I say apparently, because I believe it not to be so in reality, but that the tube is already formed from the agitated water below, and ascends, though at first it is either too small or too thin to be seen.  When the tube is formed, or becomes visible, its apparent diameter increaseth till it is pretty large; after that it decreaseth, and at last it breaks or becomes invisible towards the lower part.  Soon after the sea below resumes its natural state, and the tube is drawn, by little and little, up to the clouds, where it is dissipated.  The same tube would sometimes have a vertical, and sometimes a crooked or inclined direction.  The most rational account I have read of water-spouts, is in Mr Falconer’s Marine Dictionary, which is chiefly collected from the philosophical writings of the ingenious Dr Franklin.  I have been told that the firing of a gun will dissipate them; and I am very sorry I did not try the experiment, as we were near enough, and had a gun ready for the purpose; but as soon as the danger was past, I thought no more about it, being too attentive in viewing these extraordinary meteors At the time this happened, the barometer stood at 29, 75, and the thermometer at 56.[1]

In coming from Cape Farewell to Cape Stephens, I had a better view of the coast than I had when I passed in my former voyage, and observed that about six leagues to the east of the first-mentioned cape, is a spacious bay, which is covered from the sea by a low point of land.  This is, I believe, the same that Captain Tasman anchored in on the 18th of December, 1642, and by him called Murderer’s Bay, by reason of some of his men being killed by the natives.  Blind Bay, so named by me in my former voyage, lies to the S.E. of this, and seems to run a long way inland to the south; the sight, in this direction, not being bounded by any land.  The wind having returned to the west, as already mentioned, we resumed our course to the east; and at day-light the next morning (being the 18th,) we appeared off Queen Charlotte’s Sound, where we discovered our consort the Adventure, by the signals she made to us; an event which every one felt with an agreeable satisfaction.  The fresh westerly wind now died away, and was succeeded by light airs from the S. and S.W., so that we had to work in with our boats a-head towing.  In the doing of this we discovered a rock, which we did not see in my former voyage.  It lies in the direction of S. by E. 1/2 E., distant four miles from the outermost of the Two Brothers, and in a line with the White Rocks, on with the middle of Long Island.  It is just even with the surface of the sea, and hath deep water all round it.  At noon, Lieutenant Kemp of the Adventure came on board; from whom I learnt that their ship had been here about six weeks.  With the assistance of a light breeze, our boats, and the tides, we at six o’clock in the evening, got to an anchor in Ship Cove, near the Adventure, when Captain Furneaux came on board, and gave me the following account of his proceedings, from the time we parted to my arrival here.