Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0411
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[Page 411]
307.
August 1770. to New Guinea
27. Lay too all last night in the morn fresh trade & fine clear weather made us hope that our dificulties were drawing to a period it was now resolvd to hawl up to the Northward in order to make the coast of New Guinea in order to assure ourselves that we had realy got clear of the South Sea which was accordingly done. at dinner time we were alarmd afresh by the usual report of a shoal just ahead it provd however to be no more than a bank or regular layer of a Brownish colour extending itself upon the sea which indeed had very much the appearance of a shoal while at a distance. it was formd by innumerable small atoms each scarce 1/2 a line in lengh yet when lookd at in a microscope consisting of 30 or 40 tubes each hollow & divided throughout the whole lengh into many cells by small partitions like the tubes of Confervas to which of the three kingdoms of Nature they belong I am totaly Ignorant I only guess that they are of a vegetable nature because on burning them I could perceive no animal smell we have before this during this voyage seen them several times on the coast of Brazil