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

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1770. March.

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

In the morning of the 9th, being in latitude Monday 9. 389 29' S. we faw a tropic bird, which in fo high a latitude is very uncommon.

In the morning of the 10th, being in latitude Tuefday zo. 38° 51′ S., longitude 202° 43′ W., we found the

VOL. IV.

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variation,

1770. April.

Wednef.11.

Friday 13.

variation, by the amplitude, to be 11° 25′ E. and by the azimuth 11° 20.

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 in the morning of Saturd. 14. the 14th, it was 11° 30'; this day we also faw Sunday 15. fome flying fish. On the 15th, we faw an egg

bird and a gannet, and as these are birds that never go far from the land, we continued to found all night, but had no ground with 130

Monday 16. 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 fouthward till twelve at night, and then wore and ftood to the N. W. till four in the Tuesday 17. 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 several obfervations of the fun and moon, the mean refult of which gave 207° 56′ W. longitude: our latitude at

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noon

1770.

April.

noon was 39° 36' S... We had now a hard gale from the fouthward, and a great fea from the fame quarter, which obliged us to run under Tuesday 17. our fore-fail and mizen' all night, during which we founded every two hours, but had no ground with 120 fathom.

In the morning of the 18th, we faw two Port Wednes. 18. 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 east fide of Van Diemen's land, according to the longitude laid down by Tafman, whom we could not suppose to have erred much in.fo fhort 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 founded, Thurfd. 19. but had no ground with 130 fathom; at fix we faw 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 shore N. E. for the eastermoft land in fight, being at this time in latitude 37° 58′ S., and longitude 210° 39 W. The fouthermoft point of land in

1770. April.

fight, which bore from us W. S., I judged to lie. in latitude 38°, longitude 211° 7, and gave it Thurfd. 19. the name of POINT HICKS, because Mr. Hicks, the first lieutenant, was the first 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 Tafman's journal, published by Rembrantfe, the body of Van Diemen's land ought to have borné due fouth; and indeed, from the fudden 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 coaft 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 extremes 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. This point rises in a round hillock, very much resembling the Ram Head at the entrance of Plymouth Sound, and therefore I called it by the fame name. The varia tion by an azimuth, taken this morning, was 3° 7 E.; and what we had now feen of the land, appeared low and level: the fea-fhore was a white fand, but the country within was green and woody. About one o'clock, we

faw

faw three water fpouts at once; two were between us and the fhore, and the third at fome distance, upon our larboard quarter: this phanomenon is fo well known, that it is not neceffary to give a particular defcription of it here.

At fix o'clock in the evening, we fhortened fail, and brought to for the night, having fifty-" fix fathom water, and a fine fandy bottom. The northermost land in fight then bore N. by E. E., and a small island lying close to a point on the main bore W. diftant two leagues. This point, which I called CAPE HOWE, may be known by the trending of the coaft, which is north on the one fide, and fouth-west on the other; it may also be known by fome round' hills upon the main, juft within it.

1770. April. Thurfd. 19.

We brought to for the night, and at four in the morning made fail along fhore to the northward. At fix, the northermoft land in fight bore N. N. W. and we were at this time about four leagues from the fhore. At noon, we were! in latitude 36° 51 S., longitude 209° 53′ W. and about three leagues diftant from the shore. The weather being clear, gave us a good view of the country, which has a very pleafing ap pearance: it is of a moderate height, diversified! by hills, and vallies, ridges and plains, interspersed with a few lawns of no great extent, bût in general covered with wood: the afcent of the hills and ridges is gentle, and the fummits are

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Friday 20.