Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
seen upon this Coast. From the appearance of the people we expected they
would have opposed our landing; but as we approached the shore they all
made off, and left us in peaceable possession of as much of the Island as
served our purpose. After landing I went upon the highest hill, which,
however, was of no great height, yet no less than twice or thrice the
height of the Ship's Mastheads; but I could see from it no land between
South-West and West-South-West, so that I did not doubt but there was a
passage. I could see plainly that the lands laying to the North-West of
this passage were compos'd of a number of Islands of Various extent, both
for height and Circuit, ranged one behind another as far to the Northward
and Westward as I could see, which could not be less than 12 or 14
Leagues.
Having satisfied myself of the great Probability of a passage, thro'
which I intend going with the Ship, and therefore may land no more upon
this Eastern coast of New Holland, and on the Western side I can make no
new discovery, the honour of which belongs to the Dutch Navigators, but
the Eastern Coast from the Latitude of 38 degrees South down to this
place, I am confident, was never seen or Visited by any European before
us; and notwithstanding I had in the Name of his Majesty taken possession
of several places upon this Coast, I now once More hoisted English
Colours, and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took
possession of the whole Eastern coast from the above Latitude down to
this place by the Name of New Wales,* (* The Admiralty copy, as well as
that belonging to Her Majesty, calls it New South Wales. The island where
the ceremony was performed was named on Cook's chart Possession Island,
and is still so called.) together with all the Bays, Harbours, Rivers,
and Islands, situated upon the said Coast; after which we fired 3 Volleys
of small Arms, which were answer'd by the like number from the Ship.
This done, we set out for the Ship, but were some time in getting on
board on account of a very Rapid Ebb Tide, which set North-East out of
the Passage. Ever since we came in amongst the Shoals this last time we
have found a Moderate Tide; the flood setting to the North-West and Ebb
to the South-East; at this place is high water at full and change of the
moon, about 1 or 2 o'Clock, and riseth and falleth upon a perpendicular
about 10 or 12 feet. We saw upon all the Adjacent Lands and Islands a
great number of smokes--a certain sign that they are inhabited--and we
have daily seen smokes on every part of the Coast we have lately been
upon. Between 7 and 8 o'Clock a.m. we saw several naked people, all or
most of them Women, down upon the beach picking up Shells, etc.; they had
not a single rag of any kind of Cloathing upon them, and both these and
those we saw yesterday were in every respect the same sort of People we
have seen everywhere upon the Coast. 2 or 3 of the Men we saw Yesterday
had on pretty large breast plates, which we supposed were made of pearl
Oyster Shells; this was a thing, as well as the Bow and Arrows, we had
not seen before. At low water, which hapned about 10 o'Clock, we got
under sail, and stood to the South-West, with a light breeze at East,
which afterwards veer'd to North by East, having the Pinnace ahead; depth
of Water from 6 to 10 fathoms, except in one place, were we passed over a
Bank of 5 fathoms. At Noon Possession Island, at the South-East entrance
of the Passage, bore North 53 degrees East, distant 4 Leagues; the
Western extream of the Main land in sight South 43 degrees West, distant
4 or 5 Leagues, being all exceeding low. The South-West point of the
largest Island* (* Prince of Wales Island.) on the North-West side of the
passage bore North 71 degrees West, distant 8 Miles; this point I named
Cape Cornwall (Latitude 10 degrees 43 minutes South, Longitude 218
degrees 59 minutes West),* (* This longitude is 70 minutes too far west,
and one of the worst given in the Journal. There were no observations,
and the dead reckoning among the shoals was difficult to keep.) and some
low Islands lying about the Middle of the Passage, which I called
Wallace's Isles, bore West by South 1/2 South, distance about 2 Leagues.
Our Latitude by Observation was 10 degrees 46 minutes South.
[In Endeavour Strait, Torres Strait.]
Thursday, 23rd. In the P.M. had little wind and Variable, with which and
the Tide of Flood we keept advancing to the West-North-West; depth of
Water 8, 7, and 5 fathoms. At 1/2 past 1 the pinnace, which was ahead,
made the Signal for Shoal Water, upon which we Tackt and sent away the
Yawl to sound also, and then Tack'd again, and stood after them with the
Ship; 2 hours after this they both at once made the Signal for having
Shoal water. I was afraid to stand on for fear of running aground at that
time of the Tide, and therefore came to an Anchor in 1/4 less 7 fathoms,
sandy ground. Wallice's Islands bore South by West 1/2 West, distant 5 or
6 Miles, the Islands to the Northward extending from North 73 degrees
East to North 10 degrees East, and a small island* (* Booby Island.) just
in sight bearing North-West 1/2 West. Here we found the flood Tide set to
the Westward and Ebb to the Contrary. After we had come to Anchor I sent
away the Master with the Long boat to sound, who, upon his return in the
evening, reported that there was a bank stretching North and South, upon
which were 3 fathoms Water, and behind it 7 fathoms. We had it Calm all
Night and until 9 in the morning, at which time we weigh'd, with a light
breeze at South-South-East, and steer'd North-West by West for the Small
Island above mentioned, having first sent the Boats ahead to sound; depth
of Water 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 fathoms when upon the Bank,* (* The
Endeavour Strait is now little used, on account of this great bank, which
nearly bars its western part. There is, however, deeper water than Cook
found, a few miles to the southward; but it is just the difficulty of
finding this narrow pass, so far from land, and the fact that there is a
deep though narrow channel north of Prince of Wales Island, that has
caused it to be abandoned. The passage of Torres Strait is, however,
still an anxious bit of navigation.) it being now the last Quarter Ebb.
At this time the most Northermost Islands we had in sight bore North 9
degrees East; the South-West point of the largest Islands on the
North-West side of the Passage, which I named Cape Cornwall, bore East;
distant 3 Leagues. This bank, at least so much as we sounded, extends
nearly North and South, how far I cannot say; its breadth, however, is
not more than 1/4 or at most 1/2 a Mile. Being over the Bank, we deepned
our water to a 1/4 less 7 fathoms, which depth we carried all the way to
the small Island ahead, which we reached by Noon, at which time it bore
South, distant near 1/2 a Mile; depth of Water 5 fathoms. The most
northermost land we had in sight (being part of the same Chain of Islands
we have had to the Northward of us since we entered the Passage) bore
North 71 degrees East; Latitude in, by Observation, 10 degrees 33 minutes
South, Longitude 219 degrees 22 minutes West. In this situation we had no
part of the Main land in sight. Being now near the island, and having but
little wind, Mr. Banks and I landed upon it, and found it to be mostly a
barren rock frequented by Birds, such as Boobies, a few of which we
shott, and occasioned my giving it the name of Booby Island.* (* Booby
Island is now the great landmark for ships making Torres Strait from the
westward. There is a light upon it.) I made but very short stay at this
Island before I return'd to the Ship; in the meantime the wind had got to
the South-West, and although it blow'd but very faint, yet it was
accompanied with a Swell from the same quarter. This, together with other
concuring Circumstances, left me no room to doubt but we had got to the
Westward of Carpentaria, or the Northern extremity of New Holland, and
had now an open Sea to the Westward; which gave me no small satisfaction,
not only because the danger and fatigues of the Voyage was drawing near
to an end, but by being able to prove that New Holland and New Guinea are
2 separate Lands or Islands, which until this day hath been a doubtful
point with Geographers.* (* Luis Vaez de Torres, commanding a Spanish
ship in company with Quiros in 1605, separated from his companion in the
New Hebrides. He afterwards passed through the Strait separating New
Guinea from Australia, which now bears his name. This fact, however, was
little known, as the Spaniards suppressed all account of the voyage; and
though it leaked out later, the report was so vague that it was very much
doubted whether he had really passed this way. On most charts and maps of
the period, New Guinea was shown joined to Australia, and to Cook the
establishment of the Strait may fairly be given. Only the year before
Bougainville, the French navigator, who preceded Cook across the Pacific,
and who was steering across the Coral Sea on a course which would have
led him to Lizard Island, abandoned his search in that direction, after
falling in with two reefs to the eastward of the Barrier, because he
feared falling amongst other shoals, and had no faith whatever in the
reports of the existence of Torres Strait. Had he persevered, he would
have snatched from Cook the honour of the complete exploration of Eastern
Australia, and of the verification of the passage between it and New
Guinea. Bougainville paid dearly for his caution, as he found that
retracing his steps against the trade wind, in order to pass eastward and
northward of New Guinea, occupied such a weary time, that he and his
people were nearly starved before they reached a place of refreshment.)
[Description of Endeavour Strait.]
The North-East entrance of this passage or Strait lies in the Latitude of
10 degrees 27 minutes South, and in the Longitude of 218 degrees 36
minutes West from the Meridian of Greenwich.* (* As before mentioned,
this longitude is over a degree in error. The sun was not available for
lunars until the 24th August, and the first was observed on the 25th,
when the ship was at Booby Island; but the result is not recorded in Mr.
Green's log. Mr. Green was at this time ill. The latitude is a clerical
error for 10.37, which Cook's chart shows, and is nearly correct.) It is
form'd by the Main, or the northern extremity of New Holland, on the
South-East, and by a Congeries of Islands to North-West, which I named
Prince of Wales's Islands. It is very Probable that the Islands extend
quite to New Guinea;* (* This conjecture was very near the truth. The
whole of Torres Strait is obstructed by either islands or reefs that
leave very little passage.) they are of Various Extent both for height
and Circuit, and many of them seem'd to be indifferently well Cloath'd
with wood, etc., and, from the smokes we saw, some, if not all of them,
must be inhabited. It is also very probable that among these Islands are
as good, if not better, passages than the one we have come thro', altho'
one need hardly wish for a better, was the access to it from the Eastward
less dangerous; but this difficulty will remain until some better way is
found out than the one we came, which no doubt may be done was it ever to
become an object to be looked for.* (* It is the western and not the
eastern approach of Endeavour Strait that forms the difficulty, now the
locality has been charted, for vessels of deeper draught than the
Endeavour; though for small craft, as Cook says, you can hardly wish for
a better.) The northern Extent of the Main or outer reef, which limit or
bounds the Shoals to the Eastward, seems to be the only thing wanting to
Clear up this point; and this was a thing I had neither time nor