Aug 2, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 4, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
1 pm: Strong Gales and dark cloudy Weather
2 pm: Boats Crews exercised at Small Arms
3 pm: Unbent the new and bent the old Main Top Gallant sail
5 pm: At 5 In 2nd and 3rd Reefs of Fore & Main and close reefed the Mizen topsail – The Assistants Signal to come within Hail – All well on board – the Captain told Mr Portlock he gave up all Idea of touching at the Friendly Islands
8 pm: A Fire kept all Night in the Galley to air Ship
11 pm: At 11 Saw Land from NW½W to WbyN Hauled to the Wind and ¼ past Tacked per Signal
12 mid: Made the Assistants Signal to make more Sail which she answered
2 am: Fresh Breezes wtih heavy rain and thick Weather
4 am: Tacked per Signal – Fresh Breezes and thick Weather
6 am: At 6 Saw the Land from SWbW to WbyN distant off Shore about 4 Leagues – ¼ past Wore Ship and at ¾ past Bore away – A sloping Head which is the NE point bore [blank] Numbers of flying Fish
8 am: At 8 the Southern Extremity as seen from the Deck bore S49°W. Table Hill S66°W and a steep Head which is the North Point and now forms the other Extremity bore S87°W distant off Shore about 3 Leagues Out 3rd Reefs – People employed upon occasional Duty
10 am: At 10 Thick rainy Weather a Cask of Spruce Beer broached
11 am: ¼ past 11 the Weather cleared, saw the Southern Land extremity to the Westward of the high Head lands and a round Table bearing S46°W and shortly after another amller one upon the Lee beam which at Noon bore N29°W the Island ahead bore S42°W each from 10 to 12 Leagues – NE Cape S76°E N Cape S73°E Table Hill S44°E and Western Extremity S19°E distant off Shore 3 or 4 Leagues
12 noon: Fresh Gale and cloudy unpleasant Weather
This Island at Daybreak had the Appearance of a beautiful campaign Country and so of considerable Extent. it is covered with Wood and no Doubt well inhabited – by the Agreement of the Latitudes this appears to be the Islands Maurelle visited in 1781 which he calls Mayorga. the Island to the Sourthward he calls Late and that to the Northward Amurgura, both which agree extremely well with his Latitudes but he has them all [blank] Degrees to the Westward in which he must be mistaken for as we made nearly a West Course afterwards we must have seen them if they had been there. he anchored at a Bay he calls Port Refuge in the large Island but what he says of it or its Inhabitants, I have not been able to learn. I suppose it to be about 15 Miles from North to South and half that from East to West
As near as we were able to determine, the
North Point of Mayorga Latitude 18°:35′S Longitude 186°:12′East
Island Late 18:50 185:37
Amurgura 17:58 185:53
the [?] I have determined from the observed Latitude at Noon the 3rd and Longitude found by bringing
forward the preceeding days Time Keeper and reducing back the following and taking the Mean for Time
Keeper on the 3rd from these, the bearing at 20′ past 8 and that at Noon agree as I have entered
– the Island Late is from the bearing at Noon and that in the following Day at ¼9 AM which
agree as I have put it down and Amurgura from the bearing at Noon – When the Distance from the
Islands is considered it will be thought amazing that the Bearings and Distances should agree so
well it proves they are tolerably near the Truth
Aug 2, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 4, 1792