and the islands on
each side of us were distant about a mile: The main-land stretched away
to the S.W., the farthest point in view bore S. 48 W., and the
southermost point of the islands, on the north-west side of the passage,
bore S. 76 W. Between these two points we could see no land, so that we
conceived hopes of having, at last, found a passage into the Indian sea;
however, that I might be able to determine with more certainty, I
resolved to land upon the island which lies at the south-east point of
the passage. Upon this island we had seen many of the inhabitants when
we first came to an anchor, and when I went into the boat, with a party
of men, accompanied by Mr Banks and Dr Solander, in order to go ashore,
we saw ten of them upon a hill: Nine of them were armed with such lances
as we had been used to see, and the tenth had a bow, and a bundle of
arrows, which we had never seen in the possession of the natives of
this country before: We also observed, that two of them had large
ornaments of mother-of-pearl hanging round their necks. Three of these,
one of whom was the bowman, placed themselves upon the beach abreast of
us, and we expected that they would have opposed our landing, but when
we came within about a musket's shot of the beach, they walked leisurely
away. We immediately climbed the highest hill, which was not more than
three times as high as the mast-head, and the most barren of any we had
seen. From this hill, no land could be seen between the S.W. and W.S.W.,
so that I had no doubt of finding a channel through. The land to the
north-west of it consisted of a great number of islands of various
extent, and different heights, ranged one behind another, as far to the
northward and westward as I could see, which could not be less than
thirteen leagues. As I was now about to quit the eastern coast of New
Holland, which I had coasted from latitude 38 to this place, and which I
am confident no European had ever seen before, I once more hoisted
English colours, and though I had already taken possession of several
particular parts, I now took possession of the whole eastern coast, from
latitude 38 deg. to this place, latitude 10 1/2 S. in right of his Majesty
King George the Third, by the name of _New South Wales_, with all the
bays, harbours, rivers, and islands situated upon it: We then fired
three vollies of small arms, which were answered by the same number from
the ship. Having performed this ceremony upon