Winds at South-West; first part rainy weather, the
remainder fair. A.M. sent the Pinnace to drudge, but she met with no
success; after this, I went and sounded the Bay. I made a Shift to land
in 2 Places, the first time in the bottom of the bay, where I went a
little way into the Country, but met with nothing extraordinary. The
other place I landed at was at the North point of the Bay, where I got as
much Sellery and Scurvy grass as loaded the Boat. This day we compleated
our Water to 70 Tons, but not wood Enough.
Joseph Banks Journal
Several Canoes came on board at day break and traded as usual. Dr Solander went with the Captn to examine the bottom of the bay, myself went ashore at the watering place to collect Plants. He saw many people who behavd very civily to the boats crew shewing them every thing they wanted to See; among other nicknacks he bought of a boys top shap'd like what boys play with in England which they made signs was to be whippd in the same manner; he found also several new plants. Myself found some plants and went to the top of the hill above the watering place to see a fence of poles which we had Observd from the ship: it was on a hill almost inaccessible by wood and steepness, we however climbd it and found several deserted houses near the rails which only consisted of Poles of 14 or 16 feet high set in two rows, each pole 10 feet from the next; the 2 rows were about 6 feet distant joind on the topps by a few sticks laid across sloping like the roof of a house; this rail work with a ditch which was paralel to it went about 100 yards down the hill in a kind of curve, but for what purpose it had been intended I could not at all guess. The people of the watering place at our desire sung their war song in which both men and women joind, they distorted their faces most hideously roling their eyes and putting out their tongues but kept very good time often heaving most loud and deep sighs.
Sydney Parkinson’s Journal
The natives build their huts on rising ground under a tuft of trees; they are of an oblong square, and the eaves reach to the ground. The door is on one side, and very low; their windows are at one end, or both. The walls are composed of several layers of reeds covered with thatch, and are of considerable thickness. Over the beams, that compose the eaves, they lay a net made of grass, which is also thatched very close and thick. Their fires are made in the center upon the floor, and the door serves them for a chimney. Their houses, therefore, of course, must be full of smoke; and we observed that every thing brought out of them smelt strong of it; but use, which is a kind of second nature, makes them insensible of the inconvenience, or they would have found out some means to have removed it; for necessity is the mother of invention. We saw but few of their houses, and those few were mostly deserted, their inhabitants having forsaken them through fear of us, who, doubtless, appeared as strange kind of beings to them as they did to us.
We saw many beautiful parrots, and birds of various kinds, one in particular that had a note very much like our blackbird; but we found no ground fowl, or domestic poultry. Of quadrupeds we saw no other than dogs, which were like those on the island of Otaheite, and of them; but a few, though it cannot be supposed that so large a country, as this appears to be, should be destitute of deer, and other kind of four-footed animals.
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