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

 and yet it was clear in that quarter;" "but as we did not see it, and finding the coast to trend N.E. and S.W., or rather more to the westward, I cannot determine whether Van Diemen's Land and Australia are one land or no."

Cook then proceeded along the east coast, examining and naming Cape Howe, headlands and bays, so far as time permitted. At Botany Bay, so named in consequence of the "great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found" 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 up the encounter with their spears.

In no perfunctory spirit did Cook conduct his survey of the coast. Time did not permit him to explore each opening, but his charts show how accurate was his work.

It may not be unworthy the dignity of history to point out that his designation of Port Jackson was early misunderstood, 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 38° 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 Dr. J. D. Lang:—"In Captain Cook's chart another opening had been laid down on the authority of a seaman of the name of Jackson, who had seen it from the foretop masthead, and from whom Captain Cook, who conceived 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 surmise. Cook's own narrative, however, contained internal evidence bearing strongly against it. He frequently named places after the person who first saw them, or after some peculiarity noticed at the time, and it was his habit to record his reasons when 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