course, in order to get fight of land, that we might not overshoot the paffage, if a pallage there was between this land and New Guiney. Early in the afternoon we had fight of land, which had the appearance of hilly islands, but it was judged to be part of the main, and we faw breakers between the veffel and the land, in which there was an opening; to get clear we fet all our fails, and flood to the northward till midnight, and then went on a fouthward tack for about three miles, when the breeze died away to a dead calm.

When day-light came on we faw a dreadful furf break at a vaft height, within a mile of the fhip, to wards which the rolling waves carried her with great rapidity. Thus diftrefled, the boats were fent a head to tow, and the head of the veffel was brought about, but not till she was within 100 yards of the rock, between which and her was nothing left but the chafm, and which had risen and broke to a wonderful height on the rock; but in the moment we expected inftant deftruction, a breeze, hardly difcernable, aided the boats in getting the vessel in an oblique direction from the rock. The hopes, however, afforded by this pro vidential circumftance, were deftroyed by a perfect calm, which fucceeded in a few minutes: yet the breeze once more returned, before we had loft the little ground which had been gained. At this time a small opening was feen in the reef, and a young officer being fent to examine it, found, that its breadth did not much exceed the length of the fhip, but that there was fmooth water on the other fide of the rocks. Animated by the defire of preferving life, we now attempted to pafs the opening, but this was impoffible; for it having become high water in the interim, the ebb-tide rushed through it with amazing impetuofity, carrying the ship about a mile from the reef, and the foon reached the distance of near two miles by the help of the boats.

When the ebb-tide was spent, the tide of flood again drove the veffel very near the rocks, fo that our prof

pec

pect of deftruction was renewed, when we discovered another opening, and a light breeze fpringing up, we entered it, and were driven through it, with a rapidity that prevented the fhip from ftriking against either fide of the channel. The thip now came to an anchor, and our men were grateful for having regained a station; which they had been very lately moft anxious to quit. The name of Providence Channel was given to the opening through which the fhip had thus efcaped the moft imminent dangers.

On the 17th the boats went out to fifh, and met with great fuccefs, particalarly in catching cockles, fome of which were of fuch an amazing fize, as to require the ftrength of two men to move them. Mr. Banks likewife fucceeded in his fearch for rare fhells, and different kinds of coral.

On the 21ft we failed through a channel, in which was a number of fhoals; and gave it the name of York Cape to a point of the main land which forms the fide of the channel. In the afternoon we anchored between fome iflands, and obferved, that the channel now began to grow wider; we perceived two diftant points, between which no land could be feen, fo that the hope of having at length explored a paffage into the Indian Sea, began to animate every breaft; but, to bring the matter to a certainty, the captain took a party, and accompanied by the gentlemen, they landed on an ifland, on which they had feen a number of Indians, ten of whom were on a hill, one of them carrying a bow and a bundle of arrowes, the reft armed with lances. Three of these Indians flood on fhore, as if to oppofe the landing of the boat, but they retired before it reached the beach.

The captain and his company afcended a hill, from whence they had a view of near 40 miles, in which space there was nothing that threatened to oppofe their paffage, fo that the certainty of a channel feemed to be almoft indubitable. Previous to their leaving the

ifland, Capt. Cook difplayed the English colours, and took poffeffion of all the country, from the 38th deg. of S. latitude to the present spot, by the name of New South Wales, for the king of Great Britain.

The next morning we faw three naked women collecting thell-fish on the beach, and weighing anchor, named it Cape Cornwall to the extreme point of the largest island on the north weft fide of the paflage: fome low islands near the middle of the channel received the name of Wallis's ifle; foon after which the fhip came to an anchor, and the long-boat was fent out to found. Towards evening we failed again, and the captain landed with Mr. Banks, on a small island, frequented by immenfe numbers of birds, the majority of which being boobies, the place received the name of Booby Ifland.

We were now adyanced to the northern extremity of New Holland, and the fatisfaction of viewing the open fea to the weftward. The N. E. entrance of the paffage is formed by the main land of New Holland, and by a number of islands, which took the name of the Prince of Wales's Island, and which Capt. Cook imagines may reach to New Guiney; thefe iflands abound with trees and grafs, and were known to be inhabited, from the fmoke that was feen afcending in many places.

New South Wales is a much larger country than any hitherto known, and not deemed a continent, being larger then all Europe, which is proved by the Endeavour's having coafted more than 2000 miles, even if her tract was reduced to a ftrait line. Northward of the lat. of 33 deg. the country is hilly, yet not mountainous; but to the S. of that lat. it is moftly low and even ground. The hills in general are diverfified by lawns and woods, and many of the vallies abound with herbage, though, on the whole, it cannot be deemed a fertile country.

CHAP

CHA P. X.

The Endeavour continues her voyage from South Wales to New Guiney- An account of incidents upon landing there-Proceeds from New Guiney to the island Savau-Its product and inhabitants Run from Savau to Batavia -Tranfactions while the Endeavour was refitting at this

place.

N the 23d of Auguft, 1770, after leaying Booby Ifland, we had light airs till five o'clock, when it fell calm, and we came to an anchor in eight fathom water, with a foft fandy bottom. On the 24th, soon after the anchor was weighed, got under fail, fteering N. W. and in a few hours one of the boats a-head made the fignal for fhoal-water. We inftantly brought the ship to, with all her fails ftanding, and a furvey being taken of the fea around her, it was found that fhe had met with another narrow efcape, as fhe was almoft encompaffed with fhoals, that the must have struct before the boat's crew had made the fignal, if fhe had been half the length of a cable on either fide. In the afternoon we made fail with the ebb tide, and got out of danger before fun-fet, and brought to for that night.

On the 26th, it was the captain's intention to fteer N. W. but having met with thofe fhoals, altered our courfe, and foon got into deep water. On the 27th, purfued our voyage, fhortening fail at night, and tacking till day-break of the 28th, when we fteered due N. in fearch of New Guiney. At this time, our lat. by obfervation was 8 deg. 52 min. S. We here obferved many parts of the fea covered with a kind of fcum, to which our failors gave the name of spawn.

Land having been this day discovered from the mafthead, we flood off and on all night, and at day-break failed towards it with a brifk gale. Between fix and O 2

feven

feven in the morning we had fight ofa fmall low ifland at about a league from the main, in lat. 80 deg. 13 min. S. and in long. 221 deg. 25 min. W. and it had already been diftinguifhed by the names of Bartholomew and Whermoyfen. It appeared a very level ifland, clothed with trees. The boats were fent out to found, the water being fhallow; but as the fhip, in failing two leagues, had found no increase in its depth, fignals were made for the boats to return on board. We then flood out to fea till midnight, tacked, and flood in for morning.

On the 30th, when about four leagues diftant, we had fight of it, and its appearance was ftill flat and woody. We now held a northward course, scarcely within fight of land, and as the water was just deep enough to navigate the veffel, many unfuccessful attempts were made to bring her near enough to get on fhore: it was therefore determined to land in one of the boats, while the fhip kept plying off and on. In confequence of this refolution.

On Sept. the 3d, Capt. Cook, Mr. Banks. and Dr. Solander, attended by the boat's crew, and Mr. Banks's fervant, fet off from the fhip in the pinnace, being in all 12 perfons well armed. We rowed directly to the fhore, but when come within 200 yards of it, found the water fo fhallow, that we were obliged to leave the boat in care of the failors, and wade to land. We had no fooner reached the fhore, than we faw feveral prints of human feet on the fand, below high water mark, from whence it was evident, that the natives had been there. We walked by the fide of a wood, and came to a grove of cocoa-nut trees, not far from which was a fhed or hut, which had been covered with leaves, and near it lay numbers of freth thells of the fruit. Having now advanced a quarter of a mile from the boat, three Indians ruthed out of the wood with a hideous hout, at about the diftance of 100 yards; and as they ran towards us, the forem oft threw fome