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. 251

New Wales or East Coast of New Holland

After staying a short time they went away, they were all Arm'd with Darts & wooden swords, the darts have each 4 prongs and pointed with fish bones.  There we have seen sum to be intended more for striking fish than offensive weapons neither are they poisoned as we all first thought.  After I had return'd from around the Bay I went over to a cove on the N. side of the Bay where in 3 or 4 Hauls with the [Sean? as in Seine?] we caught above 300 pounds weight of Fish which I caused to be equally divided among the Ships Comp.[company].  In the AM I went in the Pinnace to sound & explore the N. side of teh bay where I neither met with inhabitants or anything remarkable . Mr Green took the Sun's Meridian Altitude a little within the S. Entrance of the Bay which gave the Lat.de 34º0' S.
Gentle breezes Northerly in the PM 10 of Natives again Visited the watering place I being on board at this time went immediately ashore before I got their they were going away . I follow'd them alone & unarmed some Distance along shore but they would not stop until they got farther off than I chose to trust myself. there were arm'd in the same manner as those that came yesterday. In the evening I sent some hands to haul the [Saine?] but they caught but a very few fish, a little after sun rise I found the Variation to be 11:3º E last night Toby Sutherland Seaman departing this life & in the AM his body was buried ashore at the watering place [deletion of a line of text]. this morning a party of us sent ashore to some Hutts not far from the Watering place where some of the Natives are daily seen. here we left sevl.articles such as Cloth, Looking Glafses, Combs, Beads, Nails etc. after this we made an Excursion into the Cove which we found diversified with Woods, Lawns & Marshes, the woods are free from under woods of every kind & the trees are at such a distance from one another that the whole country or at least great part of it might be Cultivated without being obliged to cut down a single tree, we found the Soil everywhere except in the marsh to be a light white Sand &  produceth a quantity of good Grafs which grows in little Tufts about as big as one can hold in one's hand &  pretty close to one another in the manner of the Surface of the Ground Coated in the woods between the trees. Dr Solander had a bare sight of a Small Animal something like a Rabit &  we found the Dung of an Animal which must feed upon the Grafs &  which we judged could not be lefs than a Deer. we also saw the Track of a Dog or some such like Animal, we met with some Hutts & places where the Natives have been & our first setting out one of them was seen, the others I suppose had fled upon our Approach. I saw some Trees that had been cut down by the Natives.