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. 255

New Wales or Coast of New Holland

Harbour where there is large flats of sand & marsh on which they seek their food the most of these were unknown to us, one bird especially which was black & white & as large as a Goose but more like a Pelican, on the sand & Mud banks are Oysters, Musscles, Cockles & which I believe are the Chief support of the inhabitants who go into Shoal water with their little Canoes & pick them out of the sand & Mud with their hands & at times roast them in the Canoe having often a fire for that purpose or I suppose for I know no other it can be for [indec. smudge and tear on page] appear to be numerous neither do they seem to live in large bodies but dispers'd in small parties along by the Water side, those I saw were about as tall as Europeans of a very dark brown Colour but not black, nor had they wooly twisted hair but black & lank like ours, no sort of Clothing or Ornamt  [ornament] was ever seen by any of us upon any one of them or in or about any of their Hutts from which I conclude that they never wear any, some that we saw had their  faces & bodies painted with a sort of white paint or Pigment, altho' I have said that shell fish is their Chief support yet they catch other [lank?] of fish some of which we found roasting on the fire the first time we landed, some of them they strike with Gigs & others they Catch with hook & line, we have seen them strike fish with gigs & hooks & lines are found in their Hutts, Stingrays I believe they do not eat because I never saw the least remains of one near any of their Hutts or fire Places. However as we could know but very little of their Customs as we never were able to form any Connection with them, they had not so much as touch'd the things we had left in their Hutts on purpose for them to take away during meeting in this Harbour I caused the English Colours to be display'd ashore every day & an inscription to be put upon one of the Trees near the Watering Place, setting forth the Ship's Name, Date & having seen everything this place afforded we at day light in
[Margin note] Port Jackson
the morning weigh'd with a light breeze at NW. put to Sail & the wind soon after coming to the Souther'd we steer'd along & bore NNE & at Noon we were by observation in the Lat. of 33: 50' about 2 or 3 Miles from the Land & a [indec.] of a bay wherein their appears to be a fine Anchorage which I called Port Jackson. It lies 3 Lang. to the Northwd. of Botany Bay. I had almost forgot to mention that it is high water in this bay [?at the full of Change of then Moon about 8' of line  & since? some damage to page]  falls upon a perpendicular about 4 or 5 feet.
Little wind Southerly [indec.] pleasant  [damage to page]. In the pM I found the Var. by obs. [indec.] to be 8º. E. at sun set the Northerly & land in sight bore N 26º E. Some broken land that appear'd to form a bay E. N40 distant Legs this Bay I named Broken Bay Lat. 33:36' we steer'd along Shore NW all night at the distance of ab. 3 leagues from the land having from 32