Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
generally. In their untutored state they therefore consider that any
method of getting rid of the invader is proper. Both sexes, as Cook
observed, are absolutely nude, and lead a wandering life, with no fixed
abode, subsisting on roots, fruits, and such living things as they can
catch. Nevertheless, although treated by the coarser order of colonists
as wild beasts to be extirpated, those who have studied them have formed
favourable opinions of their intelligence. The more savage side of their
disposition being, however, so very apparent, it is not astonishing that,
brought into contact with white settlers, who equally consider that they
have a right to settle, the aborigines are rapidly disappearing.)
I shall conclude the account of this Country with a few observations on
the Currents and Tides upon the Coast, because I have mentioned in the
Course of this Journal that the latter hath sometimes set one way and
sometimes another, which I shall Endeavour to account for in the best
manner I can. From the Latitude of 32 degrees, or above downwards to
Sandy Cape in the Latitude of 24 degrees 46 minutes, we constantly found
a Current setting to the Southward at the rate of 10 or 15 Miles per Day,
more or less, according to the distance we were from the land, for it
runs stronger in shore than in the Offing. All this time I had not been
able to satisfy myself whether the flood-tide came from the Southward,
Eastward, or Northward, but judged it to come from the South-East; but
the first time we anchor'd upon the coast, which was in the Latitude of
24 degrees 30 minutes, and about 10 Leagues to the South-East of Bustard
Bay, we found there the flood to come from the North-West. On the
Contrary, 30 Leagues further to the North-West, on the South side of
Keppel Bay, we found the Flood to come from the East, and at the Northern
part of the said Bay we found it come from the Northward, but with a much
Slower Motion than the Easterly Tide. Again, on the East side of the Bay
of Inlets we found the flood to set strong to the Westward as far as the
Op'ning of Broad sound, but on the North side of that sound the flood
come with a Slow motion from the North-West; and when at Anchor before
Repulse bay we found the flood to come from the northward. We need only
admit the flood tide to come from the East or South-East, and then all
these seeming Contradictions will be found to be conformable to reason
and experience. It is well known that where there are deep Inlets, large
Creeks, etc., into low lands, that it is not occasioned by fresh water
Rivers; there is a very great indraught of the Flood Tide, the direction
of which will be determin'd according to the possition or direction of
the Coast which forms the Entrance into such Inlets; and this direction
the Tide must follow, let it be ever so contrary to their general Course
out at Sea, and where the Tides are weak, as they are in general upon
this Coast, a large Inlet will, if I may so call it, attract the Flood
tide for many Leagues. Any one need only cast an Eye over the Chart to be
made sencible of what I have advanced. To the Northward of Whitsundays
Passage there are few or no large Inlets, and consequently the Flood sets
to the Northward or North-West, according to the direction of the Coast,
and Ebb the Contrary; but this is to be understood at a little distance
from land, or where there is no Creeks or Inlets, for where such are, be
they ever so small, they draw the flood from the Southward, Eastward, and
Northward, and, as I found by experience, while we lay in Endeavour
River.* (* Cook's reasoning on the course of the flood stream is quite
sound.) Another thing I have observed upon the Tides which ought to be
remarked, which is that there is only one high Tide in 24 Hours, and that
is the night Tide. On the Spring Tides the difference between the
perpendicular rise of the night and day Tides is not less than 3 feet,
which is a great deal where the Tides are so inconsiderable, as they are
here.* (* This difference in the heights of consecutive tides is termed
the diurnal inequality. It results from the tide wave being made up of a
large number of undulations, some caused by the moon, some by the sun;
some occurring twice a day, others only once. It occurs in all parts of
the world, but is inconspicuous on the coasts of Europe. In Australia it
is very marked, and occasions the night tides to be the highest at one
time of the year, when the Endeavour was on the coast, and the day tides
at the other. There are places on the east coast of Australia where the
range of the tide is very great, but Cook did not anchor at any of them.)
This inequality of the Tide I did not observe till we run ashore; perhaps
it is much more so to the Northward than to the Southward. After we had
got within the Reefs the second time we found the Tides more considerable
than at any time before, except in the Bay of Inlets. It may be owing to
the water being confin'd in Channels between the Shoals, but the flood
always set to the North-West to the extremity of New Wales, from thence
West and South-West into the India Seas.
[Historical Notes, East Coast of Australia.]
HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA.
PREVIOUS to Cook's visit no European, so far as is known, had ever
sighted the East Coast of Australia, or, as it was then called, New
Holland. The Dutch had examined and mapped the shores from the Gulf of
Carpentaria on the north round by the west to Van Dieman's Land or
Tasmania, but had not decided whether the latter was a part of the
mainland or no. Dampier, in 1699, had the intention of passing south to
explore the unknown eastern shore, but never carried it out, confining
his attention to the northern part of the west coast, with which, and
with good reason, he was not favourably impressed.
On all maps of the time, the east coast, from Tasmania to the north, was
shown as a dotted and more or less straight line, Tasmania being joined
at the south, and generally New Guinea at the north.
There is indeed one manuscript known as the Dauphin's Map, a copy of
which is in the British Museum, of the date of about 1540, which shows a
certain amount of the north-east coast, and has been thought by some to
prove that some one had visited it. But an inspection of it shows that it
is far more probably a case of imaginative coast drawing, such as occurs
in other places in the same map, and in many others of the same and later
dates, and there is certainly no record of any voyage to this coast.
After Cook's exploration it remained unvisited until 1788, when, owing
mainly to Banks' influence, Botany Bay was pitched upon as a convict
settlement, and a squadron, consisting of H.M.S. Sirius, the Supply brig,
3 storeships, and 6 transports, under the command of Captain Arthur
Phillip, R.N., which had sailed from England on May 13th, 1787, arrived
in that bay on January 18th, 1788, but immediately moved into Port
Jackson, where the settlement of Sydney was formed.
The early history of the Colony was one of struggle and starvation, and
it was many years before any prosperity was attained. In 1839 the
deportation of convicts ceased, but it was not until 1851, when gold was
found, that free settlers in any large number came to the Colony.
Queensland, formerly the northern part of New South Wales, was formed a
separate Colony in 1859.
A white population of about 1,500,000 now inhabits the eastern part of
Australia, first explored by Cook, and their numbers are rapidly
increasing.
Although the products of the Colonies are mainly agricultural and
mineral, a very large proportion of this population are in the large
towns.
Sydney contains 230,000, Newcastle 20,000, Brisbane 55,000, Rockhampton
13,000.
Wool, one of the staple products, is obtained from some 80,000,000 sheep,
which, as Cook foresaw, have thriven well; and with 8,000,000 head of
cattle supply another export in the shape of frozen meat. Coal and other
minerals employ a large number of people, and the total value of exports
amounts to about 24,000,000 pounds.
The uninhabited shores and untracked seas of Cook's time, only 120 years
ago, are thus now teeming with life and trade; and it is no wonder that
the name of the great explorer is more venerated, and the memory of his
deeds is more fresh, in the Colonies than in the Mother country that sent
him forth to find new fields for British enterprise.
CHAPTER 9. FROM TORRES STRAIT TO BATAVIA.
[August 1770.]
FRIDAY, 24th. In the P.M. had light Airs from the South-South-West, with
which, after leaving Booby Island, as before mentioned, we steer'd
West-North-West until 5 o'clock, when it fell Calm, and the Tide of Ebb
which sets to the North-East soon after making, we Anchor'd in 8 fathoms
soft sandy bottom, Booby Island bearing South 50 degrees East, distant 5
miles; Prince of Wales Isles extending from North-East by North to South
55 degrees East. There appear'd to be an open clear passage between these
Islands extending from North 64 degrees East to East by North. At 1/2
past 5 in the morning in purchasing* (* Weighing the anchor.) the Anchor,
the Cable parted about 8 or 10 fathoms from the Anchor; I immediately
order'd another Anchor to be let go, which brought the ship up before she
had drove a cable's length from the Buoy; after this we carried out a
Kedge, and warped the ship nearer to it, and then endeavour'd to sweep
the Anchor with a Hawser, but miss'd it, and broke away the Buoy rope.*
(* The kedge is a small anchor. Sweeping is dragging the middle of a
rope, or hawser, held at the two ends from two boats some distance apart,
along the bottom, with the object of catching the fluke of the anchor as
it lies on the bottom, and so recovering it. It is a long and wearisome
operation if the bottom is uneven. Cook, however, having already lost one
of his large anchors, could not afford to leave this without an effort.)
We made several Attempts afterwards, but did not succeed. While the Boats
were thus employed we hove up the Kedge Anchor, it being of no more use.
At Noon Latitude observed 10 degrees 30 minutes South. Winds at
North-East, a fresh breeze; the Flood Tide here comes from the same
Quarter.
Saturday, 25th. Winds at North-East and East-North-East, a gentle breeze.
Being resolv'd not to leave the Anchor behind while there remain'd the
least probability of getting of it, after dinner I sent the Boats again
to sweep for it first with a small line, which succeeded, and now we
know'd where it lay we found it no very hard matter to sweep it with a
Hawser. This done, we hove the Ship up to it by the same Hawser, but just
as it was almost up and down the Hawser slip'd, and left us all to do
over again. By this time it was dark, and obliged us to leave off until
daylight in the morning, when we sweep'd it again, and hove it up to the
bows, and by 8 o'Clock weigh'd the other anchor, got under sail, and
stood away North-West, having a fresh breeze at East-North-East. At Noon
we were by observation in the Latitude of 10 degrees 18 minutes South,
Longitude 219 degrees 39 minutes West, having no land in sight, but about
2 miles to the Southward of us lay a Shoal,* (* Cook Reef.) on which the
Sea broke, and I believe a part of it dry. At low Water it extended
North-West and South-East, and might be about 4 or 5 Leagues in Circuit;
depth of Water at this time and since we weigh'd 9 fathoms.
Sunday, 26th. Fresh breezes at East in standing to the North-West. We
began to Shoalden our water from 9 to 7 fathoms, and at 1/2 past one,
having run 11 Miles since Noon, the boat which was a head made the signal
for Shoal Water, immediately upon which we let go an Anchor, and brought
the Ship up with the sails standing as the boats was but a little way