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5 December 1769
Endeavour Voyage Maps
James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia
Joseph Banks's Journal
Sydney Parkinson's Journal
The authorised published account of Cook's Voyage by John Hawkesworth
1769
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Tuesday 5th PM had the winds at SW and WSW a fresh breeze. At 3 oClock we returnd on board and after dinner viseted a nother part of the Bay, but met with nothing new: by the evening all our empty Casks were fill'd with water and had at the same time got on board a large quantity of Sellery which is found here in great plenty. this I still continue to be boild every morning with Oatmeal and Portable Soup for the ships companies breakfast - At 4 AM weigh'd with a light breeze at SE, but had Variable light airs and sometimes calm untill near noon when a gentle breeze sprung up at North - at this time we had not got out of the Bay. our Latitude by observation was 35°..9' St This Bay I have before observed, lies on the West side of Cape Brett. I have named it the Bay of Islands on account of the great number which line its shores and these help to ^form several safe and Commodious harbours where in is room and depth of water sufficient for any number of Shipping. the one we lay in is on the SW side of the South westermost Island that lies on the SE side of the Bay. I have made no accurate survey of this Bay the time it would have required to have done this discouraged me from attempting of it besides I thought it quite sufficient to be able to affirm with certainty that it affords good anchorage, and every kind of refreshments for Shipping; but as this was not the season for roots, we got only fish some few we caught our selves with hook and line and in the Saine but by far
The Inhabitants of this Bay are far more numerous than ^at any other place we have yet been in and seem to live in friendship one with a nother altho it doth not att all appear that they are united under one head. they inhabited both the Islands and the main and have a number of Heppa's or strong holds, and these are all built upon such place as nature hath in a great part fortified and what she hath left undone the people themselves have finished —
It is high-water in this Bay at full and Change of the Moon about 8 oClock and the tide at these times rises and falls upon a perpendicular, 6 or 8 feet. It appears from the few observations I have been able to make of the tides on the Sea Coast, that the flood comes from the southward; and I have lately had reasons to think that there is a Current which comes from the westward and sets along shore to the SE ^or SSE as the Land lays
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Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Transcription by Paul Turnbull of National Library of Australia, Manuscript 1 page 160, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/cook/17691205.html