Sep 16, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 18, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
Passage Island and some off the NE Point of U N50°W 5′ or 6′ – Extremes of U N52°W to N62°W – 3 Leagues Several small Islands W2°N off the NE Point of V distant Land which runs behind the NWest Extremity of K – Bold Head on at S59°W. Black rock and its Island S86°W and S68W 3 or 4 Miles – Extremes of R S58°W to S18°E about 2 Leagues the High Mountain S8°E 5′ or 6′ Possession Island S28°E 1½′ – two other small Islands S35°E 2½′ and S40°E 3′ or 4′ – A high peaked Mountain S43°E [blank] Leagues – Another S59°E [blank] Leagues and another S S65°E [blank] Leagues A sandy Key EbN from Mast head about 6 Miles
At 8 Passage Island N25°W 5′ Island U N32°W to N55°W Nearest Island to it N82°W Black rock S47W 1′ – Island R S21°W to S40°E – High Mountain S38°E. Possession Island S67°E 6′ or 7′ – Black rock and its Island on with High Mountain Point S48°E
Island U with rocks and Shoals in the Wake of it N2°E to N28°E rocks 2′ distant – Islands extending from NE Part of U to Passage Island N52°E 2 Leagues – reefs thro' which we came ENE land East [?] – Black rock and its Island S84°E and S78°E about 5′ – Possession Island S80°E Northermost of a range of small Islands S68°E round to S38°W distant from the long extensive shore of V about 3 Miles – A great Number of small Islands off this large one as far as N47°W – 3 or 4 [?] a reef from them N14°W
1 pm: Strong Breezes and fair Weather The Assistant hauled her Wind and let go her Anchor. At 25′ past Noon Brought up with Small Bower in 7½ Fathom coarse Ground – Veered to the ½ ca Service – At ½ past 4 the Cutter and Whale boat were sent in Shore upon Possession Island 1½ Mile distant under the Command of Lieutenant Guthrie. after the usual Ceremonies he took Possession of that and the neighbouring Lands of New Guinea in the Name of His Majesty King George the 3rd – At Sunset the Boats returned and were hoisted in – they brought off some Cocoa nutts and the Botanists collected a fe Plants, but the Island in general is very rocky and barren
8 pm: At 8 when the Lee tide made Veered away to the whole Cable Service
9 pm: Fresh Gales and cloudy
12 mid: Ditto Weather
4 am: At 4 More Moderate Hove in the half Cable Service – Hoisted out the Boats and sent them to the Assistant – At ½ past 6 Weighed, found one of the Flukes of the Small Bower Anchor gone – Hove the Main Topsail aback to let the Ast get ahead – at 7.5 [7:05] Bore away after her – Unbent the Small Bower Cable – People cackling the Best Bower Cable
8 am: At 8 about 1 Mile distant from black rock
9 am: At ¼ past 9 The Assistant hauled her Wind hauled up also – At 9:30 she bore
away – Tacked Ship and made Signals to know how to proceed – Standing off and on – reefs on
each side of us – At ¼ past 10 Bore away towards the Assistant who had brought to and made the
Signal for good Anchorage – At 10·35 Anchored with Best Bower in 10½ Fathom coarse Bottom
brought the 
home the Lee Tide running like a
Sluice veered to a Cable and ⅓ without bringing up – Let go the
Sheet and brought up – The Bow or Buoy
broke loose and drifted away with the Tide – Sent two Boats to find and examine a Passage betwixt the
rocks and Islands to leeward – Struck Top Gallant Masts – Bent the Small Bower Cable to the
spare and got it over the side – Lieutenant
Portlock came on board in the Whale boat – Fresh Breezes and hazey Weather The Boats away sounding
Saw something like Flags upon teh Top of some of the small rocky Islands
[Some drawings of islands and labels have necessarily been omitted from this page.]
The Island that bears S43°E I take to be the same Captain Bligh saw in his Launch. he lays it down in 10°:24′ South which answers this tolerably near. those three Islands nearest us are very small, rocky and barren. from the Gentlemen who landed on Possession Island, I am able to give a more particular account of it and its Productions than of any of the others – Island R is very large, its high Mountain may be seen at a very great distance
The large Island V may be about [blank] Leagues in Circumference, on the North and West it breaks off in to a Jumble of smaller ones entirely rock, bearing nothing but a few half withered shrubs in the Cracks of the stones – of these small Islands or rocks there are a great number. I suppose not less than 30 or 40 so connected by reefs above and below Water as to [?] to afford a Passage between them. the one we took was I believe the best, and this Experience we had of it will not tempt any body to try it again – I should have conceived the Passage round the North End of U or to the Eastward of R and Possession Island, would have been preferable indeed before we got under weigh I had no Idea we intended to attempt it, for we could see the small Islands from V nearly as far as U – Black rock and its Island are connected by a reef and a Mile [?] nearly in the Direction of SE and NW – the rock is very remarkable but it will not be seen more than 7 or 8 Miles off
[New page.]
The Gentlemen landed at Possession Island on a fine sandy Beach on its SW side. they found no Inhabitants on it,
but by the Number of Turtle Shells and Bones that lay scattered about, it should seem that it is often visited
and that not long since for they found a Place a little farther on where a Fire had been recently kindled –
except a small spot near the Beach the Island is nothing more than a Mass of rocks, between which several
small Trees and Shrubs support themselves – On this fertile spot grow 20 or 30 small Cocoa nutt Trees,
with Fruit upon them, most of which were eat or brought away and affording delicious refreshment. they likewise
found a few Trees bearing the same kind of Plumb got at Island H – In going in amongst the Shrubs
they found themselves covered with a large Species of Ant which was very troublesome. this Ant is of a long
slender make and very delicate. the Body or Anus is of a light green Colour. they found the Nest of another
Species of Ant, which was black, as large and much thicker than the other the Nest was a Number of Leaves bent
and glued to gether in a round Form as big as a half quarters Loaf and so closely that the rain could not
possibly penetrate it to disturb them – there was no appearance of any Quadruped and the only reptile they
saw was a small beautiful Lizard found by turning up some loose Stones where they likewise found a small Brucus
or Beetle the only one they saw upon the reef which surrounds the greatest Part of the Island. they found a few
clam Oysters, small Wilks [sea snail] and numbers of Sea Eggs. The Botanists found here the Peeha and Nono of
Otaheite, and two new Plants, the Size of the common Mulberry, the 1st belongs to the Class Polyadelphia bears
a scarlet bell-shaped Flower, large as the Chin arooe the other is a Species of Erythrina bearing large Clusters
of Butterfly shaped Flowers of a light yellow, ringed with Purple. this as well as the other was entirely
destitute of Leaves and the wood of vboth was remarkably brittle – Before they came away Mr Guthrie hoisted
the Standard, drank Success to the new acquired Islands of Great Brittain and they gave the Cheers – Mr Peirce
left a Knife and some other Trifles fastened to some small Poles set upon a right Line like land marks, as a
recompence for what they had taken away
Sep 16, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 18, 1792