The day before we made it we saw two shoals of sperm-whales.  After we doubled the south-west cape of Van Diemen’s Land, we saw a large sperm whale off Maria’s-Islands, but did not see any more, being very thick weather and blowing hard, till within fifteen leagues of the latitude of Port Jackson.  Within three leagues of the shore, we saw sperm whales in great plenty:  we sailed through different shoals of them from twelve o’clock in the day till after sun-set, all round the horizon, as far as I could see from the mast-head:  in fact, I saw a very great prospect in making our fishery upon this coast and establishing a fishery here.  Our people were in the highest spirits at so great a sight, and I was determined, as soon as I got in and got clear of my live lumber, to make all possible dispatch on the fishery on this coast.

On our arrival here, I waited upon his Excellency Governor Phillip, and delivered my letters to him.  I had the mortification to find he wanted to dispatch me with my convicts to Norfolk-Island, and likewise wanted to purchase our vessel to stay in the country, which I refused to do.  I immediately told him the secret of seeing the whales, thinking that would get me off going to Norfolk-Island, that there was a prospect of establishing a fishery here, and might be of service to the colony, and left him.  I waited upon him two hours afterwards with a box directed to him:  he took me into a private room, he told me he had read my letters, and that he would render me every service that lay in his power; that next morning he would dispatch every long-boat in the fleet to take our convicts out, and take our stores out immediately, which he did accordingly, and did every thing to dispatch us on the fishery.  Captain King used all his interest in the business; he gave his kind respects to you.

The secret of seeing whales our sailors could not keep from the rest of the whalers here, the news put them all to the stir, but have the pleasure to say, we were the first ship ready for sea; notwithstanding they had been some of them a month arrived before us.  We went out, in company with the William and Ann, the eleventh day after our arrival.  The next day after we went out, we had very bad weather, and fell in with a very great number of sperm whales.

At sun-rising in the morning, we could see them all round the horizon.  We run through them in different bodies till two o’clock in the afternoon, when the weather abated a little, but a very high sea running.  I lowered away two boats, and Bunker followed the example; in less than two hours we had seven whales killed, but unfortunately a heavy gale came on from the south-west, and took the ship aback with a squall, that the ship could only fetch two of them, the rest we were obliged to cut from, and make the best of our way on board to save the boats and crew.  The William and Ann saved one, and we took the other and rode by them all night with a heavy gale of wind.  Next morning it moderated, and we took her in; she made us twelve barrels.