having from 30 to 25 fathoms. As soon as it was daylight we made all the sail we could, having the Advantage of a fresh Gale and fair weather.[1] At 9, being about a League from the Land, we saw upon it people and Smoke in Several places. At noon we were by observation in the Lat. of 28° 39′ S., and Long. 206° 27′ W.; Course and distance saild since Yesterday at Noon N. 6° 45′ E, 104 Miles. A Tolerable high point of land bore N.W. by W., distant 3 Miles; this point I named Cape Byron[2] (Lat. 28° 37′ 30″ S., Long. 206° 30′ W.). It may be known by a remarkable sharp peaked Mountain lying in land N.W. by W. from it. From this point the land Trends N. 13° W. Inland it is pretty high and hilly, but near the Shore it is low; to the Southward of the Point the land is low, and Tolerable level.
Wednesday, 16th.—Winds Southerly, a fresh Gale, with which we steer'd N. along shore until sunset, at which time we discover'd breakers ahead, and on our Larboard bow, being at this time in 20 fathoms, and about 5 miles from the land. Haul'd off E. until 8, at which time we had run 8 Miles, and had increased our Depth of Water to 44 fathoms. We then brought too with her head to the Eastward, and lay on this Tack until 10 o'Clock, when, having increased our Soundings to 78 fathoms, we wore and lay with her head in shore until 5 o'Clock a.m, when we made Sail. At daylight we were surprized by finding ourselves farther to the Southward than we were in the evening, and yet it had blown strong all night Southerly. We now saw the breakers again within us, which we passed at the distance of about 1 League; they lay in the Lat. of 28° 8′ S., and stretch off E. 2 Leagues from a point under which is a small Island; their situation may always be found by the peaked mountain before mentioned, which bears S.W. by W. from them, and on their account I have named it Mount Warning. It lies 7 or 8 Leagues in land in the Lat. of 28° 22′ S. The land is high and hilly about it, but it is Conspicuous enough to be distinguished from everything else. The point off which these shoals lay I have named Point Danger;[3] to the Northward of it the land, which is low, Trends N.W. by N.; but we soon found that it did not keep that direction long before it turn'd again to the Northward. At Noon we were about 2 Leagues from the land, and by observation in the Lat. of 27° 46′, which was 17 Miles to the Southward of the Log; Long. 206° 26′ W. Mount Warning bore S. 20° W., distant
- ↑ During the night the entrance of the Clarence River, now the outlet for the produce of a large and rich agricultural district, was passed, and in the morning that of the Richmond River, which serves a similar purpose.
- ↑ Captain John Byron was one of Cook's predecessors in exploration in the Pacific, having sailed round the World in H.M.S. Dolphin, in company with the Tamar, in 1764-6.
- ↑ Point Danger is the boundary point on the coast between New South Wales and Queensland.
