Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71Cook, James
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Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71
Cook, James
Oceania -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Wednesday, 11th. In the P.M., as I intended to sail in the Morning, we
put the 3 Youths ashore, seemingly very much against their inclination;
but whether this was owing to a desire they had to remain with us, or the
fear of falling into the hands of their Enemies, as they pretended, I
know not. The latter, however, seemed to be ill-founded, for we saw them
carried aCross the River in a Catamaran, and walk Leasurely off with the
other Natives. At 6 a.m. we weighed and stood out of the Bay, which I
have named Poverty Bay, because it afforded us no one thing we wanted
(Latitude 38 degrees 42 minutes South, Longitude 181 degrees 36 minutes
West).* (* Latitude correct. Longitude is 181 degrees 57 minutes West.)
It is in the form of a Horse Shoe, and is known by an Island lying close
under the North-East point. The 2 points which forms the Entrance are
high, with Steap white Cliffs, and lay a League and a half or 2 Leagues
from Each other, North-East by East and South-West by West. The Depth of
Water in this Bay is from 12 to 6 and 5 fathoms, a sandy bottom and good
Anchorage, but you lay open to the winds between the South and East.
Boats can go in and out of the river above mentioned at any time of Tide
in fine weather; but as there is a Bar at the Entrance, on which the Sea
Sometimes runs so high that no Boat can either get in or out, which
hapned while we laid here; however, I believe that Boats can generally
land on the North-East side of the river. The shore of this Bay, from a
little within each Entrance, is a low, flat sand; but this is only a
Narrow Slip, for the face of the Country appears with a variety of hills
and Vallies, all cloathed with woods and Verdure, and to all appearance
well inhabited, especially in the Vallies leading up from the Bay, where
we daily saw Smoke at a great distance inland, and far back in the
Country are very high Mountains. At Noon the South-West point of Poverty
Bay, which I have named Young Nicks head (after the Boy who first saw
this land),* (* In Mr. Molineux's Log, his name is given as Nicholas
Young, but no such name appears in the official lists.) bore North by
West, distance 3 or 4 leagues, being at this time about 3 Miles from the
Shore, and had 25 fathoms Water, the Main Land extending from North-East
by North to South. My intention is to follow the direction of the Coast
to the Southward, as far as the Latitude of 40 or 41 degrees, and then to
return to the Northward, in case we meet with nothing to incourage us to
proceed farther.
[Off Portland Island, North Island, New Zealand.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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