9th April 1769

Cape Horn to Tahiti

A steady fresh gale and pleasant weather. At 2 p.m. saw Land to the Northward, hauld up for it, and found it to be a double range of low woody islands joined together by reefs, by which means they make one Island in form of an Ellipsis or Oval, in the Middle of which is a Salt water lake. The small Islands and reefs circumscribes or bounds this lake like a Chain; it is therefore called Chain Island.* (* Anaa.) It is in length, North-West and South-East, about 5 Leagues, and in breadth about 5 Miles. The middle of it lies in the Latitude of 17 degrees 23 minutes South, and Longitude 145 degrees 54 minutes West, and West by North 45 Leagues from Bird Island. Variation per Several Azimuths 4 degrees 54 minutes East. Wind East by North to North by East; course West, Northerly; distance 81 miles; latitude 17 degrees 42 minutes South, longitude 146 degrees 40 minutes West.

Joseph Banks Journal

Fine weather and pleasant breeze. It is now almost night and time for me to wind up the clue of my this days lucubrations, so as we have found no Island I shall employ the time and paper which I had allotted to describe one in a work which I am sure will be more usefull at, if not more entertaining to all future navigators, by describing the method which we took to cure Cabbage in England; which Cabbage we have eat every day since we left Cape Horne and have now good store of, remaining as good at least to our palates and full as green and pleasing to the eye as if it was bought fresh every morning at Covent Garden market. Our Steward has given me the receipt which I shall copy exactly false spelling exceptd.

Take a strong Iron bound cask for no weak or wooden bound one should ever be trusted in a long voyage, take out the head and when the whole is well cleand cover the bottom with salt. Then take the Cabbage and stripping off the outside leaves take the rest leaf by leaf till you come to the heart which cut into four; these leaves and heart lay upon the Salt about 2 or 3 inches thick and sprinkle Salt pretty thick over them and lay cabbage upon the salt stratum super thick till the cask is full. Then lay on the head of the cask with a weight which in 5 or 6 days will have pressd the cabbage into a much smaller compass. After this fill up the cask with more cabbage as before directed and Head it up. N.B. the Cabbage should be gatherd in dry weather some time after sun rise that the dew may not be upon it. Halves of cabbages are better for keeping than single leaves.

Sydney Parkinson’s Journal

Upon these islands we saw a variety of verdant trees, amongst which were some palms; and upon the coast, rocks of coral appeared above water. We discovered some of their huts, and several fires burning around them. The land formed a large semicircular bay, and the reef before it the fame figure; and the water was as smooth as a mill-pond, and abounded with flying-fish; but, to our surprise, we could not reach the bottom of it with 130 fathom of line, at one mile distance from the shore.

This day we also discovered another low island, which we called Chain Island: It is of an oval figure, consisting of a ridge of coral and sand, with a few clumps of small trees, and had a lagoon in the middle of it. These islands were dedicated to the Royal Society.