Day she
encountered a heavy gale which obliged her commander to heave her to.
Violent gusts with showers of sleet blew continually, and the seas were
so heavy that often in striking the bow they threw the ship so far over
as "to expose her beam." A drag-sail was then used in order to steady
her, and it answered remarkably well. The fore-top-sail yard was also got
on deck and eased the ship wonderfully; fortunately little water was
shipped, as, owing to her small draught and flat bottom, she rose like a
piece of cork on the top of every wave.
On November 1st, in accordance with expectations, the island of Amsterdam
was sighted. The Lady Nelson steered a lonely course along its high,
inaccessible shores, and beyond seeing that it was covered with grass,
those on board could observe little. A flagstaff with a flag flying came
into view, but not a single human being could be seen through the
telescope, although a party of sealers was known to visit the place
frequently. As the ship left the coast a boat's thwart with a piece of
rope wound round it was observed floating in the water, and its presence
caused some curiosity on board. Within the next few days a shoal of
whales known to sailors as the Right whale was sighted, and later in the
month several other whales of various species with two threshers at work
upon one of them were seen.
On the 23rd Vancouver's track was crossed, and then Grant gave orders for
a strict look-out for land to be kept from the masthead by night and day.
Still the Australian coast remained invisible.
On the 29th the sea was so calm that there was not a ripple on its
surface, and nothing worth noting occurred until December 1st, when a
large spermaceti whale passed, and at 3 P.M. a seal. At 5 P.M. another
appeared; this seal swam after the ship for some time, gazing after it in
a curious way and shaking its head as it leapt from the water. On
December 2nd the birds which till then had followed the ship disappeared,
and in the evening a horse-fly settled on the main-sail and showed that
land was near. The same night heavy squalls arose and blew until morning.
At 8 A.M., to the great joy of all on board, land was sighted from the
masthead. It appeared to take the form of four islands, some six or seven
leagues distant. At noon the ship was in 38 degrees 10 minutes south and
longitude by account 142 degrees 30 minutes east, and the following notes
are recorded in the journal of Lieutenant Grant,* as his first impression
of the land of New Holland (Australia). (* The Journals and logbooks are
not printed in extenso.
