6th August 1770

[In the Timor Sea]

A Steady fresh gale and clear weather, with which we steerd WSW At 7 oClock in the evening, we took in the small Sails, Reef'd the Top sails and sounded having 50 fathom water. we still kept WSW all night going at the rate of 4 1/2 Miles an hour. In the Evening we caught 2 Boobies which settled upon the rigging and these were were the first of these Birds we have caught in this Manner the Voyage, Altho I have heard of them being caught this way in great numbers.

At day light in the Morning we made all the sail we could and at 10 o'Clock saw land extending from NNW to WBN distant 5 or 6 Leagues - At Noon it bore from North to west and about the same distance, our Latitude by observation was 8°.15' St Longde 227°-47' Wt This Land is of an even and moderate height and by our run from New Guinea ought to be a part of the Arow Isles, but it lays a Degree farther to the South than any of these Islands are laid down in the Charts. We sounded but had no ground with 50 fathoms of line — 

Joseph Banks Journal

Pleasant trade: our water deepned to 180 fathm. A tropick bird and 2 black and white Gannets seen about the ship. At Noon a large high Island was in sight, possibly Timor Land, tho if so the charts have laid it down much too far to the Southward. The supposition of its being so made us think of Timor, which had been visited by our countrey man Dampier; this thought made home recur to my mind stronger than it had done throughout the whole voyage: the distance I now conceivd to be nothing very great.

Sydney Parkinson Journal

On the 6th, in the forenoon, in latitude of 8° 15’, we saw an island to the N.W. of us, of considerable extent, being about six or seven leagues of flat level land; and, by the latitude we were in, we supposed it was Timor land, which is laid down in the maps more to the westward. We had a very fresh trade-wind from the S.E. and no soundings.