along the coast, and named Port Jackson; he did not enter it, and
therefore was uncertain of there being a safe harbour here: it
has the appearance from sea of being only an open bay.

The convoy was again left to my care, the masters of the ships
having had previous orders from Captain Phillip to prepare for
sea. On the 26th, I made the signal for the transports to get
under way. We perceived this morning two large ships in the
offing, standing in for the bay, under French colours: these
ships had been observed two days before, but the wind blowing
fresh from north-west, they were not able to get in with the
land. I sent a boat with an officer to assist them in, and about
an hour after, a breeze sprung up from the south-east, and they
were safely anchored in the bay. I then got under way, and with
the transports worked out of the bay, and the same evening
anchored the whole convoy in Port Jackson.

The two strangers proved to be the Bussole and Astrolabe,
which sailed from Brest in June, 1785, upon discoveries, and were
commanded by Mons. de la Perouse; Mons. de L'Angle, who commanded
one of the ships when they left France, had been lately, when the
ships were at the Islands of Navigators, murdered, with several
other officers and seamen, by the natives; who had, before that
unfortunate day, always appeared to be upon the most friendly and
familiar terms with them. This accident, we understood, happened
when their launches were on shore filling water, on the last day
which they intended remaining at those islands: during the time
they were employed in filling their water-casks, having the most
perfect confidence in the friendly disposition of the natives,
the sailors had been inattentive to the keeping the boats afloat;