The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay: With an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (1789)Phillip, Arthur
History
The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay: With an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (1789)
Phillip, Arthur
Natural history -- Australia -- New South Wales; New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Norfolk Island
At half past six the ships were brought to, and lay
to for the night, the weather being very squally, with violent thunder,
lightning, and rain.
2 August 1788
Soon after five in the morning of August the 2d, the ships made sail
again, and bore away west by north, but the weather being hazy, no land
was then in sight; many flying fish were seen at this time. At eleven,
there being a prospect of clearer weather, Lieutenant Shortland
endeavoured to make the land again. At noon the latitude was, by
observation, 9°. 40'. south, and the longitude 158°. 42'. east.
Lieutenant Shortland continued to steer north-west to discover whether he
had reached the utmost extent of the land, and at eight in the evening
spoke to the Friendship, and told the master that he intended to bring to
at nine.
3 August 1788
At three in the morning, on Sunday August 3, land was discovered
bearing from north-north-east to north-west, on which the ships stood off
again with a light air of wind. At six, the land in sight appeared like
several islands, and an endeavour was made to pass between them to the
north, but on approaching sufficiently near, it was discovered that all
these points were joined together by a low neck of land covered with
trees. As the land rose in nine roundish points, which seamen call
hummocks, this place was named Nine Hummock Bay. At noon on this day, the
ship then standing to the south-west, in latitude 8°. 55'. south, and
longitude 158°. 14'. east, the extreme points of land bore from east by
north to west, when Lieutenant Shortland named the western point Cape
Nepean, and the eastern Cape Pitt. The intermediate land may, he says,
easily be known by the nine hummocks, and the exact resemblance they bear
to islands when seen from the distance of five or six leagues. They had
now light airs and calm weather, but at two in the afternoon a breeze
sprung up from the eastward, and at four Cape Nepean bore north-west,
half west, distant five or six leagues. At six the Alexander shortened
sail, and stood off and on for the night under double reefed top-sails,
Lieutenant Shortland imagining that he had reached the utmost extent of
this land. At five, on Monday morning, the 4th of August, he made sail
again, and at six a bluff point of the island bore north-north-west,
distant five or six leagues: this he called Point Pleasant. At noon the
latitude was by observation 8°. 54'. south, the longitude 154°. 44'.
east. Point Pleasant then bore east by north; at four, the most western
point of land in sight, which was then supposed to be the extreme point
of the island, but proved not to be so, bore north-west by north, distant
four or five leagues. From this mistake it was named Cape Deception.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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