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
There being no prospect of procuring any refreshments from these people,
Captain Marshall made sail, and at noon on the 22d they saw land in the
direction of north by east, eight miles distant; it appeared very low,
flat, and full of trees. By four o'clock, they were close in with the
southernmost land, and saw a great number of canoes sailing close to the
shore, some of which came towards the ship, and two of them very near,
but nothing would entice them to come along-side. The people appeared
much the same as those at Henderville's Island, and their canoes were of
a similar construction; one of them had a kind of vane at the mast head,
which appeared to be made of the same materials as their sail. In running
along shore, they found it to consist of six different islands, extending
from north by east to south by west, to the length of fourteen or fifteen
leagues; the centre of them is situated in 2° 58' north latitude, and
173° 00' east longitude. The southernmost island, Captain Marshall named
Allen's Island; the second, Gillespy's Island; the third, Touching's
Island; the fourth, Clarke's Island; the fifth, Smith's Island; and the
northernmost, Scarborough Island. They ran along these islands about
three miles distant from the land, and kept the lead constantly going,
but could get no bottom, which appeared rather extraordinary as the land
is very low. There appears to be good anchorage between these islands,
and the water very smooth, and they seem to abound with cocoa-nut and
cabbage trees. By the time they were abreast of Scarborough Island, it
grew so dark that they could not see the land; luckily, however, the
Indians lighted two very large fires which enabled them to get entirely
clear of all the islands.
23 June 1788
At six o'clock in the afternoon of the 23d, more land made its
appearance, bearing north to north-west, four leagues distant, but night
coming on, they tacked and stood to the southward.
24 June 1788
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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