Apr 4, 1792 Home Bond's Log Apr 6, 1792
Revised Sep 1 2021
1 pm: Fresh Trade and fair weather
2 pm: Squally with showers – Exercised the Pinnace Crew at Small Arms – Armourer at work at the Forge
6 pm: Worked the Pumps – Fair weather in steering sails and 1st reef Top Sails; set Fore Top Mast steering sails
12 mid: Fresh Trade & fair weather
4 am: Fine weather out all reefs & sat Sterring sails – Scrubbed Hammocks
8 am: Served Portable Soup Gruel for Breakfast. Wash the Gun, Orlop, & Cockpit Decks, & aired with fires. – Served Sweet Wort & Krout and Portable Soup in the Pease for Dinner – Armourer at the Forge – Sailmakers repairing sails – Exercised Marines at platoon firing & Pinnace men at small Arms
10 am: At 10 saw a low Island bearing from SW to W½N distant about 2 leagues – Down steering sails & in Top Gallant Sails – Hauled up
12 noon: At Noon extremes of the Island SW point S19°E – NE point ENE½E off
shore 3 or 4 miles – Fresh breezes & squally Assistant in company
Latitude Observed 21°·39′ South
This island we discovered in fine weather at the distance of about 6 miles: it is exceedingly low, and composed of sand. A little under-wood grows on the margin, with a few fragments of coral rock in some parts on the beach. At the west point are six or seven cocoa-nut trees, the production perhaps of some nuts driven by the trade wind from the neighbouring islands. The border is so narrow in one place, that communication must inevitably exist between the Lagoon and the sea, which indeed is the most rational way of accounting for its existance, tho' we had no opportunity of trying whether it was fresh or salt water. I imagine the length to be 7 miles – the lagoon 5 or 6. On the SE side the surf breaks with great fury, and even to leeward we had no reason to suppose there was anchorage. A convulsion of nature must have given birth to the spot, which appears to be too barren, and too unhospitable for the human race.
[The island was later named Bligh Island and is today known as Atoll Tematagi, which is
part of French Polynesia.]
Apr 4, 1792 Home Bond's Log Apr 6, 1792