ABSTRACT
The corvettes had not even anchored, when a smartly manned boat, carrying an officer [Captain Johnston] from the settlement, passed our ship and went alongside the Atrevida, which had no pilot on board. The officer then boarded our ship to convey, as he told me, the compliments of the acting governor, Major Grose, 1 and to offer on his behalf all the assistance he could give us. 2 As this officer had to return immediately to the colony, he offered to escort in his boat Alférez de Fragata Don Jacobo Murphy, who, being fluent in English, was to return the compliments of the governor on my behalf, and explain to him why we had put in at the port. In essence, we needed to replenish our supplies of water and firewood and carry out the sort of repairs to our ships and rigging to be expected after an arduous passage of ninety-seven days. We also wished to gather for the royal collection whatever botanical and zoological specimens time and the season would allow. In addition we also wished to conduct some gravity experiments with the pendulum. Finally we needed to allow both crews some rest before facing the next stage of our voyage. Murphy was also instructed to propose a gun salute to the settlement, if this was returned gun for gun, and to inform Major Grose that it was our intention of coming into Sydney Cove, since the winds had prevented us from entering Botany Bay. 1 We would, however, take adequate precautions regarding the security of the convicts and good order in the colony so that the presence in the port of two ships from another nation would give no cause for apprehension. View of the English colony of Sydney, by Fernando Brambila. Museo Naval, Madrid https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315211886/93ab637c-224e-42b1-bf58-6f589c6db4a4/content/pla6_PB.tif"/> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315211886/93ab637c-224e-42b1-bf58-6f589c6db4a4/content/pla6_OC.tif"/> View of Sydney Cove from the NW, by Fernando Brambila. British Library, K.Top. 124 (supp) (43) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315211886/93ab637c-224e-42b1-bf58-6f589c6db4a4/content/pla7_PB.tif"/> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315211886/93ab637c-224e-42b1-bf58-6f589c6db4a4/content/pla7_OC.tif"/>
