Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
Sunday, 2nd. In the P.M. had Calm until 2, when a light breeze sprung up
at North by East, and we stood in for the Land East by North until 5, at
which time we got the wind from the South-West, a light breeze, with
which we steer'd North-East, edging in for the land, having it in sight
from the Deck, and which I judged to be about 3 or 4 Leagues off, being
very low land. Found the Variation to be 2 degrees 34 minutes East, and a
little before 8 o'Clock, having but little wind, we Anchor'd in 7
fathoms, soft Muddy bottom. In the Afternoon and evening we saw several
Sea Snakes, some of which the people in the Boat alongside took up by
hand. At daylight in the Morning we got under sail, and stood away to the
North-North-East, having a fresh gale at East, which by noon brought us
into the Latitude of 7 degrees 14 minutes South, Longitude 222 degrees 30
minutes West; Depth of Water 13 fathoms. Course and distance sail'd since
Yesterday Noon is North 24 degrees East, 27 Miles, having at this time no
land in sight, for the Land, according to the Charts, trends more
Easterly than the Wind would permit us to sail.
Monday, 3rd. Steer'd North by East, with a fresh breeze at East by North
until 7 in the Evening, when the wind came to South-East by South, with
which we keept standing to the Eastward close upon a wind all Night,
having from 17 to 10 fathoms pretty even Soundings. At daylight we saw
the land extending from North by East to South-East, distant about 4
Leagues. We still keept standing in for it, having the advantage of a
fresh gale at East-South-East and East by South, until near 9, when,
being about 3 or 4 Miles off, and in 3 fathoms, we brought too and I went
ashore in the pinnace, accompanied by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, having
a mind to land once in this Country before we quit it Altogether, which I
now am determin'd to do without delay; for I found that it is only
spending time to little purpose, and carrying us far out of our way,
staying upon this Coast, which is so shallow that we can hardly keep
within sight of land.
[Land in New Guinea.]
At the time we put off from the Ship we saw not the least sign of
inhabitants; but we had no sooner landed than we saw the print of Men's
feet fresh upon the sand, and a little way farther we found a small Shed
or Hutt, about which lay green shells of Cocoa Nutts. By this we were
well assured that the inhabitants were not far off; nay, we thought we
heard their Voices in the woods, which were so close and thick that we
did not think it safe to venture in, for fear of an Ambuscade, as we had
only a Boat's crew with us, a part of which were left to look after the
boat, which lay about a 1/4 of a Mile from the Shore. We therefore took a
walk upon the Sea beach, but had not gone above 200 Yards before we were
attack'd by 3 or 4 Men, who came out of the woods a little before us, but
upon our firing upon them they retir'd. Finding that we could not search
the Country with any degree of Safety, we return'd to the boat, and was
followed by 60, or, as some thought, about 100, of the Natives, who had
advanced in small parties out of the woods; but they suffer'd us to go to
our boats without giving us any trouble. We had now time to view them
attentively; we thought them to be about the size and Colour of the New
Hollanders, with short, Cropt Hair, and quite naked like them. I thought
these of a lighter Colour; but that may be owing to a whitish Pigment
with which we thought their bodies were painted, because some appeared
darker than others.
Their Arms were ordinary darts of about 4 feet long, made of a kind of
reed, and pointed at one end with hard wood; but what appear'd more
extraordinary to us was something they had which caused a flash of fire
or Smoak, very much like the going off of a pistol or small Gun, but
without any report. The deception was so great that the people in the
Ship actually thought that they had fire Arms; indeed, they seem'd to use
these things in imitation of such, for the moment the first man we saw
made his appearance he fir'd off one of these things, and while we lay
looking at them in the boat 4 or 5 would let them off all at once, which
had all the appearance in the world of Volleys of Small Arms; but I am
confident that nothing came from them but smook, but by what means this
was done, or what purpose it answer'd, we were not able to Guess. I
thought the Combustable matter was contain'd in a reed or piece of small
Bamboo, which they gave a Swing round in the hand and caused it to go
off.* (* The natives carry hollow canes with burning tinder for making
fires.)
This place lies in the Latitude of 6 degrees 15 minutes South, about 65
Leagues to the North-East of Point St. Augustine, or Walsche Caep, and is
near to what is called in the Charts by the long name of Cape de la Colta
de St. Bonaventura.* (* Cook's landing place in New Guinea, on the
western side of this great island, was on a part of the coast scarcely
known to this day. It is in the part of the island claimed by the Dutch.
Cook's insatiable desire to explore is well shown in this digression from
his course to Batavia.) The land is very low, like every other part of
the Coast we have seen here; it is thick and Luxuriously cloathed with
woods and Verdure, all of which appear Green and flourishing. Here were
Cocoa nutt Trees, Bread Fruit Trees, and Plantain Trees, but we saw no
fruit but on the former, and these were small and Green; the other Trees,
Shrubs, Plants, etc., were likewise such as is common in the South Sea
Islands and in New Holland.
Upon my return to the Ship we hoisted in the boat and made sail to the
Westward, with a design to leave the Coast altogether. This, however, was
contrary to the inclination and opinion of some of the Officers, who
would have had me send a Party of Men ashore to cut down the Cocoa Nutt
Trees for the sake of the Nutts; a thing that I think no man living could
have justified, for as the Natives had attacked us for meer landing
without taking away one thing, certainly they would have made a Vigerous
effort to have defended their property; in which case many of them must
have been kill'd, and perhaps some of our own people too, and all this
for 2 or 300 Green Cocoa Nutts, which, when we had got them, would have
done us little service; besides nothing but the utmost necessity would
have obliged me to have taken this method to come at refreshments.
It's true I might have gone farther along the Coast to the Northward and
Westward until we had found a place where the Ship could lay so near the
Shore as to cover the people with her Guns when landed; but it is very
probable that before we had found such a place we should have been
carried so far to the West as to have been obliged to have gone to
Batavia by the way of the Moluccas, and on the North side of Java, where
we were all utter Strangers. This I did not think was so safe a Passage
as to go to the South of Java and thro' the Straits of Sunda, the way I
propose to myself to go. Besides, as the Ship is leakey, we are not yet
sure wether or no we shall not be obliged to heave her down at Batavia;
in this case it becomes the more necessary that we should make the best
of our way to that place, especially as no new discovery can be Expected
to be made in these Seas, which the Dutch have, I believe, long ago
narrowly examin'd, as appears from 3 Maps bound up with the French
History of Voyages to the Terra Australis, published in 1756,* (* De
Brye's Voyages.) which Maps, I do suppose, by some means have been got
from the Dutch, as we found the Names of many of the places are in that
Language.
It should likewise seem from the same Maps that the Spaniards and Dutch
have at one time or another circumnavigated the whole of the Island of
New Guinea, as the most of the Names are in these 2 Languages; and such
part of the Coast as we were upon I found the Chart tolerable good, which
obliges me to give some Credit to all the rest, notwithstanding we
neither know by whom or when they were taken, and I always understood,
before I had a sight of these Maps, that it was unknown whether or no New
Holland and New Guinea was not one continued land, and so it is said in
the very History of Voyages these Maps are bound up in. However, we have
now put this wholy out of dispute; but, as I believe, it was known
before, tho' not publicly, I claim no other Merit than the Clearing up of
a doubtful point. Another doubtfull point I should have liked to have
clear'd up, altho' it is of very little, if of any Consequence, which is,
whether the Natives of New Holland and those of New Guinea are, or were,
Original, one People, which one might well suppose, as these 2 Countrys
lay so near to each other, and the intermediate space fill'd up with
Islands. On the other hand, if these 2 people have or ever had any
friendly communication with Each other it seems strange, as I have before
observed, that they should not have transplanted from New Guinea over to
New Holland Cocoa Nutts, Bread fruit, Plantains, etc., etc., all very
useful Articles for the support of Man, that We never saw grow in the
latter, and which we have now seen in the former. La Maire hath given us
a Vocabulary of Words spoken by the People of New Britain (which before
Dampier's time was taken to be a part of New Guinea), by which it appears
that the people of New Britain speak a very different Language from those
of New Holland. Now should it be found that the Natives of New Britain
and those of New Guinea have had One Origin, and speak the same Language,
it will follow, of Course, that the New Hollanders are a different People
from both.* (* In the north of Australia the natives are distinctly
allied to the Papuans, but on the east of the continent they are of a
type of their own, and speak many different languages.)
[Off South-west Coast of New Guinea.]
Tuesday, 4th. Stood to the Westward all this day, having at first a
moderate breeze Southerly, which afterwards freshned and Veered to
South-East and East-South-East. We keept on sounding all the time, having
from 14 to 30 fathoms not regular, but sometimes more and sometimes less.
At noon we were in 14 fathoms; by observation in the Latitude of 6
degrees 44 minutes South, Longitude 223 degrees 51 minutes West. Course
and distance sail'd since Yesteday Noon South 76 minutes West, 120 Miles.
Wednesday, 5th. Winds at East by South and South-East by East, a fresh
gale and Clear weather, with which were run 118 Miles upon a South 69
degrees 15 minutes West Course, which at Noon brought us into the
Latitude of 7 degrees 25 minutes South, Longitude 225 degrees 41 minutes
West; depth of Water 28 fathoms, having been in soundings the whole of
this day's run, generally between 10 and 20 fathoms. At half an hour past
one in the Morning we past by a small low Island, which bore from us at
that time North-North-West, distant 3 or 4 Miles; depth of Water 14
fathoms, and at daylight we discover'd another low Island extending from
North-North-West and North-North-East, distant 2 or 3 Leagues. I believe
I should have landed upon this Island to have known its produce, as it
did not appear to be very small, had not the wind blown too fresh for
such an undertaking, and at the time we passed the Island we had only 10
fathoms Water, a rocky bottom; I was therefore afraid of running down to
leeward for fear of meeting with Shoal Water and foul ground. These
Islands have no place on the Charts, unless they are the Arrow Isles,
which, if they are, they are laid down much too far from New Guinea. I
found the South part of these to lay in the Latitude 7 degrees 6 minutes
South, Longitude 225 degrees 0 minutes West.* (* These were probably
Karang and Ennu Islands, two outliers of the Arru Islands.)