 Book 1, Chapter 4, Part 1, of Volume 1, of A Voyage Towards the South Pole. This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by David Cole. A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by James Cook. Book 1, Chapter 4, Part 1. Transactions in Dusky Bay, with an account of several interviews with the inhabitants. 1773 March. As I did not like the place we were anchored in, I sent Lieutenant Pickersgill over to the southeast side of the bay to search for a better, and I went myself to the other side for the same purpose, where I met with an exceedingly snug harbour, but nothing else worthy of note. Mr Pickersgill reported upon his return that he had found a good harbour with every convenience. As I liked the situation of this better than the other of my own finding, I determined to go there in the morning. The fishing boat was very successful, returning with fish sufficient for all hands for supper, and in a few hours in the morning caught as many as served for dinner. This gave us certain hopes of being plentifully supplied with this article, nor did the shores and woods appear less destitute of wild fowl, so that we hoped to enjoy with ease what in our situation might be called the luxuries of life. This determined me to stay for some time in this bay in order to examine it thoroughly, as no one had ever landed before on any of the southern parts of this country. On the 27th at nine o'clock in the morning we got under sail with a light breeze at southwest, and working over to Pickersgill harbour entered it by a channel scarcely twice the width of the ship, and in a small creek moored head and stern, so near the shore as to reach it with a brow or stage, which nature had in the manner prepared for us in a large tree, whose end or top reached our gunnel. Wood for fuel and other purposes was here so convenient that our yards were locked in the branches of the trees, and about one hundred yards from our stern was a fine stream of fresh water. Thus situated we began to clear places in the woods, in order to set up the astronomer's observatory, the forge to repair our ironwork, tents for the sailmakers and coopers to repair the sails and casks in, to land our empty casks to fill water and to cut down wood for fuel, all of which were absolutely necessary occupations. We also began to brew beer from the branches or leaves of a tree, which much resembles the American black spruce. From the knowledge I had of this tree and the similarity it bore to the spruce, I judged that, with the addition of insipid juice of wort and molasses, it would make a very wholesome beer and supply the one to vegetables which this place did not afford, and the event proved that I was not mistaken. Now I have mentioned the insipid juice of wort. It will not be amiss in this place to inform the reader that I had made several trials of it since I left the Cape of Good Hope, and found it to answer in a cold climate beyond all expectation. The juice diluted in warm water, in the proportion of twelve parts water to one part juice, made a very good and well-tasted small beer. Some juice which I had of Mr. Pelham's own preparing would bear sixteen parts water, by making use of warm water, which I think always ought to be done, and keeping it in a warm place if the weather be cold, no difficulty will be found in fermenting it. A little grounds of either small or strong beer will answer as well as yeasts. The few sheep and goats we had left were not likely to fare quite so well as ourselves, there being no grass here but what was coarse and harsh. It was, however, not so bad, but that we expected they would devour it with great greediness, and were the more surprised to find that they would not taste it, nor did they seem overfond of the leaves of more tender plants. Upon examination we found their teeth loose, and that many of them had every other symptom of an inveterate sea-scarvy. Out of four yews and two rams which I brought from the Cape, with an intent to put ashore in this country, I had only been able to preserve one of each, and even these were in so bad a state that it was doubtful if they could recover, notwithstanding all the care possible had been taken of them. Some of the officers on the twenty-eighth went up the bay in a small boat on a shooting-party, but discovering inhabitants they returned before noon to acquaint me therewith, for hitherto we had not seen the least vestige of any. They had but just got aboard, when a canoe appeared off a point about a mile from us, and soon after returned behind the point out of sight, probably owing to a shower of rain which then fell, for it was no sooner over than the canoe again appeared, and came within musket-shot of the ship. There were in it seven or eight people. They remained looking at us for some time, and then returned. All the signs of friendship we could make did not prevail on them to come nearer. After dinner I took two boats and went in search of them, in the Cove where they were first seen, accompanied by several of the officers and gentlemen. We found the canoe, at least a canoe, hauled up on the shore near to two small huts, where were several fireplaces, some fishing-nits, a few fish lying on the shore, and some in the canoe. But we saw no people. They probably had retired into the woods. After a short stay and leaving in the canoe some medals, looking glasses, beads, etc., we embarked and rode to the head of the Cove, where we found nothing remarkable. In turning back we put ashore at the same place as before, but still saw no people. However they could not be far off, as we smelled the smoke of fire, though we did not see it. But I did not care to search further, or to force an interview which they seemed to avoid, well knowing that the way to obtain this was to leave the time and place to themselves. It did not appear that anything I had left had been touched, however I now added a hatchet, and with the night returned on board. On the twenty-ninth were showers till the afternoon, when a party of the officers made an excursion up the bay, and Mr. Forster and his party were out botanizing. Both parties returned in the evening without meeting with anything worthy of notice, and the two following days every one was confined to the ship on account of rainy stormy weather. 1773 APRIL In the afternoon of the first of April, accompanied by several of the gentlemen, I went to see if any of the articles I had left of the Indians were taken away. We found everything remaining in the canoe, nor did it appear that anybody had been there since. After shooting some birds, one of which was a duck, with a blue-gray plumage and soft bill, we in the evening returned on board. The second being a pleasant morning, Lieutenant's clerk and Edgecombe and the two Mr. Forsters went in a boat up the bay to search for the productions of nature, and myself, Lieutenant Pickersgill and Mr. Hodges, went to take a view of the northwest side. In our way we touched at the seal-rock and killed three seals, one of which afforded us much sport. After passing several aisles, we at length came to the most northern and western arms of the bay, the same as is formed by the land of five fingers-point. In the bottom of this arm or cove we found many ducks, wood-hens and other wild fowl, some of which we killed and returned on board at ten o'clock in the evening, where the other party had arrived several hours before us, after having had but indifferent sport. They took with them a black dog we had got at the Cape, who at the first musket they fired, ran into the woods from whence he would not return. The three following days were rainy, so that no excursions were made. Early in the morning on the sixth a shooting-party, made up of the officers, went to Goose Cove, the place where I was on the second, and myself, accompanied by the two Mr. Forsters and Mr. Hodges, set out to continue the survey of the bay. My attention was directed to the north side, where I discovered a fine capacious cove, in the bottom of which is a fresh water river. On the west side several beautiful small cascades, and the shores are so steep that a ship might lie near enough to convey the water into a her by a hose. In this cove we shot fourteen ducks beside other birds, which occasioned by calling it Duck Cove. As we returned in the evening we had a short interview with three of the natives, one man and two women. They were the first that discovered themselves on the northeast point of Indian Island, named so on this occasion. We should have passed without seeing them. Had not the man hallowed to us? He stood with his club in his hand, upon the point of a rock, and behind him, at the skirts of the wood, stood the two women, with each of them a spear. The man could not help discovering great signs of fear when we approached the rock with our boat. He, however, stood firm, nor did he move to take up some things we threw him ashore. That length I landed went up and embraced him, and presented him with such articles as I had about me, which at once dissipated his fears. Presently after we were joined by the two women, the gentlemen that were with me, and some of the seamen. After this we spent about half an hour in chit-chat, little understood on either side, in which the youngest of the two women bore by far the greatest share. This occasioned one of the seamen to say that women do not want tongue in any part of the world. We presented them with fish and fowl which we had in our boat, but these they threw into the boat again, giving us to understand that such things they wanted not. Night approaching obliged us to take leave of them, when the youngest of the two women, whose volubility of tongue exceeded everything I ever met with, gave us a dance. But the man viewed us with great attention. Some hours after we got on board, the other party returned, having had but indifferent sport. Next morning I made the natives another visit, accompanied by Mr. Forster and Mr. Hodges, carrying with me various articles which I presented them with, and which they received with a great deal of indifference, except hatchets and spike-nails, these they most esteemed. This interview was at the same place as last night, and now we saw the whole family. It consisted of the man, his two wives, as we supposed. The young woman before mentioned, a boy about fourteen years old, and three small children, the youngest of which was at the breast. They were all well-looking except one woman, who had a large wane on her upper lip, which made her disagreeable, and she seemed on that account to be in a great measure neglected by the man. They conducted us to their habitation, which was but a little way within the skirts of the wood, and consisted of two mean huts made of the bark of trees. Their canoe, which was a small double one, just large enough to transport the whole family from place to place, lay in a small creek near the huts. During our stay Mr. Hodges made drawings of most of them. This occasioned them to give him the name of Toto, which word we suppose signifies marking or painting. When we took leave the chief presented me with a piece of cloth or garment of their own manufacturing, and some other trifles. I at first thought it was meant as a return for the presence I had made him, but he soon undiseived me by expressing a desire for one of our boat cloaks. I took the hint and ordered one to be made for him of red bays as soon as I got aboard, where rainy weather detained me the following day. The ninth being fair weather we paid the natives another visit, and made known our approach by hallowing to them. But they neither answered us nor met us at the shore as usual. The reason of this we soon saw, for we found them at their habitations all dressed and dressing, in their very best, with their hair combed and oiled, tied up on the crowns of their heads and stuck with white feathers. Some wore affiliative feathers round their heads, and all of them had bunches of white feathers stuck in their ears. Thus dressed than all standing, they had received us with great courtesy. I presented the chief with the cloak I had got made for him, with which he seemed so well pleased that he took his pat-a-patoo from his girdle and gave it me. After a short stay we took leave, and having spent the remainder of the day in continuing my survey of the bay, with a night returned on board. Very heavy rains falling on the two following days no work was done. But the twelfths proved clear and serene, and afforded us an opportunity to dry our sails and linen. Two things very much wanted, not having had fair weather enough for this purpose, since we put into this bay. Mr. Forster and his party also profited by the day in botanizing. At ten o'clock the family of the natives paid us a visit. Seeing that they approached the ship with great caution I met them in a boat, which I quitted when I got to them and went into their canoe. Yet after all I could not prevail on them to put alongside the ship, and at last was obliged to leave them to follow their own inclination. At length they put ashore in a little creek hard bias, and afterwards came and sat down on the shore, abreast of the ship, near enough to speak with us. I now caused the backpipes and fife to play and the drum to beat. The two first they did not regard, but the latter caused some little attention in them. Nothing, however, could induce them to come on board. But they entered with great familiarity into conversation little understood, with such of the officers and seamen as went to them, paying much greater regard to some than to others, and these we had reason to believe they took for women. To one man in particular the young woman showed an extraordinary fondness until she discovered his sex, after which she would not suffer him to come near her. Whether it was that she before took him for one of her own sex, thought that the man, in order to discover himself, had taken some liberties with her, which she thus resented, I know not. In the afternoon I took Mr. Hodges to a large cascade, which falls from a high mountain on the south side of the bay, about a league above the place where we lay. He made a drawing of it on paper, and afterwards painted it in well colours, which exhibits, at once, a better description of it than any I can give. Huge heaps of stones lay at the foot of this cascade, which had been broken off and brought by the stream from the adjacent mountains. These stones were of different sorts, none, however, according to Mr. Forster's opinion, whom I believe to be a judge, containing either minerals or metals. Nevertheless I brought away specimens of every sort, as the whole country, that is, the rocky part of it, seemed to consist of those stones and no other. This cascade is at the east point of a cove, lying in southwest two miles, which I named Cascade a Cove. In it is good anchorage and other necessaries. At the entrance lies an island, on each side of which is a passage, that on the east side is much the widest. A little above the isle and near the southeast shore are two rocks which are covered at high water. It was in this cove we first saw the natives. When I returned aboard in the evening I found our friends the natives had taken up their quarters at about a hundred yards from our watering place, a very great mark of the confidence they placed in us. This evening a shooting party of the officers went over to the north side of the bay, having with them the small cutter to convey them from place to place. Next morning, accompanied by Mr. Forster, I went in the pinnace to survey the aisles and rocks which lie in the mouth of the bay. I began first with those which lie on the southeast side of Anchor Island. I found here a very snug cove sheltered from all winds, which we called Luncheon Cove, because here we dined on crayfish on the side of a pleasant brook shaded by the trees from both wind and sun. After dinner we proceeded by rowing out to the outermost aisles, where we saw many seals, fourteen of which we killed and brought away with us, and might have got many more if the surf had permitted us to land with safety on all the rocks. The next morning I went out again to continue the survey accompanied by Mr. Forster. I intended to have landed the gain on the seal aisles, but there ran such a high sea that I could not come near them. With some difficulty we rowed out to sea around the southwest point of Anchor Island. It happened very fortunately that Chance directed me to take this course, in which we found the sportsman's boat adrift, and laid hold of her the very moment she would have been dashed against the rocks. I was not long at a loss to guess how she came there, nor was I under any apprehensions for the gentlemen that had been in her, and after refreshing ourselves with such as we had to eat and drink, and securing the boat in a small creek, we proceeded to the place where we supposed them to be. This we reached about seven or eight o'clock in the evening, and found the pump on a small aisle in Goose Cove, where, as it was low water, we could not come with our boat until the return of the tide. As this did not happen till three o'clock in the morning, we landed on a naked beach, not knowing where to find a better place, and after some time, having got a fire and broiled some fish, we made a hearty supper, having for source a good appetite. This done we lay down to sleep, having a stony beach for a bed, and the canopy of heaven for a covering. At length the tide permitted us to take off the sportsmen, and with them we embarked, and proceeded for the place where we had left their boat, which we so unreached, having a fresh breeze of wind in our favour attended with rain. When we came to the creek which was on the northwest side of Anchor Isle, we found there an immense number of blue petrels, some on the wing, others in the woods in holes in the ground, under the roots of trees and in the crevices of rocks, where there was no getting them, and where we supposed their young would be posited. As not one was to be seen in the day, the old ones were probably at that time out at sea searching for food, which in the evening they bring to the air young. The noise they made was like the croaking of many frogs. They were, I believe, of the broad-bill kind, which are not so commonly seen at sea as the others. Here, however, they were in great numbers, and flying much about in the night. Some of our gentlemen first took them for mats. After restoring the sportsmen to their boat, we all proceeded for the ship, which we reached by seven o'clock in the morning, not a little fatigued with our expedition. I now learned that our friends the natives returned to their habitation at night, probably foreseeing that rain was at hand. Which sort of weather continued the whole of this day? On the morning of the fifteenth, the weather having cleared up and become fair, I set out with two boats to continue the survey of the north-west side of the bay, accompanied by the two Mr. Forsters and several of the officers, whom I detached in one boat to Goose Cove, where we intended to lodge the night, while I proceeded in the other, examining the harbors and aisles which lay in my way. In the doing of this, I picked up about a score of wild fowl, and caught fish sufficient to serve the whole party, and reaching the place of rendezvous a little before dark, I found all the gentlemen out duck-shooting. They however soon returned, not overloaded with game. By this time the cooks had done their parts, in which little art was required, and after a hearty repast, on what the day had produced we lay down to rest, but took care to rise early the next morning, in order to have the other bout among the ducks before we left the Cove. Accordingly at daylight we prepared for the attack. Those who had reconnoitred the place before us chose their stations accordingly, whilst myself and another remained in the boat, and rode to the head of the Cove to start the game, which we did so effectually that, out of some scores of ducks, we only detained one to ourselves, sending all the rest down to those stations below. After this I landed at the head of the Cove, and walked across the narrow Isthmus that disjointed from the sea, or rather from another Cove which runs in from the sea about one mile, and lies open to the north winds. It, however, had all the appearance of a good harbour and safe anchorage. At the head is a fine sandy beach, where I found an immense number of wood-hens, and brought away ten couple of them, which recompensed me for the trouble of cuddling the Isthmus, through the wet woods up to the middle in water. About nine o'clock we all got collected together, when the success of every one was known, which was by no means answerable to our expectations. The morning indeed was very unfavourable for shooting, being rainy the most of the time we were out. After breakfast we set out on our return to the ship, which we reached by seven o'clock in the evening, with about seven dozen of wild fowl and two seals, the most of them shot while I was rowing about, exploring the harbours and coves which we found in my way. Every place affording something, especially to us, to whom nothing came amiss. It rained all the seventeenth but the eighteenth bringing fair and clear weather. In the evening our friends, the natives before mentioned, gave us another visit, and the next morning the chief and his daughter were induced to come on board, while the others went out in the canoe fishing. Before they came on board I showed them our goats and sheep that were on shore, which they viewed for a moment with a kind of stupid insensibility. After this I conducted them to the brow, but before the chief set his foot upon it to come into the ship he took a small green branch in his hand, with which he struck the ship's side several times, repeating a speech or prayer. When this was over he threw the branch into the main chains, and came on board. This manner and custom of making peace as it were is practised by all the nations in the South Seas that I have seen. End of Book 1, Chapter 4, Part 1 Recording by David Cole, Medway, Massachusetts Book 1, Chapter 4, Part 2 of A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by James Cook. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by David Cole. Chapter 4, Transactions in Dusky Bay, with an account of several interviews with the inhabitants, Part 2 I took them both down into the cabin where we were to breakfast. They sat at table with us, but would not taste any of our vitals. The chief wanted to know where we slept and indeed to pry into every corner of the cabin, every part of which he viewed with some surprise, but it was not possible to fix his attention to any one thing a single moment. The works of art appeared to him in the same light as those of nature, and were as far removed beyond his comprehension. What seemed to strike them most was the number and strength of our decks and other parts of the ship. The chief, before he came aboard, presented me with a piece of cloth and a green talc hatchet. To Mr. Forster he also gave a piece of cloth, and the girl gave another to Mr. Hodges. This custom of making presents before they receive any is common with the natives of the South Sea Isles, but I never saw it practiced in New Zealand before. Of all the various articles I gave my guest, hatchets and spiked nails were the most valuable in his eyes. At least he would never suffer to go out of his hands after he once laid hold of them, whereas many other articles he would lay carelessly down anywhere, and at last leave them behind him. As soon as I could get quit of them they were conducted into the gun-room where I left them, and set out with two boats to examine the head of the bay, myself in one accompanied by Mr. Forster and Mr. Hodges, and Lieutenant Cooper in the other. We proceeded up the south side, and without meeting with anything remarkable got to the head of the bay by sunset, where we took up our lodging for the night, at the first place we could land upon, for the flats hindered us from getting quite to the head. At daylight in the morning I took two men in the small boat, and with Mr. Forster went to take a view of the flat land at the head of the bay, near to where we spent the night. We landed on one side and ordered the boat to meet us on the other side, but had not been long unsure before we saw some docks which, by their creeping through the bushes, we got a shot at and killed one. The moment we had fired, the natives whom we had not discovered before, set up a most hideous noise in two or three places close by us. We hallowed in our turn, and at the same time retired to our boat, which was full half a mile off. The natives kept up their clamoring noise, but did not follow us. Indeed we found afterwards that they could not, because of a branch of the river between us and them, nor did we find their numbers answerable to the noise they made. As soon as we got to our boat, and found that there was a river that would admit us, I rode in, and was soon after joined by Mr. Cooper in the other boat. With this reinforcement I proceeded up the river, shooting wild docks, of which there were great numbers, as we went along, now and then, hearing the natives in the woods. At length two appeared on the banks of the river a man and a woman, and the latter kept waving something white in her hand as a sign of friendship. Mr. Cooper being near them, I called him to land as I wanted to take the advantage of the tide to get up as high as possible, which did not much exceed half a mile, when I was stopped by the strength of the stream and great stones that lay in the bed of the river. On my return I found that as Mr. Cooper did not land when the natives expected him, they had retired into the woods, but two others now appeared on the opposite bank. I endeavored to have an interview with them, but this I could not effect. For as I approached the shore they always retired farther into the woods, which were so thick as to cover them from our sight. The falling tide obliged me to retire out of the river to the place where we had spent the night. There we breakfasted and afterwards embarked in order to return on board. But just as we were going we saw two men on the opposite shore hallowing to us, which induced me to row over to them. I landed with two others unarmed, the two natives standing about one hundred yards from the water side, with each a spear in his hand. When we three advanced they retired, but stood when I advanced alone. It was some little time before I could prevail upon them to lay down their spears. This at last one of them did, and met me with a grass plant in his hand, one end of which he gave me to hold while he held the other. Standing in this manner he began a speech, not one word of which I understood, and made some long pauses, waiting as I thought, for me to answer, for when I spoke he proceeded. As soon as this ceremony was over, which was not long, we saluted each other. He then took out his ha-hoo, or coat, from off his own back and put it upon mine, after which peace seemed firmly established. Four people joining us did not in the least alarm them. On the contrary, they saluted every one as he came up. I gave to each a hatchet and a knife, having nothing else with me. Perhaps these were the most valuable things I could give them, at least they were the most useful. They wanted us to go to their habitation, telling us they would give us something to eat, and I was sorry that the tide and other circumstances would not permit me to accept of their invitation. More people were seen in the skirts of the wood, but none of them joined us. Probably these were their wives and children. When we took leave they followed us to our boat, and seeing the muskets lying across the stern, they made signs for them to be taken away, which being done, they came alongside and assisted us to launch her. At this time it was necessary for us to look well after them, for they wanted to take away everything they could lay their hands upon, except the muskets. These they took care not to touch, being taught. By the slaughter they had seen us make among the wild fowl, to look upon them as instruments of death. We saw no canoes or other boats with them. Two or three logs of wood tied together served the same purpose, they were indeed sufficient for the navigation of the river, on the banks of which they lived. Their fishing-fowl were in such plenty that they had no occasion to go far for food, and they have but few neighbours to disturb them. The whole number at this place, I believe, does not exceed three families. It was noon when we took leave of these two men, and proceeded down the north side of the bay, which I explored in my way, and the aisles that lie in the middle. Night, however, overtook us, and obliged me to leave one arm unlooked into, and hastened to the ship, which we reached by eight o'clock. I then learned that the man and his daughter stayed on board the day before till noon, and that having understood from our people what things were left in Cascade Cove, the place where they were first seen, he sent and took them away. He and his family remained near us till to-day, when they all went off, and we saw them no more, which was the more extraordinary, as he never left us empty-handed. From one or another he did not get less than nine or ten hatchets, three or four times that number of large spike-nails, besides many other articles. So far as these things may be counted riches in New Zealand, he exceeds every man there, being at this time possessed of more hatchets and axes than are in the whole country besides. In the afternoon of the twenty-first I went with a party out to the aisles on seal-hunting. The surf ran so high that we could only land in one place, where we killed ten. These animals served us for three purposes. The skins we made use of for our rigging. The fat gave oil for our lamps, and the flesh we eat. Their haslets are equal to that of a hog, and the flesh of some of them eats little inferior to beef steaks. The following day nothing worthy of notice was done. On the morning of the twenty-third Mr. Pickersgill, Mr. Gilbert and two others went to the Cascade Cove in order to ascend one of the mountains, the summit of which they reached by two o'clock in the afternoon, as we could see by the fire they made. In the evening they returned on board and reported that inland nothing was to be seen but barren mountains with huge craggy precipices, disjoined by valleys or rather chasms, frightful to be hurled. On the southeast side of Cape West, four miles out at sea, they discovered a ridge of rocks on which the waves broke very high. I believed these rocks to be the same we saw the evening we first fell in with the land. Having five geese left out of those we brought from the Cape of Good Hope, I went with them next morning to Goose Cove, named so on this account while I left them. I chose this place for two reasons. First there are no inhabitants to disturb them, and secondly here being the most food, I make no doubt that they will breed, and main times fit over the whole country, and fully answer my intention in leaving them. We spent the day shooting in and about the Cove and returned aboard about ten o'clock in the evening. One of the parties shot a white hern which agreed exactly with Mr Pennant's description in his British zoology of the white herns that either now are or were formerly in England. The twentieth was the eighth fair day we had had successively, a circumstance I believe very uncommon in this place, especially at this season of the year. This fair weather gave us an opportunity to complete our wooden water, to overhaul the rigging, cork the ship, and put her in a condition for sea. Fair weather was, however, now at an end, for it began to rain this evening and continued without intermission till noon the next day, when we cast off the shore fasts, hove the ship out of the creek to a ranker, and steadied her with an orzer to the shore. On the twenty-seventh hazy weather with shards of rain, in the morning I set out, accompanied by Mr Pickersgill and the two Mr Forsters. To explore the arm or inlet I discovered the day I returned from the head of the bay. After rowing about two leagues up it, or rather down, I found it to communicate with the sea, and to afford a better outlet for ships bound to the north, than the one I came in by. After making this discovery and refreshing ourselves on broiled fish and wildfowl, we set out for the ship, and got on board at eleven o'clock at night, leaving two arms we had discovered, and which ran into the east unexplored. In this expedition we shot forty-four birds, sea-pies, ducks, etc., without going one foot out of our way, or causing any other delay than picking them up. Having got the tents and every other article on board on the twenty-eighth, we only now waited for a wind to carry us out of the harbour, and through new passage the way I proposed to go to sea. Having been removed from the shore I set fire to the top-board, etc., in order to dry a piece of the ground we had occupied, which next morning I dug up and sowed with several sorts of garden seeds. The soil was such as did not promise success to the planter. It was, however, the best we could find. At two o'clock in the afternoon we wade with a light breeze that south-west, and stirred up the bay for the new passage. Soon after we had got through, between the east end of Indian island and the west end of Long Island, it fell calm, which obliged us to anchor in forty-three further water, under the north side of the latter island. In the morning of the thirtieth we wade again with a light breezed west, which, together with all our boats ahead towing, was hardly sufficient to stem the current. Four, after struggling till six o'clock in the evening, and not getting more than five miles from our last anchoring place, we anchored under the north side of Long Island, not more than one-hundred yards from the shore, to which we fancied a hawza. 1773 May A daylight next morning, May 1st, we got again under sail and attempted to work to Windward, having a light breeze down the bay. At first we gained ground, but at last the breeze died away, when we soon lost more than we had got, and were obliged to bear up for a cove on the north side of Long Island, where we anchored in nineteen further water and muddy bottom. In this cove we found two huts not long since inhabited, and near them two very large fireplaces or ovens, such as they have in the society aisles. In this cove we were detained by calms, attended with continual rain till the fourth in the afternoon, when, with the assistance of a small breeze at southwest, we got the length of the reach or passage leading to sea. The breeze then left us, and we anchored under the east point before a sandy beach, in thirty fathoms water, but this anchoring place hath nothing to recommend it, like the one we came from, which hath everything in its favour. In the night we had some very heavy squalls of wind, attended with rain, hail, and snow, and some thunder. Daylight exhibited to our view all the hills and mountains covered with snow. At two o'clock in the afternoon a light breeze sprung up at south-south west, which, with the help of our boats, carried us down the passage to our intended anchor place, where at eight o'clock we anchored in sixteen fathoms water, and moored with a hawzer to the shore, under the first point on the starboard side as you come in from sea, from which we were covered by the point. In the morning on the sixth I sent Lieutenant Pickersgill, accompanied by the two Mr. Forsters, to explore the second arm which turns into the east, myself being confined on board by a cold. At the same time I had everything got up from between decks, the decks well cleaned and well aired with fires, a thing that ought never to be long neglected in wet, moist weather. The fair weather, which had continued all this day, were succeeded in the night by a storm from north-west, which blew in hard squalls attended with rain, and obliged us to strike top gallant and lower yards, and to carry out another hawzer to the shore. The bad weather continued the whole day in the seceding night, after which it fell calm with fair weather. At seven o'clock in the morning on the eighth Mr. Pickersgill returned together with his companions in no very good plight, having been at the head of the arm he was sent to explore, which he judged to extend in to the eastward about eight miles. In it is a good anchoring place, wood, fresh water, wildfowl and fish. At nine o'clock I set out to explore the other inlet, or the one next the sea, and ordered Mr. Gilbert, the master, to go and examine the passage out to sea, while those on board were getting everything in readiness to depart. I proceeded up the inlet till five o'clock in the afternoon, when bad weather obliged me to return, before I had seen the end of it. As this inlet lay nearly parallel with the sea-coast, I was of opinion that it might communicate with doubtful harbour, or some other inlet to the northward. Appearances were, however, against this opinion, and the bad weather hindered me from determining the point, although a few hours would have done it. I was about ten miles up and thought I saw the end of it. I found on the north side three coves, in which, as also on the south side, between the main and the isles, like four miles up the inlet, is good anchorage. Wood, water, and what else can be expected, such as fish and wild fowl? Of the latter we killed in this excursion three dozen. After a very hard row, against both wind and rain, we got on board about nine o'clock at night, without a dry thread on our backs. This bad weather continued no longer until the next morning, when it became fair, and the sky cleared up. But, as we had not wind to carry us to sea, we made up two shooting parties, myself accompanied by the two Mr. Forsters and some others. Went to the area I was in the day before, and the other party to the coves and isles Mr. Gilbert had discovered when he was out, and where he found many wild fowl. We had a pleasant day, and the evening brought us all on board. Myself and party met with good sport, but the other party found little. All the forenoon of the tenth we had strong gales from the west, attended with heavy showers of rain, and blowing in such flurries over high land, as made it unsafe for us to get under sail. The afternoon was more moderate and became fair, when myself, Mr. Cooper and some others, went out in the boats to the rocks, which lied the entrance of the bay to kill seals. The weather was rather unfavorable for this sport, and the sea ran high, so as to make landing difficult. We however killed ten, but could only wait to bring away five, with which we returned on board. In the morning of the eleventh, while we were getting under sail, I sent a boat for the other five seals. At nine o'clock we waved with a light breeze at southeast, and stood out to sea, taking off the boat in our way. It was noon before we got clear of the land, at which time we observed in forty-five degrees, thirty-four minutes, thirty seconds south. The entrance of the bay bore southeast by east, and break sea aisles. The uttermost aisles that lie at the south point of the entrance of the bay bore south-south-east, distant three miles. The southernmost point bore south forty-two degrees west, and the northernmost land north-northeast. In this situation we had a prodigious swell from the southwest, which broke with great violence on all the shores that were exposed to it. End of Book 1, Chapter 4, Part 2, Recording by David Cole, Medway, Massachusetts. Book 1, Chapter 5, of A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by James Cook. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by David Cole. Chapter 5, Directions for Sailing in and out of Dusky Bay, with an account of the adjacent country, its produce and inhabitants, astronomical and nautical observations, 1773 May. As there are few places where I have been in New Zealand that afford the necessary refreshments, in such plenty is Dusky Bay, a short description of it, and if the adjacent country may prove of use to some future navigators, as well as acceptable to the curious reader. For although this country be far remote from the present trading part of the world, we can, by no means, tell what use future ages may make of the discoveries made in the present. The reader of this journal must already know that there are two entrances to this bay. The south entrance is situated on the north side of Cape West, in latitude forty-five degrees forty-eight minutes south. It is formed by the land of the Cape to the south, and five fingers point to the north. This point is made remarkable by several pointed rocks lying off it, which, when viewed from certain situations, have some resemblance to the five fingers of a man's hand, from whence it takes its name. The land of this point is still more remarkable by the little similarity it bears to any other of the land's adjacent, being a narrow peninsula lying north and south of a moderate and equal height and all covered with wood. To sail into the bay by this entrance is by no means difficult, as I know of no danger but what shows itself. The worst that attends it is the depth of water, which is too great to admit of anchorage, except in the coves and harbours and very near the shores. And even in many places this last cannot be done. The anchor-aiking places are, however, numerous enough, and equally safe and commodious. Harbour-skill harbour, where we lay, is not inferior to any other bay for two or three ships. It is situated on the south shore, abreast of the west end of Indian island, which island may be known from the others by its greater proximity to that shore. There is a passage into the harbour on both sides of the isle, which lies before it. The most room is on the upper or east side, having regard to a sunken rock near the main, abreast this end of the isle. Keep the isle close aboard, and you will not only avoid the rock, but keep in anchoring ground. The next place on this side is Cascade Cove, where there is room for a fleet of ships and also a passage in on either side of the isle, which lies in the entrance, taking care to avoid a sunken rock which lies near the south, east shore, a little above the isle. This rock, as well as the one in Pickerskill harbour, may be seen at half-eb. It must be needless to enumerate all the anchoring places in this capacious bay. The north entrance lies in the latitude of forty-five degrees thirty-eight minutes south, and five leaks to the north of five fingers point. To make this entrance plain it will be necessary to approach the shore within a few miles, as all the land within on each side is off considerable height. Its situation may, however, be known at a greater distance, as it lies under the first craggy mountains, which rise to the north of the land of five fingers point. The southernmost of these mountains is remarkable, having at its summit two small hillocks. In this mountain bear south-south-east you will be before the entrance, on the south side of which are several isles. The westernmost and outermost is the most considerable, both for height and circuit, and this I have called Breaksea Isle, because it effectively covers this entrance from the violence of the south-west swell, which the other entrance is so much exposed to. When sailing in, you leave this isle as well as all the others to the south. The best anchorage is in the first or north arm, which is on the lab at hand going in, either in one of the coves, or between the isles that lie under the southeast shore. The country is exceedingly mountainous not only about Dusky Bay, but through all the southern part of the western coast of Tevai, Panamu. A prospect more rude and craggy is rarely to be met with, for inland appears nothing but the summits of mountains of a stupendous height, and consisting of rocks that are totally barren and naked, except where they are covered with snow. But the land bordering on the sea coast and all the islands are thickly clothed with wood, almost down to the water's edge. The trees are of various kinds, such as are common to other parts of this country, and are fit for the shipwright, housecarpenter, cabinetmaker, and many other uses. Except in the River Thames, I have not seen finer timber in all New Zealand. Both here and in that river, the most considerable for size is the spruce tree, as we called it. From the similarity of its foliage to the American spruce, though the wood is more ponderous, and bears a greater resemblance to the pitch pine. Many of these trees are from six to eight and ten feet in girth, and from sixty to eighty or one hundred feet in length, large enough to make a main mast for a fifty-gun ship. Here are, as well as in all other parts of New Zealand, a great number of aromatic trees and shrubs, most of the myrtle kind, but amidst all this variety we met with none which bore fruit fit to eat. In many parts the woods are so overrun with supple-jacks that it is scarcely possible to force one's way among them. I have seen several which were fifty or sixty fathoms long. The soil is a deep black mould, evidently composed of decayed vegetables, and so loose that it sinks under you at every step, and this may be the reason why we meet with so many large trees as we do, blown down by the wind, even in the thickest part of the woods. All the ground amongst the trees is covered with moss and fern, of both which there is a great variety. But except the flax or hemp plant, and a few other plants, there is very little herbage of any sort, and none that was eatable that we found, except about a handful of water-cresses and about the same quantity of celery. What dusky bay most abounds with is fish. A boat with six or eight men, with hooks and lines, caught dearly sufficient to serve the whole ship's company. Of this article the variety is almost equal to the plenty, and of such kinds as are common to the more northern coast. But some are superior, and in particular the coal fish, as we called it, which is both larger and finer flavour than any I had seen before, and was, in the opinion of most on board, the highest luxury the sea afforded us. The shellfish are mussels, cockles, scallops, crayfish, and many other sorts, all such as are to be found in every other part of the coast. The only amphibious animals are seals. These are to be found in great numbers about this bay, on the small rocks and aisles near the sea coast. We found here five different kinds of ducks, some of which I do not recollect to have anywhere seen before. The largest are as big as a muskevy duck, with a very beautiful variegated plumage, on which account we called it the painted duck, both male and female having a large white spot in each wing. The head and neck of the latter is white, but all the other feathers, as well as those on the head and neck of the drake, are of a dark variegated colour. The second sort have a brown plumage, with bright green feathers in their wings, and are about the size of an English tame duck. The third sort is the blue-gray duck, before mentioned, or the whistling duck, as some call them, from the whistling noise they made. What is most remarkable in these is that the end of their beaks is soft, and of a skinny, or more properly cartilaginous substance. The fourth sort is something bigger than a teal, and all black except the drake, which has some white feathers in his wings. There are but few of this sort, and we saw them nowhere, but in the river at the head of the bay. The last sort is a good deal like a teal, and very common I am told in England. The other fowls, whether belonging to the sea and land, are the same that are to be found in common in other parts of this country, except the blue petrol before mentioned, and the water or wood hens. These last, although they are numerous enough here, are so scarce in other parts that I never saw but one. The reason may be that, as they cannot fly, they inhabit the skirts of the woods and feed on the sea-beach, and are so very tame or foolish as to stand and stare at us till we knock them down with a stick. The natives may have, in a manner, wholly destroyed them. They are a sort of rail about the size and a good deal like a common dunkhill hen. Most of them are of a dirty black or dark brown colour, and eat very well in a pie or fricassee. Since the small birds I must not admit to particularise the wattle-bird, poi-bird and fantail, on account of their singularity, especially as I find they are not mentioned in the narrative of my former voyage. The wattle-bird, so-called, because it has two wattles under its beak, as large as those of a small dunkhill cock, is larger particularly in length than an English blackbird. Its beard is short and thick, and its feathers of a dark, lead colour. The colour of its wattles is a dull yellow, almost an orange colour. The poi-bird is less than the wattle-bird. The feathers of a fine mazarin blue, except those of its neck, which are of a most beautiful silver grey, and two or three short white ones, which are on the pinion joint of the wing. Under its throat hang two little tufts of curled, snow-white feathers, called its poi-s, which being the outer heat and word for earrings, occasioned are giving that name to the bird, which is not more remarkable for the beauty of its plumage than for the sweetness of its note. The flesh is also most delicious, and was the greatest luxury the woods afforded us. Of the fantail there are different sorts, but the body of the most remarkable one is scarcely larger than a good filbert, yet it spreads a tale of most beautiful plumage, four-three-quarters of a semicircle, of at least four or five inches radius. For three or four days after we arrived in Pickersgill Harbour, and as we were clearing the woods to set of our tents, etc., a four-footed animal was seen by three or four of our people, but as note two gave the same description of it, I cannot say of what kind it is. All, however, agreed that it was about the size of a cat, with short legs and of a mouse-collar. One of the seamen, and he who had the best view of it, said that it had a bushy tail, and was most like a jack-all of any animal he knew. The most probable conjecture is that it is of a new species. Be this as it may, we are now certain that this country is not so destitute of quadrupeds, as was one's thought. The most mischievous animals here are the small black sandflies, which are very numerous, and so troublesome that they exceed everything of the kind I ever met with. Whenever they bite they cause a swelling, and such an intolerable itching, that it is not possible to refrain from scratching, which it last brings on ulcers like the smallpox. The almost continual rains may be mentioned another evil attending this bay, though perhaps this may only happen at this season of the year. Nevertheless, the situation of the country, the vast height, and the nearness of the mountains, seem to subject it to much rain at all times. Our people, who were daily exposed to the rain, felt no ill-effects from it. On the contrary, such as were sick and ailing when we came in, recovered daily, and the whole crew soon became strong and vigorous, which can only be attributed to the healthiness of the place and the fresh provisions it afforded. The beer certainly contributed not a little. As I have already observed, we at first made it of a decoction of the sprue-sleeves. But finding that this alone made the beer too astringent, we afterwards mixed it with an equal quantity of the tea-plant, a name it obtained in my form of voyage, from our using it as tea then, as we also did now, which partly destroyed the astringency of the other, and made the beer exceedingly palatable and esteemed by everyone on board. We brewed it in the same manner as sprues-beer, and the process is as follows. First make a strong decoction of the small branches of the sprues and tea-plants, by boiling them three or four hours, or until the bark will strip with ease from off the branches. Then take them out of the copper and put in the proper quantity of molasses, ten gallons of which is sufficient to make a ton, or two hundred and forty gallons of beer. Let this mixture just boil and pot it into the casks, and to it add an equal quantity of cold water, more or less, according to the strength of the decoction or your taste. When the whole is milk warm, pot in a little grounds of beer or yeast if you have it, or anything else that will cause fermentation, and in a few days the beer will be fit to drink. After the casks have been brewed in two or three times, the beer will generally ferment itself, especially if the weather is warm, as I had insipid juice of wort on board, and could not apply to a better purpose, we used it together with molasses or sugar to make these two articles go further. For of the former I had but one cask, and of the latter little to spare for this brewing. Had I known how well this beer would have succeeded, and the grace use it was of to the people, I should have come better provided. Indeed I was partly discouraged by an experiment made during my former voyage, which did not succeed then, owing, as I now believe, to some mismanagement. Anyone who is in the least acquainted with sprue spines will find the tree which I have distinguished by that name. There are three sorts of it. That which has the smallest leaves and deepest color is the sort we brewed with, but doubtless all three might safely serve that purpose. The tea-plant is a small tree or shrub with five white petals or flower-leaves shaped like those of a rose, having smaller ones of the same figure in intermediate spaces, and twenty or more filaments or threads. The tree sometimes grows to a moderate height, and is generally bare on the lower part, with a number of small branches growing close together towards the top. The leaves are small and pointed, like those of the myrtle. It bears a dry, roundish seed-case, and grows commonly in dry places near the shores. The leaves, as I have already observed, were used by many of ST, which has a very agreeable bitter and flavor when they are recent, but loses some of both when they are dried. When the infusion was made strong, it proved emetic to some in the same manner as green tea. The inhabitants of this bay are of the same race as people with those in the other parts of the country, speak the same language, and observe nearly the same customs. These, indeed, seem to have a custom of making presence before they receive any, in which they come nearer to the outer heathens than the rest of their countrymen. What could induce three or four families? For I believe there are not more. To separate themselves so far from the society of the rest of their fellow-creatures is not easy to guess. By our meeting with inhabitants in this place, it seems probable that there are people scattered all over this southern island. But the many vestiges of them in different parts of this bay, compared with the number we actually saw, indicates that they live a wandering life. And if one may judge from appearances and circumstances, few as they are, they live not in perfect amity, one family with another. For, if they did, why do they not form themselves into some society, a thing not only natural to man, but observed even by the brute creation? I shall conclude this account of Dusky Bay with some observations made and communicated to me by Mr. Wales. He found, by a great variety of observations, that the latitude of his observatory at Pickerskill Harbour was forty-five degrees, forty-seven minutes, twenty-six seconds, half-south. And by the mean of several distances of the moon from the sun, that its longitude was one hundred and sixty degrees, eighteen minutes east, which is about half a degree less than it is laid down in my chart, constructed in my form of voyage. He found the variation of the needle or compass by the mean of three different needles to be thirteen degrees, forty-nine minutes east, and the dip of the south end, seventy degrees, five minutes, three-quarters. The times of high water, on the full and changed days, he found to be ten degrees fifty-seven minutes, and the tide to rise and fall at the former eight feet, at the latter time five feet eight inches. This difference in the rise of the tides between the new and full moon is a little extraordinary, and was probably occasioned at this time by some accidental cause, such as winds, etcetera. But be that as it will, I am well assured there was no error in the observations. Supposing the longitude of the observatory to be as above, the error of Mr. Kendall's watch in longitude will be one degree forty-eight minutes minus, and that of Mr. Arnold's thirty-nine degrees twenty-five minutes, the former was found to be gaining six minutes point four-six-one a day on meantime, and the latter losing ninety-nine seconds point three-six-one. Agreeably to these rates the longitude by them was to be determined until an opportunity of trying them again. I must observe that in finding the longitude by Mr. Kendall's watch we supposed to have gone meantime from the Cape of Good Hope. Had its Cape rate been allowed the error would not have been so great. End of Book 1, Chapter 5, Recording by David Cole, Medway, Massachusetts. Book 1, Chapter 6, of A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by James Cook. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by David Cole, Chapter 6, Passage from Dusky Bay to Queen Charlotte Sound, with an account of some waterspouts, and of our joining the adventure. 1773, May. After leaving Dusky Bay, as Hath been already mentioned, I directed my course along shore for Queen Charlotte Sound, where I expected to find the adventure. In this passage we met with nothing remarkable or worthy of notice, till the 17th at four o'clock in the afternoon, being then about three leagues to the westward of Cape Stevens, having a gentle gale at west by south in clear weather. The wind at once flattened to a calm, the sky became suddenly obscured by dark dense clouds, and seemed to forebode much wind. This occasioned us to clue up to all our sails, and presently after six waterspouts were seen. Four rose and spent themselves between us and the land, that is to the south west of us. The fifth was without us. The sixth first appeared in the south west, at a distance of two or three miles, at least from us. Its progressive motion was to the north east, not in a straight but in a crooked line, and passed within fifty yards of our stern, without our feeling any of its effects. The diameter of the base of this spout I judged to be about fifty or sixty feet. That is, the sea within this space was much agitated, and foamed up to a great height. From this a tube or round body was formed, by which the water or air or both was carried in a spiral stream up to the clouds. Some of our people said that they saw a bird in the one near us, which was world round like the fly of a jack, as it was carried upwards. During the time these spouts lasted, we had now and then light puffs of wind from all points of the compass, with some few slight showers of rain, which generally fell in large drops, and the weather continued dark and hazy for some hours after, with variable light breezes of wind. At length the wind fixed in its old point, and the sky resumed its former serenity. Some of these spouts appeared at times to be stationary, and at other times to have a quick but very unequal progressive motion, and always in a crooked line, sometimes one way and sometimes another, so that once or twice we observed them to cross each other. From the ascending motion of the bird, and several other circumstances, it was very plain to us that these spouts were caused by whirlwinds, and that the water in them was violently hurried upwards, and did not descend from the clouds, as I have heard some assert. The first appearance of them is by the violent agitation rising up of the water, and presently after you see a round column or tube forming from the clouds above, which apparently descends till it joins the agitated water below. I say apparently because I believe it not to be so in reality, but that the tube is already formed from the agitated water below and ascends, though at first it is either too small or too thin to be seen. When the tube is formed or becomes visible, its apparent diameter increases till it is pretty large, after that it decreases, and at last it breaks or becomes invisible towards the lower part. Soon after the sea below resumes its natural state, and the tube is drawn by little and little up to the clouds, where it is dissipated. The same tube would sometimes have a vertical and sometimes a crooked or inclined direction. The most rational account I have read of water spouts is in Mr. Falkner's marine dictionary, which is chiefly collected from the philosophical writings of the ingenious Dr. Franklin. I have been told that the firing of a gun will dissipate them, and I am very sorry I did not try the experiment, as we were near enough and had a gun ready for the purpose. But as soon as the danger was past, I thought no more about it, being too attentive to viewing these extraordinary meteors. At the same time this happened, the barometer stood at 2975, and the thermometer at 56. When coming from Cape Farewell to Cape Stevens I had a better view of the coast than I had when I passed in my former voyage, and observed that about six leaks to the east of the first mentioned Cape is a spacious bay, which is covered from the sea by a low point of land. This is, I believe, the same that Captain Tasman anchored in on the 18th of December 1642, and by him called Murderous Bay. By reason of some of his men being killed by the natives. Blind Bay, so named by me in my former voyage, lies to the south east of this, and seems to run a long way inland to the south, the site in this direction not being bounded by any land. The wind having returned to the west as already mentioned, we resumed our course to the east, and a daylight the next morning, being the 18th. We appeared off Queen Charlotte Sound, where we discovered our consort the adventure, by the signal she made to us, an event which every one felt with an agreeable satisfaction. The fresh westerly wind now died away, and was succeeded by light airs from the south and south west, so that we had to work in with our boats ahead towing. In the doing of this we discovered a rock, which we did not see in my former voyage. It lies in the direction of south by east to half-east, disted four miles from the outermost of the two brothers, and in a line with the white rocks, on with the middle of Long Island. It is just even with the surface of the sea, and has deep water all round it. At noon, Lieutenant Kemp of the adventure came on board, from whom I learnt that their ship had been here about six weeks. With the assistance of a light breeze, our boats and the tides, we at six o'clock in the evening got to an anchor in Ship Cove, near the adventure, when Captain Ferneau came on board, and gave me the following account of his proceedings, from the time we parted to my arrival here. CHAPTER VII Captain Ferneau's narrative, from the time the two ships were separated, to their joining again in Queen Charlotte's sound, with some account of Van Diemen's land. 1773, February. On the 7th of February, 1773 in the morning, the resolution then being about two miles ahead, the wind shifting then to the westward, put on a very thick fog, so that we lost sight of her. We soon after heard a gun, the report of which we imagined to be on the L'Arbret beam. We then hauled up southeast, and kept firing a four pounder every half hour, but had no answer nor further sight of her. Then we kept the course we stood on, before the fog came on. In the evening it began to blow hard and was at intervals more clear, but could see nothing of her which gave us much uneasiness. We then tacked and stood to the westward, to cruise in the place where we last saw her, according to agreement in case of separation. But next day came on a very heavy gale of wind and thick weather, that obliged us to bring two, and thereby prevented us reaching the intended spot. However, the wind coming more moderate and the fog in some measure clearing away, we cruised as near the places we could get for three days, when, giving over all hopes of joining company again, we brought away for winter quarters, distant fourteen hundred leagues, through a sea entirely unknown, and reduced the allowance of water to one quart per day. We kept brewing the latitude of fifty-two and fifty-three degrees south, had much westerly wind, hard gales with squalls, snow and sleet, with a long hollow sea from the south west, so that we judged there is no land in that quarter. After we reached the longitude of ninety-five degrees east, we found the variation decrease very fast. On the twenty-sixth that night, we saw a meteor of uncommon brightness in the north-northwest. It directed its course to the south-west, with a very great light in the southern sky, such as is known to the north-wood by the name of Aurora Borealis on northern lights. We saw the light for several nights running, and what is remarkable, we saw but one ice-island after we parted company with a resolution, till our making land, though we were most of the time two or three degrees to the south-wood of the latitude we first saw it in. We were daily attended by great numbers of sea birds, and frequently saw paw-poises, curiously spotted white and black. 1773 March On the first of March we were alarmed with a cry of land, by the man at the mast-head, on the lab at Beam, which gave us great joy. We immediately hauled our wind and stood for it, but to our mortification were disappointed in a few hours, for what we took to be land proved no more than clouds, which disappeared as we sailed towards them. We then board away and directed our course towards the land laid down in the charts by the name of Van Diemen's land, discovered by Tasman in 1642, and laid down in the latitude 44 degrees south and longitude 140 degrees east, and supposed to join to New Holland. On the ninth of March, having little wind and pleasant weather, about nine a.m. being then in the latitude of 43 degrees 37 minutes south, longitude by lunar observation 145 degrees 36 minutes east, and by account 143 degrees 10 minutes east from Greenwich, we saw the land bearing north-northeast about eight or nine leagues distant. It appeared moderately high and uneven near the sea. The hills farther back formed a double land and much higher. There seemed to be several islands or broken land to the northwest, as the shore trenched, but by reason of clouds that hung over them, we could not be certain whether they did not join to the main. We hauled immediately up for it, and by noon were within three or four leagues of it. A point much like the ram-head of Plymouth, which I take to be the same that Tasman calls South Cape, bore north four leagues off us. The land from this Cape runs directly to the eastward. About four leagues along shore are three islands about two miles long, and several rocks resembling the Mu Stone, particularly one which we so named, about four or five leagues east-south-east, half-east, off the above Cape, which Tasman has not mentioned or laid down in his drafts. After you pass these islands, the land lies east by north and west by south by the compass nearly. It is a bold shore, and seems to afford several bays or anchoring places, but believe deep water. From the southwest Cape, which is in the latitude of forty-three degrees thirty-nine minutes south, and longitude one forty-five degrees fifty minutes east, to the southeast Cape, in the latitude forty-three degrees thirty-six minutes south, longitude one forty-seven degrees east, is nearly sixteen leagues, and sounding from forty-eight to seventy fathoms, sand and broken shells, three or four leagues offshore. Here the country is hilly and full of trees, the shore rocky and difficult landing, occasioned by the wind blowing here continually from the westward, which occasioned such a surf that the sand cannot lie on the shore. We saw no inhabitants here. The morning on the tenth of March being calm, the ship then about four miles from the land sent the great cutter on shore with the second lieutenant to find if there was any harbour or good bay. Soon after it beginning to blow very hard made the signal for the boat to return several times, but they did not see or hear anything of it. The ship then three or four leagues off that we could not see anything of the boat which gave us great uneasiness as there was a very great sea. At half past one p.m. to our great satisfaction the boat returned on board safe. They landed but with much difficulty, and saw several places where the Indians had been, and one they lately had left, where they had a fire, with a great number of pearl-escalop shells rounded, which shells they brought on board with some burnt sticks and green boughs. There was a path from this place through the woods, which in all probability leads to their habitations, but by reason of the weather had not time to pursue it. The soil seems to be very rich. The country well-clothed with wood, particularly on the lee side of the hills, plenty of water which falls from the rocks in beautiful cascades for two or three hundred feet perpendicular into the sea. But they did not see the laced sign of any place to anchor in with safety. Hoisted in the boat and made sail for Frederick Henry Bay. From noon to three p.m., running along shore east by north, at which time we were abreast of the westernmost point of a very deep bay, caught by Tasman Stormy Bay. From the west to the east point of this bay there are several small islands and black rocks, which we call the Friars. While crossing this bay we had very heavy squalls and thick weather. At times when it cleared up I saw several fires in the bottom of the bay, which is near two or three leagues deep, and has, I doubt not, good places for anchoring. But the weather being so bad did not think it's safe to stand into it. From the Friars the land trenches away about north by east four leagues. We had smooth water and kept inshore, having regular soundings from twenty to fifteen fathoms water. At half-past six we hauled round a hive-bluff point. The rocks, whereof, were like so many fluted pillars and had ten fathoms water, fine sand, within half a mile of the shore. At seven being a breast of a fine bay and having little wind we came to, with a small boa in twenty-four fathoms sandy bottom. Just after we anchored, being a fine clear evening, had a good observation of the star and tiries and the moon, which gave the longitude of one forty-seven degrees thirty-four minutes east, being in the latitude of forty-three degrees twenty minutes south. We first took this bay to be that which Tasman called Frederick Henry Bay, but afterwards found that his is laid down five leagues to the northward of this. At daybreak the next morning I sent the master inshore to sound the bay, and to find out a watering place. At eight he returned, having found a most excellent harbour, clear ground from side to side, from eighteen to five fathom water all over the bay, gradually decreasing as you go inshore. We weighed and turned up into the bay, the wind being westerly and very little of it, which baffled us much in getting in. At seven o'clock in the evening we anchored in seven fathoms water, with a small boa, and moored with a coasting anchor to the westward, the north point of the bay, north north east to half east, which we take to be Tasman's head, and the eastern most point, which we named Penguin Island, from the curious one we caught there, north east by east three-quarter east. The watering place west to half north, about one mile from the shore on each side, Maria's Island, which is about five or six leagues off, shot in with both points, so that you are quite landlocked in a most spacious harbour. We lay here five days, which time was employed in wooding and watering, which is easily got, and overhauling the rigging. We found the country very pleasant, the soil a black, rich, though thin one, the sides of the hills covered with large trees and very thick, growing to a great height before they branch off. They are all of the evergreen kind, different from any I ever saw. The wood is very brittle and easily split. There is a very little variety of sorts, having seen but two. The leaves of one are long and narrow, and the seed, of which I got a few, is in the shape of a button, and has a very agreeable smell. The leaves of the other are like the bay, and it has a seed like the white thorn, with an agreeable spicy taste and smell. Out of the trees we cut down for firewood, there issued some gum, which the surgeon called gum-lack. The trees are mostly burnt or scorched near to the ground, occasioned by the natives setting fire to the underwood, in the most frequented places, and by these means they have rendered it easy walking. The land-birds we saw are a bird like a raven, some of the crow-kind, black with the tips of the feathers of the tail and wings white, their bill-lung and very sharp, some parakeets, and several kinds of small birds. The sea-fowl are ducks, teal, and the shell-drake. I forgot to mention a large white bird that one of the gentlemen shot, about the size of a large kite of the eagle-kind. As for beasts we saw about one which was an opossum, but we observed the dung of some which we judged to be of the deer-kind. The fish in the bay are scarce. Those we caught were mostly sharks, dogfish, and a fish called by the seamen nurses like the dogfish, only full of small white spots, and some small fish not unlike spratts. The lagoons, which are brackish, are bound with trout, and several other sorts of fish, of which we caught a few with lines, but being much encumbered with stumps of trees, we could not haul the sen. While we lay here we saw several smokes and large fires, about eight or ten miles inshore to the northward, but did not see any of the natives, though they frequently come into this bay, as there were several wigwams or huts where we found some bags and nets made of grass, in which I imagine they carried their provisions and other necessaries. In one of them there was the stone they striked fire with, and tinder made of bark, but of what tree could not be distinguished. We found in one of their huts one of their spears, which was made sharp at one end, I suppose, with a shell or stone. These things we brought away, leaving in the room of them meddles, gun flints, a few nails, and an old empty barrel with the iron hoops on it. They seemed to be quite ignorant of every sort of metal. The boughs of which their huts are made, are either broken or split, and tied together with grass in a circular form. The largest ends stuck in the ground, and the smaller parts meeting in a point at the top, and covered with fern and bark, so poorly done, that they will hardly keep out a shower of rain. In the middle is the fireplace, surrounded with heaps of mussel, pearl, scallop, and crayfish shells, which I believe to be their chief food, though we could not find any of them. They lie on the ground on dried grass round the fire. And I believe they have no settled place of habitation, as their houses seem built only for a few days, but wonder about in small parties from place to place in search of food, and are actuated by no other motive. We never found more than three or four huts in a place, capable of containing three or four persons each only. And what is remarkable, we never saw the least marks either of canoe or boat, and it is generally thought they have none, being altogether, from what we could judge, a very ignorant and wretched set of people, though natives of a country, capable of producing every necessary of life, and a claim at the finest in the world. We found not the least signs of any minerals or metals. Having completed our wood and water, we sailed from Adventure Bay, beginning to coast it up along shore, till we should fall in with the land seen by Captain Cook, and discover whether Van Diemen's land joins with New Holland. On the sixteenth we passed Maria's Islands, so named by Tasman. They appear to be the same as the mainland. On the seventeenth, having passed Shartan's Islands, we hauled in for the mainland, and stood along shore at a distance of two or three leagues off. The country here appears to be very thickly inhabited, as there was a continual fire along shore as we sailed. The land hereabouts is much pleasanter, low and even, but no signs of a harbor or bay, where a ship might anchor with safety, the weather being bad and blowing hard at south-southeast. We could not send a boat on shore to have any intercourse with the inhabitants. In the latitude of forty degrees fifty minutes south, the land trenches away to the westward, which I believe forms a deep bay, as we saw from the deck several smokes arising back of the islands that lay before it, when we could not see the least signs of land from the mast-head. From the latitude of forty degrees fifty minutes south to the latitude of thirty-nine degrees fifty minutes south is nothing but islands and shoals, the land high rocky and barren. On the nineteenth, in the latitude of forty degrees thirty minutes south, observing breakers about half a mile within shore of us, we sounded and finding but eight fathoms immediately hauled off, deepened our water to fifteen fathoms, then bored away and kept along shore again. From the latitude of thirty-nine degrees fifty minutes to thirty-nine degrees south we saw no land but had regular soundings from fifteen to thirty fathoms. As we stood on to the northward we made land again in about thirty-nine degrees. After which we discontinued our northerly course, as we found the ground very uneven and shoal-water some distance off. I think it is a very dangerous shore to fall in with. The coast from Adventure Bay to the place where we stood away from New Zealand lied in the direction south-a-half west and north-a-half east, about seventy-five leagues, and it is my opinion that there are no straights between New Holland and Van Demon's land but a very deep bay. I should have stood farther to the northward but the wind blowing strong at south-south-east and looking likely to haul round to the eastward, which would have blown right on the land. I therefore thought it more proper to leave the coast and steer for New Zealand. After we left Van Demon's land we had very uncertain weather, with rain and very heavy gusts of wind. On the twenty-fourth we were surprised with a very severe squall, which reduced us from top-gallon sails to reefed courses in the space of an hour. The sea-riding equally quick we shipped many waves, one of which stove the large cutter and drove the small one from her lashing in the waist, and with much difficulty we saved her from being washed overboard. This scale lasted twelve hours, after which we had more moderate weather, intermixed with calms. We frequently hoisted out the boats to try the currents, and in general found a small drift to the west-south-west. We shot many birds and had, upon the whole, good weather, but as we got near to the land it came on thick and dirty for several days, till we made the coast of New Zealand in forty degrees thirty minutes south, having made twenty-four degrees of longitude from Adventure Bay after a passage of fifteen days. We had the winds much southerly in this passage, and I was under some apprehensions of not being able to fetch the straits, which would have obliged us to steer away for George's Island. I would therefore advise any who sail to this part to keep to the southward, particularly in the fall of the year, when the south and southeast winds prevail. 1773, April. The land when we first made it appeared high, and formed a confused jumble of hills and mountains. We steered along short of the northward, but were much retarded in our course by a reason of the swell from the northeast. That noon on the third of April, Cape Farewell, which is the south point of the entrance of the west side of the straits, bore east by north to half north, by the compass three or four leagues distant. About eight o'clock we entered the straits and steered north-east till midnight, then brought two till daylight, and had soundings from forty-five to fifty-eight fathoms, sand and broken shells. Had daylight made sail and steered southeast by east, had light airs, mount Egbont north-north-east eleven or twelve leagues, and point Stevens southeast a half-east seven leagues. At noon, mount Egbont north by east twelve leagues, Stevens Island southeast five leagues. In the afternoon we put the dredge overboard in sixty-five fathoms, but caught nothing except a few small scallops, two or three oysters and broken shells. Standing to the eastward for Charlotte's sound, with a light breeze at north-west in the morning on the fifth, Stevens Island bearing southwest by west four leagues, we were taken aback with a strong easterly gale, which obliged us to haul our wind to the southeast, and work to windward up under poor Jackson. The course from Stevens Island to point Jackson is nearly southeast by the compass, eleven leagues distance, depths of water from forty to thirty-two fathoms, sandy ground. As we stood off and on we fired several guns, but saw no signs of any inhabitants. In the afternoon at half-past two o'clock, finding the tide set the ship to the westward, we anchored with a coasting anchor in thirty-nine fathoms water, muddy ground. Point Jackson southeast a half-east three leagues. The east point of an inlet, about four leagues to the westward point Jackson, and which appears to be a good harbour, southwest by west a half-west. At eight p.m. the tide slackening, we wade and made sail, having while at anchor caught several fish with hook and line, and found the tide to run to the westward, at a rate of two-and-a-half knots per hour. Standing to the east, we found at no ground at seventy fathoms, off point Jackson, north-northwest, two leagues. At eight the next morning had the sound open, but the wind being down, it obliged us to work up under the western shore, as the tide sets up strong there, when it runs down in mid-channel. At ten the tide being done was obliged to come to, with the best bower in thirty-eight fathoms, close to some white rocks. Point Jackson bearing northwest a half-north, the northern most of the brothers east by south, and the middle of entry island, which lies on the north side of the straits northeast. We made fifteen degrees thirty minutes east variation in the straits. As we sailed up the sound we saw the tops of high mountains covered with snow, which remains all the year. When the tide slackened we wade and sailed up the sound, and about five o'clock on the seventh anchored in ship Cove, in ten fathoms water muddy ground, and moored the best bower to the north-north-east and small to south-south-west. In the night we heard the howling of dogs, and people hallowing on the east shore. The two following days were employed in clearing a place on Matuara Island for erecting our tents for the sick, having then several on board much afflicted with the scurvy, the sailmakers and coopers. On the top of the island was a post erected by the endeavours people, with her name and time of departure on it. On the ninth we were visited by three canoes with about sixteen of the natives, and to induce them to bring us fish and other provisions we gave them several things, with which they seemed highly pleased. One of our young gentlemen, seeing something wrapped up in a better manner than common, had the curiosity to examine what it was, and to his great surprise found it to be the head of a man lately killed. They were very apprehensive of its being forced from them, and particularly the man who seemed most interested in it, whose very flesh crept on his bones for fear of being punished by us, as Captain Cook had expressed his great abhorrence of this unnatural act. They used every method to conceal the head by shifting it from one to another, and by science endeavouring to convince us that there was no such thing amongst them, though we had seen it but a few minutes before. They then took their leave of us and went on shore. They frequently mentioned Tupia, which was the name of the native of George's Island, or Ota Hiti, brought here by the endeavour, and who died at Batavia, and when we told them he was dead, some of them seemed to be very much concerned, and, as well as we could understand them, wanted to know whether we killed him or if he died in actual death. By these questions they are the same tribe Captain Cook saw. In the afternoon they returned again with fish and fern-roots, which they sold for nails and other trifles, though the nails are what they set the most value on. The man and woman who had the head did not come off again. Having a catalogue of words in their language we called several things by name, which surprised them greatly. They wanted it much, and offered a great quantity of fish for it. Next morning they returned again to the number of fifty or sixty, with their chief at their head, as we supposed, in five double canoes. They gave us their implements of ore, stone hatchets and clothes, etc., for nails and old bottles, which they put a great value on. A number of the head men came on board us, and it was with some difficulty we got them out of the ship by a fair means. But on the appearance of a musket with a fixed bayonet, they all went into their canoes very quickly. We were daily visited by more or less, who brought us fishing great plenty for nails, beads and other trifles, and behaved very peacefully. We settled the astronomer with his instruments and a sufficient guard on a small island that is joined to Matuara at low water, called the Hipper, where there was an old fortified town that the natives had forsaken. Their houses served our people to live in, and by sinking them about a foot inside, we made them very comfortable. Having done this, we struck our tents on the Matuara, and having removed the ship farther into the cove on the west shore, moored her for the winter. We then erected our tents near the river or watering place and sent to shore all the spars and lumber off the dicks that they might be corked, and gave her a winter coat to preserve the hull and rigging. On the eleventh of May we felt two severe shocks of an earthquake, but received no kind of damage. On the seventeenth we were surprised by the people firing guns on the Hipper, and having sent the boat, as soon as she opened the sound, had the pleasure of seeing the resolution off the mouth of it. We immediately sent out the boats to tow her in. Being calm, in the evening she anchored about a mile without us, and next morning weighed and warped withness. Both ships felt on common joy at our meeting, after an absence of fourteen weeks.