The follpwïng day, on the return of a boat from the Fifhboum ftore-fhip,
which had been fent to inquire into the Rate of the flock, we heard that feveral
o f the fheep were dead, as well as eight of the hogs belonging to the public
flock.
. Chriftmas-day found us in the latitude o f 420 10' fouth, and fleering, as we
had done for a confiderable time, an eaft-fouth-eaft courfe. W e complied, as far
as was in pur power, with the good old Englifh cuftom, and partook of a’ better
dinner this day than ufual; but the weather was too rough to admit of much
focial enjoyment.
With the wind at fouth-wefl, weft-fouth-weft, and fouth and by weft, the weather
was clear and cold, while to the northward of eaft or weft it generally blew
in flrong gales.
We now often noticed pieces o f lea-weed floating by the flips ; and on the
28th the fun juft appeared in time to fhew us we were in the latitude o f 420 58'
fouth.
On the 29th, being in latitude 430 35' fouth, the courfe was altered to eaft and
by fouth half fouth, in order to run down our eafting without going any further
to the fouthward. The run at noon on this day was- found to be the greateft we
had made in any twenty-four hours fmce our departure from England, having
182 miles on the log-board fmce twelve o’clock the preceding day.
By lunar obfervations taken on the 30th the longitude was found to be
1 1 8° 1 g' eaft.
1788.31 The new year opened with a gale of wind from the northward, which
continued with much violence all the day, moderating towards evening.
The evening of the third proved fine and moderate, and the fun fetting clear
gave a good obfervation for the amplitude, when the variation was found to be
i 00 eaft. A t noon the fleet was in the latitude o f 440 ooJ fouth, and longitude
by lunar obfervation 135° 3 2' eaft, of which the convoy was informed.
A t noon on the 4th preparations were made on board the Sirius for falling in
with the land; her cables were bent, fignal-guns prepared, and every poiliblc
precaution taken to enfure the fafety o f the fleet.
About ten at night on the 5th, a very beautiful aurora auftralis was obferved
bearing about fouth-wefl o f the fleet; and for fome nights a luminous phenomenon
had been feen refembling lights floating on the furface of the water.
By a lunar obfervation taken at ten o’clock o f the forenoon of Monday the
7th, the fleet was thendiftant feventeen leagues from the South Cape o f New
Holland; and at five minutes paft two in the afternoon the fignal was made for
feeing the land. The rocks named the Mewflone and Swilly were foon vifible,
and the fleet flood along fhore with fair moderate weather and fmooth water,
the land o f New Holland diftant from three to five miles.
Nothing
Nothing could more ftrongly prove the excellence and utility of lunar obfervations,
than the accuracy with which we made the land in this long voyage from
the Cape of Good Hope, there not being a league difference between our expectation
of feeing it, and the real appearance of it.
A thick haze hanging over the land, few obfervations could be made of it.
What-we firft faw was the South-weft Cape of New Holland , between which and
the South Cape the land appeared high and rocky, rifing gradually from the
fhore, and wearing in many places a very barren afpeft. In fmall cavities, on
the fummit o f fome of the. high\ land, was the appearance of fnow. Over the
South Cape the land feemed covered with wood; the trees flood thick, and the
bark, of them appeared in general to have a whitifh eaft. The coaft feemed very
irregular, projeffing into low points forming creeks and bays, fome o f which
feemed to be deep4 very little verdure was any where difcernible; in many fpots,
the ground looked arid and fleril. A t night we perceived feveral fires lighted on
the coaft, at many of which, no doubt, were fome of the native inhabitants, to
whom it was probable our novel appearance mull have afforded matter of
. curiofity and wonder.
In all the preceding pafiage we had been fearcely a day without feeing birds
of different kinds ; and we alfo met with many whales. The weather was in general
very rough, and the fea high, but the wind favourable, blowing moflly
from north-weft to fouth-wefl.
The convoy behaved well, paying more attention and obedience to fignals
than fhips in the merchant fervice are commonly known to do. The fhips, however,
began to grow foul, not one of them being coppered, and we now
anxioufly wifhed for a termination of the voyage, particularly as the hay provided
for the horfes was on the point o f being wholly expended.
The fair wind which had accompanied us to New Holland fuddenly left us,
fluffing round to north-eaft and by eaft ; we were obliged to lay our heads off
fhore, in order to weather Swilly and the Eddyftone, (a perpendicular rock about
a league to the eaftward of Swilly,) and the next day we had the mortification
of a foul wind, a thing to which we had been long unaccuftomed.
In the night of the 9th the Golden Grove flapped a fea, which ftove in all
her cabin-windows: it was nearly calm at the time, with a confufed heavy fwell*.
At two o’clock in the afternoon of the following day a very heavy and fudden
fquall took the Sirius and laid her confiderably down on her ftarboard fide : it
blew very frefh, and was felt more or lefs by all the tranfports, fome o f which
fuffered in their fails.
* This circumilancc has fmce occurred to other fhips nearly in the fame fituation.
Our