Apr 5, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Apr 7, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
1 pm: Fresh Breezes and Squally Weather ½ past Noon bore away when the Extremes of the Island bore [unfinished]
2 pm: At 1 the Land bore SE½E distant about 8′ – Made all Sail
4 pm: Fresh Breezes and Cloudy Weather
5 pm: Worked the Pumps as usual
6 pm: Before Dark – In Steering sails and 2nd Reef in the topsails
8 pm: Fresh Breezes and fair Weather Handed the Main sail
12 mid: Ditto Weather
4 am: At Day break, Out Reefs and made all Sail.
6 am: Washed above as usual
8 am: Cleaned below –
Exercised the Boats Crews at Small Arms with Powder – The People allowed fresh Water and the
Morning to wash their Cloaths – Passed by a small Peice of board about six feet long – Wort
at the usual time
12 noon: Fresh Trade and fair Weather but hazey
The Assistant in Company
A Cask of Spruce Beer broached and given as before to the Ships Company
The Sight of Land after being so long from it, could not but be a pleasant one, especially as we perceived
it to be covered with Trees which we immediately concluded to be fruit, but upon a nearer Inspection we
could determine none to be such but five or six Cocoa Nut at the SW end. the lowness of the Land would
make it difficult to discover it at Night 'till very near it The interior part of the Island is entirely
occupied by Water, leaving scarcely more than a ridge which a fright full Surf in some Places nearly
breaks over. At the Points in particular rocks run out to some Distance, but the break of the Sea will
always give Notice when you are near them. The inclosed Water was generally concluded to be a Lagoon, yet
not withstanding it might have some Communication with the Sea, 'tho' it could not be considerable –
The Discription which Captain Cook gives of an Island he discovered about two Degrees to the Northward of
this and calls Lagoon Island answers to this in almost every Respect. We saw no Signs of Inhabitants –
The NW Point will be nearly in Latitude 21°..37′ South and Longitude 219°..26′ East
Apr 5, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Apr 7, 1792