102 Cook's first voyage may* 



tance of eight leagues ; our depth of water was 

 twenty-three fathom : with the same soundings we 

 stood to the westward all night. At seven in the 

 morning, we saw, from the mast-head, the land of 

 Sandy Cape bearing S. E. -- E., distant about thirteen 

 leagues : at nine, we discovered land to the west- 

 ward, and soon after saw smoke in several places. 

 Our depth of water was now decreased to seventeen 

 fathom, and by noon we had no more than thirteen 9 

 though we were seven leagues from the land, which 

 extended from S. by W. to W. N. W. Our latitude 

 at this time was 24 28' S. For a few days past we 

 had seen several of the sea-birds called boobies, not 

 having met with any of them before ; last night a 

 small flock of them passed the ship, and went away 

 to the N. W., and in the morning, from about half 

 an hour before sunrise to half an hour after, flights 

 of them were continually coming from the N. N. W. 

 and flying to the S. S. E., nor was one of them seen 

 to fly in any other direction ; we therefore conjec- 

 tured that there was a lagoon, river, or inlet of shal- 

 low water, in the bottom of the deep bay, to the 

 southward of us, whither these birds resorted to feed 

 in the day, and that not far to the northward there 

 were some islands to which they repaired in the 

 night. To this bay I gave the name of Hervey's 

 Bay, in honour of Captain Hervey. In the after- 

 noon we stood in for the land, steering S. W., with a 

 gentle breeze at S. E. till four o'clock, when, being 

 in latitude 24 36', about two leagues from the 

 shore, and having nine fathom water, we bore away 

 along the coast N. W. by W., and at the same time 

 couid see land extending to the S. S. E. about eight 

 leagues. Near the sea the land is very low, but 

 within there are some lofty hills, all thickly clothed 

 with wood. While we were running along the shore, 

 we shallowed our water from nine to seven fathom, 

 and at one time we had but six, which determined 

 us to anchor for the night. 



7 



