him with 21 Guns, and immediately after Struck his Broad Pendant, which was again hoisted as soon as the General left the other Ship; he was then Saluted with 17 Guns by the new made Commodore, who now hoisted a Common Pendant. This Ceremony of appointing a Commodore over the Grand Fleet, as they cail it, we were told is Yearly perform'd. I went out in my Boat on purpose to see it, accompanied by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, because we were told it was one of the Grandest sights Batavia afforded; that may be too, and yet it did not recompense us for our trouble. I thought that the whole was but ill conducted, and the Fleet appear'd to be very badly mann'd. This fleet consists of 10 or 12 stout Ships; not only these, but all or most of their other Ships are pierced for 50 Guns, but have only their upper Tier mounted, and these are more by half than they have men to fight.
Thursday, 25th.—In the evening I sent the Admiralty Packet on board the Kronenburg, Captain Fredrick Kelger, Commodore, who, together with another Ship, sails immediately for the Cape, where she waits for the remainder of the Fleet.[1]
- ↑ The following letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty (now in Public Record Office) was also dispatched:—
"To Philip Stephens, Esq.
"Sir,—
"Please to acquaint my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I left Rio de Janeiro the 8th of December, 1768, and on the 16th of January following arrived in Success Bay in Straits La Maire, where we recruited our Wood and Water; on the 21st of the same month we quitted Straits La Maire, and arrived at George's Island on the 13th of April. In our Passage to this Island I made a far more Westerly Track than any Ship had ever done before; yet it was attended with no discovery until we arrived within the Tropick, where we discovered several Islands. We met with as Friendly a reception by the Natives of George's Island as I could wish, and I took care to secure ourselves in such a manner as to put it out of the power of the whole Island to drive us off. Some days preceeding the 3rd of June I sent Lieut. Hicks to the Eastern part of this Island, and Lieut. Gore to York Island, with others of the Officers (Mr. Green having furnished them with Instruments), to observe the Transit of Venus, that we may have the better Chance of succeeding should the day prove unfavourable; but in this We were so fortunate that the observations were everywhere attended with every favourable Circumstance. It was the 13th of July before I was ready to quitt this Island, after which I spent near a month in exploring some other Islands which lay to the Westward, before we steer'd to the Southward. On the 14th of August we discovered a small Island laying in the Latitude of 22° 27′ S., Long. 150° 47′ W. After quitting this Island I steered to the S., inclining a little to the East, until we arrived in the Lat. 40° 12′ S., without seeing the least signs of Land. After this I steer'd to the Westward, between the Latitude of 30° and 40° until the 6th of October, on which day we discovered the East Coast of New Zeland, which I found to consist of 2 large Islands, extending from 34° to 48° of South Latitude; both of which I circumnavigated. On the 1st of April, 1770, I quitted New Zeland, and steer'd to the Westward, until I fell in with the East Coast of New Holland, in the Latitude of 30° S. I coasted the shore of this Country to the N., putting in at such places as I saw Convenient, until we arrived in the Latitude of 15° 45′ S., where, on the night of the 10th of June, we struck upon a Reef of Rocks, were we lay 23 Hours, and received some very considerable damage. This proved a
