[Captain Cook’s Journal During the First Voyage Round the World by James Cook]@TWC D-Link book
Captain Cook’s Journal During the First Voyage Round the World

CHAPTER 9
26/99

Variable light Airs and Clear weather.

Steer'd North-West, in order to discover the Land plainer until 4 in the morning, at which time the wind came to North-West and West, with which we stood to the Southward until 9 o'Clock, when we Tack'd and stood North-West, having the wind at West-South-West.

At sun rise in the morning we could see the land extend from West-North-West to North-East; at noon we could see it extend to the Westward as far as West by South 1/2 South, but no farther to the Eastward than North by East.

We were now well assured that this was part of the Island of Timor, in consequence of which the last Island we saw must have been Timor land, the South part of which lies in the Latitude of 8 degrees 15 minutes South, Longitude 228 degrees 10 minutes, whereas in the Charts the South Point is laid down in Latitude 9 degrees 30 minutes.

It is possible that the Land we saw might be some other Island; but then I cannot see how we could have miss'd seeing Timor land, soposing it to be right laid down in Latitude, as we were never to the Southward of 9 degrees 30 minutes; for my design was to have made that Island, and to have landed upon it to have seen what it produced, as it is (according to the Charts) a large Island, and not settled by the Dutch that I ever heard off.


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