Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0008

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Transcription

[Page 8]

4. 
Standing to the Southward

taking wine on board at Madera  as I beleive I may safely say that there is not a cask on board the ship that has not been tap'd to the great dissatisfaction of the owners who in general have had the comfort to find the gentlemen honest enough not to have filld up with salt water in some cases however this was not a consideration of much comfort as many of the casks were 2/3 empty and some quite

29. Very moderate and pleasant  scarce any motion  few or no birds about the ship  in the course of last night a phenomenon was seen in the heavens which Mr Green says is either a comet or a Nebulus  he does not know which   the Seamen have observd it these 3 nights

30. Our Comet is this morn acknowledged and proves a very large one but very faint  Tupia as soon as he saw it declard that the people of Bola bola would upon the sight of it kill the people of Ulhietea who would as many as could fly into the mountains   more sea today than yesterday heaving in from WSW. Several birds  Pintados Albatross's of both kinds  the little silver backd bird which we saw off Faukland Isles and Cape horn  Pr. velox and grey shearwater   Peter saw a green bird about the size of a dove  the colour makes us hope that it is a land bird, it took however not the least notice of the ship

[Margin note]  Green bird
 

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