leagues. At noon, the latitude from dead reckoning was 43° 36', and longitude 163° 2'; the course having been S. S. W. 72 miles.* In the evening the wind shifted to the north-east, and their course was directed E. S. E.: the variation was then half a degree west.
[* This and the following courses and distances run from one noon to another, do not always agree with the latitudes and longitudes; but the differences are not great: They probably arose from the distances being marked to the nearest Dutch mile on the log board; whereas the latitude and longitude are taken to minutes of a degree.]
Nov. 27, the land was again seen. At noon, a course of S. E. by E. 52 miles, gave the latitude by estimation 44° 4' south, and longitude 164° 2' east. The weather was thick and rainy, and the wind still from the north-eastward; and at the fourth hour of the night, the vessels lay to, not venturing to run in the dark. In the morning of the 28th, it was foggy, with rain. They made sail to the east; but on seeing the land from N. E. to N. N. E., hauled up for it. From what could be perceived of the coast, it extended S. E. by E. and N. W. by W., and seemed to decrease in height to the eastward. At noon, the latitude by estimation was 44° 1', longitude 165° 2'; and the course steered, E. by S. 44 miles. The wind was then at north-west; and in the evening, they came near three small islands, one of which was shaped like a lion's head, and lies twelve miles from the continent (this was the Mewstone, of Furneaux). The wind was from the eastward in the night, and the ships lay to.
Nov. 29, they were still near the cliffy, lion-head-shaped island. The wind was light and fair, and they steered parallel to the coast, which lies here east and west. At noon, having made a course of E. N. E. 48 miles, the latitude was judged to be 43° 53', longitude 166° 3'. They had, a little before, passed two cliffy islets lying to seaward; of which the westernmost (Swilly of Furneaux) is like Pedra Blanca near the coast of China: the easternmost (Eddystone of Cook) resembles an awkward tower, and is about sixteen miles from the main land. Continuing to coast along the shore, they came, at five in the evening, to a bay, into which it was resolved in council to enter; but when almost in it, a high wind rose, and obliged them to shorten sail and stand out to sea. At daylight of the 30th, they found themselves driven so far off by the storm (whence the name of STORM BAY, applied in the chart), that the land was scarcely visible. At noon, the general course had been E. by N. 80 miles; the latitude was found to be 43° 41', and longitude by estimation (corrected) 168° 3': the needle pointed here, true North. The land was in sight to the north-west, and the wind strong, but variable, from the northward. The ships steered westward for a short time; but the weather being too stormy to admit of approaching the land, they went upon the other tack; and kept as much to the northward., under easy sail, as the wind would permit.
Dec. 1, the wind was more moderate; and on its veering to W. S. W., the ships steered towards the shore. At noon, their course made good was N. N. W. 39 miles; the latitude was 43° 10' and longitude 167° 55'. It then fell calm, and a council of officers from the two vessels was called, in which it was resolved, if wind and weather permitted, "to get a knowledge of the land, and some refreshments." An eastern breeze sprung up soon afterward; and they got to anchor, an hour after sunset, "in a good port, in 22 fathoms, whitish good-holding sand; wherefore we ought to cc praise GOD ALMIGHTY." This port is called FREDERIK HENDRIK'S BAY, in the chart.
Next morning early, two armed boats were sent to an inlet (the inner bay), situate four or five miles to the north-westward of the ships, in order to search for fresh water, wood, and refreshments. They returned in the afternoon, and the officers gave the following account.
They rowed four or five miles round the point of the inlet, along a high and level shore. Wild greens were plentiful; some resembled those at the Cape of Good Hope, "and may be used in place of wormwood;" others were long and saltish, and like sea parsley. They found many dry gullies, and one watering place in which the water was good, but obtained with difficulty, and in very small quantities. Some human voices were heard, and a sound like that of a trumpet, or little gong, which was not far off; but they could see no person. Amongst the trees, two were remarked whose thickness was two, or two and a half fathoms, and the first branches from sixty to sixty-five feet above the ground. The bark had been taken off with a flint stone, and steps were cut, full five feet one from the other; whence the natives were presumed to be very tall, or able to get up these trees by some artifice. They supposed the steps to be made for the purpose of getting at the nests of birds; and that some of them had not been cut above four days before. They observed traces on the ground, as if made by the claws of a tiger; and saw the excrements, as was thought, of quadrupeds. Some well-looking gums, which dropped from the trees and somewhat resembled gum-lac, were brought on board.
Off the east point of the (inner) bay, they found thirteen to fourteen feet water; and that the tide flowed about three feet. They there saw a number of men, of wild ducks, and geese; but inland none were seen, though their noise was heard. Muscles were found sticking to bushes, in different places. The country was covered with trees; but so thinly scattered, that one might see every where to a great distance amongst them, and distinguish men and animals. Several of the trees were "much burnt about the foot; and the ground was here and there like little squares (vuysterchen), and become as hard as stone, by fire."
A short time before the boats returned, a thick smoke had been observed upon the continent, to the west of where the ships lay at anchor; and from the people staying so much longer than they had been ordered, it was thought to have been made by them, as a signal. But on inquiry, they answered in the negative; and said that they, also, had seen smoke in several places; and bushes--(here seems to be a line omitted.) "So that without doubt, here must be exceedingly tall people."
Dec. 3. A boat was sent to the south-east part of the (outer) bay, and found fresh water; but it broke through the low shore to the sea, and was brackish; and the soil was too rocky to dig wells. In the afternoon, commodore Tasman went, with several officers from both vessels in two boats, to the south-east extremity of the bay; taking with them the PRINCE'S flag, and a post upon which was cut a compass, to be erected on shore. One of the boats was obliged to return, from the bad weather; but the shallop went to a little cove W. S. W. of the ships. The surf being there too high to admit of landing, the first carpenter, Pieter Jacobsz, swam on shore with the post and Prince's flag; and set it up near the last of four remarkable trees, which stood in the form of a crescent, in the middle of the cove. "When the first carpenter had done this, in the sight of me ABEL J. TASMAN, of the master Gerrit Jansz, and under-merchant Abraham Coomans, we went with the shallop as near as possible to the shore, and the said carpenter swam back, through the surf. We then returned on board; and left this as a memorial to the posterity of the inhabitants of this country. They did not show themselves; but we suspected some to be not far from thence, watching carefully our doings."
The wind was from the northward all this day; and at sunset, it blew a storm. The variation at anchor was observed to be 3° east; the latitude was 43° south, and longitude 167½° east from Teneriffe.
Dec. 4. The wind was more moderate, and came from the westward, off the land. The anchors were then weighed, but the flukes of one were broken. On quitting Frederik Hendrik's Bay, the ships steered northward as much as possible, to look for a watering place. At noon, the course had been N. E. 32 miles; the latitude was 42° 40', and longitude 168°. In the evening, they saw a round mountain, about eleven leagues to the N. N. W.; and during the whole day, several smokes were visible along the coast. "Here," says Tasman, "I should give a description of the extent of the coast, and the islands near it, but I hope to be excused, and refer, for brevity's sake, to the chart made of it, and herewith joined."
The ships kept close to the wind all night, as they did in the morning of Dec. 5, when it was N. W. by W. The high round mountain was then seen bearing west, eight leagues, and this was the furthest land visible, nor did the wind allow them to come in with it again. At noon, the latitude was judged to be 41° 34', and longitude 169°; the course for the last day having been N. E. by N. 80 miles. Tasman then steered "precisely eastward, to make further discoveries,"
