3rd and 4th March 1771

[Batavia to Capetown]

3rd. First part little wind; remainder Gentle gales and clear weather, and the Sea pretty smooth. Wind North-East; course South 58 degrees 15 minutes West; distance 71 miles; latitude 31 degrees 1 minute South; longitude 323 degrees 2 minutes West.

4th. In the P.M. had a moderate breeze, which continued until 5 o'clock in the A.M., when it fell calm, and soon after a breeze sprung up at South-West. In the Evening, and most part of the Night, the weather was dark and cloudy, with much Lightning to the Westward. Variation 25 degrees 35 minutes West. Winds North-East to South-West; course South 67 degrees 45 minutes West; distance 87 miles; latitude 31 degrees 54 minutes South; longitude 324 degrees 36 minutes West.

Joseph Banks Journal

3rd. Wind at SW with dirty foggy weather. In the evening some of the people thought that they saw Land but that opinion was rejected almost without examination, as the journals in the ship which had been kept by the Log were still above a hundred leagues and those which had been corrected by Observations of the sun and moon full 40. The night was cheifly calms and light breezes with fog and mist.

4th. Day broke and shewd us at its earliest dawn how fortunate we had been in the Calms of last night: what was then supposd to be land provd realy so and not above 5 miles from us, so that another hour would have infallibly have carried us upon it. But fortunate as we might think ourselves to be yet unshipwreckd we were still in extreme danger, the wind blew right upon the shore and with it a heavy sea ran which broke mountains high on the rocks with which it was every where lind, so that tho some in the ship thought it possible the major part did not hope to be able to get off. Our anchors and cables were accordingly prepard but the sea ran too high to allow us a hope of the Cables holding should we be drove to the Necessity of making use of them, and should we be drove ashore the Breakers gave us as little hope of saving even our lives: at last however after 4 hours spent in the vicissitudes of hope and fear we found that we got gradualy off and before night were out of Danger. The land from whence we so narrowly escapd is part of the Terra de Natal, laying between the rivers Sangue and Formis about 20 Leagues to the southward of the Bay of Natal. The shore seemd every where steep and rocky but the hills inland rose in gradual slopes spotted here and there with woods, and where it was not lookd Green and pleasant.