From this time a succession of fair winds and pleasant weather
corresponded to our eager desires, and on the 7th of January, 1788, the
long wished for shore of Van Diemen gratified our sight. We made the
land at two o'clock in the afternoon, the very hour we expected to see
it from the lunar observations of Captain Hunter, whose accuracy, as
an astronomer, and conduct as an officer, had inspired us with equal
gratitude and admiration.
After so long a confinement, on a service so peculiarly disgusting and
troublesome, it cannot be matter of surprise that we were overjoyed at
the near prospect of a change of scene. By sunset we had passed between
the rocks, which Captain Furneaux named the Mewstone and Swilly.
The former bears a very close resemblance to the little island near
Plymouth, whence it took its name: its latitude is 43 deg 48 min south,
longitude 146 deg 25 min east of Greenwich.
In running along shore, we cast many an anxious eye towards the land,
on which so much of our future destiny depended. Our distance, joined to
the haziness of the atmosphere, prevented us, however, from being able
to discover much.
Pages:
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48