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. 313

[Page 313]
New Wales or East Coast of New Holland

Aug 1770
which we discover'd on our Larboard bow, having at the same time others to the Eastwd of us, by such time as we had weather'd the Shoal to Leeward we had brot the Islands well upon our Leebow, but seeing some shoals spit off from them & some Rocks on our starboard bow which we did not discover until' we were very near them, made me afraid to go to windward of the Islands, wherefore we brot too & made the Signal for the Pinnace, which was a head to come on board, which done I sent her to Leeward of the Islands with orders to keep along the Edge of the Shoal which spitted off from the South side of the Southermost Island. The Yawl I sent to run over the Shoal to look for Turtle & appointed them a Signal to make in case they saw many, if not she was to meet us on the other side of the Island. As soon as the Pinnace had got a proper distance from us we wore & stood after her & run to Leeward of the Island were we took the Yawl in tow - she having seen only one small Turtle & therefore made no stay upon the Shoal, upon this Island which is only a small spott of Land with some trees upon it, we saw a good many hutts & habitations of the Natives which we supposed come over from the Main to these Islands (from which they are distant about 5 Leags) to Catch Turtle at the time these Animals come a Shore to lay their Eggs, having got the Yawl in tow we stood away after the Pinnace NNE and NbE to 2 other low Islands, having 2 shoals which we could see without & one between us & the Main, at Noon we were about 4 Leags from the Main Land which we could see Extending to the Northward as far as NWbN all low flat & sandy, our Latde by obsn was 11:23So Longde in 217°:46Wt & Course & distance saild since yesterday at Noon N22Wt 40 Miles - Soundgs from 14 to 23 fam but these are best seen upon the Chart as likewise the Islands Shoals etc which are too numerous to be mentioned singly.

Tuesday 21st Winds at EbS and ESEt a fresh breeze by one o'Clock we had run nearly the length of the southermst of the 2 Islands before mentioned & finding that we could not well go to windward of them without carrying on too far from the Main land we bore up & run to Leeward, where we found a fair open Passage this done we steer'd NbWt in a Parallel direction with the Main land, leaving a small Island between us & it and some low sandy Isles & shoals without us all of which we lost sight of by 4 o'Clock, neither did we see any more before the sun went down at which time the farthest part of the Main in sight bore NNW½Wt soon after this we Anchord in 13 fam soft Ground abt 5 Leags from the land where we lay until' day light when we got again under sail, having first sent the Yawl ahead to sound we steer'd NNW by Compass from the northermt land in sight Variatn 3°:6' Et Seeing no danger in our way we took the Yawl in tow & made all the Sail we could until' 8 o'Clock at which time we discover'd Shoals ahead & on our Larboard bow & saw that the Northermt land which we had taken to be a part of the Main was an Island or Islands between