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The New Zealand Reader
Fuether Extracts From Tasman'S Log
Fuether Extracts From Tasman'S Log.
[The entries for December 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, and January 1, 2, 8, were left out of the reading lesson to lighten it. They are given here to complete that part of the Log which relates to New Zealand.]
25 December. In the morning we set our topmasts, and hoisted our yards again. The look-out towards the sea was still dark, so that we dared not yet take up either anchor. Towards the evening it had grown so much calmer that we hauled in half of our cable.
26 December. In the morning, two hours before daylight, we got the wind E.N.E.: a light breeze. We raised our anchors up and got under sail, and laid our course due north, in order to get to the northward of this land. At page 288daybreak it began to drizzle, and the wind shifted to the S.E., and from that by S. to the S.W., with a stiff gale. We sounded in 60 fathoms, and steered full-and-by towards the west. Our latitude at noon by reckoning was. 40° 13′, and our longitude 175° 21′. Course N.N.W.; distance, 40 miles. Variation, 8° 40' E. At night we lay to under easy sail.
27 December. In the morning as soon as it was day we made sail again, steering our course due north, with the wind blowing a steady breeze from the S.W. At noon we found* latitude 35° 38† ′and longitude‡ 173° 29′. Course held, N.W.; and distance, 104 miles. At noon we steered our course N.E., and lay by at night under easy sail. "Variation," 8° 20′.
30 December. The weather in the morning having moderated somewhat we set our topsails and laced our bonnets on. We had the Zeehaan to leeward of us, so we altered our course and closed on her. We had the wind W.N.W.: a topsail breeze. At noon we found latitude 37°, and longitude 175° 9′. Course held, N.E.; and distance made, 28 miles. Towards the evening we sighted the land again, and had it N.E. and N.N.E. from us. We accordingly continued our course to the N. and N.E. Variation, 8° 40′ north-easterly.
* [This seems to bo the first day of "finding" latitude by the sun since the 21st of December.]
† [So that Tasman passed Cape Egmont without seeing the mountain. The oldest available copy of his chart shows a cape namod Picter Boreels, about latitude 39° 40′, but this conjectural capo has not the form of Egmont.]
‡ [Almost certainly this should be 174, and not 173.]
§ [Apparently a mistake for 16 miles: 7 Dutch miles (28 geographical miles) having been written or read instead of 4 Dutch miles.)
1 January, 1643. In the morning we drifted in calm along the coast, which at this part still extends N.W. and S.E., and is a level coast without reefs or shoals. At noon we had the latitude of 36° 12′, and the longitude of 174° 21′. Course held, N.W.; and sailed 40 miles. About midday we got the wind S.S.E. and S.E., and steered to the W.N.W. to get a little further off the shore, as there was a heavy sea setting in towards it. Variation, 8° 30′ north-easterly.
2 January Calm. In the middle of the afternoon we got a breeze from the east, and steered our course N.N.W. At the end of the first wateh‡ we altered our course to N.W., for fear of getting too close in shore, as we had the land to our N.N.W. in the evening, and did not wish to come to grief. Our latitude at noon was 35° 55′, and our longitude 174° 1′; our course, N.W.b.W., our distance 28 miles, and the variation 9°.
3 January, In the morning we saw the land E.b.N. of us, about 24 miles away. We were surprised to find ourselves so far away from the shore. At noon our latitude by observation was 35° 20′, and oar longitude 173° 31′. Course held, N.W. by N.; distance sailed, 44 miles. At noon we got the wind S.S.W., and altered our course to E.N.E., so as to run back towards the shore. In the evening we had land to the north of us and to the E.S.E.
* [10 p.m]
‡ [Midnight.]