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New Zealand (continued)

for what may lay to the Southward of that Latitude I know not. Certain it is that we saw no visible signs of land, according to my opinion, neither in our rout to the Northward, Southward or Westward untill a few days before we made the east ^Coast of New-Zeland    It is true we have often seen large flocks of Birds but they were generaly such as are always known to keep and seen at a very great distance from land, we likewise saw frequintly peices of Sea or rock weed, but how is one to know how far this may drive to Sea. I am told and that from undoubted Authority that there is yearly thrown up upon the Coast of Ireland a sort of Beans call'd Ox Eys           which are known to grow no where but in the West Indias and yet these two places are not less than            Leagues asunder; was such things found floating upon the water in the South Seas one would hardly be perswaided that one was even out of sight of land so apt are we to catch at every thing that may in the least point out to us the favourat object we are in persute of and yet experience shews that we may be as far from it as ever —

Thus I have given my Opinion freely and without prejudicy not with any view to discourage all any future attempts being made towards discovering the Southern Continent, on the Contrary, as I think I have made it appear that is

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© Transcribed from National Library of Australia Manuscript 1 page 218, 2004
Published by South Seas
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/cook_remarks-072