| CJC:
On the 4th we passed Palma, one of the Canary Isles... The next day we saw
the isle of Ferro and passed it at the distance of fourteen leagues. On
finding that our stock of water would not last us to the Cape of Good
Hope, without putting the people to a scanty allowance, I resolved to stop
at St. Jago for a supply. On the 9th, at nine o'clock in the morning, we
made the island of Bonavista, bearing S.W. The next day we passed the
island of Mayo on our right; and the same evening anchored in Port Praya,
in the island of St. Jago, in eighteen fathom water... I immediately
despatched an officer to ask leave to water, and purchase refreshments;
which was granted. On the return of the officer I saluted the fort with
eleven guns, on a promise of its being returned with an equal number. But
by a mistake, as they pretended, the salute was returned with only nine;
for which the governor made an excuse the next day. The 14th, in the
evening, having completed our water, and got on board a supply of
refreshments; such as hogs, goats, fowls, and fruit; we put to sea, and
proceeded on our voyage...
We had no sooner got clear of Port Praya, than we
got a fresh gale at N.N.E. which blew in squalls, attended with showers of
rain. But the next day the wind and showers abated, and veered to the
south. It was, however, variable and unsettled for several days,
accompanied with dark, gloomy weather, and showers of rain. On the 19th,
in the afternoon, one of the carpenter's mates fell overboard, and was
drowned. He was over the side, fitting in one of the scuttles, from
whence, it was supposed, he had fallen: for he was not seen till the very
instant he sunk under the ship's stern, when our endeavours to save him
were too late. About noon the next day the rain poured down upon us not in
drops, but in streams. The wind, at the same time, was variable, and
squally, which obliged the people to attend the decks, so that few in the
ships escaped a good soaking. We, however, benefited by it, as it gave us
an opportunity of filling all our empty water-casks. This heavy rain at
last brought on a dead calm, which continued twenty-four hours, when it
was succeeded by a breeze from S.W. Betwixt this point and south it
continued for several days, and blew, at times, in squalls, attended with
rain and hot sultry weather. The mercury in the thermometers, at noon,
kept generally from 79 to 82.
On the 27th, spake with Captain Furneaux, who
informed us that one of his petty officers was dead. At this time we
had not one sick on board; although we had everything of this kind to fear
from the rain we had had, which is a great promoter of sickness in hot
climates. To prevent this, and agreeable to some hints I had from Sir Hugh
Palliser, and from Captain Campbell, I took every necessary precaution, by
airing and drying the ship with fires made betwixt decks, smoking,
&c., and by obliging the people to air their bedding, wash and dry
their clothes, whenever there was an opportunity. A neglect of these
things causeth a disagreeable smell below, affects the air, and seldom
fails to bring on sickness; but more especially in hot and wet weather.
At St Jago, along with the provisions, the crew
had brought aboard an "abundance" of little grey
"Monkies" for pets.
JE: The latter animals soon became so troublesome
and mischevious, that Capt. Cook ordered them all to be destroyed, but I
contrived to secret mine until we came to the Cape of Good Hope, where,
having thrown the Ink upon a Letter that Mr Whitehouse was writing home,
he in a rage blew him out of the window with his pistol, to my great
vexation and grievance, as he was a favorite.
On coming to the Line (or Equator) the usual
ceremony upon all persons never having crossed it took place, and is as
follows: The Men dress up a grotesque figure and call him Old Neptune, and
march about the Ship, saying that he demands to know all the persons who
have not crossed the Line before. They then have their choice, either to
pay a fine, of a Gallon of Rum and a pound of Sugar, or money to that
amount; to be ducked; or shaved. The ducking is by having a rope from the
main Yard Arm, on which are fastened two broomshafts. The [man] is seated
and tyed fast to one shaft, the other shaft coming across his breast and
tyed fast. He is then swung out of the Ship and let fall into the Sea,
then drawn up and let fall three times.
The shaving is by blindfolding the person, then
seating him on a board, over a large Tub of Water, rubing his Chin and
Cheeks over, with a mixture of everything that is nasty, which is
scraped off again with rusty Iron Hoops, by a man on each side. When this
is done, the board is pulled from under the Man, and he falls into the
water, where he is held, while others keep throwing buckets of water over
him in every direction (until he makes his escape) to the great amusement
of the laughing spectators.
OCTOBER 1772: Proceeding very pleasantly on our
Voyage, we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the 29th of October, 1772,
all in uncommon good health and spirits. The Town [Capetown] looks very
pretty from the Ships on rising ground, sloping to the Sea, and mostly
White, some of the houses in imitation of Marble. It has Canals in the
streets, as in Holland, and one of the finest climates in the World, and
no better place can be for Ships to stop at, after a long Voyage. Here are
abundance of the finest Vegetables from the Dutch Company's gardens, which
are very large, laid out with gravel Walks, some of them thirty feet wide,
with trees and Myrtle Hedges on each side, clipped. Excellent Water,
plenty of fruit, Peaches and Almonds growing in hedgerows in the country.
Plenty of good Mutton, some of the Sheep having tails that weigh from
Twenty to Twenty-five pounds. The Beef in general is not good. Here are
likewise all kind of Naval stores for the use of Ships...
Here we took in a Mr Sparman, as a Botanical
assistant to Mr Forster, which made our number on the Quarter deck Thirty
two.
In coming into Table Bay at the close of Evening,
we observed the Sea to have a very uncommon and rather an alarming
appearance, seeming at times all on fire, which is supposed to proceed
from some Luminous particles in the Sea, which by its agitation in the
Night, has a very curious and beautiful effect.
From Capetown, the ships proceeded due south and
circled an immense floating body of ice, three hundred miles square, from
which they changed course, bearing South-East until reaching 67° Latitude
(or within the Antarctic Circle). The Sea was covered at times with
Islands of Ice of all sizes and heights, from half a mile, to three miles
long. As they picked their way carefully between these frozen monoliths,
they passed great cliffs of ice, some two or three times as high as the
Ships Mastheads. Here, the frost and cold was so intense that it
covered the rigging with ice, "like compleat christal ropes",
and even stiffened the outer coats on the crew's backs. Eventually,
further progress in this direction was blocked by a wall of Field Ice, and
they were forced to turn North to look for land, but without success. In
order to increase their chances, Cook signaled the Adventure to keep at a
distance of 4 miles off his starboard beam, but as a result they lost
sight of one another.
CJC (February 8th): Our latitude now was 49° 53'
south, and longitude 63° 39' east. This was at eight o'clock. By this
time the wind had veered round by the N.E. to E., blew a brisk gale, and
was attended with hazy weather, which soon after turned to a thick fog;
and at the same time, the wind shifted to N.E.
I continued to keep the wind on the larboard
tack, and to fire a gun every hour till noon; when I made the signal to
tack, and tacked accordingly. But as neither this signal, nor any of the
former, was answered by the Adventure, we had but too much reason to think
that a separation had taken place; though we were at a loss to tell how it
had been effected. I had directed Captain Furneaux, in case he was
separated from me, to cruise three days in the place where he last saw me.
I therefore continued making short boards, and firing half-hour guns, til
the 9th in the afternoon, when the weather having cleared up, we could see
several leagues round us, and found that the Adventure was not within the
limits of our horizon.
Unable to locate their missing ship, Cook gave up
looking for her and turned in the general direction of New Zealand, where
the two Captains had arranged to rendevous if they became separated.
CJC (16th February): In the night we had fair
weather, and a clear serene sky; and between midnight and three o'clock in
the morning, lights were seen in the heavens, similar to those in the
northern hemisphere, known by the name of Aurora Borealis, or northern
lights; but I had never heard of the Aurora Australis being seen before.
The officer of the watch observed, that it sometimes broke out in spiral
rays, and in a circular form; then its light was very strong, and its
appearance beautiful. He could not perceive it had any particular
direction; for it appeared, at various times, in different parts of the
heavens, and diffused its light throughout the whole atmosphere...
The 21st, in the morning, having little wind and
a smooth sea, two favourable circumstances for taking up ice, I steered
for the largest ice island before us, which we reached by noon. At this
time, we were in the latitude of 59° south, longitude 92° 30' east;
having about two hours before, seen three or four penguins. Finding here a
good quantity of loose ice, I ordered two boats out, and sent them to take
some on board. While this was doing, the island, which was not less than
half a mile in circuit, and three or four hundred feet high above the
surface of the sea, turned nearly bottom up. Its height, by this
circumstance, was neither increased nor diminished, apparently. As soon as
we had got on board as much ice as we could dispose of, we hoisted in the
boats, and made sail to the S.E., with a gentle breeze at N. by E.,
attended with showers of snow, and dark gloomy weather. At this time, we
had but few ice islands in sight; but the next day, seldom less than
twenty or thirty were seen at once.
The wind gradually veered to the east, and, at
last, fixing at E. by S. blew a fresh gale. With this, we stood to the
south, till eight o'clock in the evening of the 23rd; at which time, we
were in the latitude of 61° 52' south, longitude 95° 2' east. We now
tacked, and spent the night, which was exceedingly stormy, thick, and
hazy, with sleet and snow, in making short boards. Surrounded on every
side with danger, it was natural for us to wish for daylight; this, when
it came, served only to increase our apprehensions, by exhibiting to our
view those huge moutains of ice which, in the night, we had passed without
seeing.
These unfavourable circumstances, together with
dark nights, at this advanced season of the year, quite discouraged me
from putting into execution a resolution I had taken of crossing the
Antarctic circle once more. Accordingly, at four o'clock in the morning,
we stood to the north, with a very hard gale at E.S.E., accompanied with
snow and sleet, and a very high sea, from the same point, which made great
destruction among the ice islands. This circumstance, far from being of
any advantage to us, greatly increased the number of pieces we had to
avoid. The large pieces which break from the ice islands are much more
dangerous than the islands themselves; the latter are so high out of
water, that we can generally see them, unless the weather be very thick
and dark, before we are very near them; whereas the others cannot be seen
in the night, till they are under the ship's bows. These dangers were,
however, now become so familiar to us, that the apprehensions they caused
were never of long duration, and were, in some measure, compensated, both
by the seasonable supplies of fresh water these ice islands afforded us,
(without which we must have been greatly distressed,) and also by their
very romantic appearance, greatly heightened by the foaming and dashing of
the waves into the curious holes and caverns which are formed in many of
them; the whole exhibiting a view which at once filled the mind with
admiration and horror, and can only be described by the hand of an able
painter...
Back in November 1772; Richard
Pickersgill wrote:  "We
sail'd from the Cape and began our first years misery, but as my
favourite author very justly observed that the Heart of Man is naturally
inclined to attempt things the advantages of which appear to increase in
proportion to the difficulties which attend them; it spares no Pains, it
fears no danger, in attaining them; and instead of its being diverted
from its purpose is animated by fresh Vigour from opposition".
"The Glory inseparable from
arduous enterprises is a powerful incentive which raises the mind above
itself; the hope of advantages determines the will, diminishes dangers,
alleviates hardships and levels obstacles which otherwise would appear
unsurmountable".
CJC (continued): Between eight in the morning of
the 26th and noon next day, we fell in among several islands of ice; from
whence such vast quantities had broken, as to cover the sea all round us,
and render sailing rather dangerous. However, by noon, we were clear of it
all. In the evening the wind abated, and veered to S.W.; but the weather
did not clear up till the next morning; when we were able to carry all our
sails, and met with but very few islands of ice to impede us. Probably the
late gale had destroyed a great number of them. Such a very large hollow
sea had continued to accompany the wind, as it veered from E. to S.W.,
that I was certain no land of considerable extent could lie within 100 or
150 leagues of our situation between these two points.
The mean height of the thermometer at noon, for
some days past, was about 35; which is something higher than it usually
was, in the same latitude, about a month or five weeks before,
consequently the air was something warmer. While the weather was really warm,
the gales were not only stronger, but more frequent; with almost continual
misty, dirty, wet weather. The very animals we had on board felt its
effects. A sow having in the morning farrowed nine pigs, every one of them
was killed by the cold, before four o'clock in the afternoon,
notwithstanding all the care we could take of them. From the same cause,
myself, as well as several of my people, had fingers and toes chilblained.
Such is the summer weather we enjoyed.
MARCH 16th: I continued to steer to the east,
inclining to the south, with a fresh gale at S.W. till five o'clock the
next morning, when being in the latitude of 59° 7' S., longitude 146°
53' E., I bore away N.E. and at noon north, having come to a resolution to
quit the high southern latitudes, and to proceed to New Zealand, to look
for the Adventure, and to refresh my people. I had also some thoughts, and
even a desire, to visit the east coast of Van Diemen's Land, in order to
satisfy myself if it joined the coast of New South Wales. In the night of
the 17th, the wind shifted to N.W. and blew in squalls, attended with
thick hazy weather and rain. This continued all the 18th, in the evening
of which day, being in the latitude of 56° 15' S., longitude 150°, the
sky cleared up, and we found the variation by several azimuths to be 13°
30' E. Soon after we hauled up with the log a piece of rock-weed, which
was in a state of decay, and covered with barnacles. In the night the
southern lights were very bright.
The next morning we saw a seal, and towards noon
some penguins, and more rock-weed, being at this time in the latitude of
55° 1', longitude 152° 1' E. In the latitude of 54° 4', we also saw a
Port-Egmont hen, and some weed. Navigators have generally looked upon all
these to be certain signs of the vicinity of land; I cannot, however,
support this opinion. At this time we knew of no land, nor is it even
probable that there is any, nearer than New Holland, or Van Diemen's Land,
from which we were distant 260 leagues. We had, at the same time, several
porpoises playing about us; into one of which Mr. Cooper struck a harpoon;
but, as the ship was running seven knots, it broke its hold, after towing
it some minutes, and before we could deaden the ship's way.
As the wind, which continued between the north
and the west, would not permit me to touch at Van Diemen's Land, I shaped
my course to New Zealand; and being under no apprehensions of meeting with
any danger, I was not backward in carrying sail, as well by night as day,
having the advantage of a very strong gale, which was attended with hazy
rainy weather, and a very large swell from the W. and W.S.W. We continued
to meet with, now and then, a seal, Port-Egmont hens, and sea-weed. On the
morning of the 22nd, the wind shifted to south, and brought with it fair
weather. At noon, we found ourselves in the latitude of 49° 55',
longitude 159° 28', having a very large swell out of the S.W. For the
three days past the mercury in the thermometer had risen to 46, and the
weather was quite mild. Seven or eight degrees of latitude had made a
surprising difference in the temperature of the air, which we felt with an
agreeable satisfaction.
We continued to advance to the N.E. at a good
rate, having a brisk gale between the south and east... At ten o'clock in
the morning of the 25th, the land of New Zealand was seen from the
mast-head; and, at noon, from the deck; extending from N.E. by E. to east,
distant ten leagues. As I intended to put into Dusky Bay, or any other
port I could find, on the southern part of TAVAI POENAMMOO, we steered in
for the land, under all the sail we could carry, having the advantage of a
fresh gale at west, and tolerably clear weather. This last was not of long
duration; for, at half an hour after 4 o'clock, the land, which was not
above four miles distant, was in a manner wholly obscured in a thick haze.
At this time, we were before the entrance of a bay, which I had mistaken
for Dusky Bay, being deceived by some islands that lay in the mouth of
it... This part of the coast I did not see but at a great distance, in my
former voyage; and we now saw it under so many disadvantageous
circumstances, that the less I say about it, the fewer mistakes I shall
make...
After running about two leagues up the bay, and
passing several of the isles which lay in it, I brought to, and hoisted
out two boats; one of which I sent away with an officer round a point on
the larboard hand, to look for anchorage. This he found, and signified the
same by signal. We then followed with the ship, and anchored in 50 fathoms
water, so near the shore as to reach it with a hawser. This was on Friday
the 26th of March, at three in the afternoon, after having been 117 days
at sea; in which time we had sailed 3660 leagues, without having once
sight of land.
My first care, after the ship was moored, was to
send a boat and people a-fishing; in the mean time, some of the gentlemen
killed a seal (out of the many that were upon a rock), which made us a
fresh meal.
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