1770. May. me, from the maft head, to be sheltered from all winds. It lies in latitude 33° 40', longitude 207° 51', and at the entrance are three fmall islands, two of which are high; and on the main near the fhore are fome high round hills, which at a distance appear like islands. In paffing this bay, at the distance of two or three miles from the fhore, our foundings were from thirty-three to twenty-feven fathoms, from which I conjectured that there must be a fufficient depth of water within it. At a little diftance within land we saw smoke in several places; and at half an hour past five, the northernmost land in fight bore N. 36 E. and Point Stephens S. W. diftant four leagues. Our foundings in the night, were from forty-eight to fixty-two fathoms, at the distance of between three and four leagues from the fhore, which made in two hillocks. This Point I called CAPE HAWKE: it lies in the latitude of 32° 14' S. longitude Friday 11. 207° 30' W. and at four o'clock in the morning bore W. distant about eight miles; at the fame time the northernmost land in fight bore N. 6 E. and appeared like an island. At noon, this land bore N. 8 E. the northernmost land in fight N. 13 E. and Cape Hawke S. 37 W. Our latitude, by obfervation, was 32° 2' S. which was twelve miles to the fouthward of that given. by the log; fo that probably we had a current fetting that way by the morning amplitude and azimuth the variation was 9o 10 E. During our run along the fhore, in the afternoon, we faw fires in feveral places, at a little distance from the beach, and one upon the top of a hill, which was the first we had seen upon elevated ground fince our arrival upon the coaft. At funfet, we had twenty-three fathoms, at the diftance of a league and an half from the fhore: the northernmost land then bore N. 13 E. and three hills, remarkably large and high, lying contiguous to each other, and not far from the beach, N. N. W. As thefe hills bore some resemblance to each other, we called them the THREE BROTHERS. They lie in latitude 31° 40', and may be feen fourteen or fixteen leagues. We fteered N. E. by N. all night, having from twenty-feven to fixty-feven fathoms, at the diftance of between two and fix leagues from the shore. : At 3 1770. May. Saturd. 12. At day-break we fteered north, for the northernmoft land in fight. At noon, we were four leagues from the fhore, and, by obfervation, in latitude 31° 18' S. which was fifteen miles to the fouthward of that given by the log; our longitude 206° 58' W. In the afternoon we stood in for the land, where we faw smoke in feveral places, till fix in the evening, when, being within three or four miles of it, and in twenty-four fathoms of water, we ftood off with a fresh breeze at N. and N. N. W. till midnight, when we had 118 fathoms, at the distance of eight leagues from the land, and then tacked. At three in the morning the wind Sund. 23. veered to the weftward, when we tacked and ftood to the northward. At noon our latitude, by obfervation, was 30° 43' S. and our longitude 206° 45′ W. At this time we were between three and four leagues from the fhore, the northernmost part of which bore from us N. 13 W. and a point, or head land, on which we faw fires that produced a great quantity of fmoke, bore W. diftant four leagues. To this point I gave the name of SMOKEY CAPE: it is of a confiderable height, and over the pitch of the point is a round hillock; within it are two others, much higher and larger, and within them. the land is very low. Our latitude was 30° 31' S. longitude 206° 54′ W. this day the obferved latitude was only five miles fouth of the log. We faw fmoke in feveral parts along the coaft, befides that seen upon Smokey Cape. In the afternoon, the wind being at N. E. we flood off and on, and at three or four miles distance from the fhore had thirty fathoms water: the wind afterwards coming cross off land, we flood to the northward, having from thirty to twenty-one fathoms, at the distance of four or five miles from the shore. At five in the morning the wind veered to the north, Mond. 24. and blew fresh, attended with fqualls: at eight it began to thunder and rain, and in about an hour it fell calm, which gave us an opportunity to found, and we had eighty-fix fathoms at between four and five leagues from the shore: foon after this we had a gale from the southward, with which we fteered N. by W. for the northernmost land in fight. At noon, we were about four leagues from the fhore, and by obfervation in latitude 1770. 30° 22' which was nine miles to the southward of our reckoning, longitude 206° 39′ W. Some lands near the fhore, of a confiderable height, bore W. As we advanced to the northward, from Botany Bay, the land gradually increased in height, fo that in this latitude it may be called a hilly country. Between this latitude and the Bay, it exhibits a pleasing variety of ridges, hills, vallies, and plains, all clothed with wood, of the fame appearance with that which has been particularly described: the land near the fhore is in general low and fandy, except the points, which are rocky, and over many of them are high hills, which, at their first rising out of the water, have the appearance of islands. In the afternoon we had some small rocky islands between us and the land, the fouthernmost of which lies in latitude 30° 10′, and the northernmost 29° 58', and fomewhat more than two leagues from the land: about two miles without the northernmost island we had thirty-three fathoms water. Having the advantage of a moon, we fteered along the fhore all night, in the direction of N. and N. by E. keeping at the distance of about three leagues from the land, and having from twenty to twenty-five fathoms water. As foon as it was light, having a fresh gale, we made Tuesday 15.all the fail we could, and at nine o'clock in the morning, being about a league from the fhore, we difcovered smoke in many places, and having recourfe to our glaffes, we faw about twenty of the natives, who had each a large bundle upon his back, which we conjectured to be palm leaves for covering their houses: we continued to obferve them above an hour, during which they walked upon the beach, and up a path that led over a hill of a gentle ascent, behind which we loft fight of them: not one of them was obferved to ftop and look towards us, but they trudged along, to all appearance, without the least emotion either of curiofity or furprize; though it is impoffible they should not have seen the ship by a casual glance as they walked along the fhore, and though the muft, with refpect to every other object they had yet feen, have been little less ftupendous and unaccountable than a floating mountain with all its woods would have been to us. At 1770. May. At noon our latitude, by obfervation, was 28° 39' S. and longitude 206° 27 W. A high point of land, which I named CAPE BYRON, bore N. W. by W. at the distance of three miles. It lies in latitude 28° 37' 30" S. longitude 206° 30' W. and may be known by a remarkable sharp peaked mountain, which lies inland, and bears from it N. W. by W. From this point, the land trends N. 13 W. inland it is high and hilly, but low near the shore; to the fouthward of the point it is alfo low and level. We continued to steer along the fhore with a fresh gale, till fun-fet, when we fuddenly discovered breakers a-head, directly in the fhip's course, and alfo on our larboard bow. At this time we were about five miles from the land, and had twenty fathoms water: we hauled up east till eight, when we had run eight miles, and increased our depth of water to fortyfour fathoms: we then brought to, with the ship's head to the eastward, and lay upon this tack till ten, when having increased our founding to feventy-eight fathoms, we wore, and lay with the fhip's head to the land till five in the morning, when we made fail, and at day-Wed, 16, light were greatly furprized to find ourselves farther to the fouthward, than we had been the evening before, though the wind had been foutherly, and blown fresh all night we now faw the breakers again within us, and paffed them at the diftance of one league. They lie in latitude 28° 8 S. ftretching off eaft two leagues from a point of land, under which is a fmall ifland. Their fituation may always be known by the peaked mountain which has been juft mentioned, and which bears from them S. W. by W. for this reafon I have named it MOUNT WARNING. It lies feven or eight leagues inland, in latitude 28° 22' S. The land about it is high and hilly, but it is of itfelf fufficiently confpicuous to be at once diftinguished from every other object. The point off which these fhoals lie, I have named POINT DANGER. To the northward of this point the land is low, and trends N. W. by N. but it foons turns again more to the northward. At noon we were about two leagues from the land, and by obfervation, in latitude 27° 46' S. which was seventeen miles to the fouthward of the log; our lonVOL. II. X gitude May. 1776. gitude was 206° 26' W. Mount Warning bore S. 26 W. diftant fourteen leagues, and the northernmost land in fight bore N. We purfued our courfe along the fhore, at the distance of about two leagues, in the direction of N. E. till between four and five in the afternoon, when we difcovered breakers on our larboard bow. Our depth of water was thirty-feven fathoms, and at fun-fet the northernmoft land bore N. by W. the breakers N. W. by W. diftant four miles, and the northernmost land fet at noon, which formed a point, and to which I gave the name of POINT LOOK-OUT, W. diftant four miles, in the latitude of 27° 6'. On the north fide of this Point the shore forms wide open bay, which I called MORETON'S BAY, in the bottom of which the land is fo low that I could but just fee it from the top-maft head. The breakers lie between three and four miles from Point Look-out; and at this time we had a great fea from the fouthward, which broke upon them very high. We ftood on N. N. E. till eight o'clock, when having paffed the breakers, and deepened our water to fifty-two fathoms, we brought to till midnight when we made fail again to the N. Ñ. E. Thurf. 17. At four in the morning we had 135 fathoms, and when the day broke, I perceived that during the night I had got much farther northward, and from the fhore, than I expected from the courfe we fteered, for we were diftant at least seven leagues; I therefore hauled in N. W by W. with a fresh gale at S. S. W. The land that was fartheft to the north the night before, now bote S. S. W. diftant about fix leagues, and I gave it the name of CAPE MORETON, it being the north point of Moreton's Bay: its latitude is 26° 56' and its longitude is 206° 28'. From Cape Moreton the land trends away weft, farther than can be seen, for there is a small fpace, where at this time no land is visible, and some on board having alfo obferved that the fea looked paler than ufual, were of opinion that the bottom of Moreton's Bay opened into a river: we had here thirty-four fathoms water, and a fine sandy bottom: this alone would have produced the change that had been obferved in the colour of the water; and it was by no means necessary to fuppofe a river to account for the land at the bottom of the Bay not being visible; for fuppofing the land there |
