Zealand, which it seemed very
unadvisable to give here, as the subject must be resumed when we come to
the third voyage of Captain Cook. It was equally objectionable to
anticipate fuller information _now_, and to repeat imperfect notices
_hereafter_. The present omission will be made up to the reader's
content. We now go on with the remainder of the narrative.--E.]

SECTION XXVIII.

_The Run from New Zealand to Botany Bay, on the East Coast of New
Holland, now called New South Wales; various Incidents that happened
there; with some Account of the Country and its Inhabitants_.

Having sailed from Cape Farewell, which lies in latitude 40 deg. 33' S.,
longitude 186 deg. W., on Saturday the 31st of March, 1770, we steered
westward, with a fresh gale at N.N.E., and at noon on the 2d of April,
our latitude, by observation, was 40 deg., our longitude from Cape Farewell
2 deg. 31' W.

In the morning of the 9th, being in latitude 38 deg. 29' S. we saw a tropic
bird which in so high a latitude is very uncommon.

In the morning of the 10th, being in latitude 38 deg. 51' S., longitude 202 deg.
43' W., we found the variation, by the amplitude, to be 11 deg. 25' E. and
by the azimuth 11 deg. 20'.

In the morning of the 11th, the variation was 13 deg. 48', which is two
degrees and a half more than the day before, though I expected to have
found it less.

In the course of the 13th, being in latitude 39 deg. 23' S., longitude 204 deg.
2' W., I found the variation to be 12 deg. 27' E., and in the morning of the
14th, it was 11 deg. 30'; this day we also saw some flying fish. On the
15th, we saw an egg bird and a gannet, and as these are birds that never
go far from the land, we continued to sound all night, but had no ground
with 130 fathom. At noon on the 16th, we were in latitude 39 deg. 45' S.,
longitude 208 deg. W. At about two o'clock the wind came about to the W.S.W.
upon which we tacked and stood to the N.W.; soon after, a small
land-bird perched upon the rigging, but we had no ground with 120
fathom. At eight we wore and stood to the southward till twelve at
night, and then wore and stood to the N.W. till four in the morning,
when we again stood to the southward, having a fresh gale at W.S.W. with
squalls and dark weather till nine, when the weather became clear, and
there being little wind, we had an opportunity to take several
observations of the sun and moon, the mean result of which gave 207 deg. 56'
W. longitude