Unfortunately the ships were sick prepared to encounter the difficulties, which had been to be expected in every mode of return; their complement of males was small, only six to an hundred tons, officers included; they have been without a surgeon, and unprovided with those articles which have been discovered important to the preservation of health in long voyages, akin to bore-cole, bitter-crout, portable soup, and the other antiseptics really useful by the Royal Society. They had now light airs and calm weather, however at two within the afternoon a breeze sprung up from the eastward, and at four Cape Nepean bore north-west, half west, distant 5 or 6 leagues. At eleven, there being a prospect of clearer weather, Lieutenant Shortland endeavoured to make the land again. The furthest land then in sight appeared to be at the space of about thirteen or fourteen leagues, and was named Cape Marsh. This island was now named Sir Charles Middleton’s Island: It lies in latitude 28°. 10. south, and in longitude 159°. 50. east. The longitude of Sir Charles Middleton’s Island should due to this fact be corrected by that remark, and positioned considerably additional to the east.
At noon on at the present time, the ship then standing to the south-west, in latitude 8°. 55′. south, and longitude 158°. 14′. east, the excessive factors of land bore from east by north to west, when Lieutenant Shortland named the western level Cape Nepean, and the japanese Cape Pitt. Point Pleasant then bore east by north; at four, essentially the most western point of land in sight, which was then imagined to be the excessive point of the island, but proved not to be so, bore north-west by north, distant four or 5 leagues. A part of it was remarkably excessive, and at this distance appeared like a separate island, but on a nearer approach was discovered to be all connected. There is no such thing as a danger in approaching Lord Howe island, the supply anchored there in thirteen fathoms, sand and coral; but there lies about 4 miles from the south-west part of the pyramid, a harmful rock, which reveals itself a little above the floor of the water, and appears not to be bigger than a boat. As I understand the method, contrectation is an incident in the event of tumescence, an especially important incident certainly, but not a completely elementary and primitive a part of it.
Now we have been induced to subjoin in this place a concise account of Lieutenant Shortland, as well as a result of his expertise as an officer has been great, as from the consideration that his journal has been deemed, by those who greatest know its value, of very critical significance. The one locations the place it was discovered practicable to land was a-breast of their first station (which is the place described by Captain Cook, and where the individuals landed with the utmost issue,) and at Sydney Bay on the south end of the isle, the outer breaker off the westernmost point in sight bearing north-west by west half west. At ten o’clock within the night, the Alexander was nearly a-breast of the 2 factors that type the passage, and the soundings have been very irregular, from ten to thirty fathoms, on a smooth, sandy bottom: the anchors were subsequently cleared, that they might instantly be dropped if it ought to prove essential. This summary recapitulation of Mr. Shortland’s providers sufficiently points out his merit and skill as an experienced seaman, with none additional elogium; which, it were were wished, may be abundantly equipped from the subsequent account of his passage from Port Jackson to Batavia.
At six, the land in sight appeared like several islands, and an endeavour was made to cross between them to the north, but on approaching sufficiently near, it was found that each one these points have been joined collectively by a low neck of land lined with timber. It was understood from the natives that they called the island from which they came, Simboo; for every time an try was made to put that question to them, they pointed to the land close to Cape Satisfaction, and uttered that word. He ran along the coast about six or seven leagues, and found it formed into an island by two points, the south-east of which he known as Cape Sydney, the north-west, Cape Phillip. Having passed this level, he continued steering in a north-west route till about seven o’clock the identical afternoon, when the males who have been reefing the top-sails for the night, found land bearing exactly within the ship’s course.