17th. While Mr. Hicks was Examining the opening we struggled hard
with the flood, sometime gaining a little and at other times loosing. At
2 o'Clock Mr. Hicks returned with a favourable Account of the Opening. It
was immediately resolved to Try to secure the Ship in it. Narrow and
dangerous as it was, it seemed to be the only means we had of saving her,
as well as ourselves. A light breeze soon after sprung up at
East-North-East, with which, the help of our Boats, and a Flood Tide, we
soon entered the Opening, and was hurried thro' in a short time by a
Rappid Tide like a Mill race, which kept us from driving against either
side, though the Channel was not more than a 1/4 of a Mile broad, having
2 Boats ahead of us sounding.* (* This picture of the narrow escape from
total shipwreck is very graphic. Many a ship has been lost under similar
circumstances, without any idea of anchoring, which would often save a
vessel, as it is not often that a reef is so absolutely steep; but that
Cook had this possibility in his mind is clear. As a proof of the
calmness which prevailed on board, it may be mentioned that when in the
height of the danger, Mr. Green, Mr. Clerke, and Mr. Forwood the gunner,
were engaged in taking a Lunar, to obtain the longitude. The note in Mr.
Green's log is: "These observations were very good, the limbs of sun and
moon very distinct, and a good horizon. We were about 100 yards from the
reef, where we expected the ship to strike every minute, it being calm,
no soundings, and the swell heaving us right on.")
Our depth of water
was from 30 to 7 fathoms; very irregular soundings and foul ground until
we had got quite within the Reef, where we Anchor'd in 19 fathoms, a
Coral and Shelly bottom. The Channel we came in by, which I have named
Providential Channell, bore East-North-East, distant 10 or 12 Miles,
being about 8 or 9 Leagues from the Main land, which extended from North
66 degrees West to South-West by South.
It is but a few days ago that I rejoiced at having got without the Reef;
but that joy was nothing when Compared to what I now felt at being safe
at an Anchor within it. Such are the Visissitudes attending this kind of
Service, and must always attend an unknown Navigation where one steers
wholy in the dark without any manner of Guide whatever. Was it not from
the pleasure which Naturly results to a man from his being the first
discoverer, even was it nothing more than Land or Shoals, this kind of
Service would be insupportable, especially in far distant parts like
this, Short of Provisions and almost every other necessary. People will
hardly admit of an excuse for a Man leaving a Coast unexplored he has
once discovered. If dangers are his excuse, he is then charged with
Timerousness and want of Perseverance, and at once pronounced to be the
most unfit man in the world to be employ'd as a discoverer; if, on the
other hand, he boldly encounters all the dangers and Obstacles he meets
with, and is unfortunate enough not to succeed, he is then Charged with
Temerity, and, perhaps, want of Conduct. The former of these Aspersions,
I am confident, can never be laid to my Charge, and if I am fortunate to
Surmount all the Dangers we meet with, the latter will never be brought
in Question; altho' I must own that I have engaged more among the Islands
and Shoals upon this Coast than perhaps in prudence I ought to have done
with a single Ship* (* Cook was so impressed with the danger of one ship
alone being engaged in these explorations, that in his subsequent voyages
he asked for, and obtained, two vessels.) and every other thing
considered. But if I had not I should not have been able to give any
better account of the one half of it than if I had never seen it; at
best, I should not have been able to say wether it was Mainland or
Islands; and as to its produce, that we should have been totally ignorant
of as being inseparable with the other; and in this case it would have
been far more satisfaction to me never to have discover'd it. But it is
time I should have done with this Subject, which at best is but
disagreeable, and which I was lead into on reflecting on our late
Dangers.
In the P.M., as the wind would not permit us to sail out by the same
Channel as we came in, neither did I care to move until the pinnace was
in better repair, I sent the Master with all the other Boats to the Reef
to get such refreshments as he could find, and in the meantime the
Carpenters were repairing the pinnace. Variations by the Amplitude and
Azimuth in the morning 4 degrees 9 minutes Easterly; at noon Latitude
observed 12 degrees 38 minutes South, Longitude in 216 degrees 45 minutes
West. It being now about low water, I and some other of the officers went
to the Masthead to see what we could discover. Great part of the reef
without us was dry, and we could see an Opening in it about two Leagues
farther to the South-East than the one we came in by; we likewise saw 2
large spots of sand to the Southward within the Reef, but could see
nothing to the Northward between it and the Main. On the Mainland within
us was a pretty high promontary, which I called Cape Weymouth (Latitude
12 degrees 42 minutes South, Longitude 217 degrees 15 minutes); and on
the North-West side of this Cape is a Bay, which I called Weymouth Bay.*
(* Viscount Weymouth was one of the Secretaries of State when the
Endeavour sailed.)
18th. Gentle breezes at East and East-South-East. At 4 P.M. the
Boats return'd from the Reef with about 240 pounds of Shell-fish, being
the Meat of large Cockles, exclusive of the Shells. Some of these Cockles
are as large as 2 Men can move, and contain about 20 pounds of Meat, very
good. At 6 in the morning we got under sail, and stood away to the
North-West, as we could not expect a wind to get out to Sea by the same
Channel as we came in without waiting perhaps a long time for it, nor was
it advisable at this time to go without the Shoals, least we should by
them be carried so far off the Coast as not to be able to determine
wether or no New Guinea joins to or makes a part of this land. This
doubtful point I had from my first coming upon the Coast, determined, if
Possible, to clear up; I now came to a fix'd resolution to keep the Main
land on board, let the Consequence be what it will, and in this all the
Officers concur'd. In standing to the North-West we met with very
irregular soundings, from 10 to 27 fathoms, varying 5 or 6 fathoms almost
every Cast of the Lead. However, we keept on having a Boat ahead
sounding.
A little before noon we passed a low, small, sandy Isle, which
we left on our Starboard side at the distance of 2 Miles. At the same
time we saw others, being part of large Shoals above water, away to the
North-East and between us and the Main land. At Noon we were by
observation in the Latitude of 12 degrees 28 minutes South, and 4 or 5
Leagues from the Main, which extended from South by West to North 71
degrees West, and some Small Islands extending from North 40 degrees West
to North 54 degrees West, the Main or outer Reef seen from the Masthead
away to the North-East.
Joseph Banks Journal
17th.
As we were now safe at an anchor it was resolvd to send the boats upon the nearest shoal to search for shell fish, turtle or whatever else they could get. They accordingly went and Dr Solander and myself accompanied them in my small boat. In our way we met with two water snakes, one 5 the other 6 feet long; we took them both; they much resembled Land snakes only their tails were flatted sideways, I suppose for the convenience of swimming, and were not venomous. The shoal we went upon was the very reef we had so near been lost upon yesterday, now no longer terrible to us; it afforded little provision for the ship, no turtle, only 300lb of Great cockles, some were however of an immense size. We had in the way of curiosity much better success, meeting with many curious fish and mollusca besides Corals of many species, all alive, among which was the Tubipora musica. I have often lamented that we had not time to make proper observations upon this curious tribe of animals but we were so intirely taken up with the more conspicuous links of the chain of creation as fish, Plants, Birds etc. etc. that it was impossible.
18th.
Weighd and stood along shore with a gentle breeze, the main still 7 or 8 Leagues from us. In the even many shoals were ahead; we were however fortunate enough to find our way through them and at night anchord under an Island. The tide here ran immensely strong which we lookd upon as a good omen: so strong a stream must in all probability have an outlet by which we could get out either on the South or North side of New Guinea. The smoothness of the water however plainly indicated that the reef continued between us and the Ocean.
Sydney Parkinson Journal
On the 17th, in the morning, we sent some men in the boat to the reef for turtles and clams, but they returned without any of the former, and with but few clams, though they were of a large size.
The reefs were covered with a numberless variety of beautiful corallines of all colours and figures, having here and there interstices of very white sand. These made a pleasing appearance under water, which was smooth on the inside of the reef, while it broke all along the outside, and may be aptly compared to a grove of shrubs growing under water. Numbers of beautiful coloured fishes make their residence amongst these rocks, and may be caught by hand on the high part of the reef at low water. There are also crabs, molusca of various sorts, and a great variety of curious shell-fish, which adhere to the old dead coral that forms the reef.
On the 18th, we weighed anchor, and stood along shore on the inside of the reef, thinking that would be the safest and best way of finding the passage between New-Guinea and this land: we met with a great many islands, shoals, and reefs, and came to at night.
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