Aug 5, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 7, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
1 pm: Fine Weather All Sail set – At 1 Saw Breakers in the NWbN and at 3..40 Saw others in the SEbS and others at South – Several Islands rising to the Southward
4 pm: The Island first seen or A SWbW and B NW 3 or 4 Leagues – At 5 Breakers at NWbW nearly equidistant betwixt A and B – ¾ past 5 Got close under the Island A and kept on and off it all Night, keepting it bearing from South to SE 2 to 4 Miles distant the Captain spoke to the Assistant and told her his Intentions – When we wore A bore S54° to S10°E 2′
1 am: About 1 OClock a small Canoe with two Indians in her came alongside but could not be prevailed upon to come on board. they had a few Cocoa nutts which they gave us in return they received some Iron & about two they left the Ship
7 am: At Sun rise Another Canoe came off – Bore away – Island A East to S54°E 3′ B Northermost Island C N38°W and the Westermost G S86°W between which we steered – several Islands in sight to the Southward – 20′ past 8 Island F bore true South
10 am: Pleasnat Breeze and fine Weather A Canoe apparently from Island B standing after us and coming up but presently dropped and gave over Chace
12 noon: At Noon Island A S69°E 7 Leagues. F S53°E – Island
G S42°E – K N39°E – C N5°W to N11°E Land seen from
the Mast head NWbN and WbS
The Assistant in Company
At ¼ past 3 OClock PM August 6th Distant about 4 Leagues
A or Sunday Island
This Island is tolerably high and to Appearance very fertile – it is surrounded by a reef which extends
some Distance East and West. we saw nothing like a Bay in it, the Inhabitants are an ingenious Set of People
witness their warlike Instruments which are superior to any thing of the Kind at Oteheite the Island may be
about [blank] Miles in Circumference
and is in Latitude [blank] South and Longitude [blank] East of Greenwich
by Lunar Observation
At 20′ past 3 OClock PM August 6 Distant about 3 Leagues
B
This Island is not so high or so large as A but like it is surrounded by a reef, which is seen
to extend [blank] or [blank] Miles to the North Eastward of it, 'tho' we observed a Breach in it about
2 Miles from the [?] We saw no [?] or other Sign of Inhabitants upon it as we passed, but I believe the Canoe
that came after us in the Morning was from it. It will be
in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] according to the Lunar – Pidgeon House Island about a Mile from it.
K N55°W about 8 Leagues
The Island C and K lay SE and NW of each other and were seen as one till the Morning at Daybreak when K was seen seperate – with this Appearance C is much the larger Island and appeared well inhabited – Several other Islands we have passed I have not been able to get a Sketch off – D which is one or two small Islands or Keys to the SW of A . E a considerable Distance to the Southward of A which Captain Bligh determined to be four or five Islands when in the Bountys Launch. Two other Islands more to the Westward – F which had a [?] pleasant Appearance when we passed it – H which is a Key off F and the Island G which appears in two Hummocks with a fine Valley between them. On none of these we saw any Appearance of Inhabitants I suppose because we did nnot pass near enough for there can be no Doubt but they contain People as well as the others
[There follows a table of the latitudes and longitudes of the various islands, but as all
the latitudes and longitudes are blank, I saw no point in reproducing it.]
Aug 5, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 7, 1792