27th August 1770

[Off South Coast of New Guinea]

Fresh breezes between the East by North and East-South-East, with which we steer'd West until sun set; depth of Water from 27 to 23 fathoms. We now Reef'd the Topsails, shortened Sail, and hoisted in the pinnace and Long boat up alongside, and afterwards kept upon a Wind all night under our Topsails, 4 hours on one Tack and four hours on the other; depth of Water 25 fathoms, very even soundings. At daylight made all the Sail we could, and steer'd West-North-West until 8 o'clock, then North-West; at Noon we were by Observation in the Latitude of 9 degrees 56 minutes South, Longitude 221 degrees 00 minutes West; Variation 2 degrees 30 minutes East. Course and distance sail'd since yesterday at Noon North 73 degrees 33 minutes West, 49 miles.

Joseph Banks Journal

Lay too all last night. In the morn fresh trade and 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 ½ a line in lengh yet when lookd at in a microscope consisting of 30 or 40 tubes, each hollow and 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 and that of New Holland but never that I recollect at any considerable distance from the Land. In the Evening a small bird of the Noddy (sterna) kind hoverd much about the ship and at night settled on the rigging where he was taken, and provd exactly the same bird as Dampier has describd and given a rude figure of under the Name of a Noddy From New Holland.

Sydney Parkinson Journal

On the 27th, steering northward for the coast of New Guinea, we were surprized again by the appearance of a shoal all round us; on examination, however, we found it was only a sort of spawn swimming upon the water, such as we had often seen before, that gave it that appearance. We had, on this day, twenty-nine fathoms water and under. Latitude 9° 56’’.