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18 May 1770
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18 May 1770

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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

1770
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 		18 May 1770

Friday 18th In steering along shore at the distance of two leagues off our soundings was from 24 to 32 fathom a sandy bottom. At 6 oClock PM the northern point of land set bore N1/4 West distant 4 Leagues. At 10 oClock it bore NWBW1/2W and as we could had seen no land to the northward of it we brought too not knowing which way to steer, having at this time but little wind and continued so for the most part of the night - At 2 AM we made sail with the wind at SW and at day light saw the land extending as far as N3/4E - the point set last night bore SWBW distant 3 or 4 Leagues, I have named it Fiddle Head ^Double Island Point on account ^from its figure / Latde 25°..58' So Longde 206°..48' West / the land about within this cape ^Head Point is of a moderate Point and pretty equal height but that but the Cape Head ^Point it self is of such an unequal height that it looks like two small Islands laying under the land it likewise may be known by known by the white clifts on the north side of it, here the land trends to the NW and forms alarge opin bay in the bottom of which the land appear'd to be very low in so much that we could but just see it from the deck - in crosing the mouth of this Bay our depth of water was from 30 to 22 fathom a white sandy bottom —

At Noon we were about 3 Leagues from the land and in the Latitude of 25°..34' So Longde 206°..45 West. Double Isld Point bore So3/4W and the northermost land in sight N3/4E. The land here abouts which is of a moderate height appears more barren than any we have yet seen on this coast and the soil more sandy there being several large places where nothing else is to be seen   in other places the wood looks to be low and shrubby, nor did we see many signs of inhabitants

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© Transcription by Paul Turnbull of National Library of Australia, Manuscript 1 page 238, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/cook/17700518.html