Bounty Logbook Sep 19, 1788

Sep 18, 1788 Home Logbook Sep 20, 1788

Revised Jun 29 2021

Bounty Logbook Sep 19, 1788

323)

Courses

Winds

Ther.

Rem^s: Friday 19^th September 1788

Observations

E½S

NNE

Light Winds and Cloudy W^r. Albatrosses, Pintada Birds and Rock Weed seen.

At 2^h.56′ Lat^d. 47°..06′ S^o
Long^d. T:K = 177..42:30 E^t
Variaⁿ p^r. Azim^hs
A Compass 16°..38′ E
D^o. Turned 16..35
B Compass 17..24
D^o. Turned 17..26
Mean 17..05 E^t

East

E½S

45¾

EBS

NEBN

44½

Thick Misty W^r.

Foggy Wet W^r.

EBS½E

44½

ESE

EBS

NEBN

Misty W^r. and Rain at times.

EBS½S

At Day Break saw a parcell of Small Rocky Islands EBN 4 leagues distant.

At 6 O'Clock the extremes bore from N68E to N78½E^t 3 leagues distant from nearest part.

At 7^h..45′ the W^t part of the Isles bore true North 3 leagues.

At 8^h..15 the E^t part of the Isles bore true N^o from Southm^t Isle about 3⅓ leag^s. the Westm^t extreme N25W. Hove too and Sounded 75 fm^s a beautiful White Sandy bottom.

The W^r. now being Squally with thick Rain took in 1^st Reefs.

Saw some Pengwins, Pintada Birds & Albatrosses as Usual and a Small White kind of Gull with a forked tail called an Egg Bird, and some Mother Careys Chickens. At Noon Strong Breezes & Rain. Sounded with 101 fm^s of Line & got bottom of a fine Brimstone coloured Sand. At Noon by Time Keeper got a Sight of the Sun which gives the same Lat^d as p^r Account.

EBS

Meridiaⁿ. Alt^d.
Odot

Center
Noon by T.K.

40°..34′

23090

23185

		Latitude		Longitude
Course	Dist.	Obs^d.	D. R.	D. R.	T. K.	L. & T. K.
S^o48°E	95	48°..07′S^o	48°..07′S^o	178°..42′E	179°..27′E

(324

Remarks

At Daylight this Morning we discovered a parcell of Rocky Islands the Wind directing us in as fair a course past as could possibly be Steered, and most providentialy; for what we would have considered three points more in our favor, under the present circumstances of very thick weather, would assuredly have carried me into the Midst of them, at least into much danger before we could have been aware of it. No Birds or any other thing except Rock Weed gave me an Idea of meeting with land, and this is a very uncertain sign at our distance from a known Coast as we are from New Zeland. I therefore considered all we had met with came from that part, altho I knew I was pursuing an unknown track, and it might of course be otherwise, and my cautions in that respect were fully attended to, as it was discovered with the early dawning of the day.

As the Wind was, I was under the necessity to pass those Isles (or rather Rocks) to the Southward, and I could not get nearer them than three leagues. At this distance I could not see things very distinctly, the Weather was so thick, but by ¼ past 8 I found their extent from East to West was only 3½ Miles and from N^o. to South was not above 1½ Miles. On the Western Isles which are the largest I saw some Snow, but no Verdure on any part, and the whole appears to be nothing more than Rocks. Their Number including large and Small are about thirteen. The Surf broke very high round them and their height is such as will cause them to be seen full Seven leagues from the Deck. They appear in a variety of forms every Minute as you alter your position. The N.W. Island makes as a perpendicular Cape with the land at the back of it sloping off like a Wedge. A small Rock lies of[f] the Cape.

The distance of these Islands from any known part made me desirous to try Soundings which I was greatly surprized to find at so Moderate a depth as 75 fm^s. at the dist^ce. of 4 leag^s. from the Shore, and 104 fm^s at Noon which was 6 leagues farther to the SE^t But after running 9 leag^s. to the ESE I could find no bottom with 180 fm^s. of Line.

My Track with that of Captⁿ. Cook in 1773 must satisfactorily determine that those Rocks lie without any Islands near them, and they serve to account also with his meeting with Seals and Pengwins while he considered the nearest land to be New Zeland. From his description of the land near Cape South I begin to doubt whether what I took for Snow was not patches like White Marble the same as he desribes that Coast, but as it laid only in particular places in hollows I took it for Snow. At 8 oClock in the Morning when the E^t. part of the Isles bore true North of me I was in the Lat^d. 47°..54′ S^o. Long^d. 179°..09′ E^t by T:K. the Southm^t Isle (which is also nearly the Eastm^t.) was 9½ Miles distant determined by Angles. From hence I fix the Situation of South^t Isle to be in Lat^d. 47°..44′..38″ S^o. Long^d. T:Keeper 179°..10′ E^t. Long^d. by Account 178°..24′ E^t.

The exact situation with respect to the lat^d. depends on my Alt^d at Noon, but I do not apprehend an error of a Mile. To ships bound round the South End of New Zealand into the South Seas, these Rocky Isles lie exactly in the Way, only under these circumstances therefore is the discovery of consequence, and in order that they may be known to have been discovered at a different period as a caution, that altho we know of nothing more hereabouts, yet there may be many lurking dangerous Rocks, I have called them the Bountys Isles. They lie from the Traps off the South End of New Zealand S^o.89°E distance 146 leagues.