On this day ...
24 - 25 February 1770
Endeavour Voyage Maps
James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia
Transcript of Cook's Journal
Joseph Banks's Journal
Sydney Parkinson's Journal
Range from Cape Turnagain to Western Entrance of Cook's Streight
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At day-break, the wind freshened, and before noon we had a strong gale at N.N.E. At eight in the morning we saw the land extending as far as S.W. by S. and steered directly for it. At noon, we were in latitude 45° 22’ S.; and the land, which now stretched from S.W. ½ S. to N.N.W. appeared to be rudely diversified by hill and valley. In the afternoon, we steered S.W. by S. and S.W. edging in for the land with a fresh gale at north; but though we were at no great distance, the weather was so hazey that we could see nothing distinctly upon it, except a ridge of high hills lying not far from the sea, and parallel to the coast, which in this place stretches S. by W. and N. by E. and seemed to end in a high bluff point to the southward. By eight in the evening we were abreast of this point; but it being then dark, and I not knowing which way the land trended, we brought to for the night. At this time, the point bore west, and was distant about five miles: our depth of water was thirty-seven fathom, and the bottom consisted of small pebbles.
At day-break, having made sail, the point bore north, distant three leagues, and we now found that the land trended from it S.W. by W. as far as we could see. This point I named CAPE SAUNDERS, in honour of Sir Charles. Our latitude was 45° 35’ S. and longitude 189° 4’ W. By the latitude, and the angles that are made by the coast, this point will be sufficiently known; there is, however, about three or four leagues to the south west of it, and very near the shore, a remarkable saddle-hill, which is a good direction to it on that quarter. From one league to four leagues north of Cape Saunders, the shore forms two or three bays, in which there appeared to be good anchorage, and effectual shelter from the S.W. westerly, and N. westerly winds; but my desire of getting to the southward, in order to ascertain whether this country was an island or a continent, prevented my putting into any of them.
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© Derived from Vols. II-III of the London 1773 edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, pages 418 - 419, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv23/418.html