er sailed on the 1st of
November. The Britannia returned from her cruize on the 10th of
November, being the first ship which had ever fished for whales
on the coast of New South Wales.

The following letter from the Master of the Britannia, to
Messrs. Enderbys, his owners, we subjoin for the reader's
satisfaction, because it shows the first introduction of a
whale-fishery, on the coast of New South Wales.

-Ship Britannia, Sydney, Port-Jackson_,

-November 29, 1791_.

Messrs. Samuel Enderby and Sons,

Gentlemen,

I have the pleasure to inform you of our safe arrival in Port
Jackson, in New South Wales, October 13, after a passage of
fifty-five days from the Cape of Good Hope. We were only six
weeks from the Cape to Van Diemen's Land, but met with contrary
winds after we doubled Van Diemen's Land, which made our passage
longer than I expected. We parted company with our agent the next
day after we left the Cape of Good Hope, and never saw him again
till we arrived at Port-Jackson, both in one day. The Albemarle
and we sailed much alike. The Admiral Barrington arrived three
days after us. I am very well myself, thank God, and all the crew
are in high spirits. We lost in all on our passage from England
twenty-one convicts and one soldier. We had one birth on our
passage from the Cape. I tried to make and made the island of
Amsterdam, and made it in the longitude of 76 deg. 4' 14" east
from Greenwich, by a good lunar observation: my intention was to
run close to it to discover whether the sealing business might
not have been carried on there; but the weather was so bad, and
thick weather coming on, I did not think it prudent to attempt
it, likewise to lose a night's run, and a fair wind blowing.

The day before we made it we saw two shoals of sperm-whales.
After we doubled the south-west cape of Van Diemen's Land, we saw
a large sperm whale off Maria's-Islands, but did not see any
more, being very thick weather and blowing hard, till within
fifteen leagues of the latitude of Port Jackson. Within three
leagues of the shore, we saw sperm whales in great plenty: we
sailed through different shoals of them from twelve o'clock in
the day till after sun-set, all round the horizon, as far as I
could see from the mast-head: in fact, I saw a very great
prospect in making our fishery upon this coast and establishing a
fishery here. Our people were in the highest spirits at so great
a sight, and I was determined, as soon