e sail for Port Jackson, declaring it to be, in King's quaint
words, "a very proper place to form an establisht. in."

To the great astonishment of the Fleet, on the 24th, two strange ships
made their appearance to the south of Solander Point, a projection from
the peninsula on which now stands the obelisk in memory of Cook's
landing. What could they be? Some guessed that they were English
vessels with additional stores. Some supposed that they were Dutch,
"coming after us to oppose our landing." Nobody expected to see any
ships in these untraversed waters, and we can easily picture the
amazement of officers, crews, and convicts when the white sails
appeared. The more timid speculated on the possibility of attack, and
there were "temporary apprehensions, accompanied by a multiplicity of
conjectures, many of them sufficiently ridiculous."

Phillip, however, remembered hearing that the French had an expedition
of discovery either in progress or contemplation. He was the first to
form a right opinion about them, but, wishing to be certain, sent the
SUPPLY out of the bay to get a nearer view and hoist the British
colours. Lieutenant Ball, in command of that brig, after reconnoitring,
reported that the ships were certainly not English. They were either
French, Spanish or Portuguese. He could distinctly see the white field
of the flag they flew, "but they were at too great a distance to
discover if there was anything else on it." The flag, of course, showed
the golden lilies of France on a white ground. One of the ships, King
records, "wore a CHEF D'ESCADRE'S pennant," that is, a commodore's.

This information satisfied Phillip, who was anxious to lose no time in
getting his people ashore at Sydney Cove. He, therefore, determined to
sail in the SUPPLY on the 25th, to make preliminary arrangements,
leaving Captain Hunter of the SIRIUS to convoy the Fleet round as soon
as possible. The wind, just then, was blowing too strong for them to
work out of the Bay.

Meanwhile, Laperouse, with the BOUSSOLE and the ASTROLABE, was meeting
with heavy weather in his attempt to double Point Solander. The
wind blew hard from that quarter, and his ships were too heavy sailers
to force their passage against wind and current combined. The whole of
the 24th was spent in full sight of Botany Bay, which they could not
enter. But their hearts were cheered by the spectacle of the pennants
and ensigns on the eleven British vessels, plainly seen at