26th November to 7th December 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
26th. In the night had much rain, after which the Westerly Monsoons set in, which blow here generally in the night from the South-West or from the land, in the day from the North-West or North.

27th November to 7th December.
Employ'd getting on board Stores, Provisions, Water, rigging the Ship, repairing and bending the Sails. On the last of these days, having got all the Sick on board, and every other thing from the Island, we hauled off from the Wharfe with a design to run up to Batavia road, but the Wind proving scant obliged us to lay at anchor.

Joseph Banks Journal
We had for some nights now had the wind on the western board, generaly attended with some rain, thunder and lightning; this night blew strong at SW and raind etc. harder than ever I saw it before for 3 or 4 hours; Our house raind in in every part, and through the lower part of it ran a stream almost capable of turning a mill. In the morn I went to Batavia, where the quantities of Bedding that I every where saw hung up to dry made a very uncommon sight; for every house that I was acquainted with, and I was told almost every house in the town and neighbourhood, sufferd more or less.

This was certainly the shifting of the Monsoon, for the winds which had before been con[s]tantly to the Eastward Remaind ever after on the western bord; the people here however told us that it did not commonly shift so suddenly, and were loth to believe that the westerly winds were realy set in for several days after. Dr Solander was recovered enough to be able to walk about the house but gatherd strengh very slowly. Myself was given to understand that curing my ague was of very little consequence while the cause remaind in the badness of the air; the Physician however bled me and gave me frequent gentle purges, which he told me would make the attacks less violent, as was realy the case; they came generaly about the hour of 2 or 3 in the afternoon, a time when every body in these climates is asleep, and by 4 or 5 I generaly had recoverd to get up and walk in the garden etc. The rainy season was now set in and we had generaly some rain in the night; the days were more or less cloudy and sometimes wet; this however was not always the case, for after this time we had once a whole week of dry clear weather. The Frogs in the diches, whose voices were ten times louder than those of European ones, made a noise on those nights when rain was to be expected almost intolerable; and the Mosquitos, or Gnats, who had been sufficiently troublesome even in the dry time, now breeding in every splash of water became innumerable, especialy in the Moonlight nights; their stings however tho painfull and troublesome enough at the time never continued to itch above half an hour, so that no man in the day time was troubled with the bites of the night before. Indeed I never met with any whose bites caus'd swellings that remaind 24 hours, except the Midges or Gnats of Lincolnshire (which are identicaly the same insect as is calld Mosquito in most parts of the world) and the sand flies of North America.

Dr Solander had a return of his fever which increasd gradualy for 4 or 5 days, when he became once more in imminent danger.

17th to 25th November 1770























[Heaving down at Batavia]
Employ'd rigging the Ship, getting on board Stores and Water, which last we have sent from Batavia at the rate of Six shillings and 8 pence a Leager, or 150 Gallons.  We are now become so sickly that we seldom can muster above 12 or 14 hands to do duty.

16th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
Employ'd taking in Coals and Ballast; sent one of the decay'd Pumps up to Batavia to have a new one made by it.

15th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
In the A.M. transported the Ship from Onrust to Cooper's Island, and moored her alongside the Wharf.

14th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
Employ'd clearing the Ship of the Carreening gear, her bottom being now thoroughly repair'd, and very much to my satisfaction. In justice to the Officers and Workmen of this Yard, I must say that I do not believe that there is a Marine Yard in the World where work is done with more alertness than here, or where there are better conveniences for heaving Ships down both in point of safety and despatch. Here they heave down by 2 masts, which is not now Practised by the English; but I hold it to be much safer and more expeditious than by heaving down by one mast; a man must not only be strongly bigotted to his own customs, but in some measure divested of reason, that will not allow this, after seeing with how much ease and safety the Dutch at Onrust heave down their largest ships.

Joseph Banks Journal
This day we had the agreable news of the repairs of the ship being compleatly finishd and that she was returnd again to Coopers Island, where she provd to be no longer at all leaky. When examind she had provd much worse than any body expected, her main plank being in many places so cut by the rocks that not more than one eighth of an inch in thickness remaind, and here the worm had got in and made terrible havock; her false keel intirely gone, and her main keel much wound'd.

These damages were now however intirely repaird, and very well too in the opinion of Every body who saw the Duch artificers do their work. This completion of our repairs gave us hopes that our stay here would be of no very long duration, as we had now nothing to do but to get on board our stores and provisions; but our hopes were not a little dampd by the accounts we every day had from the ship, where the people were so sickly that not above 13 or 14 were able to stand to their work.

Dr Solander grew better tho by very slow degrees; myself soon had a return of my ague which now became quotidian, the Captain also was taken ill on board and of course we sent his servant to him, soon after which both Mr Sporing and our seaman were seizd with intermittents, so that we were again reduc'd to the melancholy necessity of depending intirely upon the Malays for nursing us, all of whoom were often sick together.

13th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
This day they hove the Starboard side Kiel out, which we found very little damaged, and was therefore soon done with.

Joseph Banks Journal
As Dr Jaggi had all along insisted on the Countrey air as necessary for our recovery, I immediately agreed with my Landlord Vn Heys for his countrey house, which he immediately furnishd for us, and agreed to supply us with provisions and give us the use of 5 slaves who were there, as well as three we were to take with us at a dollar a day, 4s/ more than our common agreement. This countrey house tho small and very bad was situate about 2 miles out of town in a situation that preposest me much in its favour, being situate on the banks of a briskly running river and well open to the sea breeze, two circumstances which must much contribute to promote circulation of air, a thing of the utmost consequence in a countrey perfectly resembling the low part of my native Lincolnshire. Accordingly, Dr Solander being much better and in the Drs opinion not too bad to be removd, we carried him down to it this day, and also receivd from the ship Mr Sporing our writer, a Seaman, and the Captains own servant who he had sent on hearing of our melancholy situation; so that we were now sufficiently well attended, having 10 Malays and 2 whites besides Mr Sporing. This night however the Dr was extreemly ill, so much so that fresh blisters were applyd to the inside of his thighs which he seemd not at all sensible of; nevertheless in the morn he was something better and from that time recoverd tho by extreemly slow degrees till his second attack. Myself, either by the influence of the Bark of which I had all along taken quantities or by the anziety I sufferd on Dr Solanders account, Miss'd my fever, nor did it return for several days till he became better.

12th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
In the P.M. finished the Larboard side, and in the A.M. began to get ready to heave out the other.

Joseph Banks Journal
Dr Solander, who had not yet intirely taken to his bed, returnd from airing this even extreemly ill; he went to bed immediately, I sat by him, and soon observd symptoms which alarmd me very much. I sent immediately for Our Physician Dr Jaggi, who apply'd sinapisms to his feet and blisters to the calves of his legs, but at the same time gave me little or no hopes of even the possibility of his living till Morning. Weak as I was I sat by him till morn, when he chang'd very visibly for the better; I then slept a little and waking found him still better than I had any reason to hope.

Sydney Parkinson Journal
While our ship was repairing at Unrust, most of the crew were at Cooper’s-island, where they were taken with a putrid dysentery; three of whom, the steward of the gun-room, one of the seamen, and a boy, died.

The disorder also carried off Toobaiah, and the lad Taiyota, natives of Otaheite, whom we designed to have brought to England. They had been several times up to Batavia, and expressed great surprize at the many various objects to which they had been unaccustomed: they were particularly struck with the sight of carriages drawn by horses; and were very inquisitive in respect of what they saw, that was new to them; having, before our arrival at Batavia, made great progress in the English tongue, in which they were greatly assisted by Mr. Green, the astronomer, who took much pains therein, particularly with Taiyota. When Taiyota was seized with the fatal disorder, as if certain of his approaching dissolution, he frequently said to those of us who were his intimates, Tyau mate oee, "my friends, I am dying." He took any medicines that were offered him; but Toobaiah, who was ill at the same time, and survived him but a few days, refused every thing of that kind, and gave himself up to grief; regretting, in the highest degree, that he had left his own country, and, when he heard of Taiyota’s death, he was quite inconsolable, crying out frequently, Taiyota! Taiyota! They were both buried in the island of Eadam. During our stay at Batavia, most of us were sickly; Mr. Monkhouse, our surgeon, and the astronomer’s servant, died; and some others hardly escaped with life.

11th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
In the A.M., having caulked her upper works, hove out the Larboard side again, which a number of Workmen were employ'd repairing.

Joseph Banks Journal
We receivd the news of Tupias death. I had given him quite over ever since his boy died whoom I well knew he sincerely lovd, tho he usd to find much fault with him during his life time.

6th to 10th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
6th. In the A.M. the officers of the Yard took the Ship in hand, and sent on board a number of Carpenters, Caulkers, Riggers, Slaves, etc., to make ready to heave down.

7th. Employ'd getting ready to heave down in the P.M. We had the misfortune to loose Mr. Monkhouse, the Surgeon, who died at Batavia of a Fever after a short illness, of which disease and others several of our people are daily taken ill, which will make his loss be the more severely felt; he was succeeded by Mr. Perry, his mate, who is equally as well skilled in his profession. 8th. In the night had much Thunder, Lightning, and Rain; during the day fair weather, which gave us time to get everything in readiness for heaving down.

9th. In the P.M. hove the Larboard side of the Ship, Kiel out, and found her bottom to be in a far worse condition than we expected; the false kiel was gone to within 20 feet of the Stern post, the main Kiel wounded in many places very considerably, a great quantity of Sheathing off, and several planks much damaged, especially under the Main Channell near the Kiel, where 2 planks and a 1/2, near 6 feet in length, were within 1/8th of an inch of being cutt through; and here the worms had made their way quite into the timbers, so that it was a matter of surprise to every one who saw her bottom how we had kept her above water, and yet in this condition we had sailed some hundreds of Leagues, in as dangerous a Navigation as in any part of the World, happy in being ignorant of the continual danger we were in.

In the evening righted the Ship, having only time to patch up some of the worst places to prevent the water getting in in large quantitys for the present. In the morning hove her down again, and most of the Carpenters and Caulkers in the Yard (which are not a few) were set to work upon her Bottom, and at the same time a number of Slaves were employ'd bailing the water out of the Hold. Our people, altho' they attend, were seldom called upon; indeed, by this time we were so weakned by sickness that we could not muster above 20 Men and Officers that were able to do duty, so little should we have been able to have hove her down and repair'd her ourselves, as I at one time thought us capable of.

10th. In the P.M. we were obliged to righten the ship before night, by reason of her making water in her upper works faster than we could free; it made it necessary to have her weather works inside and out caulked, which before was thought unnecessary.

Joseph Banks Journal
7th. Dr Solander attended his funeral, and I should certainly have done the same had I not been confind to my bed by my fever. Our case now became melancholy, neither of my Servants were able to help me no more than I was them, and the Malay Slaves who alone we depended upon, naturaly the worst attendants in nature, were render'd less carefull by our incapacity of scolding them on account of our ignorance of the language. When we became so sick that we could not help ourselves, they would get out of Call, so we were oblig'd to lie still till able to get up and go in search of them.

9th. This day we receivd the disagreable news of the death of Tayeto, and that his death had so much affected Tupia that there was little hopes of his surviving him many days.

10th. Dr Solander and myself still grew worse and worse, and the Physician who attended us declard that the countrey air was necessary for our recovery, so we began to look out for a countrey house, tho with a heavy heart as we knew that we must there commit ourselves intirely to the care of the Malays, whose behavior to sick people we had all the reason in the world to find fault with. For this reason we resolvd to buy each of us a Malay Woman to Nurse us, hoping that the tenderness of the sex would prevail even here, which indeed we found it to do for they turnd out by no means bad nurses.

Sydney Parkinson Journal 
At this place our ship was examined; and we found that many of her planks; and her keel, were much damaged; one part of her not being above one-eighth of an inch thick, which was luckily be-fore one of the timbers, or, in all probability, she would have sunk long before we reached the bay of Batavia.

5th November 1770























[Image: Onrust Island]

[Heaving down at Batavia]
Clear, hot sultry weather. In the A.M. transported the ship over to Onrust, alongside one of the Carreening Wharfs.

Joseph Banks Journal
At last after many delays causd by Duch ships which came alon[g]side the wharfs to load Pepper the Endeavour was this day got down to Onrust where she was to be hove down without delay, most welcome news to us all now heartily tired of this unwholsome countrey. Poor Mr Monkhouse became worse and worse without the intervention of one favourable symptom so that we now had little hopes of his life. In the afternoon of this day poor Mr Monkhouse departed the first sacrafice to the climate and the next day was buried.

2nd to 4th November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
Employ'd overhauling the rigging, and making rope, making and repairing Sails.

1st November 1770

[Heaving down at Batavia]
Got every thing out of the Ship, and all clear for going alongside of the Carreening, but about Noon I received a message from the Officer at Onrust acquainting me that they could not receive us there until they had first despatched the Ships bound to Europe, which were down here taking in pepper.

Joseph Banks Journal
My servants Peter and James were as bad as Myself, and Dr Solander now felt the first attacks of his fever but never having been in his life time once ill resisted it in a manner resolvd not to apply to a physician. But worst of all was Mr Monkhouse the ships surgeon; he was now confind to his bed by a violent fever which grew worse and worse notwithstanding all the Efforts of the Physician.