Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
peices. However, I cannot complain of a Leaky Ship, for the most water
She makes is not quite an Inch an Hour.
Thursday, 2nd. Winds and weather as yesterday, or rather more Stormy; we
have now no Success in the Sein fishing, hardly getting above 20 or 30
pounds a day.
Friday, 3rd. Strong breezes, and hazey until 6 a.m., when it moderated,
and we unmoor'd, hove up the Anchor, and began to Warp out; but the Ship
tailing upon the Sand on the North side of the River, the Tide of Ebb
making out, and a fresh breeze setting in, we were obliged to desist and
moor the Ship again just within the Barr.
Saturday, 4th. In the P.M., having pretty moderate weather, I order'd the
Coasting Anchor and Cable to be laid without the barr, to be ready to
warp out by, that we might not loose the least opportunity that might
Offer; for laying in Port spends time to no purpose, consumes our
Provisions, of which we are very Short in many Articles, and we have yet
a long Passage to make to the East Indies through an unknown and perhaps
dangerous Sea; these Circumstances consider'd, make me very Anxious of
getting to Sea. The wind continued moderate all night, and at 5 a.m. it
fell calm; this gave us an opportunity to warp out. About 7 we got under
sail, having a light Air from the Land, which soon died away, and was
Succeeded by the Sea breezes from South-East by South, with which we
stood off to Sea East by North, having the Pinnace ahead sounding. The
Yawl I sent to the Turtle bank to take up the Net that was left there;
but as the wind freshen'd we got out before her, and a little After Noon
Anchor'd in 15 fathoms water, Sandy bottom, for I did not think it safe
to run in among the Shoals until I had well view'd them at low Water from
the Mast head, that I might be better Able to Judge which way to Steer;
for as yet I had not resolved whether I should beat back to the Southward
round all the Shoals, or seek a Passage to the Eastward or Northward, all
of which appeared to be equally difficult and dangerous. When at Anchor
the Harbour sail'd from bore South 70 degrees West, distant 4 or 5
Leagues; the Northermost point of the Main land we have in sight, which I
named Cape Bedford* (* Probably after John, 4th Duke, who had been First
Lord of the Admiralty, 1744 to 1747.) (Latitude 15 degrees 17 minutes
South, Longitude 214 degrees 45 minutes West), bore North 20 degrees
West, distant 3 1/2 Leagues; but we could see land to the North-East of
this Cape, which made like 2 high Islands;* (* Direction Islands.) the
Turtle banks bore East, distant one Mile. Latitude by Observation 15
degrees 23 minutes South; our depth of Water, in standing off from the
land, was from 3 1/2 to 15 fathoms.
[Description of Endeavour River.]
I shall now give a Short description of the Harbour, or River, we have
been in, which I named after the Ship, Endeavour River. It is only a
small Barr Harbour or Creek, which runs winding 3 or 4 Leagues in land,
at the Head of which is a small fresh Water Brook, as I was told, for I
was not so high myself; but there is not water for Shipping above a Mile
within the barr, and this is on the North side, where the bank is so
steep for nearly a quarter of a Mile that ships may lay afloat at low
water so near the Shore as to reach it with a stage, and is extreamly
Convenient for heaving a Ship down. And this is all the River hath to
recommend it, especially for large Shipping, for there is no more than 9
or 10 feet Water upon the Bar at low water, and 17 or 18 feet at high,
the Tides rises and falling about 9 feet at spring Tide, and is high on
the days of the New and full Moon, between 9 and 10 o'Clock. Besides,
this part of the Coast is barrocaded with Shoals, as to make this Harbour
more difficult of access; the safest way I know of to come at it is from
the South, Keeping the Main land close on board all the way. Its
situation may always be found by the Latitude, which hath been before
mentioned. Over the South point is some high Land, but the North point is
formed by a low sandy beach, which extends about 3 Miles to the
Northward, then the land is again high.
The refreshments we got here were Chiefly Turtle, but as we had to go 5
Leagues out to Sea for them, and had much blowing weather, we were not
over Stocked with this Article; however, what with these and the fish we
caught with the Sean we had not much reason to Complain, considering the
Country we were in. Whatever refreshment we got that would bear a
Division I caused to be equally divided among the whole Company,
generally by weight; the meanest person in the Ship had an equal share
with myself or any one on board, and this method every commander of a
Ship on such a Voyage as this ought ever to Observe. We found in several
places on the Sandy beaches and Sand Hills near the Sea, Purslain and
beans, which grows on a Creeping kind of a Vine. The first we found very
good when boiled, and the latter not to be dispised, and were at first
very serviceable to the Sick; but the best greens we found here was the
Tarra, or Coco Tops, called in the West Indies Indian Kale,* (* Colocasia
Macrorhiza.) which grows in most Boggy Places; these eat as well as, or
better, than Spinnage. The roots, for want of being Transplanted and
properly Cultivated, were not good, yet we could have dispensed with them
could we have got them in any Tolerable plenty; but having a good way to
go for them, it took up too much time and too many hands to gather both
root and branch. The few Cabage Palms we found here were in General
small, and yielded so little Cabage that they were not worth the Looking
after, and this was the Case with most of the fruit, etc., we found in
the woods.
Besides the Animals which I have before mentioned, called by the Natives
Kangooroo, or Kanguru, here are Wolves,* (* Probably Dingos.) Possums, an
Animal like a ratt, and snakes, both of the Venemous and other sorts.
Tame Animals here are none except Dogs, and of these we never saw but
one, who frequently came about our Tents to pick up bones, etc. The
Kanguru are in the greatest number, for we seldom went into the Country
without seeing some. The land Fowls we met here, which far from being
numerous, were Crows, Kites, Hawkes, Cockadores* (* Cockatoos.) of 2
Sorts, the one white, and the other brown, very beautiful Loryquets of 2
or 3 Sorts, Pidgeons, Doves, and a few other sorts of small Birds. The
Sea or Water fowl are Herns, Whisling Ducks, which perch and, I believe,
roost on Trees; Curlews, etc., and not many of these neither. Some of our
Gentlemen who were in the Country heard and saw Wild Geese in the Night.
The Country, as far as I could see, is diversified with Hills and plains,
and these with woods and Lawns; the Soil of the Hills is hard, dry, and
very Stoney; yet it produceth a thin Coarse grass, and some wood. The
Soil of the Plains and Valleys are sandy, and in some places Clay, and in
many Parts very Rocky and Stoney, as well as the Hills, but in general
the Land is pretty well Cloathed with long grass, wood, Shrubs, etc. The
whole Country abounds with an immense number of Ant Hills, some of which
are 6 or 8 feet high, and more than twice that in Circuit. Here are but
few sorts of Trees besides the Gum tree, which is the most numerous, and
is the same that we found on the Southern Part of the Coast, only here
they do not grow near so large. On each side of the River, all the way up
it, are Mangroves, which Extend in some places a Mile from its banks; the
Country in general is not badly water'd, there being several fine
Rivulets at no very great distance from one another, but none near to the
place where we lay; at least not in the Dry season, which is at this
time. However we were very well supply'd with water by springs which were
not far off.* (* Cooktown, which now stands on the Endeavour River, is a
thriving place, and the northernmost town on this coast. It has some 2000
inhabitants, and is the port for a gold mining district. A deeper channel
has now been dredged over the bar that gave Cook so much trouble, but it
is not a harbour that will admit large vessels.)
[At Anchor, Off Turtle Reef, Queensland.]
Sunday, 5th. In the P.M. had a Gentle breeze at South-East and Clear
weather. As I did not intend to weigh until the morning I sent all the
Boats to the Reef to get what Turtle and Shell fish they could. At low
water from the Mast head I took a view of the Shoals, and could see
several laying a long way without this one, a part of several of them
appearing above water; but as it appear'd pretty clear of Shoals to the
North-East of the Turtle Reef, I came to a Resolution to stretch out that
way close upon a wind, because if we found no Passage we could always
return back the way we went. In the Evening the Boats return'd with one
Turtle, a sting ray, and as many large Clams as came to 1 1/2 pounds a
Man; in each of these Clams were about 20 pounds of Meat; added to this
we Caught in the night several Sharks. Early in the morning I sent the
Pinnace and Yawl again to the Reef, as I did not intend to weigh until
half Ebb, at which time the Shoals began to appear. Before 8 it came on
to blow, and I made the Signal for the Boats to come on Board, which they
did, and brought with them one Turtle. We afterwards began to heave, but
the wind Freshening obliged us to bear away* (* To veer cable, i.e., pay
out more cable, in order to hold the ship with the freshening wind.)
again and lay fast.
Monday, 6th. Winds at South-East. At 2 o'Clock p.m. it fell pretty
Moderate, and we got under sail, and stood out upon a wind North-East by
East, leaving the Turtle Reef to windward, having the Pinnace ahead
sounding. We had not stood out long before we discovered shoals ahead and
on both bows. At half past 4 o'Clock, having run off 8 Miles, the Pinnace
made the Signal for Shoal water in a place where we little Expected it;
upon this we Tack'd and Stood on and off while the Pinnace stretched
farther to the Eastward, but as night was approaching I thought it safest
to Anchor, which we accordingly did in 20 fathoms water, a Muddy bottom.
Endeavour River bore South 52 degrees West; Cape Bedford West by North
1/2 North, distant 5 Leagues; the Northermost land in sight, which made
like an Island, North; and a Shoal, a small, sandy part of which appear'd
above water, North-East, distance 2 or 3 Miles. In standing off from this
Turtle Reef to this place our soundings were from 14 to 20 fathoms, but
where the Pinnace was, about a Mile farther to the East-North-East, were
no more than 4 or 5 feet of water, rocky ground; and yet this did not
appear to us in the Ship. In the morning we had a strong Gale from the
South-East, that, instead of weighing as we intended, we were obliged to
bear away more Cable, and to Strike Top Gallant yards.
Tuesday, 7th. Strong Gales at South-East, South-East by South, and
South-South-East, with cloudy weather at Low water in the P.M. I and
several of the Officers kept a look out at the Mast head to see for a
Passage between the Shoals; but we could see nothing but breakers all the
way from the South round by the East as far as North-West, extending out
to Sea as far as we could see. It did not appear to be one continued
Shoal, but several laying detached from each other. On the Eastermost
that we could see the Sea broke very high, which made one judge it to be
the outermost; for on many of those within the Sea did not break high at
all, and from about 1/2 flood to 1/2 Ebb they are not to be seen, which
makes the Sailing among them more dangerous, and requires great care and
Circumspection, for, like all other Shoals, or Reefs of Coral Rocks, they
are quite steep too. Altho' the most of these Shoals consist of Coral