The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 236 pages of information about The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay.

The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 236 pages of information about The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay.
gaining ground daily) but they were greatly disappointed; both the north and south sides are surrounded by rocks, over which the water flows, without the least opening for a boat; however, Capt.  Sever ordered the small boat to be hoisted out, and went on shore accompanied by Mr. Anstis:  they found great difficulty in landing, and, when upon the rocks, they had to mount a very dangerous precipice, in order to gain the level part of the island.  This island forms very high at the west end, and slopes gradually to the east end, where it terminates in a cliff of a moderate height:  both sides have a range of these cliffs extending the whole length, which are chiefly composed of white sand.  The whole of the island bears the strongest marks of being a volcanic production, having great quantities of pumice stone on it, and the rocks quite burnt up.  The top of the land was covered with a coarse kind of grass, and the place affords great plenty of the wild mangrove.  The extent of this island is about two miles and an half, nearly in the direction of east-south-east and west-north-west; the soil a mixture of mould and sand.  The inhabitants are the brown gull, the light-grey bird, ganets, and a parroquet of the same species with those met with at Lord Howe’s Island.  The gentlemen could scarcely walk a step without being up to the knee in holes:  they saw a great number of rats and mice, and found many birds lying dead at the entrances of their burrows:  they saw no appearance of fresh water, though from the gullies that were formed in various parts, the island must certainly be subject to very heavy rains.  This island was named Macaulay’s Island, after G. M. Macaulay, Esq; and the two islands to the southward, Curtis’s Isles, after Timothy and William Curtis, Esqrs.  At five in the afternoon, the Captain returning on board, the boat was hoisted in, and they made sail, standing to the eastward with a moderate breeze at south-west.  Macaulay’s Island is situated in 30 deg.. 09’. south latitude, and 180 deg.. 58’. 37’’. east longitude.

6 June 1788-10 July 1788

The scurvy now began to spread very fast among the crew, and by the 6th, they had nine men unable to get out of their hammocks, and many others complained very much:  swelled gums, the flesh exceeding black and hard, a contraction of the sinews, with a total debility; were the general appearances.  Wine was daily served out to them, and there was sour-krout on on board, but the people refused to eat it.  From this to the 17th they had little variety; by that time the people were in a deplorable state, for with every person on board, the Captain included, they could only muster ten men able to do duty, and some of them were in a very weakly state:  sour-krout, which before had been refused, now began to be sought after, and they had all the Captain’s fresh stock, himself and officers living solely on salt provisions; and to add to their melancholy situation the wind hung almost constantly in the eastern board, so that

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The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.