546

CAPTAIN COOK’S FIRST VOYAGE.

While Captain Cook remained in the harbour, the Englifh colours were difplayedon fhore daily, and the name of the fhip, with the date of the year, was carved on atree near the place where they took in their water.

They failed from Botany Bay on the 6th of May, 1770 ; at noon were off a harbourwhich they called Port Jackfon, and in the evening, near a bay, to which they gavethe name of Broken Bay.

On Sunday the 13th, they faw the fmoke of many fires on a point of land, which,was therefore called Smoky Cape. As they proceeded northward from Botany Bay ,the land appeared high and well covered with wood. On Tuefday morning, by theaffiflance of their glades, they difcovered about a fcore of the Indians, each loadedwith a bundle, which they imagined to be palm-leaves to thatch their houfes. At noonthe captain difcovered a high point of land, which he called Cape Byron.

They had, for feme days part, feen the fea-birds, called boobies, none of whichthey had met with before ; and which, from half an hour before fun-rifing to half anhour after, were continually palling the lhip in large flights; from which it wasconjedlured, that there was a river or inlet of fhallow water to the fouthward, wherethey, went to feed in the day, returning in the evening to fome iflands to the northward.In honour of Captain Hervey, this bay was called Hervey’s Bay.

The captain and Tupia, with a party, went on fhore the 23d. They landed a littlewithin the point of a bay, which led into a large lagoon, by the fides of which growsthe true mangrove, as it alfo does on fome bogs and fwamps of fait water which theydifcovered. There were many nefts of a Angular kind of ant, as green as grafs, inthe branches of thefe mangroves. When the branches were diflurbed, they cameforth in great numbers, and bit the difturber mod feverely. Thefe trees likewife af-forded fhelter for immenfe numbers of green caterpillars ; their bodies were coveredwith hairs, which, on the touch, gave a pain fimilar to the fling of a nettle, but muchmore acute. Thefe infects ranged themfelves fide by fide on the leaves, thirty oCforty together, in a very regular manner. They faw, among the fand banks, manybirds larger than fwans, which they imagined were pelicans; and they fhot a kind orbuftard, which weighed feventecn pounds. This bird proved very delicate food, andgave name to the place, which was called Buftard Bay. They likewife fhot a duck ora mod beautiful plumage, with a white beak. They found vaft numbers of oyfters orvarious forts, and, among the reft, fome hammer oyfters of a curious kind.. Whil ethe gentlemen were in the woods, feveral of the natives came down and took a fu* >vey of the lhip, and then departed. They failed the next morning, and on the dayfollowing were abreaft of a point, which lying immediately under the tropic, the cap-tain called Cape Capricorn, on the weft fide of which they faw an amazing numbedof large birds refembling the pelican, fome of which were near five feet high.

On the 27th, in the morning they failed to the northward, and to the •northernnioipoint of land the captain gave the name of Cape Manifold, from the number of higfchills appearing above it. Between this cape and the fhore is a bay called Keppel’s Bay»and fome iflands bearing the name of the fame gentleman. In this place the captainintended to lay the fhip afhore and clean her bottomand accordingly landed, infearch of a proper place for the purpofe. ,,

In this excurfion Meflrs. Banks and Solander attended Captain Cook - They f° unwalking extremely incommodious, the ground being covered with grafs, the feeds 0which were fharp, and beafded, fo that they were continually flicking in their clothe >whence they worked forwards totheflefh, by means of the beard. They were