Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/36

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aod yei it was elear in thai quarter ;** " bat as we did not iiee it. and finding the coast to trend N.E. and S.W., or rather more to the westward, I cannot determine whether Van Wemen'o Land and AnstraUa are one land or no," Cook then proceeded along the c^st coast, examining and naming Cape Howe, headlands and bays, so far as lime permitted. At Botany Bay, so named in consequence of the "great quantity of plants Mr, Banks and I>r. Solander fonnd" there, Cook remained some days, and unfortunately fired upon the natives, who opposed his landing, and in spite of shots, which wounded one of them, kept op the encounter with their spears. In no perfunctory spmt <iid Cook conduct his survey of the coast. Time did not permit him to explore each open- ing, but hiii charts show how accurate was liis work. It may not be unworthy the dignity of history to point out that his designation of Port Jackson was early mis- understood, and repeatedly ascribed to a cause for which Cook gave no warrant. The words in his Journal are : — ^* We were by observation in the latitude of 33^ 50" south, two or three miles from the land and abreast of a bay, wherein there appeared to be safe anchorage, which I called Port Jackson.** How little do Cook's words justify the following statement in a ** History of New South Wales by l>r. J. D. Lang : — " In Captain Cook's chart another oj>©ning had been laid down on the authority of a seaman of the name of Jackson, who had seen it from the fore- top nmHtbead, and from whom Captain Cook, who con- ceived it might possibly be a boat harbour, which it was not worth his while to examine, called it Port Jackson." This assertion was copied for many years, having been originally idle surmiBe, Cook*s own narrative, however, contained internal evidence bearing strongly against it. He frequently named places after tiie person who first saw them, or after some peculiarity noticed at the time, and it was his habit to record his reasons wlien affixing such names. Point Sutherland, Point Hicks, Point Upright (on account of its perpendicular cliffs). Mount Dromedary, Pigeon House, Indian Head, Cape Manifold, Point Hillock, Mount Warning, Broken Bay, the Glass Houses, and a score of