Within Break-sea Spit, an amplitude gave the variation when corrected, 7 deg. 25’ east; and one taken at the anchorage near Sandy Cape, but uncorrected, the direction of the ship’s head being unknown, 7 deg. 57’ east.  There is little doubt that on bringing the land to the eastward of the ship, the variation was diminished at least half a degree:  the stone of Sandy Cape is granitic.

SUNDAY 1 AUGUST 1802

In the morning of August 1, the wind was from the southward, and we steered across Hervey’s Bay, towards a sloping hummock on the west side, where my examination in the Norfolk had terminated.  The soundings increased from 7, gradually to 18 fathoms, and afterwards decreased till half past four in the afternoon; when the sloping hummock bore S. 2 deg.  E. eight miles, and we had no more than 31/2 fathoms near some dry banks and breakers, which extend out three miles from two shallow inlets in the coast.  At dusk the anchor was let go in 61/2 fathoms, mud and sand; the shallow inlets to the south being distant 6 miles, and the sloping hummock bearing S. 17 deg.  E. In captain Cook’s chart, the width of Hervey’s Bay is fifty-nine miles, which had appeared to me too great when here in the Norfolk; and I now made the distance, from the north-west extremity of Sandy Cape to a low point running out from the hummock, to be forty three miles by the time keepers.  Such errors as this are almost unavoidable without the aid of these instruments, when sailing either along a coast which lies nearly on the same parallel, or where no land is in sight to correct the longitude by bearings.  From Port Jackson to Sandy Cape, captain Cook’s positions had been found to differ from mine, not more than from 10’ east to 7’ west; which must be considered a great degree of accuracy, considering the expeditious manner in which he sailed along the coast, and that there were no time keepers on board the Endeavour; but from Sandy Cape northward, where the direction of the coast has a good deal of westing in it, greater differences began to show themselves.

[EAST COAST. NEAR BUSTARD BAY.]

There was a little tide running past the ship in the first part of the night from N. N. W., which appeared to be the flood setting into Hervey’s Bay.  At daybreak [MONDAY 2 AUGUST 1802] we pursued our course along the shore, at the distance of four or five miles, in soundings between 5 and 9 fathoms.  The coast was low, but not sandy; and behind it was a range of hills extending north-westward, and like the flat country, was not ill clothed with wood.  There was no remarkable projection till we came to the south head of Bustard Bay; and the night being then at hand, we ran in and anchored on a sandy bottom, in 41/2 fathoms, nearly in the same spot where the Endeavour had lain thirty-two years before.