f of the great Probability of a passage, thro'
which I intend going with the Ship, and therefore may land no more upon
this Eastern coast of New Holland, and on the Western side I can make no
new discovery, the honour of which belongs to the Dutch Navigators, but
the Eastern Coast from the Latitude of 38 degrees South down to this
place, I am confident, was never seen or Visited by any European before
us; and notwithstanding I had in the Name of his Majesty taken possession
of several places upon this Coast, I now once More hoisted English
Colours, and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took
possession of the whole Eastern coast from the above Latitude down to
this place by the Name of New Wales,* (* The Admiralty copy, as well as
that belonging to Her Majesty, calls it New South Wales. The island where
the ceremony was performed was named on Cook's chart Possession Island,
and is still so called.) together with all the Bays, Harbours, Rivers,
and Islands, situated upon the said Coast; after which we fired 3 Volleys
of small Arms, which were answer'd by the like number from the Ship.

This done, we set out for the Ship, but were some time in getting on
board on account of a very Rapid Ebb Tide, which set North-East out of
the Passage. Ever since we came in amongst the Shoals this last time we
have found a Moderate Tide; the flood setting to the North-West and Ebb
to the South-East; at this place is high water at full and change of the
moon, about 1 or 2 o'Clock, and riseth and falleth upon a perpendicular
about 10 or 12 feet. We saw upon all the Adjacent Lands and Islands a
great number of smokes--a certain sign that they are inhabited--and we
have daily seen smokes on every part of the Coast we have lately been
upon. Between 7 and 8 o'Clock a.m. we saw several naked people, all or
most of them Women, down upon the beach picking up Shells, etc.; they had
not a single rag of any kind of Cloathing upon them, and both these and
those we saw yesterday were in every respect the same sort of People we
have seen everywhere upon the Coast. 2 or 3 of the Men we saw Yesterday
had on pretty large breast plates, which we supposed were made of pearl
Oyster Shells; this was a thing, as well as the Bow and Arrows, we had
not seen before. At low water, which hapned about 10 o'Clock, we got
under sail, and stood to the South-West, with a light breeze at East,
which afterwards veer'd to North by East, having the Pinnace ahead