James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770: No. 244

          Passage from New Zealand to New Holland
April 1770
Monday 16th     Freshly at NNW with Cloudy hazey weather.  In the pm saw an Egg Bird & yesterday a Gannet was seen, these are Birds that we reckon never to go far from land, we kept the [lead?] going all night but found no sound [indecipherable] with 100 & 130 fam line at noon we were in the Latitude of 39:45 S & had made 20 degrees: 2 of Longitude from Cape Farewell. course & distance saild since yesterday at Noon S 82 degrees W: 108 Miles __________
Tuesday 17th    at 2 pm the wind came to WSW at which time we Tack'd & stood to the NW before 5 o'clock we were obliged to close reef our Topsails, having a Strong gale with very heavy squalls, about this time a Small land bird was seen to pearch upon the rigging, we sounded but had no ground with 120 fathoms of line. At 8 o'Clock we [indecipherable] & stood to the Southward, until 12 at Night then wore & stood to the NW until 4 am when we again stood to the Southward, having a fresh Gale at WSW, attended with squalls & dark hazey unsettled weather until 9 at which time it fell little wind, & the weather soon after Clear'd up which a little after 11 gave us an Opportunity of taking several observations of the Sun & Moon, the Mean result of which gave 207 degrees: 56 Minutes Longitude from the Meridian of Greenwich which from these observations the Longitude of the Ship at Noon was 207 degrees: 58 minutes & by the Log 208 degrees 20 minutes. the difference being only 22 minutes & this Error may as well be in the one as the other, our Latitude at Noon was 39 degrees 36 minutes S & Longitude made from Cape Farewell 22 degrees 22 minutes W ____________________
Wednesday 18th       Winds Southerly a hard gale with heavy squalls, attended with Showers of rain & a geat Sea from the same Quarter at 3 pm Close reef & the Topsail handed the Main & Mizen Topsails & got down TopGallant yards at 6 the Gale increased to such a height as to oblige us to take in the Foretopsail & Mainsail to run under thee Foresail & Mizen all night sounding every 2 hours but found no ground with 120 fathoms. At 6 am set the Mainsail & soon after the Foretopsail & before Noon the Maintopsail, both close reef & at Noon our Latitude by observation was 38 degree: 45 minutes S, Longitude from  Cape Farewell  23 degrees 43 minutes W & Course & distance run since yesterday noon N 51 degrees W 82 Miles; last night we saw Port Egmont Hen & this morning 2 More a Pintado bird & several Albetrosses & black sheer Waters. The first of these birds are Certain signs of the nearness of land indeed we cannot be far from it for by our Longitude we are a degree to the Westward of the East side of Van Diemens Land according to Tasman the first discoverers Longitude of it, who could not err much in so short a run as from this land to New Zeland & by our Latitude we could not be above 50 or 55 Leagues to the Northward of the place where he took his departure from