A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13 by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49

This day Mr Green took the sun's meridian altitude a little within the
south entrance of the bay, which gave the latitude 34 deg. S., the variation
of the needle was 11 deg. 3' E.

Early the next morning, the body of Forby Sutherland, one of our seamen,
who died the evening before, was buried near the watering-place; and
from this incident I called the south point of this bay _Sutherland
Point_. This day we resolved to make an excursion into the country. Mr
Banks, Dr Solander, myself, and seven others, properly accoutred for the
expedition, set out, and repaired first to the huts, near the
watering-place, whither some of the natives continued every day to
resort; and though the little presents which we had left there before
had not yet been taken away, we left others of somewhat more value,
consisting of cloth, looking-glasses, combs, and beads, and then went up
into the country. We found the soil to be either swamp or light sand,
and the face of the country finely diversified by wood and lawn. The
trees are tall, straight, and without underwood, standing at such a
distance from each other, that the whole country, at least where the
swamps do not render it incapable of cultivation, might be cultivated
without cutting down one of them: Between the trees the ground is
covered with grass, of which there is great abundance, growing in tufts
about as big as can well be grasped in the hand, which stand very close
to each other. We saw many houses of the inhabitants, and places where
they had slept upon the grass without any shelter; but we saw only one
of the people, who the moment he discovered us ran away. At all these
places we left presents, hoping that at length they might produce
confidence and good-will. We had a transient and imperfect view of a
quadruped about as big as a rabbit: Mr Banks's grey-hound, which was
with us, got sight of it, and would probably have caught it, but the
moment he set off he lamed himself, against a stump which lay concealed
in the long grass. We afterwards saw the dung of an animal which fed
upon grass, and which we judged could not be less than a deer; and the
footsteps of another, which was clawed like a dog, and seemed to be
about as big as a wolf; we also tracked a small animal, whose foot
resembled that of a polecat or weasel. The trees over our head abounded
with birds of various kinds, among which were many of exquisite beauty,
particularly loriquets and cockatoos, which flew in flocks of several
scores together. We found some wood which had been felled by the natives
with a blunt instrument, and some that had been barked. The trees were
not of many species; among others there was a large one which yielded a
gum not unlike the _Sanguis draconis_; and in some of them steps that
had been cut at about three feet distance from each other, for the
convenience of climbing them.

From this excursion we returned between three and four o'clock, and
having dined on board, we went ashore again at the watering-place, where
a party of men were filling casks. Mr Gore, the second lieutenant, had
been sent out in the morning with a boat to dredge for oysters at the
head of the bay; when he had performed this service, he went ashore, and
having taken a midshipman with him, and sent the boat away, set out to
join the waterers by land. In his way he fell in with a body of
two-and-twenty Indians, who followed him, and were often not more than
twenty yards distant; when Mr Gore perceived them so near, he stopped,
and faced about, upon which they stopped also; and when he went on
again, continued their pursuit: They did not however attack him, though
they were all armed with lances, and he and the midshipman got in safety
to the watering-place. The Indians, who had slackened their pursuit when
they came in sight of the main body of our people, halted at about the
distance of a quarter of a mile, where they stood still. Mr Monkhouse
and two or three of the waterers took it into their head to march up to
them; but seeing the Indians keep their ground till they came pretty
near them, they were seized with a sudden fear very common to the rash
and fool-hardy, and made a hasty retreat: This step, which insured the
danger that it was taken to avoid, encouraged the Indians, and four of
them running forward discharged their lances at the fugitives, with such
force, that flying no less than forty yards, they went beyond them. As
the Indians did not pursue, our people, recovering their spirits,
stopped to collect the lances when they came up to the place where they
lay; upon which the Indians, in their turn, began to retire. Just at
this time I came up, with Mr Banks, Dr Solander, and Tupia; and being
desirous to convince the Indians that we were neither afraid of them,
nor intended them any mischief, we advanced towards them, making signs
of expostulation and entreaty, but they could not be persuaded to wait
till we could come up. Mr Gore told us, that he had seen some of them up
the bay, who had invited him by signs to come on shore, which he,
certainly with great prudence, declined.

The morning of the next day was so rainy, that we were all glad to stay
on board. In the afternoon, however, it cleared up, and we made another
excursion along the sea-coast to the southward: We went ashore, and Mr
Banks and Dr Solander gathered many plants; but besides these we saw
nothing worthy of notice. At our first entering the woods, we met with
three of the natives, who instantly ran away: More of them were seen by
some of the people, but they all disappeared, with great precipitation,
as soon as they found that they were discovered. By the boldness of
these people at our first landing, and the terror that seized them at
the sight of us afterwards, it appears that they were sufficiently
intimidated by our fire-arms: Not that we had any reason to think the
people much hurt by the small-shot which we were obliged to fire at
them, when they attacked us at our coming out of the boat; but they had
probably seen the effects of them, from their lurking-places, upon the
birds that we had shot. Tupia, who was now become a good marksman,
frequently strayed from us to shoot parrots; and he had told us, that
while he was thus employed, he had once met with nine Indians, who, as
soon as they perceived he saw them, ran from him, in great confusion and
terror.

The next day, twelve canoes, in each of which was a single Indian, came
towards the watering-place, and were within half a mile of it a
considerable time: They were employed in striking fish, upon which, like
others that we had seen before, they were so intent, that they seemed to
regard nothing else. It happened, however, that a party of our people
were out a-shooting near the place, and one of the men, whose curiosity
might at length perhaps be roused by the report of the fowling-pieces,
was observed by Mr Banks to haul up his canoe upon the beach, and go
towards the shooting party: In something more than a quarter of an hour
he returned, launched his canoe, and went off in her to his companions.
This incident makes it probable that the natives acquired a knowledge of
the destructive power of our fire-arms, when we knew nothing of the
matter; for this man was not seen by any of the party whose operations
he had reconnoitred.

While Mr Banks was gathering plants near the watering-place, I went with
Dr Solander and Mr Monkhouse to the head of the bay, that I might
examine that part of the country, and make farther attempts to form some
connection with the natives. In our way we met with eleven or twelve
small canoes, with each a man in it, probably the same that were
afterwards abreast of the shore, who all made into shoal water upon our
approach. We met other Indians on shore the first time we landed, who
instantly took to their canoes, and paddled away. We went up the country
to some distance, and found the face of it nearly the same with that
which has been described already, but the soil was much richer; for
instead of sand, I found a deep black mould, which I thought very fit
for the production of grain of any kind. In the woods we found a tree
which bore fruit that in colour and shape resembled a cherry; the juice
had an agreeable tartness, though but little flavour. We found also
interspersed some of the finest meadows in the world: Some places,
however, were rocky, but these were comparatively few: The stone is
sandy, and might be used with advantage for building. When we returned
to the boat, we saw some smoke upon another part of the coast, and went
thither in hopes of meeting with the people, but at our approach, these
also ran away. We found six small canoes, and six fires very near the
beach, with some mussels roasting upon them, and a few oysters lying
near: By this we judged that there had been one man in each canoe, who,
having picked up some shell-fish, had come ashore to eat it, and made
his separate fire for that purpose: We tasted of their cheer, and left
them in return some strings of beads, and other things which we thought
would please them. At the foot of a tree in this place we found a small
well of fresh water, supplied by a spring; and the day being now far
spent, we returned to the ship. In the evening, Mr Banks made a little
excursion with his gun, and found such a number of quails, resembling
those in England, that he might have shot as many as he pleased; but his
object was variety and not number.

The next morning, as the wind would not permit me to sail, I sent out
several parties into the country to try again whether some intercourse
could not be established with the natives. A midshipman who belonged to
one of these parties having straggled a long way from his companions,
met with a very old man and woman, and some little children; they were
sitting under a tree by the water-side, and neither party saw the other
till they were close together: The Indians showed signs of fear, but did
not attempt to run away. The man happened to have nothing to give them
but a parrot that he had shot; this he offered, but they refused to
accept it, withdrawing themselves from his hand, either through fear or
aversion. His stay with them was but short, for he saw several canoes
near the beach fishing, and being alone, he feared they might come
ashore and attack him: He said, that these people were very
dark-coloured, but not black; that the man and woman appeared to be very
old, being both grey-headed; that the hair of the man's head was bushy,
and his beard long and rough; that the woman's hair was cropped short,
and both of them were stark naked. Mr Monkhouse the surgeon, and one of
the men, who were with another party near the watering-place, also
strayed from their companions, and as they were coming out of a thicket,
observed six Indians standing together, at the distance of about fifty
yards. One of them pronounced a word very loud, which was supposed to be
a signal, for a lance was immediately thrown at him out of the wood,
which very narrowly missed him. When the Indians saw that the weapon had
not taken effect, they ran away with the greatest precipitation; but on
turning about towards the place whence the lance had been thrown, he saw
a young Indian, whom he judged to be about nineteen or twenty years old,
come down from a tree, and he also ran away with such speed as made it
hopeless to follow him. Mr Monkhouse was of opinion that he had been
watched by these Indians in his passage through the thicket, and that
the youth had been stationed in the tree, to discharge the lance at him,
upon a signal as he should come by; but however this be, there could be
no doubt that he was the person who threw the lance.

In the afternoon I went myself with a party over to the north shore, and
while some of our people were hauling the seine, we made an excursion a
few miles into the country, proceeding afterwards in the direction of
the coast. We found this place without wood, and somewhat resembling our
moors in England; the surface of the ground, however, was covered with a
thin brush of plants, about as high as the knees: The hills near the
coast are low, but others rise behind them, increasing by a gradual
ascent to a considerable distance, with marshes and morasses between.
When we returned to the boat, we found that our people had caught with
the seine a great number of small fish, which are well known in the
West-Indies, and which our sailors call leather-jackets, because their
skin is remarkably thick. I had sent the second lieutenant out in the
yawl a-striking, and when we got back to the ship, we found that he also
had been very successful. He had observed that the large sting-rays, of
which there is great plenty in the bay, followed the flowing tide into
very shallow water; he therefore took the opportunity of flood, and
struck several in not more than two or three feet water: One of them
weighed no less than two hundred and forty pounds after his entrails
were taken out.

The next morning, as the wind still continued northerly, I sent out the
yawl again, and the people struck one still larger, for when his
entrails were taken out he weighed three hundred and thirty-six pounds.

The great quantity of plants which Mr Banks and Dr Solander collected in
this place induced me to give it the name of _Botany Bay_.[72] It is
situated in the latitude of 34 deg. S., longitude 208 deg. 37' W. It is
capacious, safe, and convenient, and maybe known by the land on the
sea-coast, which is nearly level, and of a moderate height; in general
higher than it is farther inland, with steep rocky cliffs next the sea,
which have the appearance of a long island lying close under the shore.
The harbour lies about the middle of this land, and in approaching it
from the southward, is discovered before the ship comes abreast of it;
but from, the northward it is not discovered so soon: The entrance is a
little more than a quarter of a mile broad, and lies in W.N.W. To sail
into it the southern shore should be kept on board, till the ship is
within a small bare island, which lies close under the north shore;
within this island the deepest water on that side is seven fathom,
shallowing to five a good way up. At a considerable distance from the
south shore there is a shoal, reaching from the innersouth point quite
to the head of the harbour; But over towards the north and north-west
shore there is a channel of twelve or fourteen feet at low water, for
three or four leagues, up to a place where there is three or four
fathom, but here I found very little fresh water. We anchored near the
south shore, about a mile within the entrance, for the convenience of
sailing with a southerly wind, and because I thought it the best
situation for watering; but I afterwards found a very fine stream on the
north shore, in the first sandy cove within the island, before which a
ship might lie almost land-locked, and procure wood as well as water in
great abundance. Wood indeed is every where plenty, but I saw only two
kinds which may be considered as timber. These trees are as large, or
larger than the English oak, and one of them has not a very different
appearance: This is the same that yields the reddish gum like _sanguis
draconis_, and the wood is heavy, hard, and dark-coloured, like _lignum
vitae_; the other grows tall and straight, something like the pine; and
the wood of this, which has some resemblance to the live oak of America,
is also hard and heavy. There are a few shrubs, and several kinds of the
palm; mangroves also grow in great plenty near the head of the bay. The
country in general is level, low, and woody, as far as we could see. The
woods, as I have before observed, abound with birds of exquisite beauty,
particularly of the parrot kind; we found also crows here, exactly the
same with those in England. About the head of the harbour, where there
are large flats of sand and mud, there is great plenty of water-fowl,
most of which were altogether unknown to us: One of the most remarkable
was black and white, much larger than a swan, and in shape somewhat
resembling a pelican. On these banks of sand and mud there are great
quantities of oysters, mussels, cockles, and other shell-fish, which
seem to be the principal subsistence of the inhabitants, who go into
shoal water with their little canoes, and pick them out with their
hands. We did not observe that they eat any of them raw, nor do they
always go on shore to dress them, for they have frequently fires in
their canoes for that purpose. They do not however subsist wholly upon
this food, for they catch a variety of other fish, some of which they
strike with gigs, and some they take with hook and line. All the
inhabitants that we saw were stark naked: They did not appear to be
numerous, nor to live in societies, but like other animals were
scattered about along the coast, and in the woods. Of their manner of
life, however, we could know but little, as we were never able to form
the least connection with them: After the first contest at our landing,
they would never come near enough to parley; nor did they touch a single
article of all that we had left at their huts, and the places they
frequented, on purpose for them to take away.

[Footnote 72: The reader will be plentifully supplied with information
respecting this noted place, and the settlement of British convicts made
at Port Jackson, in another part of this work. It would be very
injudicious to break down the matter intended to be given there, for
the purpose of ekeing out the limited remarks here made. This intimation
may be equally applied to the whole subject of New Holland: about which
the reader may promise himself very ample satisfaction in the course of
this collection. Let this then be accepted as a pledge in apology for
the paucity of observations on the text.--E.]

During my stay in this harbour, I caused the English colours to be
displayed on shore every day, and the ship's name, and the date of the
year, to be inscribed upon one of the trees near the watering-place.

It is high water here at the full and change of the moon about eight
o'clock, and the tide rises and falls perpendicularly between four and
five feet.

SECTION XXIX.

_The Range from Botany Bay to Trinity Bay; with a farther Account of the
Country, its Inhabitants; and Productions_.

At day-break, on Sunday the 6th of May 1770, we set sail from Botany
Bay, with a light breeze at N.W. which soon after coming to the
southward, we steered along the shore N.N.E.; and at noon, our latitude,
by observation, was 33 deg. 50' S. At this time we were between two and
three miles distant from the land, and a-breast of a bay, or harbour, in
which there appeared to be good anchorage, and which I called _Port
Jackson_. This harbour lies three leagues to the northward of Botany
Bay: The variation, by several azimuths, appeared to be 8 deg. E. At
sun-set, the northermost land in sight bore N. 26 E. and some broken
land, that seemed to form a bay, bore N. 40 W. distant four leagues.
This bay, which lies in latitude 33 deg. 42' I called _Broken Bay_. We
steered along the shore N.N.E. all night, at the distance of about three
leagues from the land, having from thirty-two to thirty-six fathom
water, with a hard sandy bottom.

Soon after sun-rise on the 7th, I took several azimuths, with four
needles belonging to the azimuth compass, the mean result of which gave
the variation 7 deg. 56' E. At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 33 deg.
22' S.: We were about three leagues from the shore; the northermost land
in sight bore N. 19 E. and some lands which projected in three bluff
points, and which, for that reason; I called _Cape Three Points_, bore
S.W. distant five leagues. Our longitude from Botany Bay was 19' E. In
the afternoon, we saw smoke in several places upon the shore, and in the
evening, found the variation to be 8 deg. 25' E. At this time we were
between two and three miles from the shore, in twenty-eight fathom; and
at noon the next day, we had not advanced one step to the northward. We
stood off shore, with the winds northerly, till twelve at night, and at
the distance of about five leagues, had seventy fathom; at the distance
of six leagues we had eighty fathom, which is the extent of the
soundings; for at the distance of ten leagues, we had no ground with 150
fathom.

The wind continuing northerly, till the morning of the 10th, we
continued to stand in and off the shore, with very little change of
situation in other respects; but a gale then springing up at S.W. we
made the best of our way along the shore to the northward. At sun-rise,
our latitude was 33 deg. 2' S. and the variation 8 deg. E. At nine in the
forenoon, we passed a remarkable hill, which stood a little way inland,
and somewhat resembled the crown of a hat: And at noon, our latitude, by
observation, was 32 deg. 53' S., and our longitude 208 deg. W. We were about two
leagues distant from the land, which extended from N. 41 E. to S. 41 W.,
and a small round rock, or island, which lay close under the land, bore
S. 82 W. distant between three and four leagues. At four in the
afternoon, we passed, at the distance of about a mile, a low rocky
point, which I called _Point Stephens_, on the north side of which is an
inlet, which I called _Port Stephens_: This inlet appeared to me, from
the mast-head, to be sheltered from all winds. It lies in latitude 32 deg.
40', longitude 207 deg. 51', and at the entrance are three small islands,
two of which are high; and on the main near the shore are some high
round hills, which at a distance appear like islands. In passing this
bay, at the distance of two or three miles from the shore, our soundings
were from thirty-three to twenty-seven fathom, from which I conjectured
that there must be a sufficient depth of water within it. At a little
distance within land, we saw smoke in several places; and at half an
hour past five, the northermost land in sight bore N. 36 E. and Point
Stephens S.W. distant four leagues. Our soundings in the night, were
from forty-eight to sixty-two fathom, at the distance of between three
and four leagues from the shore, which made in two hillocks. This Point
I called _Cape Hawke_: It lies in the latitude of 32 deg. 14' S., longitude
207 deg. 30' W.; and at four o'clock in the morning bore W. distant about
eight miles; at the same time the northermost land in sight bore N. 6 E.
and appeared like an island. At noon, this land bore N. 8 E. the
northermost land in sight N. 13 E. and Cape Hawke S. 37 W. Our latitude,
by observation, was 32 deg. 2' S. which was twelve miles to the southward of
that given by the log; so that probably we had a current setting that
way: By the morning amplitude and azimuth, the variation was 9 deg. 10' E.
During our run along the shore, in the afternoon, we saw smoke in
several places, at a little distance from the beach, and one upon the
top of a hill, which was the first we had seen upon elevated ground
since our arrival upon the coast. At sun-set, we had twenty-three
fathom, at the distance of a league and a half from the shore: The
northermost land then bore N. 13 E. and three hills, remarkably large
and high, lying contiguous to each other, and not far from the beach,
N.N.W. As these hills bore some resemblance to each other, we called
them _The Three Brothers_. They lie in latitude 31 deg. 40' and maybe seen
fourteen or sixteen leagues. We steered N.E. by N. all night, having
from twenty-seven to sixty-seven fathom, at the distance of between two
and six leagues from the shore.

At day-break, we steered north, for the northermost land in sight. At
noon, we were four leagues from the shore, and by observation, in
latitude 31 deg. 18' S., which was fifteen miles to the southward of that
given by the log; our longitude 206 deg. 58' W. In the afternoon, we stood
in for the land, where we saw smoke in several places, till six in the
evening, when, being within three or four miles of it, and in
twenty-four fathom of water, we stood off with a fresh breeze at N. and
N.N.W. till midnight, when we had 118 fathom, at the distance of eight
leagues from the land, and then tacked. At three in the morning, the
wind veered to the westward, when we tacked and stood to the northward.
At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 30 deg. 43' S., and our longitude
206 deg. 45' W. At this time we were between three and four leagues from
the shore, the northermost part of which bore from us N. 13 W. and a
point, or head-land, on which we saw fires that produced a great
quantity of smoke, bore W. distant four leagues. To this Point I gave
the name of _Smokey Cape_: It is of a considerable height, and over the
pitch of the point is a round hillock; within it are two others, much
higher and larger, and within them the land is very low. Our latitude
was 30 deg. 31' S., longitude 206 deg. 54' W.: This day the observed latitude
was only five miles south of the log. We saw smoke in several parts
along the coast, besides that seen upon Smokey Cape.