We left this country on the 1st. of April, 1770, and steered for New Holland, all the east part of which remained undiscovered; my design being to fall in with the southern part, called Van Dieman's Land: but the winds forced me to the northward of it about 40 leagues, so that we fell in with the land in latitude 38° south. I explored the coast of this country, which I called New South Wales, to the northern extremity; in the doing of which, we were many times in great danger of losing the ship. Once we lay 23 hours upon a ledge of rocks, were obliged to throw our guns and many of our stores overboard, received very much damage in her bottom; but by a fortunate circumstance got her into port, and repaired her. Great part of this coast is covered with islands and shoals; which made the exploring it exceeding dangerous, even to a very great degree. We sailed upon this coast near 400 leagues by the lead, without ever having a leadsman out of the chains, with sometimes one, two, and three boats ahead, to direct us; and yet, with all this precaution, we were very often obliged to anchor with all sails standing, to prevent running ashore. We at last surmounted all difficulties, and got into the Indian Sea, by a passage entirely new.
The east coast of New Holland, or what I call New South Wales, extends from 38° to 104°. New Holland can be called an island, it is by far the greatest in the known world. The interior part of this immense track of land is not at all known: what borders on the sea coast is a mixture of fertile and barren land; the soil, in general, is of a loose sandy nature. The natives of this country are not numerous: they are of a very dark brown or choco-
