On the 30th, we discovered land to leeward of us, which we took for Cape Maria Van Diemen; but as the wind continued still very boisterous, and the sea ran very high, we did not venture to approach near it; we therefore tacked about, and stood to the N. W. intending to stand backwards and forwards till the weather should be more moderate. In the evening, we discovered the island of the Three Kings, on our lee-bow, and tacked about, without attempting to weather it.

On the 31st, the wind blowing from the S. W. we did not approach the shore, but, in the afternoon, we saw the land very plain, and discovered a mountain which we had seen on the other side of the land; we called it Mount Camel, from its likeness to that animal: to the north of which it appears very sandy and barren, having only here and there a green plat. The same neck of land we saw on the other side, which reaches to Cape Maria Van Diemen, and this tends to the S. E.

On the 3d of January, 1770, in the forenoon, we saw the land again; this was high flat table land, and tended away to the S. E. where we lost sight of it; the wind still continued between the south and west.

On the 4th, we stood along shore: the coast appeared very low, sandy, and barren. About noon, the wind began to frisk and blow from the S.W. and fearing, if it should blow fresher, that we might get foul on a lee-shore, we tacked about, and proceeded to the N. W. Before we tacked, we observed a bending of the land which we thought might be a bay, but it proved otherwise, and we there-fore named it False Bay.

On the 7th, we had light breezes and calms for several days, with fair weather, and were out of sight of land. On that day we saw a sun fish, very short and thick, having scarce any tail, but two large fins; it was as big as a shark, and of the same colour.

Voyaging Accounts