Saturday 13^th At 3 oClock in the PM Anchor'd in the Downs, & soon after I landed in order to repair to London —

National Library of Australia Ms 1 concludes with the following: ]

Postscript

I have _^^made mention in pages ^Book 1. page [     ] of Two Spanish Ships touching at Georges Island some Months before our arrival there. Upon our arrival at Batavia we were inform'd that two French Ships commanded by the Sieur de Bougainville had put in there about two years before us in their way home from the South Sea: We were told many circumstances relateing to these two Ships all tending to prove behond a doubt that they were the same two as were at Georges Island as above mentioned, which we than conjector'd to be Spaniards being lead into that mistake by the Spanish Iron &C^a we saw a mong the Natives and by Toobouratomta pitching upon the Colours of that nation for those they wore in which he might very easly be mistaken   but as to the Iron &C^a there might be no mistake for _^^we were told that either one or both of these _^^Ships had put into the River de la Plata, where they disposed of all their European goods, brought for that purpose, and purchased others to trade with the Islanders in the South sea, and I think we were told that they also touched upon the Spanish Main in the South Sea, as a proof of their having been tradeing with the Spaniards Bougainvilles Ship had on board a great quantity of Spanish Dollars at the time she arrived at and left Batavia     Some days after our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, I was told by some French officers lately come from the Island Maritius that Oretti the Native of Georges Island which Bougainville brought away with him was now at the Maritius and that they were going to fit out a Ship to carry him to his Native Country where they intend to make a Settlement, a Hundred Troops for that purpose were to go out in the same Ship: this account is confirmed by a French Gentlemen we have on board who has very lately been at the Maritius. As I have no reason to doubt the truth of this account, it leads me to consid[er] the rout that this Ship must take, which I tha_^ⁿk can be no other tha_^ⁿt that of Tasmans as far as the coast of New Holland Zeland, and if she fall in with that Coast to the Southward of Cape Fare-well will very probably, put into Admiralty Bay or Queen Charlottes Sound  as Tasmans Track will in some measure point out to her one or the other of these places. I think it is not likely she will venture through the strait, even suppose she discovers it, but will follow Tasma[n]s Track to the North Cape where no doubt she will leave him and follow the direction _^^{of the Coast} to the SE South Eastwr^d as it will not be out of her way, by which means she will fall in with the Most Fertile part of that Country and as they cannot know any thing of the Endeavours Voyage they will not hesitate a moment to declare themselves the first discoverer    Indeed I can not see how they can think other wise unless the natives inform them to the contrary which they may not choose to understand. The French Officer before spoke of would not allow that Georges Island was _^^first discover'd by the Dolphin tho no doubt Bougainville did   but it was not for the Intrest of his Country nor perhaps his own, to own it, thus this Island _^^{tho of little Value} may prove a bone of Contention between the two nations, especially if the french make a Settlement upon it, and the Dolphins Voyage and this of ours not published by Authority to fix the prior right of discovery behond dispute —

Now I am upon the subject of discoveries I hope it will not be taken a Miss if I give it as my opinion that the most feasable Method of making fu[r]ther discoveries in the South Sea is to enter it by the way of New Zeland, first touching and refreshing at the Cape of Good Hope from thence proceed to the Southward of New Holland for Queen Charlottes Sound where again refresh Wood and Water, takeing care to be ready to leave that place by the latter end of September or beginning of October at farthest when you would have the whole summer before you and after geting through the Straight might, with the prevailing Westerly winds, run to the Eastward in as high a Latitude as you please and, if you met with no lands, would have time enough to get round Cape Horne before the summer was too far spent, but if after meeting with no Continent & you had other Objects in View, than haul to the northward and after visiting some of these _^^the Islands already discover'd after which proceed _^^{with the trade wind} back to the Westward in search of those before Mintioned ‡ thus the discoveries in the South Sea would be compleat

Voyaging Accounts