An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk IslandHunter, John
History
An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island
Hunter, John
New South Wales -- History -- Sources
On the 30th, as we were steering south-west, we kept a good
lookout all night for the islands called Keelings, or Cocos
Islands; being uncertain whether their situation was well
ascertained: at noon on the 31st, the latitude observed was
12 deg. 10' south; this I supposed to be rather to the southward
of them, and altered the course to west-south-west: at three in
the afternoon, we discovered the islands under our lee, distant
about four leagues: there are three of them well covered with
wood, but they are very low and flat; there are several smaller
spots like rocks above water; the larger islands have sandy
beaches, and in many places there were very high breakers: the
latitude of the south side is 12 deg. 06' south; the longitude by
account from Java Head, but afterwards confirmed by observations
of is 98 deg. 03' east.
On the 14th of November, Robert Henderson, seaman, died; and
on the 11th of December died Edward Moore, seaman.
On the 15th we made Cape Lagullus, and the 17th anchored in
Table-Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope; but it blew so strong from
the south-east that we were not able to fetch the upper
anchorage: it continued to blow from the same quarter for several
days, and on the 20th, it blew so violent a gale, that the two
bower anchors would not hold the ship: finding in the evening
that the gale did not in the smallest degree abate, and that if I
continued to trust any longer to anchors, which it was plain were
too light for the ship, we should run a risk of being drove upon
the reef off Robbin's Island in the night, for every heavy gust
set the ship a-drift, we cut both the cables before dark, and had
just day-light enough to run to sea under the foresail. When we
got a few leagues to sea we found the weather quite moderate, and
made sail, with the hope of being able to recover the bay
again.
On the 22d, in the evening, we fetched close round Green
Point, and hoisted the signal of distress, having but one small
anchor left: his Majesty's ship Providence, the Assistant armed
tender, and Pitt transport, being in the bay, repeated our signal
with many guns, and sent all their boats; several English whalers
and some Americans also sent their boats with anchors and
hausers, and we were very soon got into safety.
I was much obliged to Captain Bligh, as well as to the
commanders of all the other ships for their exertions, without
which we must again have been driven to sea. The same night we
received anchors and cables from the shore, and secured the ship.
The anchors which we had left being far down the bay when we
quitted them, were entirely lost.
On the 23d, the Providence and Assistant tenders left the bay,
and on the 24th the Pitt transport sailed for New South
Wales.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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