g, we made the land in latitude 33 deg. 30' south; and at
noon Cape Three Points bore west by south, distant off shore four
leagues. Here, upon a rough examination of the error of the
time-keeper, it appeared to be a degree or little more to the
westward of the Truth, but we expected, upon our arrival at Port
Jackson, to examine its error more particularly.

On recurring back to the last altitudes taken for the
time-keeper before our making Van Diemen's Land, and carrying it
on by the log, we found that the error on making that land was
but a very few miles of longitude, and that error most probably
was in the carrying on the log; so that there was every reason to
think, that the violent agitation of the ship during that time,
was the cause of that change in the watch, and which I own I was
not at all surprised at, but think it highly probable, as the
watch lay in a box upon soft cushions, and that box screwed down
to a place securely and firmly fixed for that purpose: I cannot
help thinking but that so very valuable a piece of watch-work
(for I do really think, from the experience I have had of it,
that a superior piece of work was never made) would be better
fixed upon a small horizontal table, made on purpose, and well
secured; and under the box which contains the watch, a kind of
spiral spring or worm, which, with every jerk or pitch of the
ship, would yield a little with the weight of the watch, and
thereby take off much of that shock which must in some degree
affect its going.

The winds now (rather unfortunately for us), after 24 hours
calm, inclined again to the southward, and we kept plying to
windward with all the sail we could carry. Right off Cape Three
Points, at six leagues distance from the shore, we sounded in 75
fathoms, over a bottom of fine grey sand.

On the 8th, a light air from the northward in the night,
carried us by day-light in sight of the entrance of Port Jackson;
and in the evening of the 9th, we entered between the heads of
the harbour, and worked up to Sydney Cove, where we anchored
before dark, after an absence of 219 days, 51 of which we lay in
Table-Bay, Cape of Good Hope: so that, although during this
voyage we had fairly gone round the world, we had only been 168
days in describing that circle; and, by taking a mean of the
highest and lowest latitudes we sailed in, we shall find our
track nearly in latitude 45 deg. south. We found in the cove the
Supply armed tender.

Our pass