On the 31st, I had a few sets of distances of the sun and moon, by which our longitude at noon was 17 deg. 16’ east; by Mr. Bradley, it was 16 deg. 58’ east; the mean of both gave 17 deg. 07’ east, and by the time-keeper it was 18 deg. 10’ east; and we had not yet made the land; the latitude was 33 deg. 48’ south.  This was a proof that the time-keeper must have altered its rate since we left Port Jackson; we had then determined it to be losing 4"-77.  This change of its rate, since we left Port Jackson, I had some time suspected, and attributed it to the effects of the weather we had off, and near, Cape Horn.  This evening we made a short trip off till midnight, when we tacked and stood for the land again:  Joseph Caldwell, a seaman, died of the scurvy.  At day-light we saw the land; the nearest, or that part which we were a-breast of, was distant about four leagues, and the Table Mountain bore south by east about nine or ten leagues; the wind, for the last twenty-four hours, had been strong from the southward, and we had, occasioned by there being too much of it, fallen to leeward.

Nothing could have been more correct than our observations for the longitude.  The wind coming from the sea, we stood along shore to the southward, and in the afternoon were a-breast of Robin’s Island, but could not fetch round the reef, and into Table Bay.

The weakly condition of that part of the ship’s company, who were able to do duty upon deck, and the very dejected state of those who were confined to their beds, determined me, if possible, to bring the ship to an anchor before night; as the very idea of being in port, sometimes has an exceeding good effect upon the spirits of people who are reduced low by the scurvy; which was the case with a great many of our ship’s company; and indeed, a considerable number were in the last stage of it.

After endeavouring in vain to weather the reef off the south end of the island, I bore away, and ran round the north end, and anchored within, right off the flag-staff and landing-place, in nine fathoms water, coarse ground; the flag-staff bearing west, and the south end of the island, just on with the Lyon’s Rump.

[A Table of the winds and weather, etc. on a passage from the coast of New South Walesto the Cape of Good Hope (by the route of Cape Horn) in His Majesty’s ship Sirius, in the months of October, November and December, 1788.] [An Account of Observations for finding the variation of the compass...] [The tables are included in the HTML version]

Chapter V

A VOYAGE TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE AND VOYAGE TO PORT JACKSON

January 1789 to May 1789

-Depart from Robin’s Island, and anchor in Table Bay.—­The sick sent on shore.—­Arrival of the Alexander transport.—­Provisions procured for the settlement at Port Jackson.—­Departure of the Sirius.—­In great danger from a violent tempest.—­Arrives safe at Port Jackson.—­Tables of the winds, weather, variation of the compass, etc.-