It was a great mortification to be thus obliged to pass Hunter's Isles and the north coast of Van Diemen's Land, without correcting their positions in longitude from the errors which the want of a time keeper in the Norfolk had made unavoidable; but when I contemplated eighteen of my men below, several of whom were stretched in their hammocks almost without hope, and reflected that the lives of the rest depended upon our speedy arrival in port, every other consideration vanished; and I carried all possible sail, day and night, making such observations only as could be done without causing delay.
At day break, land was seen from the mast head bearing S. W. by S., probably Three-hummock Island; and at noon our
Latitude observed was 39° 5 1/3' Wilson's Promontory, the S. W. part, bore N. 16 1/2 E. Curtis' largest Isle, the top, N. 51 E.
Kent's Group came in sight in the evening; and a little before nine o'clock the centre of the larger isles was set at N. by E, when the Pyramid was distant four miles bearing S. ½ W. At eleven, we passed sufficiently near to the new rock, lying four leagues to the E. S. E. of the group, to hear the growling of the seals; and land, apparently the Sisters, was distinguished soon afterward in the S. E., but too imperfectly to be known. A set of bearings here would have been essentially useful in fixing the relative positions of these lands, which remained in some degree doubtful; but I dared not lose an hour's fair wind to obtain them.
On the 2nd of June we lost John Draper, quarter master, one of the most orderly men in the ship; and it seemed to be a fatality, that the dysentery should fall heaviest on the most valuable part of the crew. The wind had then veered against us, to the N. E., as it had done the year before in nearly the same situation; and it should seem that the direction of the coast influences it to blow either from N. E. or S. W. The weather was so hazy, that the hills at the back of the Long Beach were not seen till the evening of the 3rd; and on the 4th [SATURDAY 4 JUNE 1803] they were still visible, about twenty leagues to the N. 31° W. A fair breeze sprung up in the night; and at noon next day, the land from Cape Howe northward extended from S. 65° to N. 72° W., and a hill which appeared to be the highest of those behind Two-fold Bay, bore W. 1° S.; our latitude was then 37° 13', and longitude by time keepers 150° 44' east.