1770. June, Saturday 9. where it was not probable fresh water was to be found, I went out towards the Cape, and found two small streams, which however were rendered very difficult of accefs by the furf and rocks upon the fhore: I faw alfo, as I came round the Cape, a small stream of water run over the beach, in a fandy cove, but I did not go in with the boat, because I saw that it would not be easy to land. When we got afhore, we found the country every where rifing into steep rocky hills, and as no fresh water could conveniently be procured, I was unwilling to lose time by going in fearch of lower land elfewhere: we therefore made the beft of our way back to the ship, and about midnight we weighed and flood to the N. W. having but little wind, with some showers of rain. At four in the Sunday 10 morning, the breeze freshened at S. by E. and the weather I 2. became fair: we continued steering N. N. W. W. as the land lay, at about three leagues diftance, with ten, twelve, and fourteen fathom water. At ten, we hauled off north, in order to get without a small low island, which lay at about two leagues distance from the main, and great part of which at this time, it being high water, was overflowed: about three leagues to the north weft of this ifland, clofe under the main land, is another ifland, the land of which rises to a greater height, and which at noon bore from us N. 55 W. diftant feven or eight miles. At this time, our latitude was 16° 20′S. Cape Grafton bore S. 29 E. diftant forty miles, and the northermost point of land in fight N. 20 W.; our depth of water was fifteen fathom. Between this point and Cape Grafton, the fhore forms a large, but not a very deep bay, which being discovered on Trinity Sunday, I called TRINITY BAY.. . CHA P. 1770. June. Sunday 10. CHAP. V. Dangerous Situation of the Ship in her Course from Trinity HT ITHERTO we had fafely navigated this dangerous coast, where the fea in all parts conceals fhoals that fuddenly project from the fhore, and rocks that rise abruptly like a pyramid from the bottom, for an extent of two and twenty degrees of latitude, more than one thousand three hundred miles; and therefore hitherto none of the names which distinguish the feveral parts of the country that we faw, are memorials of diftrefs; but here we became acquainted with misfortune, and we therefore called the point which we had just seen fartheft to the northward, CAPE TRI BULATION. This Cape lies in latitude 16° 6' S. and longitude 214° 39′W. We steered along the fhore N. by W. at the distance of between three and four leagues, having from fourteen to twelve, and ten fathom water: in the offing we saw two iflands, which lie in latitude 16° S. and about fix or seven leagues from the main. At fix in the evening, the northermost land in fight bore N. by W. W. and two low woody islands, which fome of us took to be rocks above water, bore N. W. At this time we fhortened fail, and hauled off fhare E. N. E. and N. E. by E. close upon a wind, for it was my design to ftretch off all night, as well to avoid the danger we faw ahead, as to fee whether any islands lay in the offing, especially as as' we were now near the latitude affigned to the islands which were discovered by Quiros, and which fome geographers, for what reason I know not, have thought fit to join to this land. We had the advantage of a fine breeze, and a clear moonlight night, and in ftanding off from fix till near nine o'clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to twenty-one fathom, but while we were at fupper it suddenly shoaled, and we fell into twelve, ten, and eight fathom, within the space of a few minutes; I immediately ordered every body to their station, and all was ready to put about and come to an anchor, but meeting at the next cast of the lead with deep water again, we concluded that we had gone over the tail of the fhoals which we had feen at fun-fet, and that all danger was paft: before ten, we had twenty and one and twenty fathom, and this depth continuing, the gentlemen left the deck in great tranquility, and went to bed; but a few minutes before eleven, the water fhallowed at once from twenty to feventeen fathom, and before the lead could be caft again, the fhip ftruck, and remained immoveable, except by the heaving of the furge, that beat her against the craggs of the rock upon which she lay. In a few moments every body was upon the deck, with countenances which fufficiently expreffed the horrors of our fituation. We had ftood off the fhore three hours and a half, with a pleasant breeze, and therefore knew that we could not be very near it, and we had too much reason to conclude that we were upon a rock of coral, which is more fatal than any other, because the points of it are sharp, and every part of the furface fo rough as to grind away whatever is rubbed against it, even with the gentleft motion. In this fituation all the fails were immediately taken in, and the boats hoifted out to examine the depth of water round the ship: we foon discovered that our fears had not aggravated our misforVOL. II. 4 A tune, 1.770. June. Sunday 10. 1770. June. Sunday 10. tune, and that the veffel had been lifted over a ledge of the rock, and lay in a hollow within it: in fome places there was from three to four fathom, and in others not fo many feet. The fhip lay with her head to the N. E.; and at the distance of about thirty yards on the starboard fide, the water deepened to eight, ten, and twelve fathom. As foon as the long-boat was out, we ftruck our yards and top-mafts, and carried out the ftream anchor on the starboard bow, got the coafting anchor and cable into the boat, and were going to carry it out the fame way; but upon founding a fecond time round the fhip, the water was found to be deepest aftern: the anchor therefore was carried out from the starboard quarter instead of the ftarboard bow, that is, from the ftern inftead of the head, and having taken ground, our utmost force was applied to the capstern, hoping that if the anchor did not come home, the ship would be got off, but to our great misfortune and disappointment we could not move her: during all this time the continued to beat with great violence against the rock, fo that it was with the utmost difficulty that we kept upon our legs; and to complete the fcene of diftrefs, we faw by the light of the moon the sheathing boards from the bottom of the veffel floating away all round her, and at last her false keel, fo that every moment was making way for the sea to rush in which was to fwallow us up. We had now no chance but to lighten her, and we had loft the opportu nity of doing that to the greatest advantage, for unhappily we went on fhore juft at high water, and by this time it had confiderably fallen, fo that after the fhould be lightened fo as to draw as much less water as the water had funk, we should be but in the fame fituation as at firft; and the only alleviation of this circumstance was, that as the tide ebbed the ship settled to the rocks, and was not beaten against them with fo much violence. We had indeed fome hope from the next tide, but it was doubtful whether she would hold together fo long, especially as the rock kept grating her bottom under the ftarboard bow with such force as to be heard in the fore ftore-room. This however was no time to indulge conjecture, nor was any effort remitted in despair of success: that no time might be loft, the water was immediately ftarted in the hold, and pumped up; fix of our guns, being all we had upon the deck, our iron and ftone ballaft, casks, hoop ftaves, oil jars, decayed ftores, and many other things that lay in the way of heavier materials, were thrown overboard with the utmost expedition, every one exerting himfelf with an alacrity almost approaching to cheerfulness, without the leaft repining or discontent; yet the men were fo far impreft with a sense of their fituation, that not an oath was heard among them, the habit of profaneness, however ftrong, being inftantly fubdued, by the dread of incurring guilt when death seemed to be so near. 1770. June. Sunday 10. While we were thus employed, day broke upon us, and Monday 11. we saw the land at about eight leagues distance, without any island in the intermediate space, upon which, if the ship should have gone to pieces, we might have been fet afhore by the boats, and from which they might have taken us by different turns to the main: the wind however gradually died away, and early in the forenoon it was a dead calm; if it had blown hard, the fhip muft inevitably have been destroyed. At eleven in the forenoon we expected high water, and anchors were got out, and every thing made ready for another effort to heave her off if she should float, but to our inexpreffible furprize and concern she did not float by a foot and a half, though we had lightened her near fifty ton, so much did the day-tide fall fhort of that in the night. We now proceeded to lighten her ftill more, and threw overboard every thing that it was poffible for us to |