NEW SOUTH WALES. 365 



justice to his great merit to state them. That 

 great and able seaman, Capt Cook, says, in his 

 notice of the current on tins coast, " that it 

 always ran with more force in shore than in the 

 offino;." Now in o-oino; to the Northward the 

 Norfolk was kept as near in shore as circum- 

 stances would permit; hut the whole sum of 

 Southing produced in eight days, was 65 miles, 

 almost the whole of which they lost off the 

 Three Brothers and Smoky Cape. To counter- 

 act this, they had twenty- five miles of Northing, 

 reducing the current to thirty miles in eight 

 days, which* could indeed hardly be called a cur- 

 rent. 



On the contrary, their average distance from 

 shore when returning, was about twelve leagues 

 off the land; and in running the same difference 

 of latitude in twelve days the sum of the South- 

 ing was two hundred and eleven miles, and the 

 Northing but one mile and a half. Out of this, 

 thirty-four miles were gained in one day when 

 their distance from shore was the greatest. 



From this it appears, the current was strongest 

 at the distance of five, and from thence to twen- 

 ty or more leagues; and within that there was 

 some set to the Northward. But Lieut. Flin- 

 ders thought the Southerly current would pre- 

 vail nearer to projecting points, at the times its 

 strength was greatest, for in that respect it had 

 been found to vary much. 



Respecting the tides it was scarce necessary 

 to say any thing; for, by a comparison of the 

 times of high water at Bustard Bay and Port 



