ade from Cape Townshend 59
degrees West. A point of Land, which forms the North-West Entrance into
Broad Sound, bore from us at this Time West, distance 3 Leagues; this
Cape I have named Cape Palmerston* (* Henry Viscount Palmerston was a
Lord of the Admiralty, 1766 to 1778.) (Latitude 21 degrees 27 minutes
South, Longitude 210 degrees 57 minutes West). Between this Cape and Cape
Townshend lies the Bay of Inlets, so named from the Number of Inlets,
Creeks, etc., in it.* (* The name Bay of Inlets has disappeared from the
charts. Cook applied it to the whole mass of bays in this locality,
covering over 60 miles. A look at a modern chart causes amazement that
Cook managed to keep his ship off the ground, as the whole sea in his
track is strewed with dangers.)

[Off Cape Hillsborough, Queensland.]

Saturday, 2nd. Winds at South-South-East and South-East, a gentle breeze,
with which we stood to the North-West and North-West by North, as the
land lay, under an easey Sail. Having a boat ahead, found our Soundings
at first were very irregular, from 9 to 4 fathoms; but afterwards
regular, from 9 to 11 fathoms. At 8, being about 2 Leagues from the Main
Land, we Anchor'd in 11 fathoms, Sandy bottom. Soon after this we found a
Slow Motion of a Tide seting to the Eastward, and rode so until 6, at
which time the tide had risen 11 feet; we now got under Sail, and Stood
away North-North-West as the land lay. From the Observations made on the
tide last Night it is plain that the flood comes from the North-West;
whereas Yesterday and for Several days before we found it to come from
the South-East. This is neither the first nor second time that we have
observed the same thing, and in my Opinion easy accounted for; but this I
shall do in another place. At sun rise we found the Variation to be 6
degrees 45 minutes East. In steering along shore between the Island and
the Main, at the Distance of 2 Leagues from the Latter, and 3 or 4 from
the former, our soundings were Regular, from 12 to 9 fathoms; but about
11 o'Clock we were again embarrassed with Shoal Water,* (* Blackwood
Shoals.) but got clear without letting go an Anchor; we had at one time
not quite 3 fathoms. At Noon we were about 2 Leagues from the Main land,
and about 4 from the Islands without us; our Latitude by Observation was
20 degrees 56 minutes South, Longitude made from Cape Palmerston 16
degrees West; a pretty high Promontory, which I named Cape Hillsborough,*
(* Earl of