Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.Major, Richard Henry
History
Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia:: A Collection of Documents, and Extracts from Early Manuscript Maps, Illustrative of the History of Discovery on the Coasts of That Vast Island, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Time of Captain Cook.
Major, Richard Henry
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Discoveries in geography -- Portuguese; Voyages and travels
Accordingly, August the 23rd, at five in the morning, we ran out, having
a pretty fresh land breeze at S.S.E. By eight o’clock we were got out,
and very seasonably, for before nine the sea breeze came on us very
strong, and increasing, we took in our topsails and stood off under two
courses and a mizen, this being as much sail as we could carry. The sky
was clear, there being not one cloud to be seen; but the horizon
appeared very hazy, and the sun at setting the night before, and this
morning at rising, appeared very red. The wind continued very strong
till twelve, then it began to abate: I have seldom met with a stronger
breeze. These strong sea breezes lasted thus in their turns three or
four days. They sprung up with the sunrise; by nine a clock they were
very strong, and so continued till noon, when they began to abate; and
by sunset there was little wind, or a calm till the land breezes came;
which we should certainly have in the morning about one or two a clock.
The land breezes were between the S.S.W. and S.S.E. In the night while
calm, we fish’d with hook and line, and caught good store of fish, viz.,
snappers, breams, old wives and dog fish. When these last came we seldom
caught any others; for if they did not drive away the other fish, yet
they would be sure to keep them from taking our hooks, for they would
first have them themselves, biting very greedily. We caught also a
monk-fish, of which I brought home the picture.
On the 25th of August, we still coasted along shore, that we might the
better see any opening; kept sounding, and had about twenty fathom clean
sand. The 26th day, being about four leagues off shore, the water began
gradually to sholden from twenty to fourteen fathom. I was edging in a
little towards the land, thinking to have anchored; but presently after
the water decreas’d almost at once, till we had but five fathoms. I
durst therefore adventure no farther, but steer’d out the same way that
we came in; and in a short time had ten fathom (being then about four
leagues and a half from the shore) and even soundings. I steer’d away
E.N.E. coasting along as the land lies. This day the sea breezes began
to be very moderate again, and we made the best of our way along the
shore, only in the night edging off a little for fear of sholes. Ever
since we left Shark’s Bay we had fair clear weather, and so for a great
while still.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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