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
Nothing occured worthy of note till the 15th of September, when about
noon they saw the island of Saypan, bearing west half north, twelve
leagues distant. The next day at noon the south end of Tinian was about
four leagues distant: in the afternoon the small boat was hoisted out,
and Mr. Anstis went in her to sound a small bay round the south point of
Saypan; he returned at seven o'clock, having found from ten to twenty
fathoms water about a mile off shore, but the ground hard. The next
morning, Mr. Anstis went on shore in the small boat to endeavour to
procure a bullock, great numbers of which were seen grazing on the island
Tinian. At six in the afternoon, they stood round the south point of
Tinian, but finding they could not fetch into the road, they brought to
for the night. In the evening, Mr. Anstis returned with the best part of
a young bullock. The next morning at day light, they made sail and stood
in for the road, and at nine o'clock came to anchor in eighteen fathoms,
over a bottom of coral, about a mile and an half distant from shore. Soon
after they anchored, a party were sent on shore to hunt.
25 September 1788-29 September 1788
From this to the 25th, they had light winds varying from south to east,
with frequent showers over the land, and the flies so very troublesome
that they found Captain Byron's account of them perfectly just. On coming
to an anchor, they observed a buoy a little to the southward, with a slip
buoy to it, they swept for the anchor, weighed it, and found it belonged
to the Charlotte (Gilbert, master) one of the ships from Port Jackson
bound to China; there were two-thirds of a cable to it. The party on
shore also found some spars, apparently erected for a tent, and three
water casks, one of which was full: it is most likely the Charlotte was
blown out of the road, and could not regain her station again. Observing
that their anchor was foul, on the 25th they hove it up to clear, and let
it go again; presently afterwards, finding the ship adrift, they sounded,
and had twenty-five fathoms, but as she was at the edge of the bank, they
hove the anchor up, and made a stretch to the southward, but did not
again fetch the bay till the evening of the 26th. The two following days
they had dark heavy weather with very hard squalls, and almost continual
rain, the wind from north-east to south-east. At day light in the morning
of the 29th, the wind veered round to the south south-west, and soon
afterwards, a very severe squall, attended with heavy rain, set the ship
adrift, and the tide making strong to the north-west with a large hollow
sea, they veered the reef very fast; however, the squall something
abating, and fortunately backing round to the south south-east, they got
their anchor up (which they otherwise would not have been able to have
effected) and bore away to the north north-west. At noon the body of
Tinian bore east half south, about four leagues distant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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