COOK IN "ENDEAVOUR" 87 



way (COOK'S PASSAGE) through the reef due east of the HOWICK 

 ISLAND. There was deep water (over 150 fathoms) outside of the 

 reef and an open sea to the north-west, in which direction the 

 course was set. At four in the morning of the i6tb, it was found 

 that although the lead gave " no bottom " the ship was within a 

 mile of a REEF on which the swell broke thunderously : there was 

 hardly a breath of wind, and a strong current was driving the ship 

 on the reef. After a fight with death lasting till late in the after- 

 noon, a light breeze and a current combined to drive the ship 

 through a narrow opening in the reef into a peaceful anchorage. 

 The passage was appropriately named PROVIDENTIAL CHANNEL. 



Cook was, no doubt, even better pleased to get inside the reef 

 than he had been to get outside a few days beforehand he resolved, 

 as he said, " whatever the consequence might be, to keep the main 

 land on board " for the rest of his northward voyage. He had to 

 settle, once and for ever, the question " whether this country did 

 or did not join to New Guinea." This question had been answered 

 centuries before by Spaniards and Portuguese, but so well had these 

 guarded the secret that the answer was unknown not only to the 

 Dutch in 1606, 1623, 1644 and 1756, but also to the English in 1770. 



Inside of the Barrier Reef, Cook again saw the mainland, at a 

 point which he named CAPE WEYMOUTH. (SEE MAP B.) On 

 resuming his northward course, he saw and named TEMPLE BAY 

 and passed outside of the FORBES ISLANDS, which he named. He 

 then rounded CAPE GRENVILLE, which he named, leaving the SIR 

 CHARLES HARDY and COCKBURN ISLANDS, which he named, on his 

 right. Still keeping the mainland in sight and steering to the 

 north-west, he passed outside of the islands which he named BIRD 

 and CAIRNCROSS. He also named NEWCASTLE BAY. (SEE MAP A.) 

 Arrived within sight of MOUNT ADOLPHUS ISLAND, he observed 

 that the mainland receded to the west and altered his course to 

 that direction. CAPE YORK, the northmost horn of Australia, 

 was passed and named. The high lands of PRINCE OF WALES and 

 HORN ISLANDS, which the earlier Dutch navigators had taken to be 

 part of the mainland, were recognised as islands. The INSULARITY 

 OF NEW GUINEA was at last settled beyond cavil. 



Before bidding a last adieu to Australia, Cook landed on POS- 

 SESSION ISLAND and hoisted the ENGLISH FLAG on the highest point. 



" Having satisfied myself," says Cook, " of the great probability of a passage, 

 thro' which I intend going with the Ship, and therefore may land no more upon this 

 Eastern coast of New Holland, and on the Western side I can make no new discovery, 

 the honour of which belongs to the Dutch Navigators, but the Eastern Coast from the 

 Lat. of 38 down to this place, I am confident, was never seen or visited by any 

 European before us ; and notwithstanding I had in the Name of His Majesty taken 

 possession of many places upon this Coast, I now once more hoisted English Colours, 

 and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took possession of the whole 

 Eastern coast from the above Lat. down to this place by the Name of New Wales, 1 

 1 New South Wales in the " Admiralty " copy of the manuscript. 



