Saturday, 26th May, 1770
In the PM, we had a light breeze at ESE until 4 o’clock, with which we stood to the NW until 4 o’clock when it fell calm, and soon after we anchored in 12 fathoms of water, Cape Capricorn bearing S 54° East, distant 4 leagues, having the mainland and islands in a manner all around us. In the night, we found the tide to rise and fall near 7 feet, and the flood to set to the westward and ebb to the eastward, which is the very reverse of what we found when at anchor to the eastward of Bustard Bay.
At 6 in the AM, we weighed anchor with a gentle breeze from the south and stood away to the NW between the outermost range of islands and the mainland, leaving several small islands between us and the latter, which we passed close by. Our soundings were a little irregular, from 12 to 4 fathoms, which caused me to send a boat ahead to sound. At noon, we were about 3 miles from the main, about the same distance from the islands without us. Our latitude by observation was 23° 7′ South and longitude made from Cape Capricorn 18 miles west. The mainland in this latitude is tolerably high and mountainous, and the islands which lie off it are most of them pretty high and of a small circuit and have more the appearance of barrenness than fertility.
We saw smoke a good way inland, which makes me think there must be a river, lagoon, or inlet into the country. We passed two places that had the appearance of such this morning, but our depth of water at that time was too shallow to haul in for them where I might expect to meet with less.
Sunday, 27th May, 1770
We had not stood on to the northward quite an hour before we fell into 3 fathoms of water, upon which I anchored and sent away the Master with two boats to sound the channel which lay to leeward of us between the northernmost island and the mainland, which appeared to me to be pretty broad but I suspected that it was shallow. This was confirmed as the Master reported to me upon his return that he found in many places only 2½ fathoms, and where we lay at anchor we had only 16 feet, which was not 2 feet more than the ship drew.
In the evening, the wind veered to ENE, which gave us an opportunity to stretch 3 or 4 miles back the way we came before the wind shifted to the south and obliged us again to anchor in 6 fathoms.
At 5 o’clock in the AM, I sent away the Master with two boats to search for a passage out between the islands while we got the ship under sail. As soon as it was light, the signal was made by the boats of their having found a passage, upon which we followed with the ship. After we had got out and into deep water, we hoisted in the boats and made sail to the northward as the land lay, soundings from 9 to 15 fathoms, still having some small islands without us.
At noon, we were about 2 leagues from the mainland and by observation in the latitude of 22° 53′ South, longitude made from Cape Capricorn 20 miles west. At this time, the northernmost point of land we had in sight bore NNW, distant 10 miles. This point I named Cape Manifold from the number of high hills over it, latitude 22° 43′ South. It lies N 26° West, distant 17⅓ leagues from Cape Capricorn. Between them, the shore forms a large bay which I called Keppel Bay, and the islands which lie in and off it are known by the same name. In this bay are a great number of islands and good anchorage everywhere where there is a sufficient depth of water. What refreshments it may afford for shipping I know not; we caught no fish here notwithstanding we were at anchor. It can hardly be doubted but that it affords fresh water in several places as both mainland and islands are inhabited. We saw smoke by day and fires in the night upon the main and people upon one of the islands.