in Botany-bay, in eight fathoms water.

As the ships were sailing in, a number of the natives
assembled on the south shore, and, by their motions, seemed to
threaten; they pointed their spears, and often repeated the
words, wara, wara. The Supply had not gained more than forty
hours of us, and the three transports twenty. We probably met
with fresher winds than they had done, otherwise I think these
ships, all sailing well, should have had much more advantage of
the heavy sailing part of the convoy.

On the first day of my arrival, I went with the governor to
examine the south shore, in order to fix on a spot for erecting
some buildings; but we found very little fresh water, and not any
spot very inviting for our purpose: we had a short conversation
with a party of the natives, who were exceedingly shy. During the
time we lay here, we sounded the bay all over, and found a
considerable extent of anchorage in four, five, six, and seven
fathoms water, but wholly exposed to easterly winds, and no
possibility of finding shelter from those winds in any part of
the anchorage.

We anchored on the north shore, off a sandy bay, which I think
as good a birth as any in the bay; Cape Banks bore
east-south-east, and Point Solander south-south-east, the ground
clear and good. The wind, either from the north-east or
south-east quarters, set in a prodigious sea. Higher up the bay
there is a spot of four fathoms, where a few ships might be laid
in tolerable security, but they must be lightened, to enable them
to pass over a flat of twelve feet, and that depth but of narrow