Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0153
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[Page 153]
149.
Febry. 1770. along the Shore
the practicability of a canoe sailing round the first part of the land we had seen in the time given there was however between the farthest part of of both the lands a space which we had not seen of more than 20 leagues in lengh supposing that to be a streight the Indians certainly could not see over it & the countrey they inhabited being very thinly peopled they might at this time be ignorant that there was land beyond it this much for conjectures but be it remembred that they are merely such & upon a subject that future observations will most probably determine clear up:
Tho we saw the land by noon & at that time we had a fresh breeze of Wind yet it dropping nearly calm soon after we were at night very distant from it we had however soundings a great way off & the land appeard very high so that we once more cherishd strong hopes that we had at last compleated our wishes & that this was absolutely a part of the Southern continent especialy as we had seen a hint thrown out in some books that the duch not contented with Tasmans discoveries had afterwards sent other ships who took the land up in the same lat. as he made it in & followd it