1790 31 July. overboard, and were very soon washed on shore by the surf. Everybody, I beleive, met with some loss, tho' some people were much luckier than others in saving most of their things. The officers who landed in Cascade Bay lost most part of their clothes Effects lost. and all their stock. My loss was not very great, as I saved above half of my clothes; but they are all very much stain'd by a blue clay that is found on the reef, which the surf must have washed into my chest. The next day a council was held, which was composed of all the commissioned officers on the island, and it was thought proper to put every person on the island on half-allowance, and likewise Martial law. put the whole island under military law, for the better preserving good discipline; and by which means robberies might be punished according to their deserts, which, if military law had not been proclaimed, no robbery could have been punished but by corporal punishment, and tryed only by justices of the peace, whereas now a court-martial can take place, and the offenders punished by death. General court-martials are to be composed of seven commissioned officers, and if corporal punishment only is to be inflicted, a majority of voices is only necessary for the number lashes, &c.; but if it affects life, five out of the seven must concur in opinion. For two days after our geting on shore it blew so hard, and the surf ran so very high, that it washed the ship much nearer in The Sirius shore, and the anchor, which was let go on her first striking, was inshore. now of infinite service, as it brought the ship's bow to the surf, which must have broke her in pieces in a short time as she lay on her first striking, and the riders that were fixed in Port Jackson were of great service in keeping her together. washed stock. convicts. As soon as the gale abated we went to work to endeavour to save what we could out of the ship; two convicts likewise went on board by the hawser to throw the live stock overboard, which The live at this time had been three days without water. And it was just as well to give them a chance of swimming on shore, and saving their lives, as to stay there and be famished for want of water and food. These convicts, instead of attending to their errand, got to some liquor and made themselves very drunk; in Drunken the evening we could plainly see they had by some means got a light, which they were called to put out and come on shore, which they did not obey. We c'd plainly see from the shore that these people were drunk; and by their having a light there was great danger of their setting the ship on fire, which w'd be the worst thing that c'd happen to us, as the isl'd chiefly depended on the provision that c'd be got out of her for their support. What we sh'd have done I know not, had not one of the convicts offered a convict does good to go on board by the hawser, which he did; and with orders to service. throw the men overboard if they refused to come on shore, and afterwards to visit every part of the ship to see that all was safe. 1790 31 July. on fire. The two men came on shore that night, but he did not come till the next morning, as the surf ran very high; when he reported that in one of the cabbins, where these fellows had been plunderThe ship set ing, they found a light lying on the deck, which had set it on fire, and had burnt quite through to the other deck; and if he had not gone on board then, in all probability the ship must have been burnt, which w'd have been a worse accident than her going on shore. We will now return to the Supply, which we left in nearly as bad a situation as the Sirius, being, as I before mentioned, much too near in shore. However, she continued turning to windward Safety of the a considerable time, and at last got out of the bay, tho' with Supply. much more difficulty than they ever experienced before, and got round to the leeward of the isl'd, where she landed all her provisions that she could spare, which was but little for so many people as were now on the island. Captn. Hunter thought it prudent to send as many of the ship's company in the Supply to Port Jackson as she c'd conveniently carry, and sent me with them to tell the dismal news. On Wednesday, the 24th, I embarked with Mr. Waterhouse and thirty-two of the people. All the time I was on shore the weather was so very unfavourable that it was impossible to save anything out of the ship; but this day the wind shifted to N.E., and was very fine weather, and I have no doubt but most if not all the provisions will be got on shore. She sails for Port Jackson. Her arrival. Reduced ration. Fishing. sent to Batavia. We arrived at Port Jackson ye 5th of April without anything particular happening. All the boats in the colony were taken for the publick use and sent a fishing; the allowance was reduced to two pounds of pork, two pounds and a half of flour, and a pint of rice, and a pint of pease for a week; and when the boats were successful in fishing, ten pounds of fish was serv'd in lieu of two pounds of pork, all the beef being expended many months ago. In order to get a greater quantity of fish two boats were sent round to Botany Bay with a seane, and the fish they caught was brought at a particular hour to the upper part of the bay where were people ready to receive them. From the upper part of Botany Bay to Sydney Cove is between four and five miles, a good beaten path all the way. The Supply was ordered, on her arrival at Port Jackson, to be got ready for sea as fast as possible; it was intended sending The Supply her to Batavia, there to hire a vessel and load her with provision. Governor Phillip thought it necessary that some person who has a knowledge of the coast should return in her, and as the Supply had nobody that she could spare for that was ordered to go in the Supply. She was to have gone to Norfolk Isl'd, where the 1st lieutenant was to have been taken on board and brought here, and I was to have been landed there; but the wind blowing fresh from the eastward, which was purpose, I 1790 31 July. sails. Islands a foul wind for Norfolk, and a fair one to proceed on the voyage, Mr. Ball did not think proper to lose so fair an opportunity of getting to the northward. Mr. King, commandant of Norfolk Island, left it on Major Ross's taking the command there, and is King goes to now going to England charged with Governor Philips's dispatches. England. Mr. Miller, the commissary, was likewise going to England, as his health was very indifferent. On the 18th April we left Port Jackson, and the same evening lost sight of land. Nothing happen'd The Supply till ye 27th, in the evening, when we discovr'd a shoal lying in latitude 21° 24', longitude 159° 24' east. All longitudes are by the timekeeper. To this shoal Mr. Ball gave the name of Booby Shoal, having seen many birds of that name flying towards it. The next morning, on examining the mainmast, it was found sprung abt. halfway between the cap and the rigging. The mast was fish'd, and afterwards answered very well. On the 5th of May, in the morning, the weather was particularly cloudy, which gave us reason to suppose ourselves near land; in the forenoon it was discovered bearing N.N.W. ten leagues; we stood for the N.W. extremity of it, off which lie two small isl'ds, the eastermost of which is named Sirius Isl'd, in memory of the old ship; it lies in lat. 10° 52′ S., discovered. longitude 162° 30' Et. We that night got round the end of it, and found it trend to the westward. We stood along the land to the N.W. at the distance of abt. ten or twelve leagues, so that we could not see any of its productions, nor did we see any signs to give us the least reason to suppose it was inhabited. We lost sight of this land the 10th. It extends as far to the northward as 8° 45', and to the westward as 161° east. The land in general appeared very high, and well cloathed with trees. We saw an appearance of a harbour in lat. of 9° and longitude 162°. After losing sight of this land we stood to the westward, and had very fine weather. On the 19th we discovered two isl'ds. As we drew near the first Two more and smaller of them, we saw several canoes with natives in them coming off towards the ship; they advanced boldly till they were close to her, and then paddled towards the shore as if they were frightened. They stoped at abt. half a mile from the ship and consulted, when they again advanced; but it was but slowly. They came near us again, but we c'd not prevail on any of them to come on board. Hatchets were shewn them, but they could not The natives be prevailed upon to venture. Their canoes were very well finished, and some carried seven or eight men, but they were so very narrow that they are obliged to carry an outrigger to prevent their overturning; their paddles are abt. 6 feet long, and shaped like a plantain leaf. As none of them c'd. be prevail'd upon to come on board, it was not thought proper to lose any time, so made the best of our way to the westward. The next day the other isl'd was abt. three or four leagues off; it is considerably larger than the first, and has near the center of it a high mount. As we drew islands. shy. 1790 31 July. Tench's Prince William Henry's Island. Crossing the near it we could see vast crowds of inhabitants on the beach, and canoes, but none in the water. It appeared to have many cultivated spots on it; cocoanut and plantain trees grow in great plenty. The smallest of these islands is call'd Tenche's Isl'd; it lies in lat. 1° 39′ sh., longitude 150° 31' et.; it is in circumference not above three miles. The other is named Prince Wm. Henry's Isld., and lies in latde. 1° 15' sh., longde. 149° 50′ et., and is abt. twenty miles in circumference; that night we lost sight of it. 22d, in lat. 20 m. sh., longde. 146° 50', the whole sea was covered with large trees, which had their roots and branches to them; some of them appeared to have been a long time in the water; I daresay they must have come out of St. George's Channel, as it then lay open. That night, at -past 11, we crossed the Line in longde. 143° 30′ et., the variation of the compass 6·00 et., the thermometer 83°. It was Mr. Ball's intention to have gone thro' the Straits of Macassar, but as we drew near it we found that the western monsoon had set in. On the 5th of June we saw the islands of Karkolang. Karkolang and Karokalang, and the next morning were close in with them. Some of the natives came alongside of us, and sold some cocoanuts, plantains, and yams, for hatchets, nails, &c. These islands are inhabited by Malays, and by seeing a Dutch flag on the shore leads me to suppose they are tributary to them. After getting round the north end of Karkolang, which lies in latde. 4° 28′ nh., longde. 126° 31' et., we first felt the western monsoon, and finding that the wind constantly kept at S.W., and that after beating several days gained little or no ground, determined Mr. Ball to relinquish his design of going thro' the Straits of Macassar, therefore stood to the eastward in order to attempt the passage between Celibes and Gilolo, thro' the Spice Islands. After beating a few days along the Gilolo shore, we got among the Spice Islands, the northermost of which is called Heri; it lies in latude. 55 miles N., longude. 127° 10′ et. We now had variable winds, with which we stood to the southward. On the 18th crossed the Equinoctial line in longitude 126° 40′ et., at an hour before noon, the thermometer 86. These islands extend as far as 8° 30′ S., so that till we passed Buro, which is the southermost of them that we saw, we were always in sight of land. 25th, in the morning, saw the islands of St. Matthew, and the same day made the Touchaheilly Islands. When they were first seen we cd. not be certain whether or no it was not the Isld. of Bouton ; by 11 o'clock cd. plainly see a passage between the islands, thro' which we stood. At 2 that afternoon saw a boat standing athwart us, which, as soon as we came near, lower'd their sail, which was made of mat, and prepared to come alongside. One of the men The Spice St. Matthew. in her was observed several times to point to the N.W., and at same time addrest himself to one of our people that went on board her on her coming alongside. What it meant we cd. not tell. 1790 31 July. A dangerous shoal. Island. Island. After getting out of her about one hundred and fifty cocoanuts and some few yams, for which four dollars were paid, she went away. She had five Malays on board her. Abt. an hour after she was gone we discovered a large shoal, bearing from W.N.W. as far as the eye cd. reach to the southward. We now plainly saw what the Malay meant to tell us of, on which we haul'd up to the N.W. As we could not see the N.W. extreme of it, Mr. Ball thought it safer to stand off and on during the night, as this shoal is very dangerous, as it lies even with the water's edge, and on it is not the least break, so that in the night you wd. be on it before you cd. possibly see it. The next morning cd. plainly see the shoal, and that it ran a great way to the N.W. At noon on ye 26th our latde. was 5° 29′ south, longitude 123° 07′ et. By four that afternoon we got round the N. W. end of it, which lies in latde. 5° 24′ st., longitude 123° et. Stood for the south end of Bouton, which was distant from us about eight leagues. 27th, by Bouton two o'clock in ye morning, were abreast of it, when we stood for the straits of Salayer, which we got through. The 28th, at noon, they lie in latde. 5° 44', longde. 120° 03′ et. The 1st of July saw the island of Solombo; it lies in latde. 5° 31′ st., longitude 114° et.; it is very small, and, I believe, not inhabited. The next day saw the island of Lubeck, which is much larger than the Lubeck island of Solombo; it is inhabited, and appeared to be well cultivated; it lies in latitude 5° 50′ st., longitude 112° 13' et. On ye 5th, in the morning, saw the island of Java, and two vessels at anchor under the land, which were the first strangers the Supply had seen since November, 1787. On the evening of the 6th we got up into Batavia roads; here we found a great number Batavia. of Dutch ships, and some Americans, but no English. The city of Batavia cannot be seen from the anchoring-place, as there are many trees that stand between it and the waterside. landing-place is about half a mile up a river, into which a number of canals empty themselves. The houses are very large and airy, the streets wide and well paved. Most of them have a canal running through them, which carries of all dirt and contributes much to the healthiness of the place, which formerly was very unhealthy, owing to the canals not being kept clear, by which Climate mud banks collected, and were very offensive. The healthiness of unhealthy. the place now at this present time cannot be much boasted of. The dews fall very heavy by night, and are very unwholesom to be out in them, as well as the land breeze, which blows very regular every night. Intemperance, I beleive, is the greatest cause of illness, particularly among the lower class of people, who drink Unwholethe new arrack, which is very unwholesom. When we arriv'd liquor. here we had not a sick person on board, since which several of the people have been ill; but I have taken notice that most of them have been drunk before their illness. It is sometimes four or five The some |
