Thursday, 17th May, 1770
Winds southerly, mostly a fresh breeze, with which in the afternoon we steered alongshore north 3/4 east at the distance of about 2 leagues off. Between 4 and 5, we discovered breakers on our larboard bow; our depth of water at this time was 37 fathoms. At sunset, the northermost land in sight bore north by west, the breakers north-west by west, distant 4 miles, and the northermost land set at noon, which formed a point, I named Point Lookout, bore west, distant 5 or 6 miles. On the north side of this point, the shore forms a wide open bay, which I have named Morton’s Bay, in the bottom of which the land is so low that I could just see it from the topmast head. The breakers I have just mentioned lie about 3 or 4 miles from Point Lookout; at this time, we had a great sea from the southward, which broke prodigiously high upon them. We stood on north-north-east until 8, when, being past the breakers and having deepened our water to 52 fathoms, we brought to until 12 o’clock, then made sail to the north-north-east. At 4 a.m., we sounded and had 135 fathoms. At daylight, I found that we had in the night got much farther to the northward and from the shore than I expected from the course we steered, for we were at least 6 or 7 leagues off, and therefore hauled in north-west by west, having the advantage of a fresh gale at south-south-west. The northermost land seen last night bore from us at this time south-south-west, distant 6 leagues. This land I named Cape Morton, it being the north point of the bay of the same name. From Cape Morton, the land trends away west, further than we could see, for there is a small space where we could see no land; some on board were of opinion that there is a river there because the sea looked paler than usual. Upon sounding, we found 34 fathoms fine white sandy bottom, which alone is sufficient to change the apparent color of seawater, without the assistance of rivers. The land need only be low here, as it is in a thousand other places upon the coast, to have made it impossible for us to have seen it at the distance we were off. Be this as it may, it was a point that could not be cleared up as we had the wind; but should anyone be desirous of doing it that may come after me, this place may always be found by three hills which lay to the northward of it in the latitude of 26 degrees 53 minutes south. These hills lay but a little way inland and not far from each other; they are very remarkable on account of their singular form of elevation, which very much resembles glass houses, which occasioned my giving them that name. The northermost of the three is the highest and largest. There are likewise several other peaked hills inland to the northward of these, but they are not near so remarkable. At noon, we were by observation in the latitude of 26 degrees 28 minutes south, which was 10 miles to the northward of the log; a circumstance that has not happened since we have been upon the coast before. Our course and distance run since yesterday noon was north by west 80 miles, which brought us into the longitude of 206 degrees 46 minutes. At this time, we were about 2 or 3 leagues from the land, and in 24 fathoms of water; a low bluff point, which was the southern point of an open sandy bay, bore north 52 degrees west, distant 3 leagues, and the northernmost point of land in sight bore north 1/4 east. Several smokes seen today, and some pretty far inland.