AN

ACCOUNT

OF A

VOYAGE round the WORLD.

BOOK III.

CHAP. I.

The Run from New Zealand to Botany Bay, on the Eaft Coaft of New Holland, now called New South Wales; various Incidents that happened there; with fome Account of the Country and its Inhabitants.

H

1770.

March.

AVING failed from Cape Farewell, which lies in latitude 40° 33' S., longitude 186° W. on Saturday the 31ft of March 1770, we steered weftward, with a fresh gale at Saturday 311. N.N.E. and at noon on the 2d of April, our latitude, by obfervation, was 40°, our longitude from Cape Farewell 2°31′ W.

April. Monday 2.

In the morning of the 9th, being in latitude 38° 29'S. we faw Monday 9.. a tropic bird, which in so high a latitude is very uncommon.

In the morning of the 10th, being in latitude 38° 51′ S. Tuesday 10. longitude 202° 43′ W. we found the variation, by the ampli

tude, to be 11° 25 E. and by the azimuth.1.1° 20,

1770. April.

Wednef. 11.

Friday 13.

In the morning of the 11th, the variation was 13° 48′, which is two degrees and an half more than the day before, though I expected to have found it less.

In the course of the 13th, being in latitude 39° 23′ S., longitude 204° 2′ W. I found the variation to be 12° 27′ E. and Saturday 14. in the morning of the 14th, it was 11° 30'; this day we also Sunday 15. faw fome flying fish. On the 15th, we saw an egg bird and a

gannet, and as thefe are birds that never go far from the land, we continued to found all night, but had no ground Monday 16. with 130 fathom. At noon on the 16th, we were in latitude 39° 45′ S., longitude 208° W. At about two o'clock the wind came about to the W. S. W. upon which we tacked and stood to the N. W.; foon after a small land-bird perched upon the rigging, but we had no ground with 120 fathom. At eight we wore and stood to the southward till twelve at night, and Tuesday 17. then wore and stood to the N. W. till four in the morning, when we again ftood to the fouthward, having a fresh gale at W.S. W. with fqualls and dark weather till nine, when the weather became clear, and there being little wind, we had an opportunity to take feveral obfervations of the fun and moon, the mean refult of which gave 207° 56′ W. longitude our latitude at noon was 39° 36′ S. We had now a hard gale from the southward, and a great sea from the fame quarter, which obliged us to run under our fore-fail and mizen all night, during which we founded every two hours, but had no ground with 120 fathom.

Wednef. 18

In the morning of the 18th, we faw two Port Egmont hens, and a pintado bird, which are certain figns of approaching land, and indeed by our reckoning we could not be far from it, for our longitude was now one degree to the weftward of the caft fide of Van Diemen's land, according to

the

1770.

April.

Wednef. 18.

the longitude laid down by Tafman, whom we could not suppose to have erred much in so short a run as from this land to New Zealand, and by our latitude we could not be above fifty or fifty-five leagues from the place whence he took his departure. All this day we had frequent fqualls and a great fwell. At one in the morning we brought to and Thursday 19. founded, but had no ground with 130 fathom; at fix we saw land extending from N. E. to W. at the distance of five or fix leagues, having eighty fathom water with a fine fandy bottom.

We continued ftanding weftward, with the wind at S.S.W. till eight, when we made all the fail we could, and bore away along the fhore N. E. for the eaftermoft land in fight, being at this time in latitude 37° 58′ S. and longitude 210° 39′ W. The fouthermoft point of land in fight, which bore from us W. S. I judged to lie in latitude 38°, longitude 211° 7, and gave it the name of POINT HICKS, because Mr. Hicks, the First Lieutenant, was the firft who difcovered it. To the fouthward of this Point no land was to be feen, though it was very clear in that quarter, and by our longitude, compared with that of Tasman, not as it is laid down in the printed charts, but in the extracts from Tasman's journal, published by Rembrantfe, the body of Van Diemen's land ought to have borne due fouth; and indeed, from the sudden falling of the fea after the wind abated, I had reason to think it did; yet as I did not fee it, and as I found this coast trend N. E. and S. W. or rather more to the eastward, I cannot determine whether it joins to Van Diemen's land or

not.

At noon, we were in latitude 370° 5, longitude 210° 29′ W. The extreams of the land extended from N.W. to E. N. E. and a remarkable point bore N. 20 E. at the distance of about four

leagues.