Jul 24, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Jul 26, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
1 pm: Fresh Gale and Cloudy Weather
4 pm: At ½ past 4 Saw the Island of Wytootackee bearing SWbW½W 6 or 7 Leagues
5 pm: At ¾ past 5 Shortened Sail reefed the Topsails and hauled to the Wind
6 pm: At 6 the Round Hill SWbW 5 Leagues
8 pm: Tacked Ship at 8 OClock
10 pm: A Shower of Rain
12 mid: Wore Ship and up Fore sail
4 am: At 4 Squally with Rain
Wore Ship
5 am: At Daybreak saw the Land to the SWestward
6 am: ¾ past 6 Wore Ship and stood in for the Land – round Hill bearing S45°W [1¾ Leagues?] Made more Sail
9 am: At ½ past 9 Hove to on seeing Canoes coming toward the Ship, Sounded but no Ground with 140 fathoms round Hill bearing S57°E about 3 Miles
10 am: At ½ past 10 Filled – at 11 Tacked Ship and ½ past 11 Tacked to the Southward
12 noon: At Noon Tacked – Extremes of the Island S12°E to N88°E round Hill S59°E about 3 Miles – Fresh Provisions served – Fresh Gale and Squally Weather – The Assistant in shore of us
This Island appears to have no Harbour, and it should seem by our Soundings near the Shore, no Anchorage. The Inhabitants are of as large a Size as the Oteheiteans and I think more fleshey on a Comparison with them. in some respects they are inferior they do not trim their Beards and if possible were more lousy. their Canoes are better polished but not near so strong, but if we compare their Paddles, their Spears, their Cloth which will stand Water, and their wearing Sandals, in Point of ingenuity they will be superior. most of them we saw, wore fine large pearl Oyster shells, which they fastened round their Necks with a bunch of string made of human hair, which [?] had much the Appearance of Breast-plates and perhaps were intended as such. we could not understant that they had any Hogs but they said they had plenty of Fowls and no Doubt the reef which surrounds the Keys with the Island supplies them with plenty of Fish. their Language is a Dialect of the Oteheitean, but must differ considerably because our two Indians said they were "kou-wow ima wite the porrou" or "did not like them because they did not understand their Language"
The Island itself is not more than [4½?] Length and [3½?] Breadth. the Inhabitants said the Pandora had been here
The Form of the Island was nearly this, the round Hill will be in Latitude 18°.52′S Longitude
200°:18′East. the Island appeared to be very populous, and covered with Trees and Herbage as
are all the Keys. there are great Quantities of Cocoa nut trees, several of which are without Tops, which
indicated violent Gales of Wind here
Jul 24, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Jul 26, 1792