BOOK III. CHAP. I. THE RUN FROM NEW ZEALAND TO BOTANY BAY, ON THE EAST COAST OF NEW HOLLAND, NOW CALLED NEW SOUTH WALES; VARIOUS INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED THERE; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS INHABITANTS. HAVING sailed from Cape Farewell, which lies in latitude 40° 33ʹ S., longitude 186° W., on Saturday the 31st of March, 1770, we steered westward, with a fresh gale at N. N. E., and at noon, on the 2d of April, our latitude, by observation, was 40°, our longitude from Cape Farewell 2° 31ʹ W. In the morning of the 9th, being in latitude 38° 29ʹ S., we saw a tropic bird, which, in so high a latitude, is very uncommon. In the morning of the 10th, being in latitude 38° 51ʹ S., longitude 202° 43ʹ W., we found the variation, by the amplitude, to be 11° 25ʹ E., and by the azimuth 11° 20ʹ. In the morning of the 11th, the variation was 13° 48ʹ, which is two degrees and a half more than the day before, though I expected to have found it less. In the course of the 13th, being in latitude 39° 23ʹ S., longitude 204° 2ʹ W., I found the variation to be 12° 27ʹ E., and in the morning of the 14th it was 11° 30ʹ, this day we also saw some flying fish. On the 15th, we saw an egg bird and a gannet, and as these are birds that never go far from the land, we continued to sound all night, but had no ground with 130 fathom. At noon, on the 16th, we were in latitude 39° 45ʹ S., longitude 208° W. At about two o’clock the wind came about to the W. S. W., upon which we tacked and stood to the N. W.; soon after, a small land-bird perched upon the rigging, but we had no ground with 120 fathom. At eight we wore and stood to the southward till twelve at night, and then wore and stood to the N. W. till four in the morning, when we again stood to the southward, having a fresh gale at W. S. W., with squalls and dark weather till nine, when the weather became clear, and there being little wind, we had an opportunity to take several observations of the sun and moon, the mean result of which gave 207° 56ʹ W. longitude: our latitude at noon was 39° 36ʹ S. We had now a hard gale from the southward, and a great sea from the same quarter, which obliged us to run under our fore-sail and mizen all night, during which we sounded every two hours, but had no ground with 120 fathom.