Friday

Saturday, 9th, December 1769

P.M., had a Gentle Breeze at West, which in the Evening came to South and continued so all night; this by daylight brought us pretty well in with the land, 7 Leagues to the Westward of the Cavalle Isles, and where lies a deep Bay running in South-West by West and West-South-West, the bottom of which we could but just see, and there the land appear'd to be low and level, the 2 points which form the Entrance lie West-North-West and East-South-East 5 Miles from each other. This Bay I have named Doubtless Bay;* the wind not permitting us to look into this Bay we steer'd for the Westermost land we had in sight, which bore from us West-North-West, distant 3 Leagues, but before we got the length of it it fell calm, and continued so until 10 o'Clock, when a breeze sprung up at West-North-West, and with it we stood off North. While we lay becalm'd, several of the Natives came off to the Ship in 5 Canoes, but were fearful of venturing alongside. After these were gone, 6 more came off; these last came boldly alongside, and sold us fish of different sorts sufficient to give all hands a little.

At noon, the Cavalle Islands bore South-East by East, distant 8 Leagues, and the Entrance of Doubtless Bay South by West distant 3 Leagues, and the North-West Extremity of the Land in sight, which we judge to be the Main, bore North-West by West. Our Latitude by observation was 34 degrees 44 minutes South.

* There is a small settlement called Mangonui in Doubtless Bay.

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