled back to the shore with great precipitation, except the canoe which began the attack, and that being fecured by the boat's crew, with the wounded man in her, was brought to the fhip. I im mediately ordered the Indian to be taken on board, and the furgeon to examine his wounds: it appeared that one fhot had gone through his head, and that his arm was broken by another: the furgeon was of opinion that the wound in his head was mortal, I therefore ordered him to be put again into his canoe, and, notwithstanding his condition, he paddled away towards the shore. He was a young man, with a woolly head, like that of the negroes, and a small beard, but he was well-featured, and not fo black as the natives of Guinea: he was of the common ftature, and, like all the rest of the people whom we had feen upon this island, quite naked. His canoe was very small, and of rude workmanship, being nothing more than

part

part of the trunk of a tree made hollow; it had, however, an outrigger, but none of them had fails.

We found this place to be the western extremity of the island on the north side, and that it lay in exactly the fame latitude as the eastern. extremity on the fame fide. The diftance between them is about fifty miles due east and weft, and a strong current fets weftward along the shore.

I was still confined to my bed, and it was with infinite regret that I gave up the hopes of obtaining refreshments at this place, especially as our people told me they faw hogs and poultry in great plenty as we failed along the shore, with cocoa-nut trees, plantains, bananas, and a variety of other vegetable productions, which would foon have restored to us the health and vigour we had loft, by the fatigue and hardships of a long voyage; but no friendly intercourfe with the natives could now be expected, and I was not in a fituation to obtain what I wanted by force. I was myself dangerously ill, great part of my crew, as I have already observed, was disabled, and the reft difpirited by difappointment and vexation, and if the men had been all in health and fpirits, I had not officers to lead them on or direct them in any enterprife, nor even to fuperintend the duties that were to be performed on performed on board the fhip.

I

These

1767. Auguft.

Monday 17.

1767. Auguft.

These disadvantages, which prevented my obtaining refreshments at this island, prevented Monday 17. me alfo from examining the reft that were near it. Our little ftrength was every minute becoming lefs; I was not in a condition to pursue the voyage to the fouthward, and was in danger of lofing the monfoon, fo that no time was now to be loft; I therefore gave orders to steer northward, hoping to refresh at the country which Dampier has called Nova Britannia. I fhall, however, give the best account I can of the appearance and fituation of the islands that I left behind me.

Lord

Howe's lfland.

I gave the general name of QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S ISLANDS to the whole clufter, as well to those that I did not fee diftinctly, as to those that I did; and I gave feveral of them particular names as I approached them.

To the fouthermoft of the two, which when we first discovered land were right a head, I gave the name of LORD HOWE'S ISLAND, and the other was Egmont Inland, of which fome account has already been given. The latitude of Lord Howe's Inland is 11° 10' S., longitude. 164° 43′ E.: the latitude of Cape Byron, the north-eaft point of Egmont Ifland, is 10° 40 S., longitude 164° 49′ E. The east fides of these two islands, which lie exactly in a line with each other, about N. by W. and S. by E. including the paffage between them, extend about