VIII

From Juet’s log I make the following extracts, telling of the “Half Moon’s” approach to Sandy Hook and of her passage into the Lower Bay: 

“The first of September, faire weather, the wind variable betweene east and sooth; we steered away north north west.  At noone we found our height [a little north of Cape May] to bee 39 degrees 3 minutes....  The second, in the morning close weather, the winde at south in the morning.  From twelve untill two of the clocke we steered north north west, and had sounding one and twentie fathoms; and in running one glasse we had but sixteene fathoms, then seventeene, and so shoalder and shoalder untill it came to twelve fathoms.  We saw a great fire but could not see the land.  Then we came to ten fathoms, whereupon we brought our tacks aboord, and stood to the eastward east south east, foure glasses.  Then the sunne arose, and we steered away north againe, and saw the land [the low region about Sandy Hook] from the west by north to the north west by north, all like broken islands, and our soundings were eleven and ten fathoms.  Then we looft in for the shoare, and faire by the shoare we had seven fathoms.  The course along the land we found to be north east by north.  From the land which we had first sight of, untill we came to a great lake of water [the Lower Bay] as we could judge it to be, being drowned land, which made it to rise like islands, which was in length ten leagues.  The mouth of that land hath many shoalds, and the sea breaketh on them as it is cast out of the mouth of it.  And from that lake or bay the land lyeth north by east, and we had a great streame out of the bay; and from thence our sounding was ten fathoms two leagues from the land.  At five of the clocke we anchored, being little winde, and rode in eight fathoms water....  This night I found the land to hall the compasse 8 degrees.  For to the northward off us we saw high hils [Staten Island and the Highlands].  For the day before we found not above two degrees of variation.  This is a very good land to fall with, and a pleasant land to see.

“The third, the morning mystie, untill ten of the clocke.  Then it cleered, and the wind came to the south south east, so wee weighed and stood to the northward.  The land is very pleasant and high, and bold to fall withal.  At three of the clocke in the after noone, we came to three great rivers [the Raritan, the Arthur Kill and the Narrows].  So we stood along to the northermost [the Narrows], thinking to have gone into it, but we found it to have a very shoald barre before it, for we had but ten foot water.  Then we cast about to the southward, and found two fathoms, three fathoms, and three and a quarter, till we came to the souther side of them; then we had five and sixe fathoms, and anchored.  So wee sent in our boate to sound, and they found no lesse water than foure, five, sixe, and seven fathoms, and returned in an houre and a halfe.  So we weighed and went in, and rode in five fathoms, oze ground, and saw many salmons, and mullets, and rayes, very great.  The height is 40 degrees 30 minutes.”