_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 some Account of the Country and its Inhabitants_.
Having sailed from Cape Farewell, which lies in latitude 40° 33' S.,
longitude 186° W., on Saturday the 31st of March, 1770, we steered
westward, with a fresh gale at N.N.E., and at noon on the 2d of April,
our latitude, by observation, was 40°, our longitude from Cape Farewell
2° 31' W.
In the morning of the 9th, being in latitude 38° 29' S. we saw a tropic
bird which in so high a latitude is very uncommon.
In the morning of the 10th, being in latitude 38° 51' S., longitude 202°
43' W., we found the 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 a 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 the
14th, it was 11° 30'; this day we also saw some flying fish. On the
15th, we saw an egg bird and a gannet, and as these are birds that never
go far from the land, we continued to sound all night, but had no ground
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.; soon 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 then wore and stood to the N.W. till four in the morning,
when we again stood to the southward, having a fresh gale at W.S.W. with
squalls and dark weather till nine, when the weather became clear, and
there being little wind, we had an opportunity to take several
observations of the sun and moon, the mean result 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 same quarter, which obliged
us to run under our fore-sail and mizen all night, during which we
sounded every two hours, but had no ground with 120 fathom.
In the morning of the 18th, we saw two Port Egmont hens, and a pintado
bird, which are certain signs of approaching land, and indeed by our
reckoning we could not be far from it, for our longitude was now one
degree to the westward of the east side of Van Diemen's land, according
to the longitude laid down by Tasman, 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
squalls and a great swell. At one in the morning we brought-to and
sounded, but had no ground with 130 fathom; at six we saw land extending
from N.E. to W. at the distance of five or six leagues, having eighty
fathom, water with a fine sandy bottom.
We continued standing westward, with the wind at S.S.W. till eight, when
we made all the sail we could, and bore away along the shore N.E. for
the eastermost land in sight, being at this time in latitude 37° 58' S.,
and longitude 210° 39' W. The southermost point of land in sight, which
bore from us W. 1/4 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 first who discovered it. To the southward of this
Point no land was to be seen, 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 Rembrantse, the body of Van Diemen's land ought to have
borne due south; and indeed, from the sudden falling of the sea after
the wind abated, I had reason to think it did; yet as I did not see 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.[69]
[Footnote 69: This part of geography has been a good deal improved since
Cook's time, as will be illustrated in progress. Van Diemen's land,
which was formerly reckoned a part of New Holland, and is marked as such
in the accompanying chart, is separated from it by Bass's Strait, which
is about 30 leagues in breadth,' and contains several groups of islands.
Of these more hereafter.--E.]
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 same name. The variation by an
azimuth, taken this morning, was 3° 7' E.; and what we had now seen of
the land, appeared low and level: The sea-shore was a white sand, but
the country within was green and woody. About one o'clock, we saw three
water spouts at once; two were between us and the shore, and the third
at some distance, upon our larboard quarter: This phenomenon is so well
known, that it is not necessary to give a particular description of it
here.
At six o'clock in the evening, we shortened sail, and brought-to for the
night, having fifty-six fathom water, and a fine sandy bottom. The
northermost land in sight then bore N. by E. 1/2 E., and a small island
lying close to a point on the main bore W. distant two leagues. This
point, which I called _Cape Howe_, may be known by the trending of the
coast, which is north on the one side, and south-west on the other; it
may also be known by some round hills upon the main, just within it.
We brought-to for the night, and at four in the morning made sail along
shore to the northward. At six, the northermost land in sight bore
N.N.W. and we were at this time about four leagues from the shore. At
noon, we were in latitude 36° 51' S. longitude 209° 53' W. and about
three leagues distant from the shore. The weather being clear, gave us a
good view of the country, which has a very pleasing appearance: It is of
a moderate height, diversified by hills and vallies, ridges and plains,
interspersed with a few lawns of no great extent, but in general covered
with wood: The ascent of the hills and ridges is gentle, and the summits
are not high. We continued to sail along the shore to the northward,
with a southerly wind, and in the afternoon we saw a smoke in several
places, by which we knew the country to be inhabited. At six in the
evening, we shortened sail, and sounded: We found forty-four fathom
water, with a clear sandy bottom, and stood on under an easy sail till
twelve, when we brought-to for the night, and had ninety fathom water.
At four in the morning, we made sail again, at the distance of about
five leagues from the land, and at six, we were abreast of a high
mountain, lying near the shore, which, on account of its figure, I
called _Mount Dromedary_: Under this mountain the shore forms a point,
to which I gave the name of _Point Dromedary_, and over it there is a
peaked hillock. At this time, being in latitude 36° 18' S., longitude
209° 55' W. we found the variation to be 10° 42' E.
Between ten and eleven, Mr Green and I took several observations of the
sun and moon, the mean result of which gave 209° 17' longitude W. By an
observation made the day before, our longitude was 210° 9' W., from.
which 20' being subtracted, there remains 209° 49', the longitude of the
ship this day at noon, the mean of which, with this day's observation,
gives 209° 33', by which I fix the longitude of this coast. At noon, our
latitude was 35° 49' S., Cape Dromedary bore S. 30 W., at the distance
of twelve leagues, and an open bay, in which were three or four small
islands, bore N.W. by W. at the distance of five or six leagues. This
bay seemed to afford but little shelter from the sea winds, and yet it
is the only place where there appeared a probability of finding
anchorage upon the whole coast. We continued to steer along the shore N.
by E. and N.N.E. at the distance of about three leagues, and saw smoke
in many places near the beach. At five in the evening, we were abreast
of a point of land which rose in a perpendicular cliff, and which, for
that reason, I called _Point Upright_. Our latitude was 35° 35' S. when
this point bore from us due west, distant about two leagues: In this
situation, we had about thirty-one fathom water with a sandy bottom. At
six in the evening, the wind falling, we hauled off E.N.E. and at this
time the northermost land in sight bore N. by E. 1/2 E. At midnight,
being in seventy fathom water, we brought-to till four in the morning,
when we made sail in for the land; but at day-break, found our situation
nearly the same as it had been at five the evening before, by which it
was apparent that we had been driven about three leagues to the
southward, by a tide or current, during the night. After this we steered
along the shore N.N.E. with a gentle breeze at S.W., and were so near
the land as to distinguish several of the natives upon the beach, who
appeared to be of a black, or very dark colour. At noon, our latitude,
by observation, was 35° 27' S. and longitude 209° 23' W.; Cape Dromedary
bore S. 28 W. distant nineteen leagues, a remarkable peaked hill, which
resembled a square dove-house, with a dome at the top, and which for
that reason I called the _Pigeon House_, bore N. 32° 30' W., and a small
low island, which lay close under the shore, bore N.W. distant about two
or three leagues. When I first discovered this island, in the morning, I
was in hopes from its appearance, that I should have found shelter for
the ship behind it, but when we came near it, it did not promise
security even for the landing of a boat: I should however have attempted
to send a boat on shore, if the wind had not veered to that direction,
with a large hollow sea rolling in upon the land from the S.E. which
indeed had been the case ever since we had been upon it. The coast still
continued to be of a moderate height, forming alternately rocky points
and sandy beaches; but within, between Mount Dromedary and the Pigeon
House, we saw high mountains, which, except two, are covered with wood:
These two lie inland behind the Pigeon House, and are remarkably flat at
the top, with steep rocky cliffs all round them as far as we could see.
The trees, which almost every where clothe this country, appear to be
large and lofty. This day the variation was found to be 9° 50' E., and
for the two last days, the latitude, by observation, was twelve or
fourteen miles to the southward of the ship's account, which could have
been the effect of nothing but a current setting in that direction.
About four in the afternoon, being near five leagues from the land, we
tacked and stood off S.E. and E., and the wind having veered in the
night, from E. to N.E. and N., we tacked about four in the morning, and
stood in, being then about nine or ten leagues from the shore. At eight,
the wind began to die away, and soon after it was calm. At noon, our
latitude, by observation, was 35° 38', and our distance from the land
about six leagues. Cape Dromedary bore S. 37 W. distant seventeen
leagues, and the Pigeon House N. 40 W.: In this situation we had 74
fathom water. In the afternoon, we had variable light airs and calms,
till six in the evening, when a breeze sprung up at N. by W.: At this
time, being about four or five leagues from the shore, we had seventy
fathom water. The Pigeon House bore N. 45 W. Mount Dromedary S. 30 W.
and the northermost land in sight N. 19 E.
We stood to the north-east till noon the next day, with a gentle breeze
at N.W., and then we tacked and stood westward. At this time, our
latitude, by observation, was 35° 10' S., and longitude 208° 51' W. A
point of land which I had discovered on St George's day, and which
therefore I called _Cape George_, bore W. distant nineteen miles, and
the Pigeon House (the latitude and longitude of which I found to be 35°
19' S. and 209° 42' W.) S. 75 W. In the morning, we had found the
variation, by amplitude, to be 7° 50' E. and by several azimuths 7° 54'
E. We had a fresh breeze at N.W. from noon till three; it then came to
the west, when we tacked and stood to the northward. At five in the
evening, being about five or six leagues from the shore, with the Pigeon
House bearing W.S.W. distant about nine leagues, we had eighty-six
fathom water; and at eight, having thunder and lightning, with heavy
squalls, we brought-to in 120 fathom.
At three in the morning, we made sail again to the northward, having the
advantage of a fresh gale at S.W. At noon, we were about three or four
leagues from the shore, and in latitude 34° 22' S., longitude 208° 36'
W. In the course of this day's run from the preceding noon, which was
forty-five miles north-east, we saw smoke in several places near the
beach. About two leagues to the northward of Cape George, the shore
seemed to form a bay, which promised shelter from the north-east winds,
but as the wind was with us, it was not in my power to look into it
without beating up, which would have cost me more time than I was
willing to spare. The north point of this bay, on account of its figure,
I named _Long Nose_; its latitude is 35° 6', and about eight leagues
north of it there lies a point, which, from the colour of the land about
it, I called _Red Point_: Its latitude is 34° 29', and longitude 208°
45' W. To the north-west of Red Point, and a little way inland, stands a
round hill, the top of which looks like the crown of a hat. In the
afternoon of this day, we had a light breeze at N.N.W. till five in the
evening, when it fell calm: At this time, we were between three and four
leagues from the shore, and had forty-eight fathom water: The variation
by azimuth was 8° 48' E. and the extremities of this land were from N.E.
by N. to S.W. by S. Before it was dark, we saw smoke in several places
along the shore, and a fire two or three times afterwards. During the
night we lay becalmed, driving in before the sea till one in the
morning, when we got a breeze from the land, with which we steered N.E.
being then in thirty-eight fathom. At noon, it veered to N.E. by N. and
we were then in latitude 34° 10' S., longitude 208° 27' W.: The land was
distant about five leagues, and extended from S. 37 W. to N. 1/2 E. In
this latitude, there are some white cliffs, which rise perpendicularly
from the sea to a considerable height. We stood off the shore till two
o'clock, and then tacked and stood in till six, when we were within four
or five miles of it, and at that distance had fifty fathom water. The
extremities of the land bore from S. 28 W. to N. 25° 30' E. We now
tacked and stood off till twelve, then tacked and stood in again till
four in the morning, when we made a trip off till day-light; and during
all this time we lost ground, owing to the variableness of the winds. We
continued at the distance of between four and five miles from the shore,
till the afternoon, when we came within two miles, and I then hoisted
out the pinnace and yawl to attempt a landing, but the pinnace proved to
be so leaky that I was obliged to hoist her in again. At this time we
saw several of the natives walking briskly along the shore, four of whom
carried a small canoe upon their shoulders: We flattered ourselves that
they were going to put her into the water, and come off to the ship, but
finding ourselves disappointed, I determined to go on shore in the yawl,
with as many as it would carry: I embarked, therefore, with only Mr
Banks, Dr Solander, Tupia, and four rowers: We pulled for that part of
the shore where the Indians appeared, near which four small canoes were
lying at the water's edge. The Indians sat down upon the rocks, and
seemed to wait for our landing; but to our great regret, when we came
within about a quarter of a mile, they ran away into the woods: We
determined however to go ashore, and endeavour to procure an interview,
but in this we were again disappointed, for we found so great a surf
beating upon every part of the beach, that landing with our little boat
was altogether impracticable: We were therefore obliged to be content
with gazing at such objects as presented themselves from the water: The
canoes, upon a near view, seemed very much to resemble those of the
smaller sort at New Zealand. We observed, that among the trees on shore,
which were not very large, there was no underwood; and could distinguish
that many of them were of the palm kind, and some of them cabbage trees:
After many a wishful look we were obliged to return, with our curiosity
rather excited than satisfied, and about five in the evening got on
board the ship. About this time it fell calm, and our situation was by
no means agreeable: We were now not more than a mile and a half from the
shore, and within some breakers, which lay to the southward; but happily
a light breeze came off the land, and carried us out of danger. With
this breeze we stood to the northward, and at day-break we discovered a
bay, which seemed to be well sheltered from all winds, and into which
therefore I determined to go with the ship. The pinnace being repaired,
I sent her, with the master, to sound the entrance, while I kept turning
up, having the wind right out. At noon, the mouth of the bay bore N.N.W.
distant about a mile, and seeing a smoke on the shore, we directed our
glasses to the spot, and soon discovered ten people, who, upon our
nearer approach, left their fire, and retired to a little eminence,
whence they could conveniently observe our motions. Soon after two
canoes, each having two men on board, came to the shore just under the
eminence, and the men joined the rest on the top of it. The pinnace,
which had been sent ahead to sound, now approached the place, upon which
all the Indians retired farther up the hill, except one, who hid himself
among some rocks near the landing-place. As the pinnace proceeded along
the shore, most of the people took the same route, and kept abreast of
her at a distance; when she came back, the master told us, that in a
cove a little within the harbour, some of them had come down to the
beach, and invited him to land by many signs and words of which he knew
not the meaning; but that all of them were armed with long pikes, and a
wooden weapon shaped somewhat like a cymitar. The Indians who had not
followed the boat, seeing the ship approach, used many threatening
gestures; and brandished their weapons; particularly two, who made a
very singular appearance, for their faces seemed to have been dusted
with a white powder, and their bodies painted with broad streaks of the
same colour, which, passing obliquely over their breasts and backs,
looked not unlike the cross-belts worn by our soldiers; the same kind of
streaks were also drawn round their legs and thighs like broad garters:
Each of these men held in his hand the weapon that had been described to
us as like a cymitar, which appeared to be about two feet and a half
long, and they seemed to talk to each other with great earnestness.
We continued to stand into the bay, and early in the afternoon anchored
under the south shore, about two miles within the entrance, in six
fathom water, the south point bearing S.E. and the north point east. As
we came in we saw, on both points of the bay, a few huts, and several of
the natives, men, women, and children. Under the south head we saw four
small canoes, with each one man on board, who were very busily employed
in striking fish with a long pike or spear: They ventured almost into
the surf, and were so intent upon what they were doing, that although
the ship passed within a quarter of a mile of them, they scarcely turned
their eyes toward her; possibly being deafened by the surf, and their
attention wholly fixed upon their business or sport, they neither saw
nor heard her go past them.
The place where the ship had anchored was abreast of a small village,
consisting of about six or eight houses; and while we were preparing to
hoist out the boat, we saw an old woman, followed by three children,
come out of the wood; she was loaded with fire-wood, and each of the
children had also its little burden: When she came to the houses, three
more children, younger than the others, came out to meet her: She often
looked at the ship, but expressed neither fear nor surprise: In a short
time she kindled a fire, and the four canoes came in from fishing. The
men landed, and having hauled up their boats, began to dress their
dinner, to all appearance wholly unconcerned about us, though we were
within half a mile of them. We thought it remarkable that of all the
people we had yet seen, not one had the least appearance of clothing,
the old woman herself being destitute even of a fig-leaf.
After dinner the boats were manned, and we set out from the ship, having
Tupia of our party. We intended to land where we saw the people, and
began to hope that as they had so little regarded the ship's coming into
the bay, they would as little regard our coming on shore: In this,
however, we were disappointed; for as soon as we approached the rocks,
two of the men came down upon them to dispute our landing, and the rest
ran away. Each of the two champions was armed with a lance about ten
feet long, and a short stick, which he seemed to handle as if it was a
machine to assist him in managing or throwing the lance: They called to
us in a very loud tone, and in a harsh dissonant language, of which
neither we nor Tupia understood a single word: They brandished their
weapons, and seemed resolved to defend their coast to the uttermost,
though they were but two, and we were forty. I could not but admire
their courage, and being very unwilling that hostilities should commence
with such inequality of force between us, I ordered the boat to lie upon
her oars: We then parlied by signs for about a quarter of an hour, and
to bespeak their good-will, I threw them nails, beads, and other
trifles, which they took up and seemed to be well pleased with. I then
made signs that I wanted water, and, by all the means that I could
devise, endeavoured to convince them that we would do them no harm: They
now waved to us, and I was willing to interpret it as an invitation; but
upon our putting the boat in, they came again to oppose us. One appeared
to be a youth about nineteen or twenty, and the other a man of middle
age: As I had now no other resource, I fired a musquet between them.
Upon the report, the youngest dropped a bundle of lances upon the rock,
but recollecting himself in an instant he snatched them up again with
great haste: A stone was then thrown at us, upon which I ordered a
musquet to be fired with small shot, which struck the eldest upon the
legs, and he immediately ran to one of the houses, which was distant
about an hundred yards: I now hoped that our contest was over, and we
immediately landed; but we had scarcely left the boat when he returned,
and we then perceived that he had left the rock only to fetch a shield
or target for his defence. As soon as he came up, he threw a lance at
us, and his comrade another; they fell where we stood thickest, but
happily hurt nobody. A third musquet with small shot was then fired at
them, upon which one of them threw another lance, and both immediately
ran away: If we had pursued, we might probably have taken one of them;
but Mr Banks suggesting that the lances might be poisoned, I thought it
not prudent to venture into the woods. We repaired immediately to the
huts, in one of which we found the children, who had hidden themselves
behind a shield and some bark; we peeped at them, but left them in their
retreat, without their knowing that they had been discovered, and we
threw into the house when we went away some beads, ribbons, pieces of
cloth, and other presents, which we hoped would procure us the good-will
of the inhabitants when they should return; but the lances which we
found lying about, we took away with us, to the number of about
fifty:[70] They were from six to fifteen feet long, and all of them had
four prongs in the manner of a fish-gig, each of which was pointed with
fish-bone, and very sharp: We observed that they were smeared with a
viscous substance of a green colour, which favoured the opinion of their
being poisoned, though we afterwards discovered that it was a mistake:
They appeared, by the sea-weed that we found sticking to them, to have
been used in striking fish. Upon examining the canoes that lay upon the
beach, we found them to be the worst we had ever seen: They were between
twelve and fourteen feet long, and made of the bark of a tree in one
piece, which was drawn together and tied up at each end, the middle
being kept open by sticks which were placed across them from gunwale to
gunwale as thwarts. We then searched for fresh water, but found none,
except in a small hole which had been dug in the sand.
[Footnote 70: This action is not altogether to be commended--perhaps
indeed, it is scarcely justifiable, but on the same principle that would
warrant these or other savages making off with the muskets or any thing
else belonging to the ship's company. These lances were most valuable
property to their original possessors; and it is doubtful if the plea
which might be set up for the abstraction of them, viz. that they would
be used against our people, can be sustained, seeing the savages had
fled; and more especially as, supposing, them to have so purposed, they
could with readiness be checked by a display of superior means of
annoyance. Is it conceivable, that the unworthy desire to possess these
lances as curiosities, could actuate the persons concerned to such a
piece of pilfering? We have repeatedly seen that our people had not been
scrupulous in allegiance to the commandment--thou shalt not covet,
&c.--E.]
Having re-embarked in our boat, we deposited our lances on board the
ship, and then went over to the north point of the bay, where we had
seen several of the inhabitants when we were entering it, but which we
now found totally deserted. Here however we found fresh water, which
trickled down from the top of the rocks, and stood in pools among the
hollows at the bottom; but it was situated so as not to be procured for
our use without difficulty.
In the morning, therefore, I sent a party of men to that part of the
shore where we first landed, with orders to dig holes in the sand where
the water might gather; but going ashore myself with the gentlemen soon
afterwards, we found, upon a more diligent search, a small stream, more
than sufficient for our purpose.
Upon visiting the hut where we had seen the children, we were greatly
mortified to find that the beads and ribbons which we had left there the
night before, had not been moved from their places, and that not an
Indian was to be seen.[71]
[Footnote 71: Beads and ribbons, and all other niceties in ornament,
could be of little or no value in the estimation of those, who with
difficulty could procure the necessaries of life. The love of such
trifles does not seem to be excited, till the physical wants are so far
supplied, as to leave the mind free to the discursive recreations of
fancy. Their excellence or superiority in attire becomes distinctive of
affluence and ease, and of course procures respect, which, by a
principle inherent in human nature, all persons seek to obtain.--E.]
Having sent some empty water-casks on shore, and left a party of men to
cut wood, I went myself in the pinnace to sound, and examine the bay;
during my excursion I saw several of the natives, but they all fled at
my approach. In one of the places where I landed, I found several small
fires, and fresh mussels broiling upon them; here also I found some of
the largest oyster-shells I had ever seen.
As soon as the wooders and waterers came on board to dinner, ten or
twelve of the natives came down to the place, and looked with great
attention and curiosity at the casks, but did not touch them: They took
away however the canoes which lay near the landing-place, and again
disappeared. In the afternoon, when our people were again ashore,
sixteen or eighteen Indians, all armed, came boldly within about an
hundred yards of them, and then stopped: Two of them advanced somewhat
nearer; and Mr Hicks, who commanded the party on shore, with another,
advanced to meet them, holding out presents to them as he approached,
and expressing kindness and amity by every sign he could think of, but
all without effect; for before he could get up with them they retired,
and it would have answered no purpose to pursue. In the evening, I went
with Mr Banks and Dr Solander to a sandy cove on the north side of the
bay, where, in three or four hauls with the seine, we took above three
hundred-weight of fish, which was equally divided among the ship's
company.
The next morning, before day-break, the Indians came down to the houses
that were abreast of the ship, and were heard frequently to shout very
loud. As soon as it was light, they were seen walking along the beach;
and soon after they retired to the woods, where, at the distance of
about a mile from the shore, they kindled several fires.
Our people went ashore as usual, and with them Mr Banks and Dr Solander;
who, in search of plants, repaired to the woods. Our men, who were
employed in cutting grass, being the farthest removed from the main body
of the people, a company of fourteen or fifteen Indians advanced towards
them, having sticks in their hands, which, according to the report of
the serjeant of the marines, shone like a musquet. The grass-cutters,
upon seeing them approach, drew together, and repaired to the main body.
The Indians, being encouraged by this appearance of a flight, pursued
them; they stopped however when they were within about a furlong of
them, and after shouting several times went back into the woods. In the
evening they came again in the same manner, stopped at the same
distance, shouted and retired. I followed them myself, alone and
unarmed, for a considerable way along the shore, but I could not prevail
upon them to stop.
This day Mr Green took the sun's meridian altitude a little within the
south entrance of the bay, which gave the latitude 34° S., the variation
of the needle was 11° 3' E.
Early the next morning, the body of Forby Sutherland, one of our seamen,
who died the evening before, was buried near the watering-place; and
from this incident I called the south point of this bay _Sutherland
Point_. This day we resolved to make an excursion into the country. Mr
Banks, Dr Solander, myself, and seven others, properly accoutred for the
expedition, set out, and repaired first to the huts, near the
watering-place, whither some of the natives continued every day to
resort; and though the little presents which we had left there before
had not yet been taken away, we left others of somewhat more value,
consisting of cloth, looking-glasses, combs, and beads, and then went up
into the country. We found the soil to be either swamp or light sand,
and the face of the country finely diversified by wood and lawn. The
trees are tall, straight, and without underwood, standing at such a
distance from each other, that the whole country, at least where the
swamps do not render it incapable of cultivation, might be cultivated
without cutting down one of them: Between the trees the ground is
covered with grass, of which there is great abundance, growing in tufts
about as big as can well be grasped in the hand, which stand very close
to each other. We saw many houses of the inhabitants, and places where
they had slept upon the grass without any shelter; but we saw only one
of the people, who the moment he discovered us ran away. At all these
places we left presents, hoping that at length they might produce
confidence and good-will. We had a transient and imperfect view of a
quadruped about as big as a rabbit: Mr Banks's grey-hound, which was
with us, got sight of it, and would probably have caught it, but the
moment he set off he lamed himself, against a stump which lay concealed
in the long grass. We afterwards saw the dung of an animal which fed
upon grass, and which we judged could not be less than a deer; and the
footsteps of another, which was clawed like a dog, and seemed to be
about as big as a wolf; we also tracked a small animal, whose foot
resembled that of a polecat or weasel. The trees over our head abounded
with birds of various kinds, among which were many of exquisite beauty,
particularly loriquets and cockatoos, which flew in flocks of several
scores together. We found some wood which had been felled by the natives
with a blunt instrument, and some that had been barked. The trees were
not of many species; among others there was a large one which yielded a
gum not unlike the _Sanguis draconis_; and in some of them steps that
had been cut at about three feet distance from each other, for the
convenience of climbing them.
From this excursion we returned between three and four o'clock, and
having dined on board, we went ashore again at the watering-place, where
a party of men were filling casks. Mr Gore, the second lieutenant, had
been sent out in the morning with a boat to dredge for oysters at the
head of the bay; when he had performed this service, he went ashore, and
having taken a midshipman with him, and sent the boat away, set out to
join the waterers by land. In his way he fell in with a body of
two-and-twenty Indians, who followed him, and were often not more than
twenty yards distant; when Mr Gore perceived them so near, he stopped,
and faced about, upon which they stopped also; and when he went on
again, continued their pursuit: They did not however attack him, though
they were all armed with lances, and he and the midshipman got in safety
to the watering-place. The Indians, who had slackened their pursuit when
they came in sight of the main body of our people, halted at about the
distance of a quarter of a mile, where they stood still. Mr Monkhouse
and two or three of the waterers took it into their head to march up to
them; but seeing the Indians keep their ground till they came pretty
near them, they were seized with a sudden fear very common to the rash
and fool-hardy, and made a hasty retreat: This step, which insured the
danger that it was taken to avoid, encouraged the Indians, and four of
them running forward discharged their lances at the fugitives, with such
force, that flying no less than forty yards, they went beyond them. As
the Indians did not pursue, our people, recovering their spirits,
stopped to collect the lances when they came up to the place where they
lay; upon which the Indians, in their turn, began to retire. Just at
this time I came up, with Mr Banks, Dr Solander, and Tupia; and being
desirous to convince the Indians that we were neither afraid of them,
nor intended them any mischief, we advanced towards them, making signs
of expostulation and entreaty, but they could not be persuaded to wait
till we could come up. Mr Gore told us, that he had seen some of them up
the bay, who had invited him by signs to come on shore, which he,
certainly with great prudence, declined.
The morning of the next day was so rainy, that we were all glad to stay
on board. In the afternoon, however, it cleared up, and we made another
excursion along the sea-coast to the southward: We went ashore, and Mr
Banks and Dr Solander gathered many plants; but besides these we saw
nothing worthy of notice. At our first entering the woods, we met with
three of the natives, who instantly ran away: More of them were seen by
some of the people, but they all disappeared, with great precipitation,
as soon as they found that they were discovered. By the boldness of
these people at our first landing, and the terror that seized them at
the sight of us afterwards, it appears that they were sufficiently
intimidated by our fire-arms: Not that we had any reason to think the
people much hurt by the small-shot which we were obliged to fire at
them, when they attacked us at our coming out of the boat; but they had
probably seen the effects of them, from their lurking-places, upon the
birds that we had shot. Tupia, who was now become a good marksman,
frequently strayed from us to shoot parrots; and he had told us, that
while he was thus employed, he had once met with nine Indians, who, as
soon as they perceived he saw them, ran from him, in great confusion and
terror.
The next day, twelve canoes, in each of which was a single Indian, came
towards the watering-place, and were within half a mile of it a
considerable time: They were employed in striking fish, upon which, like
others that we had seen before, they were so intent, that they seemed to
regard nothing else. It happened, however, that a party of our people
were out a-shooting near the place, and one of the men, whose curiosity
might at length perhaps be roused by the report of the fowling-pieces,
was observed by Mr Banks to haul up his canoe upon the beach, and go
towards the shooting party: In something more than a quarter of an hour
he returned, launched his canoe, and went off in her to his companions.
This incident makes it probable that the natives acquired a knowledge of
the destructive power of our fire-arms, when we knew nothing of the
matter; for this man was not seen by any of the party whose operations
he had reconnoitred.
While Mr Banks was gathering plants near the watering-place, I went with
Dr Solander and Mr Monkhouse to the head of the bay, that I might
examine that part of the country, and make farther attempts to form some
connection with the natives. In our way we met with eleven or twelve
small canoes, with each a man in it, probably the same that were
afterwards abreast of the shore, who all made into shoal water upon our
approach. We met other Indians on shore the first time we landed, who
instantly took to their canoes, and paddled away. We went up the country
to some distance, and found the face of it nearly the same with that
which has been described already, but the soil was much richer; for
instead of sand, I found a deep black mould, which I thought very fit
for the production of grain of any kind. In the woods we found a tree
which bore fruit that in colour and shape resembled a cherry; the juice
had an agreeable tartness, though but little flavour. We found also
interspersed some of the finest meadows in the world: Some places,
however, were rocky, but these were comparatively few: The stone is
sandy, and might be used with advantage for building. When we returned
to the boat, we saw some smoke upon another part of the coast, and went
thither in hopes of meeting with the people, but at our approach, these
also ran away. We found six small canoes, and six fires very near the
beach, with some mussels roasting upon them, and a few oysters lying
near: By this we judged that there had been one man in each canoe, who,
having picked up some shell-fish, had come ashore to eat it, and made
his separate fire for that purpose: We tasted of their cheer, and left
them in return some strings of beads, and other things which we thought
would please them. At the foot of a tree in this place we found a small
well of fresh water, supplied by a spring; and the day being now far
spent, we returned to the ship. In the evening, Mr Banks made a little
excursion with his gun, and found such a number of quails, resembling
those in England, that he might have shot as many as he pleased; but his
object was variety and not number.
The next morning, as the wind would not permit me to sail, I sent out
several parties into the country to try again whether some intercourse
could not be established with the natives. A midshipman who belonged to
one of these parties having straggled a long way from his companions,
met with a very old man and woman, and some little children; they were
sitting under a tree by the water-side, and neither party saw the other
till they were close together: The Indians showed signs of fear, but did
not attempt to run away. The man happened to have nothing to give them
but a parrot that he had shot; this he offered, but they refused to
accept it, withdrawing themselves from his hand, either through fear or
aversion. His stay with them was but short, for he saw several canoes
near the beach fishing, and being alone, he feared they might come
ashore and attack him: He said, that these people were very
dark-coloured, but not black; that the man and woman appeared to be very
old, being both grey-headed; that the hair of the man's head was bushy,
and his beard long and rough; that the woman's hair was cropped short,
and both of them were stark naked. Mr Monkhouse the surgeon, and one of
the men, who were with another party near the watering-place, also
strayed from their companions, and as they were coming out of a thicket,
observed six Indians standing together, at the distance of about fifty
yards. One of them pronounced a word very loud, which was supposed to be
a signal, for a lance was immediately thrown at him out of the wood,
which very narrowly missed him. When the Indians saw that the weapon had
not taken effect, they ran away with the greatest precipitation; but on
turning about towards the place whence the lance had been thrown, he saw
a young Indian, whom he judged to be about nineteen or twenty years old,
come down from a tree, and he also ran away with such speed as made it
hopeless to follow him. Mr Monkhouse was of opinion that he had been
watched by these Indians in his passage through the thicket, and that
the youth had been stationed in the tree, to discharge the lance at him,
upon a signal as he should come by; but however this be, there could be
no doubt that he was the person who threw the lance.
In the afternoon I went myself with a party over to the north shore, and
while some of our people were hauling the seine, we made an excursion a
few miles into the country, proceeding afterwards in the direction of
the coast. We found this place without wood, and somewhat resembling our
moors in England; the surface of the ground, however, was covered with a
thin brush of plants, about as high as the knees: The hills near the
coast are low, but others rise behind them, increasing by a gradual
ascent to a considerable distance, with marshes and morasses between.
When we returned to the boat, we found that our people had caught with
the seine a great number of small fish, which are well known in the
West-Indies, and which our sailors call leather-jackets, because their
skin is remarkably thick. I had sent the second lieutenant out in the
yawl a-striking, and when we got back to the ship, we found that he also
had been very successful. He had observed that the large sting-rays, of
which there is great plenty in the bay, followed the flowing tide into
very shallow water; he therefore took the opportunity of flood, and
struck several in not more than two or three feet water: One of them
weighed no less than two hundred and forty pounds after his entrails
were taken out.
The next morning, as the wind still continued northerly, I sent out the
yawl again, and the people struck one still larger, for when his
entrails were taken out he weighed three hundred and thirty-six pounds.
The great quantity of plants which Mr Banks and Dr Solander collected in
this place induced me to give it the name of _Botany Bay_.[72] It is
situated in the latitude of 34° S., longitude 208° 37' W. It is
capacious, safe, and convenient, and maybe known by the land on the
sea-coast, which is nearly level, and of a moderate height; in general
higher than it is farther inland, with steep rocky cliffs next the sea,
which have the appearance of a long island lying close under the shore.
The harbour lies about the middle of this land, and in approaching it
from the southward, is discovered before the ship comes abreast of it;
but from, the northward it is not discovered so soon: The entrance is a
little more than a quarter of a mile broad, and lies in W.N.W. To sail
into it the southern shore should be kept on board, till the ship is
within a small bare island, which lies close under the north shore;
within this island the deepest water on that side is seven fathom,
shallowing to five a good way up. At a considerable distance from the
south shore there is a shoal, reaching from the innersouth point quite
to the head of the harbour; But over towards the north and north-west
shore there is a channel of twelve or fourteen feet at low water, for
three or four leagues, up to a place where there is three or four
fathom, but here I found very little fresh water. We anchored near the
south shore, about a mile within the entrance, for the convenience of
sailing with a southerly wind, and because I thought it the best
situation for watering; but I afterwards found a very fine stream on the
north shore, in the first sandy cove within the island, before which a
ship might lie almost land-locked, and procure wood as well as water in
great abundance. Wood indeed is every where plenty, but I saw only two
kinds which may be considered as timber. These trees are as large, or
larger than the English oak, and one of them has not a very different
appearance: This is the same that yields the reddish gum like _sanguis
draconis_, and the wood is heavy, hard, and dark-coloured, like _lignum
vitae_; the other grows tall and straight, something like the pine; and
the wood of this, which has some resemblance to the live oak of America,
is also hard and heavy. There are a few shrubs, and several kinds of the
palm; mangroves also grow in great plenty near the head of the bay. The
country in general is level, low, and woody, as far as we could see. The
woods, as I have before observed, abound with birds of exquisite beauty,
particularly of the parrot kind; we found also crows here, exactly the
same with those in England. About the head of the harbour, where there
are large flats of sand and mud, there is great plenty of water-fowl,
most of which were altogether unknown to us: One of the most remarkable
was black and white, much larger than a swan, and in shape somewhat
resembling a pelican. On these banks of sand and mud there are great
quantities of oysters, mussels, cockles, and other shell-fish, which
seem to be the principal subsistence of the inhabitants, who go into
shoal water with their little canoes, and pick them out with their
hands. We did not observe that they eat any of them raw, nor do they
always go on shore to dress them, for they have frequently fires in
their canoes for that purpose. They do not however subsist wholly upon
this food, for they catch a variety of other fish, some of which they
strike with gigs, and some they take with hook and line. All the
inhabitants that we saw were stark naked: They did not appear to be
numerous, nor to live in societies, but like other animals were
scattered about along the coast, and in the woods. Of their manner of
life, however, we could know but little, as we were never able to form
the least connection with them: After the first contest at our landing,
they would never come near enough to parley; nor did they touch a single
article of all that we had left at their huts, and the places they
frequented, on purpose for them to take away.
[Footnote 72: The reader will be plentifully supplied with information
respecting this noted place, and the settlement of British convicts made
at Port Jackson, in another part of this work. It would be very
injudicious to break down the matter intended to be given there, for
the purpose of ekeing out the limited remarks here made. This intimation
may be equally applied to the whole subject of New Holland: about which
the reader may promise himself very ample satisfaction in the course of
this collection. Let this then be accepted as a pledge in apology for
the paucity of observations on the text.--E.]
During my stay in this harbour, I caused the English colours to be
displayed on shore every day, and the ship's name, and the date of the
year, to be inscribed upon one of the trees near the watering-place.
It is high water here at the full and change of the moon about eight
o'clock, and the tide rises and falls perpendicularly between four and
five feet.