Passage from New Zealand to New Holland
April 1770 Monday 16th [Freshly? Firstly?] at NNW. with Cloudy hazey [weas]. In the [MM?] saw an
Egg Bird & yesterday a Gannat was seen. these are Birds that we reckon never
to go far from land. we keept the Lead going all night but found no sound [f!] with
[God?] & 130fa'm line [at noon?] we were in the Lat'de of 89°.45 [?] had made 20°.2
of Long'de from Cape Farewell course & distance sails since Yesterday at
Noon [?] 82°W, 108 Miles
Tuesday 17th at 2 [MM?] the wind came to WSW at which time we tack'd & stood to
the NWst 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 [fam?] of
line at 8 o'clock we [done?] & blood to the Southw'd, until 12 at Night then wore &
stood to the NW'm until 4AM wehen we again stood to the Southw'd having a
fresh Gale at WSW attended with squalls & dark hazey unsettled [weas] until 9
at which time it fell little wind &the [wea] soon after clear'd up which a little
after a 11 gave us an Opp't of taking several observationsof the Sun & Moon
the Mean result of which gave 207°.56' W Long.de from the Meridian of Green-
which from these observations the Long'de of the ships at Noon was 207°58' &
by the Log 208°.20' the diff'ce being only 22 & this Error may as well be {crossed out}
in the one as the other, our Latitude at Noon was 39°.36' S&Long'de made from Cape
Farewell 22°.22 W
Wednesday 18th Winds Southerly a hard gale with heavy squalls attended with
showers of rain & [agrea??] Sea from the [same?] Quarter at 3[AM?] close reef & the tops'l
handed the Main & Mizen Top'l &got down [TopGall'?] yards as the Gale increasd
to such a height as to oblige us to take in the [Foretops'l?] & Mainsail & to run [under?]
the Foresail &Mizen all night [soundering?] every 2 hours but found no ground
with 120fa'mat 6AM set the Mainsail & soon after the [Soutopsail?] & before
Noon the Maintops'l both close reef [?] at Noon our Lat.de by observation
was 38°.45 So Long'de from Cape Farewell 23°43 W &Course & distance
run since Yesterday noon No51°W 82 Miles; last night we saw a [Port Egmond
Hen?]& this morning 2 Mosea Pintado bird several Albatrosses & 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 E.t side of Van Diemans Land accordin to Tasman the
first discoverers Longitude of it, who could [? ] much in so short a
run at from this land to New Zealand & by our Lat'de we could not be above
50 or 55Leag's to the Norther'd of the place where he took his departure from