PRODUCTION NOTES:

Notes referred to in the book (*) are shown in square brackets ([])at the end of the paragraph in which the note is indicated. 

Italics are indicated by underscore characters (_) at thestart and finish of the italicised words. 

References to the charts have been retained though, of course, the charts are not present in the text only version of the ebook. 

The original punctuation and spelling and the use of italics and capitalletters to highlight words and phrases have, for the most part, beenretained. I think they help maintain the "feel" of the book, which waspublished nearly 200 years ago. Flinders notes in the preface that "Iheard it declared that a man who published a quarto volume without anindex ought to be set in the pillory, and being unwilling to incur thefull rigour of this sentence, a running title has been affixed to all thepages; on one side is expressed the country or coast, and on the oppositethe particular part where the ship is at anchor or which is the immediatesubject of examination; this, it is hoped, will answer the main purposeof an index, without swelling the volumes. " This treatment is, of course, not possible, where there are no defined pages. However, Flinders' pageheadings are included at appropriate places where they seem relevant. These, together with the Notes which, in the book, appear in the margin, are represented as line headings with a blank line before and after them. 

================================================================

A VOYAGE TO TERRA AUSTRALISUNDERTAKEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPLETING THE DISCOVERY OF THATVAST COUNTRY, AND PROSECUTED IN THE YEARS1801, 1802 AND 1803, IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP THE INVESTIGATOR, AND SUBSEQUENTLY IN THE ARMED VESSEL PORPOISEAND CUMBERLAND SCHOONER. WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE SHIPWRECK OF THE PORPOISE, ARRIVAL OF THE CUMBERLAND AT MAURITIUS, AND IMPRISONMENT OF THECOMMANDER DURING SIX YEARS AND A HALF IN THAT ISLAND. BY MATTHEW FLINDERSCOMMANDER OF THE INVESTIGATOR. IN 2 VOLUMES WITH AN ATLAS. VOLUME 1. LONDON:PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND CO. CLEVELAND ROW, AND PUBLISHED BY G. AND W. NICOL, BOOKSELLERS TO HIS MAJESTY, PALL-MALL. 1814

[Facsimile Edition, 1966]

TOThe Right Hon. George John, Earl Spencer, The Right Hon. John, Earl of St Vincent, The Right Hon. Charles Philip Yorke, andThe Right Hon. Robert Saunders, Viscount Melville, who, as First Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, successively honoured the Investigator's voyagewith their patronage, This account of it is respectfully dedicated, bytheir Lordships'most obliged, andmost obedient humble servant, Matthew Flinders. 

London, 20 May 1814. 

PREFACE. 

The publication in 1814 of a voyage commenced in 1801, and of which allthe essential parts were concluded within three years, requires someexplanation. Shipwreck and a long imprisonment prevented my arrival inEngland until the latter end of 1810; much had then been done to forwardthe account, and the charts in particular were nearly prepared for theengraver; but it was desirable that the astronomical observations, uponwhich so much depended, should undergo a re-calculation, and the lunardistances have the advantage of being compared with the observations madeat the same time at Greenwich; and in July 1811, the necessary authoritywas obtained from the Board of Longitude. A considerable delay hencearose, and it was prolonged by the Greenwich observations being found todiffer so much from the calculated places of the sun and moon, given inthe Nautical Almanacks of 1801, 2 and 3, as to make considerablealterations in the longitudes of places settled during the voyage; and areconstruction of all the charts becoming thence indispensable toaccuracy, I wished also to employ in it corrections of another kind, which before had been adopted only in some particular instances. 

A variety of observations with the compass had shown the magnetic needleto differ from itself sometimes as much as six, and even seven degrees, in or very near the same place, and the differences appeared to besubject to regular laws; but it was so extraordinary in the presentadvanced state of navigation, that they should not have been beforediscovered and a mode of preventing or correcting them ascertained, thatmy deductions, and almost the facts were distrusted; and in the firstconstruction of the charts I had feared to deviate much from the usualpractice. Application was now made to the Admiralty for experiments to betried with the compass on board different ships; and the results in fivecases being conformable to one of the three laws before deduced, whichalone was susceptible of proof in England, the whole were adopted withoutreserve, and the variations and bearings taken throughout the voyageunderwent a systematic correction. From these causes the reconstructionof the charts could not be commenced before 1813, which, when the extentof them is considered, will explain why the publication did not takeplace sooner; but it is hoped that the advantage in point of accuracywill amply compensate the delay. 

Besides correcting the lunar distances and the variations and bearings, there are some other particulars, both in the account of the voyage andin the Atlas, where the practice of former navigators has not beenstrictly followed. Latitudes, longitudes, and bearings, so important tothe seaman and _un_interesting to the general reader, have hitherto beeninterwoven in the text; they are here commonly separated from it, bywhich the one will be enabled to find them more readily, and the otherperceive at a glance what may be passed. I heard it declared that a manwho published a quarto volume without an index ought to be set in thepillory, and being unwilling to incur the full rigour of this sentence, arunning title has been affixed to all the pages; on one side is expressedthe country or coast, and on the opposite the particular part where theship is at anchor or which is the immediate subject of examination; this, it is hoped, will answer the main purpose of an index, without swellingthe volumes. Longitude is one of the most essential, but at the same timeleast certain _data_ in hydrography; the man of science thereforerequires something more than the general result of observations beforegiving his unqualified assent to their accuracy, and the progress ofknowledge has of late been such, that a commander now wishes to know thefoundation upon which he is to rest his confidence and the safety of hisship; to comply with this laudable desire, the particular results of theobservations by which the most important points on each coast are fixedin longitude, as also the means used to obtain them, are given at the endof the volume wherein that coast is described. , as being there of mosteasy reference. 

The deviations in the Atlas from former practice, or rather theadditional marks used, are intended to make the charts contain as full ajournal of the voyage as can be conveyed in this form; a chart is theseaman's great, and often sole guide, and if the information in it can berendered more complete without introducing confusion, the advantage willbe admitted by those who are not opposers of all improvement. In closelyfollowing a track laid down upon a chart, seamen often run at night, unsuspicious of danger if none be marked; but some parts of that trackwere run in the night also, and there may consequently be rocks orshoals, as near even as half a mile, which might prove fatal to them; ittherefore seems proper that night tracks should be distinguished fromthose of the day, and they are so in this Atlas, I believe, for the firsttime. A distinction is made between the situations at noon where thelatitude was observed, and those in which none could be obtained; and thepositions fixed in longitude by the time keepers are also marked in thetrack, as are the few points where a latitude was obtained from the moon. 

It has appeared to me, that to show the direction and strength of thewinds, with the kind of weather we had when running along these coasts, would be an useful addition to the charts; not only as it would enablethose who may navigate by them alone to form a judgment of what is to beexpected at the same season, but also that it may be seen how farcircumstances prevented several parts of the coast being laid down socorrectly as others. This has been done by single arrows, wherever theycould be marked without confusion; they are more or less feathered, proportionate to the strength of wind intended to be expressed, and thearrows themselves give the direction. Under each is a short or abridgedword, denoting the weather; when this weather prevailed in a more thanusual degree a line is drawn under the word, and when in an excessivedegree there are two lines. Single arrows being thus appropriated to thewinds, the tides and currents are shown by double arrows, between whichis usually marked the rate per hour. 

On the land, the shading of the hills gives a general idea of theirelevation, and it has been assisted by saying how far particular hillsand capes are visible from a ship's deck in fine weather; this will beuseful to a seaman on first making the land, be a better criterion tojudge of its height, and those hills not so marked may be more nearlyestimated by comparison. Behind different parts of the coast is given ashort description of their appearance, which it is conceived will begratifying to scientific, and useful to professional men. The capes andhills whose positions are fixed by cross bearings taken on shore or fromwell ascertained points in the track, as also the stations whencebearings were observed with a theodolite, have distinguishing marks;which, with all others not before in common use, are explained on theGeneral Chart, Plate I. 

To have laid down no more than the lands and dangers seen in theInvestigator and other vessels under my command, would have left severalopen spaces, and obliged the seaman to have recourse to other chartswhere the difference of positions might have perplexed; the discoveriesand examinations of former navigators which come within the sphere ofeach sheet, are therefore incorporated with, or added to mine, but somarked as to be distinctly known. In making the combination, alterationsin their longitudes were frequently necessary to agreement; and that theymight be made with every regard to accuracy, the charts of the formerdiscoveries were compared with the astronomical observations, narratives, or manuscript journals, when such could be had, and the alterationsintroduced where there seemed to be the best authority. This has beendone with the charts of the east coast of New South Wales, published byMr. Dalrymple from the manuscripts, as it should appear, of captain Cook;and since it may be thought presumptuous in me to have made alterationsin any work of so great a master, this case is selected for a moreparticular explanation. 

Time keepers were in their infancy in 1768, when captain Cook sailed uponhis first voyage, and he was not then furnished with them; his longitudewas therefore regulated only by occasional observations of lunardistances and some few of Jupiter's satellites, which even in the presentimproved state of instruments and tables, require to be connected by timekeepers before satisfactory conclusions can be drawn. Errors of greateror less magnitude were thence unavoidable; at Cape Gloucester, where Iquitted the East Coast, my longitude was 20½' greater than captain Cook'schart--at Cape York where the survey was again resumed, it was 58½; andto incorporate the intermediate parts, it was necessary not only to carryhis scale of longitude 20½' more west, but also to reduce the extent ofthe coast. The chart was compared with the narrative and chart inHawkesworth, and the log book of the Endeavour with them all; when it wasfound that reductions might be made in various places upon one or more ofthe above authorities, for differences between them were frequent andsometimes considerable, and in one instance alone a reduction of 12' inthe chart was obtained. It is said in Hawkesworth (III, 202), "As soon aswe got within side the reef (through Providential Channel) we anchored innineteen fathom;" and afterwards (p. 204), that the channel, "bore E. N. E. Distant ten or twelve miles. " In the first chart the distance is 14½miles, and nearly the same in that which accompanies the narrative; butin the log book it is said to be 2½ miles only, which corresponds withhaving anchored as soon as they got within the reef, and has beenadopted. In some cases it was not easy to make a choice between thesedifferent authorities; but I have commonly followed the narrative and logbook when they were found to specify with precision, and they generallyproduced such corrections to the chart as brought the longitudes ofplaces nearer to my positions. Captain Cook's track in Plates XI. XII. And XIII. Is laid down afresh from the log book; and many soundings, withsome other useful particulars not to be found in the original chart, areintroduced, for the benefit of any navigator who may follow the sameroute. 

The reconstruction of the charts in the Atlas was done upon variousscales, but that no error might escape unseen, the least was of _ten_inches to a degree of longitude; they were then reduced by Mr. ThomasArrowsmith to four inches, this being thought sufficiently large for ageneral sailing scale; and each reduced sheet was scrupulously comparedby me with the original before it went into the engravers hands, and theproof impressions with the drawing until no errors were found. To thosewho may read this voyage with a view to geographical information, afrequent reference to the Atlas is earnestly recommended; for manyparticulars are there marked which it would have been tedious todescribe, and should any thing appear obscure in the narrative the chartswill generally afford an elucidation. 

From the general tenour of the explanations here given, it will perhapsbe inferred that the perfection of the Atlas has been the principalobject of concern; in fact, having no pretension to authorship, thewriting of the narrative, though by much the most troublesome part of mylabour, was not that upon which any hope of reputation was founded; apolished style was therefore not attempted, but some pains have beentaken to render it clearly intelligible. The first quire of my manuscriptwas submitted to the judgment of a few literary friends, and I hope tohave profited by the corrections they had the kindness to make; butfinding these to bear more upon redundancies than inaccuracy ofexpression, I determined to confide in the indulgence of the public, endeavour to improve as the work advanced, and give my friends no furthertrouble. Matter, rather than manner, was the object of my anxiety; and ifthe reader shall be satisfied with the selection and arrangement, and notthink the information destitute of such interest as might be expectedfrom the subject, the utmost of my hopes will be accomplished. 

* * *

N. B. Throughout this narrative _the variation has been allowed upon thebearings, and also in the direction of winds, tides, etc. _; the whole aretherefore to be considered with reference to the true poles of the earth, unless it be otherwise particularly expressed; and perhaps in some fewcases of the ship's head when variations are taken, where the expression_by compass_, or _magnetic_, may have been omitted. 

A VOYAGE TO TERRA AUSTRALIS VOLUME I

TABLE OF CONTENTS. (For both volumes)

IN THE FIRST VOLUME. 

INTRODUCTION. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION I. 

NORTH COAST. 

Preliminary Remarks:Discoveries of the Duyfhen; ofTorres;Carstens;Pool;Pietersen;Tasman; and ofthree Dutch vessels. Of Cook;M'Cluer;Bligh;Edwards;Bligh and Portlock; andBampton and Alt. Conclusive Remarks. 

SECTION II. 

WESTERN COASTS. 

Preliminary Observations. Discoveries of Hartog:Edel:of the Ship Leeuwin:the Vianen:of Pelsert:Tasman:Dampier:Vlaming:Dampier. Conclusive Remarks. 

SECTION III. 

SOUTH COAST. 

Discovery of Nuyts. Examination of Vancouver:of D'Entrecasteaux. Conclusive Remarks. 

SECTION IV. 

EAST COAST, WITH VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 

PART I. 

Preliminary Observations. Discoveries of Tasman;of Cook;Marion and Furneaux. Observations of Cook;Bligh; and Cox. Discovery of D'Entrecasteaux. Hayes. 

PART II. 

Preliminary Information. Boat expeditions of Bass and Flinders. Clarke. Shortland. Discoveries of Bass to the southward of Port Jackson;of Flinders;and of Flinders and Bass. Examinations to the northward by Flinders. Conclusive Remarks. 

BOOK I. 

TRANSACTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGETO THE DEPARTURE FROM PORT JACKSON. 

CHAPTER I. 

Appointment to the Investigator. Outfit of the ship. Instruments, books, and charts supplied, with articles for presents andbarter. Liberal conduct of the Hon. East-India Company. Passage round to Spithead. The Roar sand. Instructions for the execution of the voyage. French passport, and orders in consequence. Officers and company of the Investigator, and men of science whoembarked. Account of the time keepers. 

CHAPTER II. 

Departure from Spithead. Variation of the compass. The Dezertas. Arrival at Madeira. Remarks on Funchal. Political state of the island. Latitude and longitude. Departure from Madeira. The island St. Antonio. Foul winds; and remarks upon them. The ship leaky. Search made for Isle Sable. Trinidad. Saxemberg sought for. Variation of the compass. State of the ship's company, on arriving at the Cape of Good Hope. Refitment at Simon's Bay. Observatory set Up. The astronomer quits the expedition. Rates Of the time keepers. Some remarks on Simon's Bay. 

CHAPTER III. 

Departure from False Bay. Remarks on the passage to Terra Australis. Gravity of sea-water tried. Cape Leeuwin, and the coast from thence to King George's Sound. Arrival in the Sound. Examination of the harbours. Excursion inland. Country, soil, and productions. Native inhabitants: Language and anatomical measurement. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Departure from King George's Sound. Coast from thence to the Archipelago of the Recherche. Discovery of Lucky Bay and Thistle's Cove. The surrounding country, and islands of the Archipelago. Astronomical and nautical observations. Goose-Island Bay. A salt lake. Nautical observations. Coast from the Archipelago to the end of Nuyts' Land. Arrival in a bay of the unknown coast. Remarks on the preceding examination. 

CHAPTER V. 

Fowler's Bay. Departure from thence. Arrival at the Isles of St. Francis. Correspondence between the winds and the marine barometer. Examination of the other parts of Nuyts' Archipelago, and of the maincoast. The Isles of St Peter. Return to St. Francis. General remarks on Nuyts' Archipelago. Identification of the islands in the Dutch chart. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Prosecution of the discovery of the unknown coast. Anxious Bay. Anchorage at Waldegrave's and at Flinders' Islands. The Investigator's Group. Coffin's Bay. Whidbey's Isles. Differences in the magnetic needle. Cape Wiles. Anchorage at Thistle's Island. Thorny Passage. Fatal accident. Anchorage in Memory Cove. Cape Catastrophe, and the surrounding country. Anchorage in Port Lincoln, and refitment of the ship. Remarks on the country and inhabitants. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure from Port Lincoln. Sir Joseph Banks' Group. Examination of the coast, northward. The ship found to be in a gulph. Anchorage near the head of the gulph. Boat expedition. Excursion to Mount Brown. Nautical observations. Departure from the head, and examination of the east side of the gulph. Extensive shoal. Point Pearce. Hardwicke Bay. Verification of the time keepers. General remarks on the gulph. Cape Spencer and the Althorpe Isles. New land discovered: Anchorage there. General remarks on Kangaroo Island. Nautical observations. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Departure from Kangaroo Island. Examination of the main coast, from Cape Spencer eastward. The Investigator's Strait. A new gulph discovered. Anchorage at, and examination of the head. Remarks on the surrounding land. Return down the gulph. Troubridge Shoal. Yorke's Peninsula. Return to Kangaroo Island. Boat expedition to Pelican Lagoon. Astronomical observations. Kangaroo Island quitted. Back-stairs Passage. The coast from Cape Jervis, eastward. Meeting, and communication with Le Geographe. Remarks upon the French discoveries on the South Coast. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Examination of the coast resumed. Encounter Bay. The capes Bernouilli and Jaffa. Baudin's Rocks. Differences in the bearings on tacking. Cape Buffon, the eastern limit of the French discovery. The capes Northumberland and Bridgewater of captain Grant. Danger from a south-west gale. King's Island, in Bass' Strait: Anchorage there. Some account of the island. Nautical observations. New Year's Isles. Cape Otway, and the north-west entrance to Bass' Strait. Anchorage in, and examination of Port Phillip. The country and inhabitants. Nautical observations. 

CHAPTER X. 

Departure from Port Phillip. Cape Schanck. Wilson's Promontory, and its isles. Kent's Groups, and Furneaux's Isles. Hills behind the Long Beach. Arrival at Port Jackson. Health of the ship's company. Refitment and supply of the ship. Price of provisions. Volunteers entered. Arrangement for the succeeding part of the voyage. French ships. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER XI

Of the winds and currents on the south coast of Terra Australis, and in Bass' Strait. Usual progress of the gales. Proper seasons for sailing eastward, and for going westward:best places of shelter in each case, with some instructions for the Strait. 

APPENDIX. 

Account of the observations by which the _Longitudes_ of places on thenorth coast of Terra Australis have been settled. 

IN THE SECOND VOLUME. 

BOOK II. 

TRANSACTIONS DURING THE CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF TERRA AUSTRALIS, FROM THE TIME OF LEAVING PORT JACKSON TO THE RETURN TO THAT PORT. 

CHAPTER I. 

Departure from Port Jackson, with the Lady Nelson. Examination of various parts of the East Coast, from thence to Sandy Cape. Break-sea Spit. Anchorage in Hervey's Bay, where the Lady Nelson joins after a separation. Some account of the inhabitants. Variations of the compass. Run to Bustard Bay. Port Curtis discovered, and examined. Some account of the surrounding country. Arrival in Keppel Bay, and examination of its branches, one of which leads into Port Curtis. Some account of the natives, and of the country round Keppel Bay. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER II. 

The Keppel Isles, and coast to Cape Manifold. A new port discovered and examined. Harvey's Isles. A new passage into Shoal-water Bay. View from Mount Westall. A boat lost. The upper parts of Shoal-water Bay examined. Some account of the country and inhabitants. General remarks on the bay. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER III. 

Departure from Shoal-water Bay, and anchorage in Thirsty Sound. Magnetical observations. Boat excursion to the nearest Northumberland Islands. Remarks on Thirsty Sound. Observations at West Hill, Broad Sound. Anchorage near Upper Head. Expedition to the head of Broad Sound:another round Long Island. Remarks on Broad Sound, and the surrounding country. Advantages for a colony. Astronomical observations, and remarks on the high tides. 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Percy Isles: anchorage at No. 2. Boat excursions. Remarks on the Percy Isles; with nautical observations. Coral reefs: courses amongst them during eleven days searchfor a passage through, to sea. Description of a reef. Anchorage at an eastern Cumberland Isle. The Lady Nelson sent back to Port Jackson. Continuation of coral reefs;and courses amongst them during three other days. Cape Gloucester. An opening discovered, and the reefs quitted. General remarks on the Great Barrier;with some instruction relative to the opening. 

CHAPTER V. 

Passage from the Barrier Reefs to Torres' Strait. Reefs named Eastern Fields. Pandora's Entrance to the Strait. Anchorage at Murray's Islands. Communication with the inhabitants. Half-way Island. Notions on the formation of coral islands in general. Prince of Wales's Islands, with remarks on them. Wallis' Isles. Entrance into the Gulph of Carpentaria. Review of the passage through Torres' Strait. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Examination of the coast on the east side of the Gulph of Carpentaria. Landing at Coen River. Head of the Gulph. Anchorage at Sweers' Island. Interview with Indians at Horse-shoe Island. Investigator's Road. The ship found to be in a state of decay. General remarks on the islands at the Head of the Gulph, and their inhabitants. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure from Sweers' Island. South side of C. Van Diemen examined. Anchorage at Bountiful Island: turtle and sharks there. Land of C. Van Diemen proved to be an island. Examination of the main coast to Cape Vanderlin. That cape found to be one of a group of islands. Examination of the islands; their soil, etc. Monument of the natives. Traces of former visitors to these parts. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Departure from Sir Edward Pellew's Group. Coast from thence westward. Cape Maria found to be an island. Limmen's Bight. Coast northward to Cape Barrow: landing on it. Circumnavigation of Groote Eylandt. Specimens of native art at Chasm Island. Anchorage in North-west Bay, Groote Eylandt;with remarks and nautical observations. Blue-mud Bay. Skirmish with the natives. Cape Shield. Mount Grindall. Coast to Caledon Bay. Occurrences in that bay, with remarks on the country and inhabitants. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Departure from Caledon Bay. Cape Arnhem. Melville Bay. Cape Wilberforce, and Bromby's Isles. The English Company's Islands: meeting there with vessels from Macassar. Arnhem Bay. The Weasel's Islands. Further examination of the North Coast postponed. Arrival at Coepang Bay, in Timor. Remarks and astronomical observations. 

CHAPTER X. 

Departure from Timor. Search made for the Trial Rocks. Anchorage in Goose-Island Bay. Interment of the boatswain, and sickly state of the ship's company. Escape from the bay, and passage through Bass' Strait. Arrival at Port Jackson. Losses in men. Survey and condemnation of the ship. Plans for continuing the survey;but preparation finally made for returning to England. State of the colony at Port Jackson. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Of the winds, currents, and navigation along the east coast of TerraAustralis, both without and within the tropic; also on the north coast. 

Directions for sailing from Port Jackson, through Torres' Strait, towardsIndia or the Cape of Good Hope. 

Advantages of this passage over that round New Guinea. 

BOOK III. 

OCCURRENCES FROM THE TIME OF QUITTING PORT JACKSON IN 1803, TO ARRIVING IN ENGLAND IN 1810. 

CHAPTER I. 

Departure from Port Jackson in the Porpoise, accompanied by the Bridgewater and Cato. The Cato's Bank. Shipwreck of the Porpoise and Cato in the night. The crews get on a sand bank; where they are left by the Bridgewater. Provisions saved. Regulations on the bank. Measures adopted for getting back to Port Jackson. Description of Wreck-Reef Bank. Remarks on the loss of M. De La Pérouse. 

CHAPTER II. 

Departure from Wreck-Reef Bank in a boat. Boisterous weather. The Coast of New South Wales reached, and followed. Natives at Point Look-out. Landing near Smoky Cape; and again near Port Hunter. Arrival at Port Jackson on the thirteenth day. Return to Wreck Reef with a ship and two schooners. Arrangements at the Bank. Account of the reef, with nautical and other remarks. 

CHAPTER III. 

Passage in the Cumberland to Torres' Strait. Eastern Fields and Pandora's Entrance. New channels amongst the reefs. Anchorage at Half-way Island, and under the York Isles. Prince of Wales's Islands further examined. Booby Isle. Passage across the Gulph of Carpentaria. Anchorage at Wessel's Islands. Passage to Coepang Bay, in Timor; and to Mauritius, where the leakiness of the Cumberland makes it necessary to stop. Anchorage at the Baye du Cap, and departure for Port Louis. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Arrival at Port Louis (or North-West) in Mauritius. Interview with the French governor. Seizure of the Cumberland, with the charts and journals of theInvestigator's voyage; and imprisonment of the commander and people. Letters to the governor, with his answer. Restitution of some books and charts. Friendly act of the English interpreter. Propositions made to the governor. Humane conduct of captain Bergeret. Reflections on a voyage of discovery. Removal to the Maison Despeaux or Garden Prison. 

CHAPTER V. 

Prisoners in the Maison Despeaux or Garden Prison. Application to admiral Linois. Spy-glasses and swords taken. Some papers restored. Opinions upon the detention of the Cumberland. Letter of captain Baudin. An English squadron arrives off Mauritius: its consequences. Arrival of a French officer with despatches, and observations thereon. Passages in the Moniteur, with remarks. Mr. Aken liberated. Arrival of cartels from India. Applicatiou made by the marquis Wellesley. Different treatment of English and French prisoners. Prizes brought to Mauritius in sixteen months. Departure of all prisoners of war. Permission to quit the Garden Prison. Astronomical observations. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Parole given. Journey into the interior of Mauritius. The governor's country seat. Residence at the Refuge, in that Part of Williems Plains called Vacouas. Its situation and climate, with the mountains, rivers, cascades, andviews near it. The Mare aux Vacouas and Grand Bassin. State of cultivation and produce of Vacouas;its black ebony, game, and wild fruits; and freedom from noxious insects. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Occupations at Vacouas. Hospitality of the inhabitants. Letters from England. Refusal to be sent to France repeated. Account of two hurricanes, of a subterraneous stream and circular pit. Habitation of La Pérouse. Letters to the French marine minister, National Institute, etc. Letters from Sir Edward Pellew. Caverns in the Plains of St. Piérre. Visit to Port Louis. Narrative transmitted to England. Letter to captain Bergeret on his departure for France. 

CHAPTER VIII

Effects of repeated disappointment on the mind. Arrival of a cartel, and of letters from India. Letter of the French marine minister. Restitution of papers. Applications for liberty evasively answered. Attempted seizure of private letters. Memorial to the minister. Encroachments made at Paris on the Investigator's discoveries. Expected attack on Mauritius produces an abridgment of Liberty. Strict blockade. Arrival of another cartel from India. State of the public finances in Mauritius. French cartel sails for the Cape of Good Hope. 

CHAPTER IX. 

A prospect of liberty, which is officially confirmed. Occurrences during eleven weeks residence in the town of Port Louisand on board the Harriet cartel. Parole and certificates. Departure from Port Louis, and embarkation in the Otter. Eulogium on the inhabitants of Mauritius. Review of the conduct of general De Caen. Passage to the Cape of Good Hope, and after seven weeks stay, from thence to England. Conclusion. 

APPENDIX. 

No. I. 

Account of the observations by which the _Longitudes_ of places on theeast and north coasts of Terra Australis have been settled. 

No. II. 

On the errors of the compass arising from attractions within the ship, and others from the magnetism of land; with precautions for obviatingtheir effects in marine surveying. 

No. III. 

General Remarks, geographical and systematical, on the Botany of TerraAustralis. By ROBERT BROWN, F. R. S. _Acad. Reg. Scient. Berolin. Corresp. _ NATURALIST TO THE VOYAGE. 

A LIST OF THE PLATES, WITH DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 

IN VOLUME I. 

View from the south side of King George's Sound. Entrance of Port Lincoln, taken from behind Memory Cove. View on the north side of Kangaroo Island. View of Port Jackson, taken from the South Head. 

IN VOLUME II. 

View of Port Bowen, from behind the Watering Gully. View of Murray's Islands, with the natives offering to barter. View in Sir Edward Pellew's Group--Gulph of Carpentaria. View of Malay Road, from Pobassoo's Island. View of Wreck-Reef Bank, taken at low water. 

IN THE ATLAS. 

Plate. 

I. General Chart of TERRA AUSTRALIS and the neighbouring lands, from latitude 7° to 44½° south, and longitude 102° to 165° east. 

II. Particular chart of the South Coast, from Cape Leeuwin tothe Archipelago of the Recherche. 

III. Ditto from the Archipelago of the Recherche to past the headof the great Australian Bight. 

IV. Ditto from the head of the great Australian Bight to pastEncounter Bay. 

V. Ditto from near Encounter Bay to Cape Otway at the west entranceof Bass' Strait. 

VI. Ditto from Cape Otway, past Cape Howe, to Barmouth Creek. 

VII. Particular chart of Van Diemen's Land. 

VIII. Particular chart of the East Coast, from Barmouth Creekto past Cape Hawke. 

IX. Ditto from near Cape Hawke to past Glass-house Bay. 

X. Ditto from Glass-house Bay to Broad Sound. 

XI. Ditto from Broad Sound to Cape Grafton. 

XII. Ditto from Cape Grafton to the Isle of Direction. 

XIII. Particular chart of the East Coast from the I. Of Directionto Cape York, and of the North Coast from thence to Pera Head;including Torres Strait and parts of New Guinea. 

XIV. A particular chart of the North Coast, from Torres' Straitto Point Dale and the Wessel's Islands, including the wholeof the Gulph of Carpentaria. 

XV. The north-west side of the Gulph of Carpentaria, on a large scale. 

XVI. Particular chart of Timor and some neighbouring islands. 

XVII. Fourteen views of headlands, etc. On the south coastof Terra Australis. 

XVIII. Thirteen views on the east and north coasts, and one of Samow Strait. 

AND

Ten plates of selected plants from different parts of Terra Australis. 

THE READER IS REQUESTED TO CORRECT THE FOLLOWING ERRATA. 

[Errors have been corrected in this ebook]

INTRODUCTION. 

The voyages which had been made, during the seventeenth and eighteenthcenturies, by Dutch and by English navigators, had successively broughtto light various extensive coasts in the southern hemisphere, which werethought to be united; and to comprise a land, which must be nearly equalin magnitude to the whole of Europe. To this land, though known to beseparated from all other great portions of the globe, geographers weredisposed to give the appellation of Continent: but doubts still existed, of the continuity of its widely extended shores; and it was urged, that, as our knowledge of some parts was not founded upon well authenticatedinformation, and we were in total ignorance of some others, these coastsmight, instead of forming one great land, be no other than parts ofdifferent large islands. 

The establishment, in 1788, of a British colony on the easternmost, andlast discovered, of these new regions, had added that degree of interestto the question of their continuity, which a mother country takes infavour, even, of her outcast children, to know the form, extent, andgeneral nature of the land, where they may be placed. The question had, therefore, ceased to be one in which geography was alone concerned: itclaimed the paternal consideration of the father of all his people, andthe interests of the national commerce seconded the call forinvestigation. 

Accordingly, the following voyage was undertaken by command of HISMAJESTY, in the year 1801; in a ship of 334 tons, which received theappropriate name of the INVESTIGATOR; and, besides great objects ofclearing up the doubt respecting the unity of these southern regions, andof opening therein fresh sources to commerce, and new ports to seamen, itwas intended, that the voyage should contribute to the advancement ofnatural knowledge in various branches; and that some parts of theneighbouring seas should he visited, wherein geography and navigation hadstill much to desire. 

The vast regions to which this voyage was principally directed, comprehend, in the western part, the early discoveries of the Dutch, under the name of NEW HOLLAND; and in the east, the coasts explored byBritish navigators, and named NEW SOUTH WALES. It has not, however, beenunusual to apply the first appellation to both regions; but to continuethis, would be almost as great an injustice to the British nation, whoseseamen have had so large a share in the discovery, as it would be to theDutch, were New South Wales to be so extended. This appears to have beenfelt by a neighbouring, and even rival, nation; whose writers commonlyspeak of these countries under the general term of _Terres Australes_. Infact, the original name, used by the Dutch themselves until some timeafter Tasman's second voyage, in 1644, was _Terra Australis_, or _GreatSouth Land_; and when it was displaced by New Holland, the new term wasapplied only to the parts lying _westward_ of a meridian line, passingthrough Arnhem's Land on the north. , and near the isles of St. Francisand St. Peter, on the south: all to the eastward, including the shores ofthe Gulph of Carpentaria, still remained as Terra Australis. This appearsfrom a chart published by THEVENOT, in 1663; which, he says, "wasoriginally taken from that done in inlaid work, upon the pavement of thenew Stadt-House at Amsterdam. " * The same thing is to be inferred from thenotes of Burgomaster WITSEN, in 1705; of which there will be occasion tospeak in the sequel. 

[* "La carte que l'on a mise icy, tire sa première origine de celle quel'on a fait tailler de piéces rapportées, sur le pavé de la nouvelleMaison-de-Ville d'Amsterdam. " _Rélations de divers Voyagescurieux. _--Avis. ]

It is necessary, however, to geographical precision, that so soon as NewHolland and New South Wales were known to form one land, there should bea general name applicable to the whole; and this essential point havingbeen ascertained in the present voyage, with a degree of certaintysufficient to authorise the measure, I have, with the concurrence ofopinions entitled to deference, ventured upon the re-adoption of the_original_ TERRA AUSTRALIS; and of this term I shall hereafter make use, when speaking of New Holland and New South Wales, in a collective sense;and when using it in the most extensive signification, the adjacentisles, including that of Van Diemen, must be understood to becomprehended. 

There is no probability, that any other detached body of land, of nearlyequal extent, will ever be found in a more southern latitude; the nameTerra Australis will, therefore, remain descriptive of the geographicalimportance of this country, and of its situation on the globe: it hasantiquity to recommend it; and, having no reference to either of the twoclaiming nations, appears to be less objectionable than any other whichcould have been selected. *

[* Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the original term, it wouldhave been to convert it into AUSTRALIA; as being more agreeable to theear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of theearth. ]

In dividing New South Wales from New Holland, I have been guided by theBritish patent to the first governor of the new colony, at Port Jackson. In this patent, a meridian, nearly corresponding to the ancient line ofseparation, between New Holland and Terra Australis, has been made thewestern limit of New South Wales; and is fixed at the longitude of 135°east, from the meridian of Greenwich. From hence, the British territoryextends eastward, to the islands of the _Pacific_, or _Great Ocean_: itsnorthern limit is at _Cape York_; and the extremity of the southern _VanDiemen's Land_, is its opposite boundary. 

The various discoveries which had been made upon the coasts of TerraAustralis, antecedently to the present voyage, are of dates as widelydistant, as are the degrees of confidence to which they are respectivelyentitled; the accounts, also, lie scattered through various books indifferent languages; and many are still in manuscript. It has, therefore, been judged, that a succinct history of these discoveries would beacceptable to the public; and would form an appropriate introduction to avoyage, whose principal object was to complete what they had leftunfinished. Such a history will not only, it is hoped, be foundinteresting, but, from the occasions it will furnish to point out whatremained to be done at the beginning of the nineteenth century, willsatisfy a question which may be asked: Why it should have been thoughtnecessary to send another expedition to explore the coasts of a country, concerning which it has been said, near thirty years ago--"It is nolonger a doubt, that we have now a full knowledge of the wholecircumference of this vast body of land, this fifth part of the world. " *An expression, which the learned writer could have intended to apply onlyto the general extent of the new continent, and not to the particularformation of every part of the coasts; since the chart, which accompaniesthe voyage of which he was writing the introduction, represents much ofthe south coast, as being totally unknown. 

[* _Cook's third Voyage_, Introduction. P. Xv. ]

In tracing a historical sketch of the previous discoveries, I shall notdwell upon such as depend upon conjecture and probability, but comespeedily to those, for which there are authentic documents. In thislatter, and solely important, class, the articles extracted from voyages, which are in the hands of the public, will be abridged to their leadingheads; and the reader referred, for the details, to the original works;but in such articles as have either not appeared before, or but veryimperfectly, in an English dress, as also in those extracted fromunpublished manuscripts, a wider range will be taken: in these, so far asthe documents go, on the one hand, and the limits of an introduction canallow, on the other, no interesting fact will be omitted. 

Conformably to this plan, no attempt will be made to investigate theclaims of the _Chinese_ to the earliest knowledge of Terra Australis;which some, from the chart of _Marco Polo_, have thought they possessed. Nor yet will much be said upon the plea advanced by the Abbé PRÉVOST, *and after him by the President DEBROSSES, ** in favour of _Paulmier deGonneville_, a French captain; for whom they claim the honour of havingdiscovered Terra Australis, in 1504. It is evident from the proofs theyadduce, that it was not to any part of this country, but to Madagascar, that Gonneville was driven; and from whence he brought his princeEssomeric, to Normandy. 

[* _Histoire générale des Voyages_. Tome XVI. (à la Haye) p. 7-14. ]

[** _Histoire des Navigations aux Terres Australes_. Tome I. P. 102-120. ]

Within these few years, however, two curious manuscript charts have beenbrought to light; which have favoured an opinion, that Terra Australishad really been visited by Europeans, nearly a century before anyauthentic accounts speak of its discovery. One of these charts is inFrench, without date; and from its almost exact similitude, is probablyeither the original, or a copy of the other, which is in English; andbears, with the date 1542, a dedication to the KING OF ENGLAND. * In it, an extensive country is marked to the southward of the Moluccas, underthe name of GREAT JAVA; which agrees nearer with the position and extentof Terra Australis, than with any other land; and the direction given tosome parts of the coast, approaches too near to the truth, for the wholeto have been marked from conjecture alone. But, combining this with theexaggerated extent of Great Java in a southern direction, and the animalsand houses painted upon the shores, such as have not been any where seenin Terra Australis, it should appear to have been partly formed fromvague information, collected, probably, by the early Portuguesenavigators, from the eastern nations; and that conjecture has done therest. It may, at the same time, be admitted, that a part of the west andnorth-west coasts, where the coincidence of form is most striking, mighthave been seen by the Portuguese themselves, before the year 1540, intheir voyages to, and from, India. 

[* A more particular account of these charts, now in the _BritishMuseum_, will be found in Captain Burney's "_History of Discoveries inthe South Sea_. " Vol. I. P. 379-383. An opinion is there expressedconcerning the early discoveries in these regions, which is entitled torespectful attention. ]

But quitting those claims to original discovery, in which conjecturebears so large a share, we come to such as are supported by undeniabledocuments. Before entering upon these, it is proper to premise, that, instead of following precisely the order of time, these discoveries willbe classed under the heads of the different coasts upon which they weremade: an arrangement which will obviate the confusion that would arisefrom being carried back from one coast to another, as must, of necessity, be the case, were the chronological order to be strictly followed. 

The discoveries made in Terra Australis, _prior to the Investigator'svoyage_, will, therefore, be divided into four Sections, under thefollowing heads: 1. The NORTH COAST; 2. The WESTERN COASTS; 3. The SOUTHCOAST; and, 4. The EAST COAST with VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. But the articles inthe fourth Section, being numerous and more extensive, will be dividedinto two parts: PART I. Will contain the early discoveries, and such ofthe later, as were made independently of the British colony in New SouthWales; and PART II. Those which were made in vessels sent from thatcolony; and which may be considered as a consequence of itsestablishment. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION I. 

NORTH COAST. 

Preliminary Remarks:Discoveries of the Duyfhen; ofTorres;Carstens;Pool;Pietersen;Tasman; and ofthree Dutch vessels. Of Cook;M'Cluer;Bligh;Edwards;Bligh and Portlock; andBampton and Alt. Conclusive Remarks. 

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

The late Hydrographer to the Admiralty, ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE, Esq. , in hiscurious _Collection concerning_ PAPUA, published, with a translation, apaper which furnishes more regular and authentic accounts of the earlyDutch discoveries in the East, than any thing with which the public wasbefore acquainted. This interesting paper was procured by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks; and is a copy of the instructions to commodore ABELJANSZ TASMAN, for his _second_ voyage of discovery: It is dated January29, 1644, from the _Castle of Batavia_, and signed by thegovernor-general ANTONIO VAN DIEMEN, and by _Vander Lyn_, _Maatsuyker_, _Schouten_, and _Sweers_, members of the council. The instructions areprefaced with a recital, in chronological order, of the previousdiscoveries of the Dutch, whether made from accident or design, in NOVAGUINEA, and the _Great_ SOUTH LAND; and from this account, combined witha passage from Saris, * it appears, that--

THE DUYFHEN. 1606. 

On the 18th of November 1605, the Dutch yacht, the _Duyfhen_, wasdispatched from Bantam to explore the islands of New Guinea; and that shesailed along, what was thought to be, the west side of that country, to13¾° of south latitude. "This extensive country was found, for thegreatest part, desert; but, in some places, inhabited by wild, cruel, black savages; by whom some of the crew were murdered. For which reasonthey could not learn anything of the land, or waters, as had been desiredof them; and, from want of provisions and other necessaries, they wereobliged to leave the discovery unfinished: The furthest point of theland, in their map, was called Cape KEER-WEER, " or Turn-again. 

(ATLAS, Pl. I. )

The course of the Duyfhen, from New Guinea, was southward, along theislands on the west side of Torres' Strait, to that part of TerraAustralis, a little to the west and south of Cape York; but all theselands were thought to be connected, and to form the west coast of NewGuinea. Thus, without being conscious of it, the commander of the Duyfhenmade the first authenticated discovery of any part of the great SouthLand, about the month of March 1606; for it appears, that he had returnedto Banda in, or before, the beginning of June, of that year. 

TORRES 1606

LUIS VAES DE TORRES, a Spanish navigator, was the next person who sawTerra Australis; and it is remarkable, that it was near the same place, and in the same year; and that he had as little knowledge of the natureof his discovery, as had the Duyfhen. 

Torres was second in command to Pedro Fernandez de Quiros; when he sailedwith three vessels, from the port of Callao in Peru, in the year 1605. One of the purposes of their expedition was to search for the TIERRAAUSTRAL; a continent which was supposed to occupy a considerable portionof that part of the southern hemisphere lying westward of America. 

After the discovery of several islands, Quiros came to a land which henamed AUSTRALIA DEL ESPIRITU SANTO, supposing it to be a part of thegreat Southern Continent; but this, on his separation from the admiral, Torres found could be no other than an island; and then continued hiscourse westward, in prosecution of the research. 

About the month of August 1606, and in latitude 11½° south, he fell inwith a coast, which he calls "the beginning of New Guinea;" and whichappears to have been the south-eastern part of the land, afterwards namedLouisiade, by Mons. DE BOUGAINVILLE, and now known to be a chain ofislands. Unable to pass to windward of this land, Torres bore away alongits south side; and gives, himself, the following account of hissubsequent proceedings. 

"We went along 300 leagues of coast, as I have mentioned, and diminishedthe latitude 2½°, which brought us into 9°. From hence we fell in with abank of from 3 to 9 fathoms, which extends along the coast above 180leagues. We went over it along the coast to 7½ S. Latitude, and the endof it is in 5°. We could not go further on for the many shoals and greatcurrents, so we were obliged to sail S. W. In that depth to 11°. S. Latitude. There is all over it an archipelago of islands without number, by which we passed, and at the end of the 11th degree, the bank becameshoaler. Here were very large islands, and there appeared more to thesouthward: they were inhabited by black people, very corpulent, andnaked: their arms were lances, arrows, and clubs of stone ill fashioned. We could not get any of their arms. We caught in all this land 20 personsof different nations, that with them we might be able to give a betteraccount to Your Majesty. They give much notice of other people, althoughas yet they do not make themselves well understood. 

"We were upon this bank two months, at the end of which time we foundourselves in 25 fathoms, and in 5° S. Latitude, and 10 leagues from thecoast. And having gone 480 leagues, here the coast goes to the N. E. Idid not reach it, for the bank became very shallow. So we stood to thenorth. " *

[* See the letter of Torres, dated Manila, July 12, 1607, in Vol. II. Appendix, No I. To Burney's "_History of Discoveries in the South Sea_;"from which interesting work this sketch of Torres' voyage is extracted. ]

It cannot be doubted, that the "very large islands" seen by Torres, atthe 11th degree of south latitude, were the hills of Cape York; or thathis _two months_ of intricate navigation were employed in passing thestrait which divides Terra Australis and New Guinea. But the account ofthis and other discoveries, which Torres himself addressed to the King ofSpain, was so kept from the world, that the existence of such a straitwas generally unknown, until 1770; when it was again discovered andpassed by our great circumnavigator Captain Cook. 

Torres, it should appear, took the precaution to lodge a copy of hisletter in the archives of Manila; for, after that city was taken by theBritish forces, in 1762, Mr. Dalrymple found out, and drew from oblivion, this interesting document of early discovery; and, as a tribute due tothe enterprising Spanish navigator, he named the passage TORRES' STRAIT;and the appellation now generally prevails. 

ZEACHEN. 1618. 

ZEACHEN is said to have discovered the land of Arnhem and the northernVan Diemen's Land, in 1618; and he is supposed, from the first name, tohave been a native of Arnhem, in Holland; and that the second was givenin honour of the governor-general of the Indies. * But there are twoimportant objections to the truth of this vague account: first, nomention is made of Zeachen in the recital of discoveries which prefacethe instructions to Tasman; nor is there any, of the North Coast havingbeen visited by the Dutch, in that year: secondly, it appears from_Valentyn's_ lives of the governors of Batavia, that Van Diemen was notgovernor-general until January 1, 1636. 

[* _Hist. Des Navigations aux Terres Aust. _ Tome 1. P. 432. ]

CARSTENS. 1623. 

The second expedition, mentioned in the Dutch recital, for the discoveryof the Great South Land, "was undertaken in a yacht, in the year 1617, with little success;" and the journals and remarks were not to be found. In January 1623, the yachts _Pera_ and _Arnhem_, under the command of JANCARSTENS, were despatched from _Amboina_, by order of His Excellency JanPieterz Coen. Carstens, with eight of the Arnhem's crew, wastreacherously murdered by the natives of New Guinea; but the vesselsprosecuted the voyage, and _discovered_ "the great islands ARNHEM and theSPULT. " * They were then "untimely separated, " and the Arnhem returned toAmboina. The Pera persisted; and "sailed along the south coast of NewGuinea, to a flat cove, situate in 10° south latitude; and ran along theWest Coast of this land to Cape Keer-Weer; from thence discovered thecoast further southward, as far as 17°, to STATEN RIVER. From this place, what more of the land could be discerned, seemed to stretch _westward_:"the Pera then returned to Amboina. "In this discovery were found, everywhere, shallow water and barren coasts; islands altogether thinly peopledby divers cruel, poor, and brutal nations; and of very little use to the(Dutch East-India) Company. "

[* In the old charts, a river Spult is marked, in the western part ofArnhem's Land; and it seems probable, that the land in its vicinity ishere meant by THE SPULT. ]

POOL. PIETERSEN. 1636. 

GERRIT TOMAZ POOL was sent, in April 1636, from _Banda_, with the yachts_Klyn Amsterdam_ and _Wezel_, upon the same expedition as Carstens; and, at the same place, on the coast of New Guinea, he met with the same fate. Nevertheless "the voyage was assiduously continued under the charge ofthe supra-cargo Pieterz Pietersen; and the islands _Key_ and _Arouw_visited. By reason of very strong eastwardly winds, they could not reachthe west coast of New Guinea (Carpentaria); but shaping their course verynear south, discovered the coast of Arnhem, or Van Diemen's Land, in 11°south latitude; and sailed along the shore for 120 miles (30 mijlen), without seeing any people, _but many signs of smoke_. "

TASMAN. 1644. 

This is all that appears to have been known of the North Coast, when ABELJANSZ TASMAN sailed upon his second voyage, in 1644; for the instructionsto him say, that after quitting "Point Ture, or False Cape, situate in 8°on the south coast of New Guinea, you are to continue eastward, along thecoast, to 9° south latitude; crossing prudently the _Cove_ at that place. Looking about the _high islands_ or _Speult's River_, with the yachts, for a harbour; despatching the tender _De Braak_, for two or three daysinto the Cove, in order to discover whether, within the GREAT INLET, there be not to be found an entrance into the South Sea. * From this placeyou are to coast along the west coast of New Guinea. (Carpentaria, ) tothe furthest discoveries in 17° south latitude; following the coastfurther, as it may run, west or southward. "

[* The Great Inlet or Cove, where the passage was to be sought, is thenorth-west part of Torres' Strait. It is evident, that a suspicion wasentertained, in 1644, of such a strait; but that the Dutch were ignorantof its having been passed. The "high islands" are those which lie inlatitude 10°, on the west side of the strait. Speult's River appears tobe the opening betwixt the Prince of Wales' Islands and Cape York;through which captain Cook afterwards passed, and named it Endeavour'sStrait. This _Speult's River_ cannot, I conceive, be the same with whatwas before mentioned under the name of THE SPULT. ]

"But it is to be feared you will meet, in these parts, with thesouth-east trade winds; from which it will be difficult to keep the coaston board, if stretching to the south-east; but, notwithstanding this, endeavour by all means to proceed; that we may be sure whether this landis divided from the _Great Known_ SOUTH CONTINENT, or not. "

The Dutch had, by this time, acquired some knowledge of a part of thesouth coast of Terra Australis; of the west coast; and of a part of thenorth-west; and these are the lands meant by "the Great Known SouthContinent. " Arnhem's, and the northern Van Diemen's Lands, on the NorthCoast, are not included in the expression; for Tasman was directed "from_De Witt's Land_ (on the North-west Coast, ) to run across, very neareastward, to complete the discovery of _Arnhem's_ and _Van Diemen'sLands_; and to ascertain perfectly, whether these lands are not _one andthe same island_. "

It is a great obstacle to tracing correctly the progress of earlydiscovery in Terra Australis, that no account of this voyage of Tasmanhas ever been published; nor is any such known to exist. But it seems tohave been the general opinion, that he sailed round the _Gulph ofCarpentaria_; and then westward, along _Arnhem's_ and the northern _VanDiemen's Lands_; and the form of these coasts in Thevenot's chart of1663, and in those of most succeeding geographers, even up to the end ofthe eighteenth century, is supposed to have resulted from this voyage. The opinion is strengthened by finding the names of Tasman, and of thegovernor-general and two of the council, who signed his instructions, applied to places at the head of the Gulph; as is also that of _Maria_, the daughter of the governor, to whom our navigator is said to have beenattached. In the notes, also, of Burgomaster Witsen, concerning theinhabitants of NOVA GUINEA and HOLLANDIA NOVA, as extracted by Mr. Dalrymple; Tasman is mentioned amongst those, from whom his informationwas drawn. 

THREE DUTCH VESSELS. 1705. 

The President De Brosses* gives, from the miscellaneous tracts of_Nicolas Struyck_, printed at Amsterdam, 1753, the following account ofanother, and last voyage of the Dutch, for the discovery of the NorthCoast. 

[* _Hist. Des Nav. Aux Terres Aust_. Tome I. Page 439. ]

"March 1, 1705, three Dutch vessels were sent from _Timor_, with order toexplore the north coast of _New Holland_, better than it had before beendone. They carefully examined the coasts, sand banks, and reefs. In theirroute to it, they did not meet with any land, but only some rocks abovewater, in 11° 52' south latitude:" (probably the south part of the great_Sahul Bank_; which, according to captain Peter Heywood, who saw it in180l, lies in 11° 40'. ) "They saw the west coast of New Holland 4° to theeastward of the east point of Timor. From thence they continued theirroute towards the north; and passed a point, off which lies a bank ofsand above water, in length _more than five German miles_ of fifteen to adegree. After which, they made sail to the east, along the coast of NewHolland; observing every thing with care, until they came to a gulph, thehead of which they did not quite reach. I (Struyck) have seen a chartmade of these parts. "

What is here called the _West_, must have been the North-west Coast;which the vessels appear to have made somewhat to the south of thewestern _Cape Van Diemen_. The point which they passed, was probably thissame Cape itself; and in a chart, published by Mr. Dalrymple, Aug. 27, 1783, from a Dutch manuscript (possibly a copy of that which Struyck hadseen), a shoal, of _thirty geographic miles_ in length, is marked asrunning off, from it; but incorrectly, according to Mr. Mc. Cluer. Thegulph here mentioned, was probably a deep bay in Arnhem's Land; for hadit been the Gulph of Carpentaria, some particular mention of the greatchange in the direction of the coast, would, doubtless, have been made. 

From this imperfect account of the voyage of these three vessels, verylittle satisfactory information is obtained; and this, with some fewexceptions, is the case with all the accounts of the early Dutchdiscoveries; and has usually been attributed to the monopolizing spiritof their East-India Company, which induced it to keep secret, or todestroy, the journals. 

COOK. 1770. 

The north coast of Terra Australis does not appear to have been seen byany succeeding navigator, until the year 1770; when our celebratedcaptain JAMES COOK passed through _Endeavour's Strait_, between Cape Yorkand the Prince of Wales' Islands; and besides clearing up the doubtwhich, till then, existed, of the actual separation of Terra Australisfrom New Guinea, his more accurate observations enabled geographers toassign something like a true place to the former discoveries of theDutch, in these parts. Captain Cook did not land upon the main; but, at_Possession Island_, he saw ten natives: "Nine of them were armed withsuch lances as we had been accustomed to see, and the tenth had a _bow_, and a bundle of _arrows_, which we had never seen in the possession ofthe natives of this country before. " *

[* _Hawkesworth's Voyages_, Vol. III. Page 211. ]

Mc. CLUER. 1791. 

At the end of the year 1791, lieutenant JOHN Mc. CLUER of the Bombaymarine, in returning from the examination of the west side of New Guinea, made the Land of _Arnhem_, in longitude 135¼°, east of Greenwich. He thensailed westward, along the shore, to 129° 55'; when the coast was foundto take a southern direction. The point of turning is placed in 11° 15'south latitude; and is, doubtless, the Cape Van Diemen of the old charts, and the west extremity of the north coast of Terra Australis. 

It does not appear that any other account has been given of thisnavigation, than the chart published by Mr. Dalrymple, in 1792. Accordingto it, though lieutenant Mc. Cluer constantly had soundings, in from 7 to40 fathoms; yet he was generally at such a distance from the land, thatit was not often seen; and, consequently, he was unable to identify theparticular points. No landing seems to have been effected upon the main;but some service was rendered to navigation, by ascertaining thepositions of several small islands, shoals, and projecting parts of thecoast; and in conferring a certain degree of authenticity upon thediscoveries of the early Dutch navigators. 

Lieutenant Mc. Cluer is the last person, who can strictly be said to haveadded to our knowledge of the north coast of Terra Australis, previouslyto the time in which the voyage of the Investigator was planned; butseveral navigators had followed captain Cook through Torres' Strait, andby considerably different routes: these it will be proper to notice; astheir discoveries are intimately connected with the present subject. 

BLIGH. 1789. 

After the mutineers of the _Bounty_ had forced their commander, lieutenant (now rear-admiral) WILLIAM BLIGH, to embark in the _launch_, near the island _Tofoa_; he steered for Coepang, a Dutch settlement, atthe south-west end of _Timor_. In the way, he made the east coast of NewSouth Wales, in about 12½° of South latitude; and, sailing northward, passed round Cape York and the Prince of Wales' Islands. 

It was not to be supposed, that captain Bligh, under the circumstances ofextreme distress, of fatigue, and difficulty of every kind, could do muchfor navigation and geography; yet, he took views and made suchobservations and notes, as enabled him to construct a chart of his track, and of the lands and reefs seen from the launch. And as captain Blighpassed to the _north_ of the Prince of Wales' Islands, whereas captainCook had passed to the south, his interesting narrative, with theaccompanying chart, made an useful addition to what little was yet knownof Torres'Strait. *

[* Bligh's "_Voyage to the South Seas in H. M. Ship Bounty_, " page218-221. ]

EDWARDS. 1791. 

CAPTAIN (now admiral) EDWARD EDWARDS of HIS Majesty's frigate _Pandora_, on his return from the island Taheity, * made the reefs of Torres' Strait, on Aug. 25; in about the latitude 10° south, and _two degrees_ oflongitude to the east of Cape York. Steering from thence westward, hefell in with three islands, rather high, which he named MURRAY'S; lyingin latitude 9° 57' south, and longitude 143° 42' east;** and some canoes, with two masts, were seen running within side of the reef which laybetween the islands and the ship. This reef was of considerable extent;and, during the whole of August 26, captain Edwards ran along it to thesouthward, without finding any passage through. On the 27th, the searchwas continued, without success; but on the 28th, a boat was despatched toexamine an opening in the reef; and the ship stood off and on, waitingthe result. At five in the evening, the boat made a signal for a passagebeing found; but fearing to venture through, so near sunset, without moreparticular information, captain Edwards called the boat on board. In themean time, a current, or tide, set the Pandora upon the reef; and, afterbeating there till ten o'clock, she went over it into deep water; andsunk in 15 fathoms, at daylight of the 29th. 

[* Commonly written _Otaheite_; but the 0 is either an article or apreposition, and forms no part of the name: Bougainville writes itTaïti. ]

[** In Plates I. And XIII. Murray's Islands are laid down according totheir situations afterwards ascertained in the Investigator; and thereefs, seen by the Pandora, are placed in their relative positions tothose islands. ]

A dry sand bank was perceived within the opening, at the distance of fourmiles; and thither the boats repaired with the remaining officers andpeople; thirty-nine men having lost their lives in this melancholydisaster. This opening was ascertained to lie in latitude 11° 24' andlongitude 143° 38'; and is represented as very practicable for ships. 

Not being able to save any thing from the wreck, captain Edwards, almostdestitute of provisions and water, set sail on Aug. 30, with his squadronof four boats; and steered for the north-east part of Terra Australis. Noreefs, or other dangers, appear to have been encountered in the way tothe coast; but in the course northward, along it, some islands and reefswere seen. From one part of the coast, two canoes with three black men ineach, paddled hard after the boats; but though they waved and made manysigns, it was not thought prudent to wait for them. At one of the YorkIsles, the natives, for some trifling presents, filled a keg of water forcaptain Edwards; but refused to bring down any more; and, soon afterward, they let fly a shower of arrows amongst the unfortunate sufferers. Happily no person was wounded; and the aggressors were put to flight, bya volley of musketry. 

At the Prince of Wales' Islands, good water was found; and muchalleviated the distress of captain Edwards and his people. They heardhere the howling of wolves, (probably of wild dogs, ) and "discovered a_morai_, or rather heap of bones. There were amongst them two humanskulls, the bones of some large animals, and some turtle bones. They wereheaped together in the form of a grave; and a long paddle, supported ateach end by a bifurcated branch of a tree, was laid horizontally alongit. Near to this, there were marks of a fire having been recently made;and the ground about was much footed and worn. " *

[* See "_A Voyage round the World in H. M. Frigate Pandora_, " by GeorgeHamilton, Surgeon; page 123, _et seq. _]

A few small oysters, a harsh austere fruit, resembling a plum, and asmall berry of a similar taste to the plum, were all that could be foundfor food. 

"There is a large sound formed here, to which, " says Mr. Hamilton, "wegave the name of _Sandwich's Sound_; and commodious anchorage forshipping in the bay, to which we gave the name of _Woy's Bay_, in whichthere is from five to seven fathoms all round. Near the centre of thesound is a small, dark-coloured, rocky island. "

Sept. 2. In the afternoon, captain Edwards passed out to the northward, with his little squadron, from amongst the Prince of Wales' Islands; andthe same evening, by steering westward, cleared all the islands and reefsof Torres' Strait: on the 14th he reached Timor. 

The track and discoveries of the Pandora, in Plate XIII. Are taken from achart published in 1798, by Mr. Dalrymple, upon the authority of oneconstructed by lieutenant Hayward; but it does not contain the track ofthe boats after the loss of the Pandora. This chart, and the accountgiven by Mr. Hamilton, which, though more than sufficiently explicit uponsome points, is very defective in what concerns navigation and geography;are all that appears to have been published of this voyage. 

BLIGH and PORTLOCK. 1792. 

Neither the great extent of the reefs, to the eastward of Cape York, northe loss of the Pandora, were known in 1792; when captain WILLIAm BLIGHcame a second time to Torres' Strait, with His Majesty's ship_Providence_, and the brig _Assistant_ commanded by lieutenant (nowcaptain) NATHANIEL PORTLOCK. The objects of his mission were, totransport the bread-fruit plant from Taheity to the West Indies; and, inhis way, to explore a new passage through the Strait; in both of which hewas successful. 

A chart of the discoveries made in Torres' Strait, was lodged, by captainBligh, in the Admiralty Office; and is incorporated with otherauthorities, in Plate XIII. Of the accompanying Atlas. No account of thisvoyage having yet been published; it is conceived, that the followingbrief relation of the passage through the strait, will be acceptable tothe nautical reader; and, having had the honour to serve in theexpedition, I am enabled to give it from my own journal, with thesanction of captain Bligh. 

Aug. 31. Latitude at noon 9° 25' south; longitude from fifteen sets ofdistances of the sun west, and star east, of the moon, taken on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, preceding, 145° 22' and by time keepers, 145° 23' east. No land seen since passing _Louisiade_ the preceding day; but many birdsand fish, and much rock weed. At dusk, having steered W. ¼ S. 27 miles, breakers were seen ahead, at the distance of two miles; and the vesselshauled to the wind: no bottom at 94 fathoms. 

Sept. 1. They bore away W. By S. ; but hauled up gradually to South, onaccount of the breakers; and not being able to weather them, tacked tothe N. E. At noon, latitude 9° 37' south, longitude by time keepers, 144°59' east:* part of the reef, which was named after captain Portlock, seenin the N. N. W. From the mast head. At four o'clock, the vessels edgedaway round the north end of _Portlock's Reef_, which, at dusk, boreSouth, about two leagues; and the wind was then hauled for the night. 

[* In Plate XIII. Some small alterations are made in the longitudes givenby captain Bligh's time keepers, to make them correspond with thecorrected longitudes of the Investigator and Cumberland. ]

Sept. 2. The breakers bore South, four or five miles; and captain Blighsteered westward: the Assistant leading. At noon, the latitude being 9°26', longitude, by time keepers, 144° 23', other breakers were seenahead, and the vessels hauled the wind to the southward; but findinganother reef in that direction, with a dry bank upon it, they tacked tothe N. E. At half past one; and got ground, for the first time, in 64fathoms, coral bottom. During the following night, they stood off and on, constantly getting soundings. 

No breakers were in sight in the morning of Sept. 3. At seven, a boat wassent ahead; and the vessels bore away after her to the N. W. , in order totry the New-Guinea side of the Strait. At noon, their course wasinterrupted by a reef, which was named _Bonds Reef_, extending from W. N. W. To North, and distant four or five miles: observed latitude 9° 6', longitude 144° 13'. The north side of the Strait being judgedimpracticable, the wind was again hauled to the southward; and, at dusk, the vessels anchored in 37 fathoms, fine grey sand; five or six milesnorth of a reef, upon which was a dry bank, called _Anchor Key_. Anisland of considerable height, bearing S. W. By W. Ten leagues, was thenseen from the mast head: Captain Bligh gave it the name of _Darnley'sIsland_; and to the space between Portlock's and Bond's Reefs, by whichthe vessels had entered the Strait, that of _Bligh's Entrance_. 

Sept. 4. A boat was sent to the S. S. W. , and the vessels followed. Otherhigh lands (_Murray's Isles_) were seen to the southward; and a reef witha sand bank on it, to the west. At noon, the latitude was 9° 32' south, and longitude 143° 59' east: Darnley's Island bore S. 74° to 82° W. , fourleagues; and the largest of Murray's Isles, S. 13° to 21° E. : the westernreef was about three miles distant, but nothing was visible ahead in theS. By W. At four o'clock, the vessels anchored in 21 fathoms, sandybottom; with Darnley's Island bearing N. 60° W. , three leagues. Betwixt asand-bank, called _Canoe Key_, which bore S. 60° W. , two leagues, and areef lying in the W. By S. , there appeared to be a passage, which theboats were sent to examine. 

On the 5th, boats were again sent to sound the passage. Several largesailing canoes were seen; and the cutter making the signal forassistance, the pinnace was sent to her, well manned and armed. On thereturn of the boats in the afternoon, it appeared, that, of four canoeswhich used their efforts to get up to the cutter, one succeeded. Therewere in it fifteen Indians, black, and quite naked; and they made signswhich were interpreted to be amicable. These signs the officer imitated;but not thinking it prudent to go so near as to take a green cocoa-nut, which was held up to him, he continued rowing for the ship. A man, whowas sitting upon the shed erected in the centre of the canoe, then saidsomething to those below; and immediately they began to string theirbows. Two of them had already fitted arrows, when the officer judged itnecessary to fire in his own defence. Six muskets were discharged; andthe Indians fell flat into the bottom of the canoe, all except the man onthe shed: the seventh musket was fired at him, and he fell also. Duringthis time, the canoe dropped astern; and the three others having joinedher, they all gave chase to the cutter, trying to cut her off from theship; in which they would probably have succeeded, had not the pinnacearrived, at that juncture, to her assistance. The Indians then hoistedtheir sails, and steered for Darnley's Island. 

No boats could have been manoeuvred better, in working to windward, thanwere these long canoes by the naked savages. Had the four been able toreach the cutter, it is difficult to say, whether the superiority of ourarms would have been equal to the great difference of numbers;considering the ferocity of these people, and the skill with which theyseemed to manage their weapons. 

September 6. Two boats were sent ahead; and the vessels followed them, between Canoe Key and the reef lying from it half a mile to the north. After running twelve miles beyond this narrow pass, they anchored in 13fathoms; the latitude being 9° 37', and longitude 143° 41'. In theafternoon, they proceeded five miles further, to the N. N. W. ; andDarnley's Island then bore S. 74° to 55° E. Two leagues: except on thenorth side, this island appeared to be surrounded with reefs and sandbanks to a considerable distance. In sailing from Canoe Key, the vesselshad left, on the larbord hand, a long chain of reefs and banks; at thenorth-west end of which, were three low, woody islands: the nearest ofthese, bearing S. 41° W. Two or three miles from the anchorage, was named_Nepean Island_. The view to the northward, from W. By N. To E. By S. , was free from dangers; but in every other direction there were reefs, islands, or dry banks. 

This day, several canoes from Darnley's Island came off to both vessels. On approaching, the Indians clapped upon their heads, and exclaimed_Whou! Whou! Whoo!_ repeatedly, with much vehemence; at the same time, they held out arrows and other weapons, and asked for _toore-tooree_! bywhich they meant iron. * After much difficulty, they were persuaded tocome along-side; and two men ventured into the ship. They had bushyhair--were rather stout made--and nearly answered the description givenof the natives of New Guinea. ** The cartilage, between the nostrils, wascut away in both these people; and the lobes of their ears slit, andstretched to a great length, as had before been observed in a native ofthe _Fejee Islands_. They had no kind of clothing; but wore necklaces ofcowrie shells, fastened to a braid of fibres; and some of theircompanions had pearl-oyster shells hung round their necks. In speaking toeach other, their words seemed to be distinctly pronounced. 

[* The name for iron at Taheity, is _eure-euree_, or _ooree_, orj, according to Bougainville, _aouri_. ]

[** See _a Voyage to New Guinea_, by Captain Thomas Forrest. ]

Their arms were bows, arrows, and clubs, which they bartered for everykind of iron work with eagerness; but appeared to set little value on anything else. The bows are made of split bamboo; and so strong, that no manin the ship could bend one of them. The string is a broad slip of cane, fixed to one end of the bow; and fitted with a noose, to go over theother end, when strung. The arrow is a cane of about four feet long, intowhich a pointed piece of the hard, heavy, _casuarina_ wood, is firmly andneatly fitted; and some of them were barbed. Their clubs are made of the_casuarina_, and are powerful weapons. The hand part is indented, and hasa small knob, by which the firmness of the grasp is much assisted; andthe heavy end is usually carved with some device: One had the form of aparrot's head, with a ruff round the neck; and was not ill done. 

Their canoes are about fifty feet in length, and appear to have beenhollowed out of a single tree; but the pieces which form the gunwales, are planks sewed on with the fibres of the cocoa nut, and secured withpegs. These vessels are low, forward, but rise abaft; and, being narrow, are fitted with an outrigger on each side, to keep them steady. A raft, of greater breadth than the canoe, extends over about half the length;and upon this is fixed a shed or hut, thatched with palm leaves. Thesepeople, in short, appeared to be dextrous sailors and formidablewarriors; and to be as much at ease in the water, as in their canoes. 

Sept. 7. The boats having found deep water round the north end of thethree low islands, the vessels followed them; but anchored again, soonafter noon, in latitude 9° 31', and longitude 143° 31'; being shelteredby the two western islands, named _Stephens'_ and _Campbell's_, and thereefs which surround them. There were then no less than eight islands insight, at different distances; though none further to the westward thanW. S. W. All these, except Darnley's Island, first seen, were small, low, and sandy; but generally well covered with wood in the central parts. 

On the 8th, the vessels steered westward, with the usual precautions. Noland, or other obstruction, had been seen in that quarter; but, at teno'clock, they were forced to haul the wind to the southward, their coursebeing impeded by reefs; upon one of which, was _Pearce's_ sandy _Key_. Atnoon, they had anchored in 15 fathoms, under the lee of _Dalrymple'sIsland_, the westernmost before seen; but two other islands were thenvisible in the S. By W. ; and reefs extended from N. 4°, to S. 55° W. , atthe distance of three or four miles. The latitude here was 9° 37'; andlongitude, from six sets of distances of the sun and moon, 143° 31'; but, by the time-keepers, 143° 15' east. 

Several canoes were lying upon the shore of Dalrymple's Island; but nonatives could he distinguished from the ships. When the boats returned, however, from sounding, in the afternoon, they came out upon the beach;waving green branches and clapping upon their heads, in token offriendship. Boats were afterwards sent to them, and were amicablyreceived; the natives running into the water to meet them, and somegetting into one of the boats. They eagerly asked for _toore-tooree_; andgave in exchange some ornaments of shells, and a kind of plum somewhatresembling a _jambo_. When the boats pushed off from the shore, thenatives followed into the water, and appeared anxious to detain them; butoffered no violence. A moderately-sized dog, of a brown, chestnut colour, was observed amongst the party. 

Sept. 9. The vessels steered after the boats, between the cluster ofislands to the southward, and an extensive reef to the west; withsoundings from 15 to 10 fathoms. At noon, the latitude was 9° 48', longitude by timekeepers 143° 6'; and two other islands came in sight tothe westward. Before two o'clock, an extensive reef, partly dry, to whichthe name of _Dungeness_ was given, made it necessary to heave to, untilthe boats had time to sound; after which, captain Bligh bore away alongthe north side of the reef, and anchored a mile from it, in 17 fathoms, hard bottom. In this situation, _Dungeness Island_, which is low and verywoody, bore N. 64° to 87° W. Three miles; and a small sandy isle, named_Warriours Island_, N. 6° to 1° W. Four miles: this last appeared tostand upon the great western reef, and was surrounded with dry sands. Besides these, there were other low isles, called the _Six Sisters_, insight, to the south-east; and a long, flat island, bearing S. 33° to 46°W. Over the dry Dungeness Reef; in the west, also, there were islandsvisible, at a greater distance, and much higher, than the others. TheStrait, instead of becoming clearer, seemed to be more and moreembarrassed with dangers, as the vessels proceeded westward. The latitudeof this anchorage was 9° 50½' south, and the longitude 142° 55' east. 

Sept. 10. The boats sounded the channel to the north-west, betweenDungeness and Warriours Islands; and finding sufficient water, thevessels got under way, at noon, to follow them. There were many nativescollected upon the shore of Dungeness Island, and several canoes fromWarriours Island were about the brig. Presently, captain Portlock madethe signal for assistance; and there was a discharge of musketry and someguns, from his vessel and from the boats. Canoes were also coming towardsthe Providence; and when a musket was fired at the headmost, the nativesset up a great shout, and paddled forward in a body; nor was musketrysufficient to make them desist. The second great gun, loaded with roundand grape, was directed at the foremost of eight canoes, full of men; andthe round shot, after raking the whole length, struck the high stem. TheIndians leaped out, and swam towards their companions; plungingconstantly, to avoid the musket balls which showered thickly about them. The squadron then made off, as fast as the people could paddle withoutshowing themselves; but afterwards rallied at a greater distance, until ashot, which passed over their heads, made them disperse, and give up allidea of any further attack. 

In passing the deserted canoe, one native was observed still sitting init. The other canoes afterwards returned to him; and, with glasses, signals were perceived to be made by the Indians, to their friends onDungeness Island, expressive, as was thought, of grief and consternation. 

No arrows fell on board the Providence; but three men were wounded in theAssistant, and one of them afterwards died: The depth to which the arrowspenetrated into the decks and sides of the brig, was represented to betruly astonishing. 

The vessels passed between Dungeness and Warriours Islands, with from 19to 13 fathoms; and anchored, at four o'clock, under the lee of DungenessIsland and Reef. The passage to the westward then appeared clearer; threehigh islands, bearing from S. 60° W. Three leagues, to N. 76° W. Fiveleagues, forming the sole visible obstructions. 

Sept. 11. Captain Bligh proceeded on his course to the W. N. W. , andpassed two islands, to which the descriptive names of _Turtle-backedIsland_ and the _Cap_ were given; and, soon after noon, the vesselsanchored in 7 fathoms, soft bottom. There was a dry sand bearing N. 63°W. Two or three miles; between which, and the third high island, called_The Brothers_, bearing S. 55° to 69° W. Three miles, it was judgednecessary for the boats to sound, before proceeding further. Thisanchorage was in latitude 9° 43', and longitude 142° 40'; and, besidesthe islands already mentioned, there was in sight a mountainous island, to which the name of _Banks_ was given, bearing S. 43° W. , twelve orthirteen leagues; also _Burke's Island_, S. 13° W. Eight or ten leagues;and _Mount Cornwallis_, on another island, N. 29° W. Six or eightleagues; and from behind this last, to N. 7° W. , there extended a levelland, which was supposed to be a part of the coast of NEW GUINEA. 

Sept. 12. The vessels followed the boats to the westward; but wereinterrupted by reefs, and obliged to anchor again before noon. The waterhad shoaled gradually, and there was then only 6 fathoms: the bottom acoarse, coral sand. Two other islands were then in sight: a low one, named _Turn-again Island_, bore N. 53° W. About four leagues; and_Jervis' Island_, which is rather high, S. 48° W. Nine leagues. A reef, with a dry sand upon it, extended from S. 7° E. To 62° W. Four or fivemiles; another was distant three miles to the west; and a third bore N. 18° W. Five miles. The latitude of the anchorage was 9° 41' south, andlongitude 142° 24' east. 

A fresh gale from south-east did not allow the Providence and Assistantto proceed onward for three days. In the mean time, the passage betweenthe reefs to the N. W. , was sounded by the boats; and found to containabout 5 fathoms, regularly, upon hard ground. They were also sent toexamine the passage round the southern reefs; and this being deeper, witha superior bottom, it was chosen as the preferable route. 

Sept. 16. The vessels passed to windward of the southern reef; andsteered south-westward, as it trended, in from 7 to 5 fathoms water, until half past noon; when they anchored in latitude 10° 3', andlongitude, by time-keeper, 142° 14'. The sole direction in which the eyecould range without being obstructed, was that whence the vessels hadcome; every where else the view was arrested by rocks, banks, andislands. The most extensive of these, was Banks' Island, extending fromS. 14° E. To 62° W. , two or three leagues; with a high hill upon it named_Mount Augustus_, which bore S. 4° E:* Another large island, named_Mulgrave's_, extended from behind the last to a cluster of rocks, whoseextreme bore W. 5° N. The nearest land, bearing S. 24° E. , one mile and ahalf, was the north-westernmost of three small isles; and to this, thesecond lieutenant was sent, for the purpose of taking possession of allthe islands seen in the Strait, for HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY GEORGE III. , with the ceremonies used on such occasions: the name bestowed upon thewhole was CLARENCE'S ARCHIPELAGO. 

[* This mountain, in latitude 10° 12' south, longitude 142° 13' east, wasseen by captain Bligh from the Bounty's launch, and marked in his chart, (_Voyage, etc. _ p. 220. ) It appears to be the same island indistinctlylaid down by captain Cook, in latitude 10° 10', longitude 141° 14'; andis, also, one of those, to which the term _Hoge Landt_ is applied inThevenot's chart of 1663. ]

_North Possession Island_ was found to be little else than a mass ofrocks surrounded by a reef; but it was covered with a variety of treesand shrubs. Amongst them was a cluster of cocoa-nut trees, bearing asmall, but delicious, fruit; and the tree bearing a plum, such as hadbeen seen at Dalrymple's Island. Besides these, the botanists found the_peeha_ and _nono_ of Taheity; and two new plants, of the size of thecommon mulberry. One, of the class _polyadelphia_, bears a scarlet, bell-shaped flower, large as the China rose; the other was a species of_erythrina_, bearing clusters of butterfly-shaped flowers, of a lightyellow, tinged with purple: both were entirely destitute of leaves, andtheir woods remarkably brittle. 

There did not appear to be any fixed inhabitants upon Possession Island;but from a fire which had been recently extinguished, and the shells andbones of turtle scattered around, it was supposed to have been visitednot many days before. The bushes were full of small, green ants; whichproved exceedingly troublesome to those who had sufficient hardihood topenetrate their retreats. Another, and larger species of ant, was black;and made its nest by bending and fixing together the leaves, in a roundform, so as to be impenetrable to the wet. These, and a small kind oflizard, were all the animals found upon the island. 

Sept. 17. The boats led to the westward, steering for a passage betweenMulgrave's and Jervis' Islands; but seeing it full of rocks and shoals, the vessels anchored a little within the entrance, in 10 fathoms, coarseground; until the boats should sound ahead. The latitude here was 10° 2', and longitude 142° 03'. The flood tide, from the E. N. E. , was found toset through between the islands, at the rate of four miles an hour; andthe breeze being fresh, and bottom bad, the situation was considered tobe very unsafe. 

Whilst the boats were sounding, several Indians in three canoes, wereperceived making towards them; but on a swivel shot being fired overtheir heads, they returned to Mulgrave's Island, on the south side of thepassage. On the signal being made for good anchorage further on, theAssistant led to the W. By S. ; but on reaching the boats, the bottom wasfound much inferior to what had been imagined; the approach of night, however, obliged captain Bligh to anchor, soon afterward, in 8 fathoms. 

In this situation, the vessels were so closely surrounded with rocks andreefs, as scarcely to have swinging room; the bottom was rocky; the windblowing a fresh gale; and a tide running between four and five knots anhour. This anxious night was, however, passed without accident; and nextmorning, Sept. 18, the route was continued through the passage, betweenreefs and rocks, which, in some places, were not three quarters of a mileasunder: the smallest depth was 4 fathoms. 

On clearing this dangerous pass, which captain Bligh named, _Bligh'sFarewell_, he anchored in 6 fathoms, sandy bottom; the wind blowingstrong at S. E. With thick weather. The latitude here was 10° 5', andlongitude 141° 56'. From north nearly, round by the east, to S. 8° E. , there was a mass of islands, rocks, and reefs, at various distances; butin the western half of the compass, no danger was visible; and as far asthree miles to the W. N. W. , the boats found good soundings in 6 and 7fathoms. 

Sept. 19. The wind moderated; and the vessels steered W. By S. Untilnoon, with a depth gradually increasing from 6 to 8 fathoms. The latitudewas then 10° 8½' south longitude, by time keeper, 141° 31' east, and noland was in sight; nor did any thing more obstruct captain Bligh and hisassociate, in their route to the island _Timor_. 

Thus was accomplished, in nineteen days, the passage from the Pacific, orGreat Ocean, to the Indian Sea; without other misfortune than what arosefrom the attack of the natives, and some damage done to the cables andanchors. Perhaps no space of 3½° in length, presents more dangers thanTorres' Strait; but, with caution and perseverance, the captains Blighand Portlock proved them to be surmountable; and within a reasonabletime: how far it may be advisable to follow their track through theStrait, will appear more fully hereafter. 

In the _Voyage to the South Seas in H. M. Ship Bounty_, page 220, captainBligh says, "I cannot with certainty reconcile the situation of someparts of the coast (near Cape York) that I have seen, to his (captainCook's) survey;" and from the situation of the high islands on the westside of the Strait, which had been seen from the Bounty's launch, andwere now subjected to the correction of the Providence's time-keepers; hewas confirmed in the opinion, that some material differences existed inthe positions of the lands near Cape York. 

BAMPTON and ALT. 1793. 

The last passage known to have been made through Torres' Strait, previously to the sailing of the Investigator, was by Messieurs WILLIAMBAMPTON and MATTHEW B. ALT, commanders of the ships _Hormuzeer_ and_Chesterfield_. Their discoveries were made public, in two charts, by Mr. Dalrymple, in 1798 and 1799; and from them, and captain Bampton'smanuscript journal, the south coast of New Guinea, and most of the reefsand islands near it, are laid down in Plate XIII. ; after having beenadjusted to the observations of captain Bligh, and to those subsequentlymade by me in the Investigator and Cumberland. The journal was obtainedthrough the kindness of Mr. Arrowsmith; and, though no courses anddistances be given, and the differences from the charts be sometimesconsiderable, it is yet so interesting in many points, that I have judgedthe following abridgement would be acceptable, as well to the general, asto the nautical, reader. 

The Hormuzeer and Chesterfield sailed together from Norfolk Island; withthe intention of passing through Torres' Strait, by a route which thecommanders did not know to have been before attempted. June 20, 1793, inthe evening, being in latitude 10° 24' south, and longitude 144° 14' east(by captain Bampton's chart), a dry reef was seen extending from W. ½ S. To N. W. By W. , distant four or five miles, and breakers from the masthead at N. By E. ½ E. An island (Murray's), which appeared to be largeand woody, was also seen, and bore N. W. ½ W. The ships got ground in 60fathoms, and hauled the wind to the eastward, till midnight; when, havingno bottom at 70 fathoms, they lay to, till morning. 

June 21. The Hormuzeer's long boat was sent ahead; and, at ten o'clock, the ships bore away northward. At noon, the latitude was 9° 30'. Thecourse was altered, at three, to the north-west; and at dusk, they hoveto, for the night: soundings from 70 to 56 fathoms. The same course beingresumed on the 22nd, the latitude, at noon, was 8° 48'; and the depth 30fathoms, on a bottom of sand, mud, and shells. From noon to five p. M. , when they anchored, the ships appear to have steered W. By S. The landhad been seen at one o'clock; and at two, the water had shoaled suddenly, from 30 to 10 fathoms, and afterwards diminished to 5, which continued tothe place of anchorage. The land was part of the coast of NEW GUINEA; andthe extremes were set at W. By N. ½ N. And N. W. ½ N. , six or sevenleagues, (in the chart, miles. ) The flood tide here, set two miles perhour, towards the land; and the rise, by the lead line, was nine feet. 

June 23. The ships got under way with the weather, or ebb, tide, a littlebefore noon: latitude 8° 52'. At four o'clock, the wind blew strong atsouth-east, with thick weather, and they anchored in 9 fathoms, blue mud;having made a course of E. N. E. Nearly parallel to the coast. Theyremained here till the next afternoon; when the Hormuzeer having partedher cable, both ships stood to the north-eastward, along the land, untilmidnight; at which time they wore to the south-west, in 30 fathoms. Atdaylight of the 25th, the depth had decreased to 16 fathoms; and theystretched north-eastward again, with little variation in the soundings. The latitude, at noon, was 8° 10'; and the ships continued their courseupon a wind, keeping as much to the east as possible; and the soundingshaving increased to 30 fathoms, at dusk, they hove to; but stretched off, at midnight, on coming into 10 fathoms. In the morning of June 26, theywere standing to the eastward; but the wind becoming light at nineo'clock, Mr. Bampton anchored in 9 fathoms, on a muddy bottom, inlatitude 7° 55' south. The coast of New Guinea was then seen to extendfrom N. N. W. ½ W. To E. N. E. ; and the south end of a reef, running offfrom the western extreme, bore W. By S. ½ S. , two leagues. 

The land here forms a large, unsheltered bay; and an opening nearly atthe head, bearing N. ½ E. , appeared like the entrance of a considerableriver; but an officer, who was sent in a boat to sound, saw breakersstretching across. The soundings were regular, from 9 to 6 fathoms, within a mile or two of the shore; when there was only twelve feet; andthe surf which rolled in, made it impossible to land. The country roundthe bay is described as level and open, and of an agreeable aspect. 

On the return of the boat the ships weighed, and stretched southwarduntil June 27, at noon. The latitude was then 9° 1'; and a sand bank wasseen from the mast head, bearing S. W. ½ W. They then wore to thenorth-eastward; and continued upon that course until the 28th, at dusk;when the land of New Guinea being in sight as far as E. By N. , the same, apparently, which had been set from the anchorage on the 26th, theystretched off till two in the morning and then in again, towards theland. 

Captain Bampton had followed the coast of New Guinea thus far, in thehope of finding a passage to the northward, between it and Louisiade; butthe trending of the land so far to the east, and the difficulty ofweathering it, from the current being adverse, obliged him to give upthat hope. A consultation was then held; and a determination made toattempt the passage through the middle of Torres' Strait. 

At the time the ships hauled their wind to the southward, the latitudewas 8° 3'; the longitude, from three distances of the sun and moon, 145°23'; and the depth of water 40 fathoms, on a muddy bottom. They had nosoundings from that time to July 1, at one a. M. ; when there was 35fathoms. At daylight, land, which was the _Darnley's Island_ of captainBligh, bore S. W. By S. Seven or eight leagues; a dry sand was seen inthe W. N. W. , (probably W. S. W. ); and a reef, which appears to have beenthat of Anchor Key, was six or seven miles distant in the S. E. At fourin the afternoon, when Darnley's Island bore W. By N. ½ N. Five leagues, and Murray's Island S. E. ½ E. (probably S. S. E. ½ E. ) the shipsanchored in 22 fathoms, marly bottom; and the boats were sent towards thefirst Island to sound, and see if it were inhabited. The latitudeobserved at this anchorage, was 9° 40' south, and longitude from threedistances of the sun and moon 142° 58' 30" east. 

July 2. The boats returned. Between the ships and the island, they hadpassed over five different reefs, separated by narrow channels of 11 to14 fathoms deep. The natives of the island came down in considerablenumbers; and exchanged some bows and arrows, for knives and otherarticles. They were stout men; and somewhat above the common size ofEuropeans. Except in colour, which was not of so deep a cast, they boremuch resemblance to the natives of Port Jackson; and had scars raisedupon their bodies in the same manner. The men were entirely naked; butthe women, who kept at a distance and appeared small in size, wore anapron of leaves, reaching down, to the knee. Many cocoa-nut trees wereseen in the lower parts of the island. 

When the boats returned, they were followed by four canoes. One of themwent along-side of the Chesterfield; and an Indian ventured on board, ona sailor going into the canoe, as a hostage for him. Most of these peoplehad their ears perforated. The hair was generally cut short; but some fewhad it flowing loose. It is naturally black; but from being rubbed withsomething, it had a reddish, or burnt appearance. These Indians, so faras they could he understood, represented their island to abound inrefreshments; and it was, therefore, determined to send another boat tomake further examination. 

July 3. Mr. Shaw, chief mate of the Chesterfield, Mr. Carter, and captainHill of the New-South-Wales corps, who was a passenger, went away armed, with five seamen in a whale boat; and were expected to return on thefollowing day; but the 4th, 5th, and 6th, passed, without any tidings ofthem; although many signal guns had been fired. 

On the 7th, two boats, manned and armed, under the command of Mr. Dell, chief mate of the Hormuzeer, were sent in search of the whale boat. Onreaching the island, Mr. Dell heard conch shells sounding in differentparts; and saw eighty or ninety armed natives upon the shore. To theinquiries, by signs, after the missing boat, they answered that she wasgone to the westward; but none of them would venture near; nor did theypay attention to a white handkerchief which was held up, and had beforebeen considered a signal of peace. 

As the boats proceeded in their search, round the island, the nativesfollowed along the shore, with increasing numbers. One man, who wasrubbed with something blue, and appeared to be a chief, had a small axein his hand; which was known, from the red helve, to have belonged to Mr. Shaw. On reaching the bay in the north-west side of the island, Mr. Dellremarked that the natives disappeared; all except about thirty, who werevery anxious in persuading him to land. They brought down women; and madesigns, that the boat and people whom he sought, were a little way up inthe island. He, however, rowed onward; when the beach was immediatelycrowded with people, who had been lying in ambush, expecting him to land. 

After having gone entirely round the island, and seen nothing of theobject of his research, Mr. Dell returned to the first cove; where agreat concourse of natives, armed with bows, arrows, clubs, and lances, were assembled at the outskirt of the wood. By offering knives and otherthings, a few were induced to approach the boat; and the coxswain seizedone of them by the hair and neck, with the intention of his being takenoff to the ships, to give an account of the missing boat and people. Ashower of arrows instantly came out of the wood; and a firing wascommenced, which killed one Indian, and wounded some others. In the meantime, the coxswain found it impossible to keep the man, from his hair andbody being greased; and the boat's crew was too much occupied to assisthim. 

July 8. The two commanders having heard the report of Mr. Dell, proceededwith the ships, round the northern reefs and sand banks, to the bay onthe north-west side of Darnley's Island, which was named _TreacherousBay_. On the 9th, in the afternoon, they anchored with springs on thecables, in 13 fathoms, sand, mud, and shells; the extremes of the islandbearing E. ½ N. To S. W. By S. , and the nearest part distant a quarter ofa mile. A boat was sent on shore; and returned, at sunset, with a fewcocoa nuts; but without having seen any of the inhabitants. 

July 10. An armed party of forty-four men landed from the ships, underthe command of Mr. Dell. After hoisting the union jack, and takingpossession of this, and the neighbouring islands and coast of New Guinea, in the name of His Majesty, they examined the huts, and found the greatcoats of captain Hill, Mr. Carter, and Mr. Shaw; with several otherthings which had belonged to them, and to the boats' crew; so that nodoubt was entertained of their having been murdered. In the evening, theparty arrived from making the tour of the island; having burnt anddestroyed one-hundred-and-thirty-five huts; sixteen canoes, measuringfrom fifty to seventy feet in length; and various plantations of sugarcane. The natives appeared to have retired to the hills in the centre ofthe island; as not one of them could be discovered. 

Darnley's Island was judged to be about fifteen miles in circumference. It is variegated with hills and plains; and the richness of thevegetation bespoke it to be very fertile; it appeared, however, to bescantily supplied with fresh water, there being only one small placewhere it was found near the shore. The plantations of the natives, whichwere extensive and numerous in the plains, contained yams, sweetpotatoes, plantains, and sugar canes, inclosed within neat fences ofbamboo; and cocoa-nut trees were very abundant particularly near thehabitations. The hills, which mostly occupy the middle of the island, were covered with trees and bushes of a luxuriant growth; and upondifferent parts of the shores, the mangrove was produced in great plenty. 

The habitations of the Indians were generally placed at the heads of thesmall coves; and formed into villages of ten or twelve huts each, inclosed within a bamboo fence of, at least, twelve feet high. The hutmuch resembles a haycock, with a pole driven through it; and may containa family of six or eight people. The covering is of long grass, and cocoaleaves. The entrance is small; and so low, that the inhabitants mustcreep in and out; but the inside was was clean and neat; and the polethat supports the roof, was painted red, apparently with ochre. 

In each of the huts, and usually on the right hand side going in, weresuspended two or three human skulls; and several strings of hands, fiveor six on a string. These were hung round a wooden image, rudely carvedinto the representation of a man, or of some bird; and painted anddecorated in a curious manner: the feathers of the Emu or Cassuarygenerally formed one of the ornaments. In one hut, containing much thegreater number of skulls, a kind of gum was found burning before one ofthese images. This hut was adjoining to another, of a different form, andmuch more capacious than any of the others. The length was thirty feet, by fifteen in breadth; and the floor was raised six feet from the ground. The hut was very neatly built of bamboo, supported by long stakes, andthatched with cocoa leaves and dried grass. It was judged to be theresidence of the chief of the island; and was the sole hut in which therewere no skulls or hands; but the adjoining one had more than a doubleproportion. 

The corpse of a man, who had been shot, was found disposed of in thefollowing manner. Six stakes were driven into the ground; about threefeet from each other, and six feet high. A platform of twigs was workedupon them, at the height of five feet; and upon this, the body was laid, without covering; but the putrid state of the corpse, did not allow of aclose inspection. 

Upon the reefs which surround the island, square places, of about fiftyfeet every way, were formed, by piling up stones of two or three feethigh. The tide flows over these; and, on the ebb, the Indians go down andtake out the fish. On all parts of the reefs, there were bamboos set up, with pendants of dried leaves; but whether they were intended as beaconsfor the canoes, or to point out the boundaries of each fishery, could notbe ascertained. 

The description of the canoes is nearly the same as that given in thevoyage of Bligh and Portlock; but Mr. Bampton says, "some of them wereingeniously carved and painted, and had curious figures at each end. " Theweapons of these people are bows, arrows, clubs of about four feet long, and spears and lances of various kinds, made of black. , hard, wood. Someof the lances were jagged, from the sharp point to a foot upward; andmost of them were neatly carved. 

The sole quadrupeds seen, were rats, mice, and lizards; which, when thehuts were set on fire, ran from them in great numbers. Land birds werenumerous in all parts of the island; and upon the reefs were manycurlews, large yellow-spotted plover, king's fishers, sand pipers, redbills, and gulls. 

Captain Bampton lays down Darnley's Island, which the natives callWAMVAX, in latitude 9° 39' 30" south, and longitude 142° 59' 15" east;but in his chart, the centre is placed in 9° 34' south. , and 143° 1'east. He much regretted that he could not land again, to examine theinterior parts of this fine island; but his long boat having drifted outof sight, without water, provisions, or compass, it was judged necessaryfor the ships to weigh, and look after her. 

July 11. The Hormuzeer stood to the northward, with soundings of 15 to 19fathoms. After three hours run, with a fresh breeze, a reef and sand bankwere seen ahead, and the ship was veered to the south-west. Another reefand bank were descried, soon afterward, in the west; and, at the sametime, a signal for seeing the long boat was made by the Chesterfield. Inthe afternoon, the boat was picked up, and both ships anchored underStephens' Island. 

An armed party was immediately sent on shore, to obtain intelligence ifpossible, of the lost whale boat. The natives were assembled in hostilearray, upon the hills, sounding their conchs; but, after lancing a fewarrows, they fled. Several were wounded by the shots fired in return; butthey succeeded in escaping to a canoe at the back of the island, andgetting off; all except one boy, who was taken unhurt. * In the huts, which were burnt, several things were found; and amongst them, a sheet ofcopper which belonged to the Chesterfield. 

[* It does not appear in the journal, when, or where this boy was set onshore; nor is any further mention made of him. ]

July 12. Stephens' Island was traversed all over; and a spike nail, withthe king's broad arrow upon it, was brought on board, and excited manyconjectures as to whence it came. * The plantations, huts, images, skulls, and hands, were found similar to those of Darnley's Island. Amongst thetrees, there was one resembling an almond, the nuts of which were good. The cocoa nut grows abundantly; especially in the south-eastern part, where the trees formed a continued grove. The sole quadruped seen, exceptrats, was a pretty animal of the opossum tribe. It was found in a cage;and had probably been brought, either from New Guinea, or New SouthWales. **

[* It had probably been obtained from the crews of either the Providenceor Assistant; which had anchored under Stephens' Island, nine monthsbefore. ]

[** Mr. Bampton's description of this animal is briefly as follows. Sizeand shape, of the opossum. Colour, yellowish white with brown spots. Endof the tail, deep red: prehensile. Eyes, reddish brown: red whenirritated. No visible ears. Used its paws in feeding: five nails to each. Habit, dull and slothful: not savage. Food, maize, boiled rice, meat, leaves, or any thing offered. Odour, very strong at times, anddisagreeable. ]

July 13. A boat was sent to Campbell's Island; but it did not containeither plantations, cocoa-nut trees, or fixed inhabitants. This, as alsoStephens' and Nepean's Islands, are mostly low and sandy; and surroundedwith extensive reefs, upon which, it was thought, the Indians pass fromone island to the other, at low water. 

In the afternoon, the ships proceeded to the westward; but meeting withmany reefs, they hauled more to the north, and discovered _BristowIsland_, lying close to the coast of New Guinea. Their attempts to find apassage here, were fruitless; and after incurring much danger, and theChesterfield getting aground, they returned to their former anchorage, inthe evening of July 21. The banks, reefs, and lands, seen during theseeight days, will be found marked in Plate XIII. 

Two canoes immediately came off from Stephens' Island; and one of thenatives remained on board the Hormuzeer till eight o'clock. He seemed tobe without fear; and when inquiry was made after the lost boat andpeople, he pointed to a whale boat, and made signs that such an one hadbeen at Darnley's Island; and that six of the people were killed. * Manypresents were made to this man; and he was clothed, and sent on shore inone of the boats. 

[* Captain Hill and four of the seamen were murdered by the natives. Messieurs Shaw and Carter were severely wounded; but with Ascott, theremaining seaman, they got into the boat, cut the grapnel rope, andescaped. They were without provisions or compass; and it being impossibleto reach the ships, which lay five leagues to windward, they bore away tothe west, through the Strait; in the hope of reaching Timor. On the tenthday, they made land; which proved to be _Timor-laoet_. They thereobtained some relief to their great distress; and went on to an islandcalled by the natives, _Sarrett_; where Mr. Carter died: Messieurs Shawand Ascott sailed in a prow, for Banda, in the April following. SeeCollins' _Account of the English Colony in New South Wales_. Vol. I. Page464, 465. ]

July 22. The ships' crews beginning to feel the want of fresh water, people were sent on shore to dig a well; and the natives, though theystill appeared shy and suspicious, gave them some assistance. On the24th, the boats had discovered a passage to the south-westward; and asthe well produced little water, and no provision could be obtained, itwas determined to proceed onward, through the Strait, without furtherdelay. 

They weighed the same afternoon; and anchored, at dusk, in 14 fathoms;Campbell's Island bearing N. E. By E. To E. By N. ¾ N. ; and many othersmall isles being in sight to the south-west and southward. Next day, the25th, they steered S. By W. ½ W. , from seven in the morning to six in theevening; when they anchored in 17 fathoms, having islands in sight nearlyall round: the nearest at the distance of five or six miles. Theseislands were small; but inhabitants were seen on the greater number; andtwo canoes went off to the Chesterfield. 

July 26. The ships proceeded westward, very slowly; the wind being atsouth-west. In the morning of the 27th, they were at anchor in 11fathoms; Dungeness Island bearing W. By N. To N. W. By W. ½ W. , about sixmiles; and Warriors Island N. N. W. ½ W. Eight miles. Mr. Dell had passedthe preceding night upon one of the Six Sisters, which was called _DoveIsland_, bearing from the ship, S. S. E. Six miles. A fire on the beach, with two fish broiling upon it, bespoke the presence of inhabitants; buton searching the island over, none could be discovered: it was thoughtthat they had fled to a larger island, it being connected with this by areef, which dries at low water. Mr. Dell had a seine with him, and caughta dozen fine fish; but the object of remaining all night, that of takingturtle, did not succeed; although large shells of them were found uponthe shore. 

Dove Island is about one mile and a half in circumference; and coveredwith trees and shrubs, the fragrance of whose flowers perfumed the air. Amongst other birds, two beautiful doves were shot. The plumage of thebody was green; the head, bill, and legs, red; the tail, and under sidesof the wings, yellow. No huts, plantations, or other signs of fixedinhabitants were seen; nor was there any fresh water. 

On the return of the boat, the vessels weighed; and the wind being at W. S. W. , they worked through. Between Dungeness and Warriors Islands, withthe flood tide. They then anchored in 11 fathoms; the first Islandbearing S. S. E. To S ½ W. Three leagues, and the second E. By S. ½ S. 

July 28. Having a fresh breeze at E. S. E. , the long boat was sent ahead, and the ships followed, to the westward. They passed Turtle-backedIsland, the Cap, and the Brothers, on one side, and Nichols' Key on theother: the soundings gradually shoaling from 12 to 7 fathoms. Upon theCap, Mr. Bampton "saw a volcano burning with great violence, " whichinduced him to give it the name of _Fire Island_; not knowing that it hadbefore been named. At noon, the Brothers, with the Cap and Turtle-backedIsland behind, bore S. E. By S. To S. ½ E. Four miles; and MountCornwallis N. 16° W. 

The water continued to shoal; and at three p. M. , the ships anchored in 5fathoms, sand, shells, and stones; the Brothers bearing E. By S. ¼ S. Five leagues, and Mount Cornwallis N. By E. ¼ E. There were two largeislands in sight in the S. S. W. ¼ W. To S. W. ¼ S. , at the distance ofeight or ten leagues; and many nearer reefs in the same direction. 

July 29. The long boat was sent to sound in the north-west; and when theebb tide slacked, the ships followed: wind at E. S. E. The soundingsincreased from 5 to 7 fathoms; and afterwards varied between thesedepths, until noon; when the latitude observed was 9° 42' south. * TheBrothers then bore S. 64° E. ; Mount Cornwallis N. 38° E; and a long, lowisland (Turn-again. , of Bligh, ) N. 35° to 58° W. At three p. M. The reefswere so numerous, that the ships were obliged to anchor, until the boatscould sound for a passage: the depth here was 4½ fathoms, on a bottom ofrotten stones and coral. 

[* This latitude is from 4' to 6' more _south_ than captain Bligh'spositions; and the same difference occurs in all the observations, wherea comparison can be made. ]

July 31. They weighed, and hauled the wind eastward, to pass roundTurn-again Island; bearing away occasionally to avoid small reefs: thesoundings 5½ to 4 fathoms. After passing round, they anchored in 5fathoms; until the boats should sound between the reefs which appeared onevery side: Turn-again Island then bore S. 56° to 83° W. About twoleagues, Mount Cornwallis N. 56° E. , the Brothers S. 50° E. ; the latitudeobserved was 9° 32', and longitude from four sights of the sun and moon, 140° 58' east. Next afternoon, in proceeding to the north-westward, theChesterfield struck upon a bank in eight feet water; but the coral givingway to the ship, she went over without injury. In the evening, they bothanchored in 4½ fathoms, gravel and shells; Mount Cornwallis bearing E. ¼S. , and a long tract of land from N. W. By N. To N. E. , at the distanceof five or six leagues. Turn-again Island bore S. S. E. ¾ E. To S. ½ W. , four miles; and thither the ships ran on Aug. 3, and anchored in 3¾fathoms, fine sand, within a quarter of a mile of the shore; the extremesbearing S. 58° E. To 60° W. The purpose for which they came to thisisland, was to procure wood, water, and refreshments; during the timenecessary for the boats to explore a passage through the innumerablereefs and banks, which occupy this part of the Strait. 

Messieurs Bampton and Alt remained here seventeen days; being afraid tomove with the strong south-east winds which blew during the greater partof the time. Turn-again Island is flat, low, and swampy; and about threemiles in length, by half that space in breadth. (Mr. Bampton's chartmakes it the double of these dimensions; and, generally, the islands init exceed the description of the journal in about the same proportion:the journal seems to be the preferable authority. ) The reefs whichsurround Turn-again Island, extend a great distance to the east and west;particularly in the latter direction, where there are many dry sandbanks. The island is mostly over-run with mangroves; and at the top ofthe flood, the wood cutters were obliged to work in the water; and were, at all times, exceedingly annoyed with musketoes. The island is said, inthe journal, to be in 9° 34; south and 140° 55' east; which is 3' to thesouth and 1° 24' west of its situation in the chart of captain Bligh. 

No other refreshment than small quantities of fish, crabs, andshell-fish, being procurable here, the ships crews were further reducedin their short allowance. With respect to fresh water, their situationwas still worse: None could be obtained upon Turn-again Island; and hadnot captain Bampton ingeniously contrived a _still_, their state wouldhave been truly deplorable. He caused a cover, with a hole in the centre, to be fitted by the carpenter upon a large cooking pot; and over the holehe funded an inverted tea kettle, with the spout cut off. To the stump ofthe spout, was fitted a part of the tube of a speaking trumpet; and thiswas lengthened by a gun barrel, which passed through a cask of saltwater, serving as a cooler. From this machine, good fresh water, to theamount of twenty-five to forty gallons per day, was procured; andobtained a preference to that contained in the few casks remaining in theHormuzeer. 

By Aug. 20. , when the weather had become more moderate, the boats hadsounded amongst the reefs in all directions; but there appeared to be nopracticable passage out of this labyrinth, except to the north-west. Inthat direction the ships proceeded three hours, in from 6 to 3 fathoms. Next afternoon, they steered westward, with the flood tide; and againanchored in 3 fathoms, sand and gravel. The coast of New Guinea thenextended from N. By E. ¼ E. To N. W. ¾ N. ; and the north-west end of along island, to which the name of _Talbot_ was given, bore N. By E. ½ E. Nine or ten miles. 

Aug. 22, At day-light they followed the long boat to the westward. , insoundings from 2½ to 4 fathoms. At seven o'clock, the Hormuzeer groundedin 2 fathoms; upon a bank whence Talbot's Island bore N. N. E. To E. N. E. , eight or ten miles, and where the observed latitude was 9° 27' south. She remained upon this bank until the morning of the 24th; when Mr. Bampton got into a channel of 13 fathoms, which had been found by theboats, and the ship did not appear to have received other damage, thanthe loss of the false keel. The _still_ continued to be kept at work, dayand night. 

Aug. 27. Messieurs Bampton and Alt proceeded onward in a track which hadbeen sounded by the boats. At sunset, they came to, in 4 fathoms; theextremes of New Guinea then bearing N. W. By W. To N. E. By E. , three orfour leagues. Some further progress was made next morning; and at noon, when at anchor in 3¾ fathoms, and in latitude 9° 26½', an island wasdiscovered bearing S. W. ¾ S. Five or six leagues; which received, eventually, the name of DELIVERANCE ISLAND. 

Aug. 29. The Hormuzeer grounded at low water; from which it appeared thatthe tide had fallen twelve feet, though then at the neaps. When the shipfloated, they made sail to the westward; and deepened the water to 9 and12 fathoms. At noon, it had again shoaled to 6; Deliverance Islandbearing S. S. W. ½ W. Nine or ten miles, and New Guinea N. W. To N. By E. ½ E. Four or five leagues: latitude observed 9° 25' south. Afterproceeding a little further westward, they anchored in 5 fathoms. 

Aug. 30. The soundings varied as before, between 4 and 10 fathoms: thebottom, rotten coral intermixed with sand. At noon, when the latitude was9° 21', Deliverance Island was just in sight from the deck, in the S. E. By S. ; and the extremes of New Guinea bore N. E. By E. To N. W. ½ W. , tenor twelve miles. * In the afternoon, the depth again decreased to 4fathoms, and obliged them to anchor until morning. On the 31st, the shipsappear to have steered south-westward, leaving on the starbord hand avery extensive bank, on which the long boat had 2 fathoms water: thesoundings from the Hormuzeer were from 3 to 7 fathoms. At noon, thelatitude was 9° 27', and no land in sight. The soundings then increasedgradually; and at sunset, no bottom could be found at 40 fathoms. A swellcoming from S. S. W. Announced an open sea in that direction; and thatthe dangers of Torres' Strait were, at length, surmounted. 

[* Mr. Bampton's chart and journal are more at variance here than in thepreceding parts of the Strait, and I have found it very difficult toadjust them; but have attempted it in Plate XIII. ]

This passage of the Hormuzeer and Chesterfield in _seventy-two_ days, with that made in _nineteen_, by the captains Bligh and Portlock, displayed the extraordinary dangers of the Strait; and appear to havedeterred all other commanders from following them, up to the time of theInvestigator. Their accounts confirm the truth of Torres having passedthrough it, by showing the correctness of the sketch contained in hisletter to the King of Spain. 

CONCLUSIVE REMARKS. 

The sole remaining information, relative to the North Coast of TerraAustralis, was contained in a note, transcribed by Mr. Dalrymple, from awork of burgomaster WITSEN upon the _Migration of Mankind_. The place ofwhich the burgomaster speaks, is evidently on the coast of Carpentaria, near the head of the Gulph; but it is called _New Guinea; and he wrote in1705_. The note is as follows; but upon whose authority it was given, does not appear:

"In 16° 10' south, longitude 159° 17'" (east of Teneriffe, or between142° and 143° east of Greenwich, ) "the people swam on board of a Dutchship; and when they received a present of a piece of linen, they laid itupon their head in token of gratitude: Every where thereabout, all thepeople are malicious. They use arrows, and bows of such a length, thatone end rests on the ground when shooting. They have also _hazeygaeys_and _kalawaeys_, and attacked the Dutch; but did not know the executionof the guns. " On summing up the whole of the knowledge which had beenacquired of the North Coast, it will appear, that natural history, geography, and navigation had still much to learn of this part of theworld; and more particularly, that they required the accomplishment ofthe following objects:

1st. _A general survey of TORRES' STRAIT_. The navigation from thePacific, or Great Ocean to all parts of India, and to the Cape of GoodHope, would be greatly facilitated, if a passage through the Strait, moderately free from danger, could be discovered; since _five or sixweeks_ of the usual route, by the north of New Guinea or the more easternislands, would thereby be saved. Notwithstanding the great obstacleswhich navigators had encountered in some parts of the Strait, there wasstill room to hope, that an examination of the whole, made with care andperseverance, would bring such a passage to light. A survey of it was, therefore, an object much to be desired; not only for the merchants andseamen trading to these parts, but also from the benefits which wouldcertainly accrue therefrom to general navigation and geography. 

2nd. _An examination of the shores of the GULPH OF CARPENTARIA_. The realform of this gulph remained in as great doubt with geographers, as werethe manner how, and time when it acquired its name. * The east side of theGulph had been explored to the latitude of 17°, and many rivers werethere marked and named; but how far the representation given of it by theDutch was faithful--what were the productions, and what itsinhabitants--were, in a great measure, uncertain. Or rather it wascertain, that those early navigators did not possess the means of fixingthe positions and forms of lands, with any thing like the accuracy ofmodern science; and that they could have known very little of theproductions, or inhabitants. Of the rest of the Gulph no one could say, with any confidence, upon what authority its form had been given in thecharts; so that conjecture, being at liberty to appropriate the Gulph ofCarpentaria to itself, had made it the entrance to a vast arm of the sea, dividing Terra Australis into two, or more, islands. 

[* I am aware that the president de Brossed says, "This same year also(1628) CARPENTARIA was thus named by P. Carpenter, who discovered it whengeneral in the service of the Dutch Company. He returned from India toEurope, in the month of June 1628, with five ships richly laden. " (_Hist. Des Nav. Aux Terres Aust_. Tome I. 433). But the president here seems togive either his own, or the Abbé' Prevost's conjectures, for matters offact. We have seen, that the coast called Carpentaria was discovered longbefore 1628; and it is, besides, little probable, that Carpenter shouldhave been making discoveries with five ships richly laden and homewardbound. This name of Carpentaria does not once appear in Tasman'sInstructions, dated in 1644; but is found in Thevenot's chart of 1663. ]

3rd. _A more exact investigation of the bays, shoals, islands, and coastsof ARNHEM'S, and the northern VAN DIEMEN'S, LANDS_. The information uponthese was attended with uncertainty; first, because the state ofnavigation was very low at the time of their discovery; and second, fromwant of the details and authorities upon which they had been laid down. The old charts contained large islands lying off the coast, under thenames of _T' Hoog Landt_ or _Wessel's Eylandt_, and _Crocodils Eylanden_;but of which little more was known than that, if they existed, they mustlie to the eastward of 135° from Greenwich. Of the R. Spult, and otherlarge streams represented to intersect the coast, the existence even wasdoubtful. That the coast was dangerous, and shores sandy, seemed to beconfirmed by Mr McCluer's chart; and that they were peopled by "diverscruel, poor, and brutal nations, " was certainly not improbable, but itrested upon very suspicious authority. The Instructions to Tasman. Said, in 1644, "Nova Guinea has been found to be inhabited by cruel, wild, savages; and as _it is uncertain what sort of people the inhabitants ofthe South Lands are_, it may be presumed that they are also wild andbarbarous savages, rather than a civilized people. " This uncertainty, with respect to the natives of Arnhem's and the northern Van Diemen'sLands, remained, in a great degree, at the end of the eighteenth century. 

Thus, whatever could bear the name of _exact_, whether in naturalhistory, geography, or navigation, was yet to be learned of a countrypossessing five hundred leagues of sea-coast; and placed in a climate andneighbourhood, where the richest productions of both the vegetable andmineral kingdoms were known to exist. A voyage which should have had noother view, than the survey of Torres' Strait and the thoroughinvestigation of the North Coast of Terra Australis, could not have beenaccused of wanting an object worthy of national consideration. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION II. 

WESTERN COASTS. 

Preliminary Observations. Discoveries of Hartog:Edel:of the Ship Leeuwin:the Vianen:of Pelsert:Tasman:Dampier:Vlaming:Dampier. Conclusive Remarks. 

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. (ATLAS Pl. I. )

Under the term WESTERN COASTS, is comprehended the space from the westernextremity of the northern _Van Diemen's Land_ to the _North-west Cape_ ofNew Holland; and from thence, southward to _Cape Leeuwin_. The first isusually termed the North-west, and the second the West Coast: Takentogether, they present an extent of shore of between seven and eighthundred leagues in length; lying in the fine climates comprised betweenthe 11th and 35th degrees of south latitude. 

HARTOG. 1616. 

The recital of discoveries in Tasman's instructions speaks of the firstknowledge gained of these coasts in the following terms: "In the years1616, 1618, 1619, and 1622, the west coast of this _Great unknown_ SOUTHLAND, from 35° to 22° south latitude, was discovered by outward-boundships; and among them by the ship _Endragt_. " The recital gives nofurther particulars; but from thence, and from a manuscript chart by_Eessel Gerrits_, 1627, * there seems to be sufficient authority forattributing the first authenticated discovery of any part of the WesternCoasts to DIRK HARTOG, commander of the ship _Endragt_, outward-boundfrom Holland to India. He appears to have first seen the West Coast inlatitude about 26½° south; and to have sailed northward along it, toabout 23°; giving the name LANDT DE ENDRAGT, to the country sodiscovered. An important part of his discovery was _Dirk Hartog's Road_(at the entrance of a sound afterwards called _Shark's Bay_, by Dampier), lying a little south Of 25°. Upon one of the islands which form the roadthere was found, first in 1697, and afterwards in 1801, a plate of tin, bearing the following inscription. 

[* See Dalrymple's _Collection concerning Papua_, note, page 6. ]

"Anno 1616, the 25th of October arrived here the ship _Endragt_ ofAmsterdam; the first merchant _Gillis Miebais_ of Luik, _Dirk Hartog_ ofAmsterdam, captain. They sailed from hence for Bantam, the 27th Do. " Onthe lower part, as far as could be distinguished in 1697, was cut with aknife, "The under merchant _Jan Stins_; chief mate _Pieter Dookus_ ofBill. Ao. 1616. "

The _Mauritius_, another outward-bound ship, appears to have made somefurther discovery upon the West Coast, in July 1618, particularly OfWILLEM'S RIVER, near the North-west Cape; but no further particulars areknown. 

EDEL. 1619. 

In Campbell's edition of _Harris' Voyages_ (p. 325), it is said, "Thenext year the LAND OF EDEL was found, and received its name from thediscoverer. ". The president De Brosses says nearly the same thing (TomeI. P. 432); whence, combining this with the Dutch recital and the chartof Eessel Gerritz, it should appear that J. DE EDEL commanded anoutward-bound ship; and, in July 1619, accidentally fell in with thatpart of the West Coast to which his name is applied. The extent of Edel'sdiscovery appears, from Thevenot's chart, to have been from about thelatitude 29°, northward to 26½°, where the Land of Endragt commences; butin a chart of this coast, by _Van Keulen_, the name is extended southwardto 32° 20', past the island Rottenest, which, according to Thevenot, should rather have been the discovery of the ship Leeuwin. 

The great reef lying off the coast of Edel, called _Houtman's Abrolhos_, was discovered at the same time; probably by Edel, or by some ship in thesame squadron. 

THE LEEUWIN. 1622. 

I do not find it any where said who commanded the _Leeuwin_, or Lioness;but it should appear, that this was also one of the outward-bound shipswhich fell in with the West Coast. In Thevenot's chart, Leeuwin's Landcomprehends about ninety leagues of the south-west extremity of NewHolland; and, from the latitude of 35°, extends northward to about 31°;but in later publications, it has been much restricted in its northernlimit, apparently, upon the authority of Van Keulen. 

THE VIANEN. 1628. 

The next discovery upon the Western Coasts was that of the ship _Vianen_, one of the seven which returned to Europe under the command of thegovernor-general Carpenter. The Dutch recital speaks of this discovery inthe following terms. The coast was seen "again accidentally in the year1628, on the north side, in the latitude 21° south, by the ship Vianen, homeward bound from India; when they coasted two-hundred miles, withoutgaining any knowledge of this Great Country; only observing a foul andbarren shore, green fields, and very wild, black, barbarous inhabitants. "

This was the part called DE WITT'S LAND; but whether the name wereapplied by the captain of the Vianen does not appear in the recital. DeBrosses says, "William de Witt gave his own name to the country which hesaw in 1628, to the north of Remessen's River; and which _Viane_, a Dutchcaptain, had, to his misfortune, discovered in the month of January inthe same year; when he was driven upon this coast of De Witt, in 21° oflatitude, and lost all his riches. " The confusion that reigns in thepresident's account does not render it improbable, that the country mighthave received its _name_ in the way he describes, and in the year 1628;for, in 1644, _De Witt's Land_ is used as a known term for this part ofthe North-west Coast. 

PELSERT. 1629. 

Thus far, the parts of the Western Coasts have been distinguished bylittle else than the dates and limits of their discovery; for, in fact, this is all that has reached us from these early navigators. Thefollowing account is of a different character: it is extracted from thetwenty-first piece in Thevenot's collection; and, in the table ofcontents, is said to be translated from the Dutch. 

The _Batavia_, commanded by FRANCISCO PELSERT, struck, in the night ofJune 4, 1629, upon a reef, "called by our Flemings the _Abrolhos_ orRocks of _Frederick Houtman_, " lying off the west coast of New Holland. At daylight, an island was seen about three leagues distant, and twoislets, or rather rocks, somewhat nearer, to which the passengers andpart of the crew were sent. There being no fresh water to be found uponthese islands, Pelsert had a deck laid over one of the boats; and, onJune 8, put to sea, in order to make search upon the opposite main land:his latitude, at noon, was 28° 13' south. 

A short time after quitting the Abrolhos, captain Pelsert got sight ofthe coast, which, by estimation, bore N. By W. Eight leagues from theplace of shipwreck. * He had 25 to 30 fathoms, and stood off tillmidnight, when he again steered for the land; and in the morning of the9th, it was four leagues off. He ran that day from five to seven leagues, sometimes to the north, sometimes to the west; the direction of the coastbeing N. By W. : it appeared to be rocky--without trees--and about thesame height as the coast of Dover. A small, sandy bay was seen, intowhich Pelsert desired to enter; but finding too much surf, and theweather becoming bad, he was obliged to haul further off. 

[* Thevenot says _six miles_, and does not explain what kind of milesthey are; but it is most probable that he literally copies his original, and that they are Dutch miles of fifteen to a degree. Van Keulen, inspeaking of Houtman's Abrolhos, says, page 19, "This shoal is, as webelieve, 11 or 12 leagues (_8 ä 9 mijlen)_ from the coast. "]

July 10. He kept in the same parallel, upon a wind; the weather beingbad, and his boat very leaky. Next day, the wind was at W. S. W. , andmore moderate. He then steered north; for the sea was too high toapproach the shore in safety. On the 12th, Pelsert observed the latitudeto be 27°, and steered along the coast with a fair wind at S. E. ; but theshore was too steep to admit of landing; neither could he find any bay orisland to break off the sea. At a distance, the land seemed fertile andcovered with plants. The latitude, on the 13th, was 25° 40', which showeda current setting to the northward. Here Pelsert found himself a-breastof an opening, where the coast trends to the north-east (apparently intoShark's Bay). The course this day was nearly north; the shore consistedof reddish rock, of an equal height; and there being no island in front, the waves, which broke high upon it, prevented landing. 

June 14. The wind was at east; and at noon, the latitude was observed tobe 24°. The tides (or rather the current) took the boat further to thenorth than was desired; for Pelsert then carried but little sail, in thehope to find a landing place without going further. Perceiving somesmokes at a distance, he rowed towards them; but the shore proved to besteep, with many rocks, and the sea broke high against it. At length, sixof his people leaped overboard, and with much labour and risk got throughthe surf, whilst the boat remained at anchor, in 25 fathoms. The sailorsemployed the rest of the day in seeking for water; and on looking abouton every side, they saw four natives creeping towards them on their handsand feet. One of "our people" having appeared on an eminence, near them, the natives rose up and took to flight; so that those who were in theboat could see them distinctly. These men were wild, black, andaltogether naked; not covering even those parts which almost all savagesconceal. 

The six sailors, losing all hope of finding water, swam back to the boat, wounded and bruised by the blows they had received from the waves androcks. The anchor was then weighed, and Pelsert continued his course, under easy sail, along the coast; but keeping without side of the shoals. The 15th in the morning, they discovered a cape, off which lay a chain ofrocks, running out four miles into the sea; and behind this was anotherreef, close to the shore. The water being tolerably still between them, Pelsert thought to pass through; but the reefs joined round further on, and obliged him to return. At noon, an opening was seen, where the waterwas smooth, and they went into it, but with considerable danger; for thedepth was no more than two feet, and the bottom stony. On landing, thepeople dug holes in the sand; but the water which oozed in was salt. Atlength, fresh rain water was found in the cavities of the rocks, andafforded them great relief; for they had, hitherto, been confined to apint of water each. They staid on shore that night, and collected fullforty gallons. Ashes and the remains of cray fish were found; whichshowed that the natives had been there no long time before. 

July 16. They sought to collect more water, but were unsuccessful; andnone could be expected in the sandy, level country behind the coast. Thisplain was destitute of both grass and trees, and covered with ant hillsso large, that they might have been taken for the houses of Indians. Thequantity of flies was such, that the people had great difficulty inkeeping them off. Eight savages, with with each a stick (probably aspear) in his hand, were seen at a distance. They came within musketshot; but on the Dutch sailors going towards them they took to flight. 

Captain Pelsert, being at length convinced of the impossibility ofprocuring more water, determined to quit this coast. At noon, he gotwithoutside of the reef by a second opening more to the north; for, having observed the latitude to be 22° 17', his intention was to seek forthe _River of Jacob Remessens_ (near the North-west Cape); but the windveering to north-east, he could no longer follow the direction of thecoast. Considering, then, that he was more than four hundred miles fromthe place of shipwreck, and that scarcely water enough had been found forthemselves, Pelsert resolved to make the best of his way to Batavia, tosolicit assistance from the governor-general. 

In the mean time, some one of the people left upon the islands of the_Abrolhos_ thought of tasting the water in two holes, which, from itsrising and falling with the tide, was believed to be salt; but, to theirgreat surprise and joy, it was found good to drink, and never failed themafterwards. 

On Pelsert's return to the Abrolhos in the yacht _Sardam_, he was underthe necessity of executing some atrocious conspirators, and two were seton shore upon the opposite main land. * Tasman was directed by hisinstructions, in 1644, to "inquire at the continent thereabout, after twoDutchmen; who, having forfeited their lives, were put on shore by thecommodore Francisco Pelsert, if still alive. In such case, you may makeyour inquiries of them about the situation of those countries; and ifthey entreat you to that purpose, give them passage hither. "

[* For an account of the miseries and horrors which took place on theislands of the Abrolhos during the absence of Pelsert, the English readeris referred to Vol. I. P. 320 to 325 of _Campbell's_ edition of _Harris'Voyages_; but the nautical details there given are very incorrect. ]

TASMAN. 1644. 

It is not from any direct information, that ABEL JANSZ TASMAN is placedas the next discoverer upon the western coasts of Terra Australis; for, as has been already observed, no account of his second voyage has everbeen made public, or is any such known to exist. It is, however, supposed, with great probability of truth, that, after the examination ofthe North Coast, he pursued his course westward along the shore to theNorth-west Cape, conformably to his instructions; but that he did not gofurther southward along the Land of Endragt than to the tropic ofCapricorn, where he quitted his examination, and returned to Batavia. 

The chart published by Thevenot, in 1663, gives a form to the WesternCoasts, and joins them to the northern Van Diemen's Land; but it isevident from Tasman's instructions, that the part between De Witt's Landand Cape Van Diemen was unknown to the Dutch government at Batavia in1644. And since there is no account of its having been seen during theintermediate nineteen years, it may be concluded that the North-westCoast was first explored by him; and Dampier says (Vol. III. P. 96), thathe had Tasman's chart of it; though none bearing his name can now befound. *

[* The French editor of the _Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes_, published in 1807, Vol. I. P. 128, attributes the formation of theNorth-west Coast in the common charts to the expedition of the threeDutch vessels sent from Timor in 1705. But this is a mistake. It is thechart of Thevenot, his countryman, _published forty-two years previously_to that expedition, which has been mostly followed by succeedinggeographers. ]

The notes of burgomaster Witsen show, that the North-west Coast wasvisited by Tasman; and as they give the earliest information of theinhabitants, and are curious in themselves, they are here transcribedfrom Mr. Dalrymple's Papua. 

"In lat. 13° 8' S. Lon. 146° 18'" (probably about 129½° east ofGreenwich), "the coast is barren. The people are bad and wicked, shootingat the Dutch with arrows, without provocation, when they were coming onshore: It is here very populous. "

"In 14° 58' S. Lon. 138° 59' (about 125° east), the people are savage, and go naked: none can understand them. "

"In HOLLANDIA NOVA, * in 17° 12' S. (lon. 121° or 122° east) _Tasman_found a naked, black people, with curly hair; malicious and cruel, usingfor arms, bows and arrows, hazeygaeys and kalawaeys. They once came tothe number of fifty, double armed, dividing themselves into two parties, intending to have surprised the Dutch, who had landed twenty-five men;but the firing of guns frightened them so that they fled. Their prows aremade of the bark of trees: their coast is dangerous: there are fewvegetables: the people use no houses. "

[* This expression indicates, that the before-mentioned places were notthen included under the term NEW HOLLAND by Witsen: he wrote in 1705. ]

"In 19° 35' S. Long. 134° (about 120°, apparently), the inhabitants arevery numerous, and threw stones at the boats sent by the Dutch to theshore. They made fires and smoke all along the coast, which, it wasconjectured, they did to give notice to their neighbours of strangersbeing upon the coast. They appear to live very poorly; go naked; eat yamsand other roots. "

DAMPIER. 1688. 

The buccaneers with whom our celebrated navigator, WILLIAM DAMPIER, madea voyage round the world, came upon the north-west coast of TerraAustralis, for the purposes of careening their vessel, and procuringrefreshments. They made the land in the latitude of 16° 50', due southfrom a shoal whose longitude is now known to be 122¼° east. From thence, they ran along the shore, N. E. By E. Twelve leagues, to a bay oropening, where a convenient place was found for their purpose. Dampier'sdescription of the country and inhabitants of the place, where heremained from Jan. 5. To March 12. , is contained in the account of hisvoyages, Vol. I. Page 462 to 470; and renders it unnecessary to do morethan to mark its coincidence or disagreement with what is said, in theabove note from Tasman, of the inhabitants and country near the same partof the coast. 

Dampier agrees in the natives being "a naked, black people, with curlyhair, " like that of the negroes; but he says they have "a piece of therind of a tree tied like a girdle about their waists, and a handful oflong grass, or three or four green boughs full of leaves, thrust undertheir girdle, to cover their nakedness. " Also, "that the two fore teeth ofthe upper jaw are wanting in all of them, men and women, old and young:neither have they any beards;" which circumstances are not mentioned inthe note from Tasman. Dampier did not see either bows or arrows amongstthem; but says, "the men, at our first coming ashore, threatened us withtheir lances and swords; but they were frightened by firing one gun, which we did purposely to scar them. " Of "their prows made of the bark oftrees, " he saw nothing. On the contrary, he "espied a drove of these menswimming from one island to another; for _they have no boats, canoes, orbark logs_. " The English navigator is silent as to any dangers upon thetwelve leagues of coast seen by him; but fully agrees in the scarcity ofthe vegetable productions, and in the circumstance of the natives usingno houses. 

VLAMING. 1696. 

The relation of Willem DE VLAMING'S voyage to New Holland was publishedat Amsterdam in 1701; but not having been fortunate enough to procure it, I have had recourse to _Valentyn_, who, in his _Description of Banda_, has given what appears to be an abridgment of the relation. What followsis conformable to the sense of the translation which Dr. L. Tiarks hadthe goodness to make for me; and the reasons for entering more into theparticulars of this voyage than usual are, the apparent correctness ofthe observations, and that no account of them seems to have beenpublished in the English language. *

[* The Abbé Prévost in his _Hist. Gen. Des Voyages_, Tome XVI. (à laHaye) p. 79-81, has given some account of Vlaming's voyage in French; butthe observations on the coast between Shark's Bay and Willem's River arethere wholly omitted. ]

A Dutch ship, called the _Ridderschap_, having been missing from the timeshe had left the Cape of Good Hope, in 1684 or 1685, it was thoughtprobable she might have been wrecked upon the GREAT SOUTH LAND, and thatsome of the crew might (in 1696) be still living. Accordingly, thecommodore Willem de Vlaming, who was going out to India with the_Geelvink_, _Nyptang_, and _Wezel_, was ordered to make a search forthem. 

On Dec. 28, the ships got soundings in 48 fathoms, coral bottom; inlatitude 31° 53', and longitude 133° 44' (east, apparently, from the Peakof Teneriffe, 16° 45' to the west of Greenwich); where the variation wasobserved to be 10° 28' west: they afterwards had 25 fathoms, on betterground. On the 29th, they anchored under the island _Rottenest_, whichlies in lat. 31° 50', long. 134° 25';* and next day, a piece of wood, which had some time been fixed to the deck of a ship, was found upon theshore; but the nails were then rusted away. Fire wood was abundant here. 

[* The account in _Van Keulen_ is somewhat different. He says "we steeredfor the Land of Endragt: and on Dec. 28, got soundings in 63 fathoms, sandy bottom. The ensuing day we had 30 fathoms, and the coast was thenin sight. The Island Rottenest, in 32° south latitude, was the land westeered for; and we had from 30 to 10 fathoms, in which last we anchoredon a sandy bottom. "]

VLAMING. 1697. 

Jan. 5. Vlaming went on shore (to the main coast), with eighty-eightarmed men, and walked inland to the eastward. There were a few large, andsome small trees, from which dropped a kind of _gum-lac_; but they foundnothing which could be used as food: the birds were small cockatoos andgreen parrots, and both were very shy. At the end of three hours walkthey came to a piece of water, which was salt, and upon the beach werefootsteps of full-grown persons and of children. No men were seen, butthey observed many smokes; and found three deserted huts, so low andill-constructed as to be inferior to those of the Hottentots. 

On the 6th, they divided themselves into three parties: one took to thenorth, another to the south, and the third went four miles east, moreinto the interior; but, except one or two decayed huts, they met withnothing. Being returned to the salt lake without finding fresh water, they dug a pit near the side of it, and obtained wherewith to relievetheir thirst. The lake had fallen a foot, which showed it to have acommunication with the sea; and they afterwards found the outlet, alittle to the southward. No noxious animal of any kind was seen; andafter remaining on shore all night, they returned on board on the 7th. The ships were then anchored nearer to the land, with the entrance of thelake or river bearing S. E. By E. The commodore afterwards went up thisriver, to the distance of fourteen or sixteen leagues, and caught somesmelts, as also several black swans, of which two were taken alive toBatavia. *

[* This appears to be the first mention made of the black swan: the riverwas named _Black-Swan River_. ]

Having clearly ascertained the latitude (of the ships at anchor, mostprobably, ) to be 31° 43' south, and discovered a reef four geographicmiles in length, and two miles from the shore, they sailed from thence onJan. 13. The wind was from the southward; and whilst the ships steered N. By W. , parallel to the coast, the boats ran along within them, to examineit more closely. On the 15th, the people from the boats reported thatthey had seen neither men nor animals, and very few trees; but had metwith a reef near the shore, in 30° 17'; and many shoals, both under andabove water. 

Fires upon the land were seen from all the ships in the night of Jan. 16;and next day, a boat was sent with armed people; but they returned withnothing, except some sea-mews which had been caught upon the islands andshoals lying along the coast. On the 18th, the ships were in latitude 30°30', and found the variation to be 9° 21' west; and the 20th, some smallislands were seen, and shrubs observed on the main land. On the 23rd, they were near a steep head, in 28° 8', and sent a boat to the shore; butthe high surf prevented landing. People were perceived walking on thedowns, but at too great a distance to distinguish more than that theywere of the common stature, black, and naked. * The boat got on shore soonafterward, when some brackish water was found; and having landed again onthe 27th, the people saw some huts, as also the footsteps of men, andsome birds; but there was no other vegetation than small shrubs. Somevery indifferent water was the sole useful thing met with, and it was toofar off for any to be taken on board. 

[* It was near this place that captain Pelsert put the two Dutchconspirators on shore in 1629. Vlaming appears to have passed within_Houtman's Abrolhos_ without seeing them. ]

Jan. 30. The boats were again sent on shore, and discovered two inlets, of which the southernmost, in latitude 26° 16', was three miles in width. On Feb. 2, they found two other openings, very deep, one of which ran upnorthward, and the other to the east, far inland. They went elevenleagues up the first of these, and found that it had anothercommunication with the sea, to the N. N. W. * On the 3rd, a boat broughtthe above account; and also, that the chief mate of the Geelvink hadfound a plate of tin, with an inscription commemorating the arrival anddeparture of _Dirk Hartog_. (See the inscription under the articleHartog, preceding. ) This Road of Dirk Hartog's Bay, where the plate hadbeen set up, is in 25° 24'; and the west variation was 8° 34'. 

[* These two openings, which in the original are called rivers, werenothing more than the entrance into Shark's Bay. A small island, lying alittle within the entrance, probably made it be taken for two openings. ]

No mention is made by Valentyn of the ships entering the road, nor oftheir departure from it; but it should seem that they anchored on Feb. 4. On the 5th, commodore Vlaming and the commander of the Nyptang went withthree boats to the shore, which proved to be an island. They found also ariver, and went up it four or five leagues, amongst rocks and shoals;when they saw much water inland, as if the country were drowned, but nomen, nor any thing for food; and, wherever they dug, the ground was salt. They afterwards came to another river, which they ascended about oneleague, and found it to terminate in a round basin, and to be entirelysalt water. No men were seen, nor any animals, except divers which werevery shy; and the country was destitute of grass and trees. Returningdownward on the 10th, they saw footsteps of men and children, of thecommon size, and observed the point of entrance into the river to be of avery red sand. 

The ships appear to have left Dirk Hartog's Road on Feb. 12. In theevening, the west variation was observed to be 7° 21'; am on the 13th, they saw a cliffy point from whence three shoals, connected by a reef, stretch out to the N. N. E. The shore here, in latitude 24° 42', lies S. By E. And N. By W. On the 16th, they passed round the point, and steeredsouthward along the inner side of this land; and having doubled its southend, found that it was it was an island: their latitude was then 24° 54'. 

Feb. 17. The variation was observed to be 5° west, in latitude 23° 59'. Eight miles south of this situation they saw a bay with a rugged point;but to the northward the land was low: the variation was 7° 3', in theevening. They discovered some reefs on the 19th, lying three geographicmiles off shore; and also a point or cape (the North-west Cape) fromwhich a reef extended two miles to the N. N. W. On the north side of thiscape is a bay, where the Geelvink anchored; and a little further on(eastward), the other two vessels found an _opening like a river, whoseentrance was twelve miles wide_. They went into it, _but could no wherefind anchorage_. The bay is called _Willem's River_; and the two vesselsafterwards there joined the Geelvink: it is in 21° 28'. The same day itwas determined to sail for Batavia, every thing having been done that thecommodore's orders required; and, on the 21st, they departed accordingly. 

Thus the West Coast, from the island Rottenest to the North-west Cape, was examined with care by Vlaming; and it is most probable, that thechart in Van Keulen, which Mr. Dalrymple republished, and was the bestknown at the end of the eighteenth century, resulted from this samevoyage. 

DAMPIER. 1699. 

CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAMPIER visited, a second time, the western coasts ofTerra Australis; being then sent out purposely for discovery, in hisMajesty's ship the _Roebuck_. 

In the night of Aug. 1, 1699, he struck soundings upon the northern partof the Abrolhos shoal, in latitude about 27° 40' south. Next morning hesaw the main coast, and ran northward along it; discovering, in 26. 10', an opening two leagues wide, but full of rocks and foul ground. Aug. 6, he anchored (in _Dirk Hartog's Road_) at the entrance of a sound, whichhe named SHARK's BAY, in latitude 25° 5' south. He remained there eightdays, examining the sound, cutting wood upon the islands, fishing, etc. ;and gives a description of what was seen in his usually circumstantialmanner. *

[* For the full account of Dampier's proceedings and observations, withviews of the land, see his _Voyages_, Vol. III. Page 81, _et seq_. ]

An animal found upon one of the islands is described as "a sort ofraccoon, different from that of the West Indies, chiefly as to the legs;for these have very short fore legs; but go jumping upon them" (not uponthe short fore, but the long hind, legs, it is to be presumed), "as theothers do; and like them are very good meat. " This appears to have beenthe small kangaroo, since found upon the islands which form the road; andif so, this description is probably the first ever made of that singularanimal. 

Leaving Shark's Bay on Aug. 14, captain Dampier steered northward, alongthe coast; but at too great a distance to make much observation upon it, until he got round the North-west Cape. On the 22nd, he saw an extensivecluster of islands; and anchored, in latitude 20° 21', under one of thelargest, which he called _Rosemary Island_. This was near the southernpart of De Witt's Land; but, besides an error in latitude of 40', hecomplains that, in _Tasman's chart_, "the shore is laid down as all alongjoining in one body, or continent, with some openings like rivers; andnot like islands, as really they are. "--"By what we saw of them, theymust have been a range of islands, of about twenty leagues in length, stretching from E. N. E. To W. S. W. ; and for ought I know, as far as tothose of Shark's Bay; and to a considerable breadth also, for we couldsee nine or ten leagues in amongst them, towards the continent or mainland of New Holland, _if there be any such thing hereabouts_: And by thegreat tides I met with awhile afterwards, more to the north-east, I had astrong suspicion that here might be a kind of archipelago of islands; anda passage, possibly, to the to the south of New Holland and New Guinea, into the great South Sea, eastward. "

Not finding fresh water upon such of the islands as were visited thatday, captain Dampier quitted his anchorage next morning, and "steeredaway E. N. E. , coasting along as the land lies. " He seems to have keptthe land in sight, in the day time, at the distance of four to sixleagues; but the shore being low, this was too far for him to be certainwhether all was main land which he saw; and what might have been passedin the night was still more doubtful. 

Aug. 30, being in latitude 18° 21', and the weather fair, captain Dampiersteered in for the shore; and anchored in 8 fathoms, about three-and-halfleagues off. The tide ran "very swift here; so that our nun-buoy wouldnot bear above the water to be seen. It flows here, as on that part ofNew Holland I described formerly, about five fathoms. "

He had hitherto seen no inhabitants; but now met with several. The placeat which he had touched in the former voyage "was not above forty orfifty leagues to the north-east of this. And these were much the sameblinking creatures (here being also abundance of the same kind of fleshflies teizing them), and with the same black skins, and hair frizzled, tall and thin, etc. , as those were. But we had not the opportunity to seewhether these, as the former, wanted two of their fore teeth. " One ofthem, who was supposed to be a chief, "was painted with a circle ofwhite paste or pigment about his eyes, and a white streak down his nose, from his forehead to the tip of it. And his breast, and some part of hisarms, were also made white with the same paint. "

Neither bows nor arrows were observed amongst these people: they usedwooden lances, such as Dampier had before seen. He saw no houses ateither place, and believed they had none; but "there were several thingslike haycocks, standing in the savannah; which, at a distance, we thoughtwere houses, looking just like the Hottentots' houses at the Cape of GoodHope; but we found them to be so many rocks. " *

[* Dampier could not have examined these rocks closely; for there can belittle doubt that they were the ant hills described by Pelsert as being"so large. , that they might have been taken for the houses of Indians. "]

The land near the sea-coast is described as equally sandy with the partsbefore visited, and producing, amongst its scanty vegetation, nothing forfood. No stream of fresh water was seen, nor could any, fit to drink, beprocured by digging. 

Quitting this inhospitable shore, captain Dampier weighed his anchor onSeptember 5, with the intention of seeking water and refreshments furtheron to the north-eastward. The shoals obliged him to keep at aconsiderable distance from the land; and finally, when arrived at thelatitude 16° 9', to give up his project, and direct his course for Timor. 

CONCLUSIVE REMARKS. 

With the voyage of Dampier terminates the information gained of theWestern Coasts, previously to the year 1801. Monsieur de _St. Alouarn_had, indeed, seen some points or islands, in the year 1772, when hecommanded the French _flûte Le Gros Ventre_; but the particulars are notgenerally known, being, in all probability, of little importance. 

The summary of the knowledge possessed by the public, and the objects towhich investigation might be usefully directed in these parts of TerraAustralis, were as follow. The outline of the north-west coast was knownupon the authority, as generally believed, of _Tasman_; with some pointscorrected by _Dampier_. The accuracy of Tasman's chart was, however, verymuch called in doubt: instead of being a continued shore, as the Dutchchart represented it, Dampier found the southern parts of De Witt's Landto consist of a range of islands. And he gives it as his opinion, thatthe northern part of New Holland was separated from the lands to thesouthward, by a strait; "unless", says he, "the high tides and indraughtthereabout should be occasioned by the mouth of some large river; whichhath often low lands on each side of the outlet, and many islands andshoals lying at its entrance: but I rather thought it a channel, orstrait, than a river. " This opinion he supports by a fair induction fromfacts; and the opening of _twelve miles wide_, seen near the same placeby Vlaming's two vessels, and in which they could find no anchorage, strongly corroborated Dampier's supposition. 

Later information had demonstrated, that the supposed strait could notlead out into the Great Ocean, eastward, as the English navigator hadconjectured; but it was thought possible, that it might communicate withthe Gulph of Carpentaria, and even probable that a passage existed fromthence to the unknown part of the South Coast, beyond the Isles of St. Francis and St. Peter. 

But whether this opening were the entrance to a strait, separating TerraAustralis into two or more islands, or led into a mediterranean sea, assome thought; or whether it were the entrance of a large river, therewas, in either case, a great geographical question to be settled, relative to the parts behind Rosemary Island. 

If Tasman's chart were defective at De Witt's Land, it was likely to beso in other parts of the same coast; where there was no account, orbelief, that it had been examined by any other person further north thanthe latitude 16½°. An investigation of the whole North-west Coast, withits numerous islands and shoals, was, therefore, required, before itcould enter into the present improved systems of geography andnavigation. 

The chart of the West Coast, as far south as Rottenest, was founded uponmuch better authority; but for its formation from thence to Cape Leeuwinthere were no good documents. In this part, there was room even fordiscovery; and the whole coast required to be laid down with moreaccuracy than had been attainable by the Dutch navigators. 

As to the soil and vegetable productions upon several points near thesea, from Rottenest, northward to 16½, there was tolerably good generalinformation; the inhabitants, also, had been seen; and, at one place, communication with them had been obtained. The accounts did, certainly, not give any flattering prospect, that much interesting knowledge waslikely to be acquired under these heads, unless a strait, or inland sea, were found; but the accounts were not only confined as to place, but, with the exception of Dampier's, were very imperfect; and the greatextent of the coasts, in the richest climates of the world, excited hopesthat a close investigation would not only be of advantage to naturalhistory, but would bring to light something useful in the mineral orvegetable kingdoms. 

In the case of penetrating the interior of Terra Australis, whether by agreat river, or a strait leading to an inland sea, a superior country, and perhaps a different people, might be found, the knowledge of whichcould not fail to be very interesting, and might prove advantageous tothe nation making the discovery. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION III. 

SOUTH COAST. 

Discovery of Nuyts. Examination of Vancouver:of D'Entrecasteaux. Conclusive Remarks. 

NUYTS. 1627. (Atl. Pl. I. )

No historical fact seems to be less disputed, than that the South Coastof New Holland was first discovered in January 1627: whether it were the26th, according to _De Hondt_, or the 16th, as is expressed on_Thevenot's_ chart, is of very little import. It is generally said, thatthe ship was commanded by PIETER NUYTS; but as Nuyts, on his arrival atBatavia, was sent ambassador to Japan, and afterwards made governor ofFormosa, it seems more probable that he was a civilian, perhaps Company'sfirst merchant on board, rather than captain of the ship: the landdiscovered has, however, always borne his name. 

The Dutch recital says--"In the year 1627, the South Coast of the_Great_ SOUTH LAND was accidentally discovered by the ship the _GuldeZeepaard_, outward-bound from Fatherland, for the space of a thousandmiles. "

This discovery has always been considered as of importance. A memoir waspublished at Amsterdam in 1718, "to prove, that NUYTS' LAND, being in thefifth climate, between 34° and 36° of latitude; it ought to be, like allother countries so situated, one of the most habitable, most rich, andmost fertile parts of the world. " * The journal of this discovery seems tohave been lost; or possibly was either suppressed or destroyed, accordingto what is thought to have been the Dutch policy of that time. It was, therefore, from the chart, and the above passage in the recital, alone, that any particulars could be drawn. If the extent of a _thousand miles_were taken to be in a straight line, and to commence at Cape Leeuwin, theend of Nuyts' Land would reach nearly to the longitude of 135° east ofGreenwich; but if, as was probable, the windings of the shore wereincluded, and a deduction made of one-sixth to one-seventh in thedistance, then the Isles of St. Francis and St. Peter might be expectedto be found between the 132nd and 133rd degrees of east longitude. 

[* _Hist. Des Nav. Aux Terres Australes_. Tome I. Page 429. ]

VANCOUVER. 1791. 

With the exception of Mons. De St. Alouarn, who is said to have anchorednear Cape Leeuwin in 1772, the south coast of Terra Australis, thoughoccupying much attention from geographers, seems to have been leftunvisited from 1627 to 1791. In this year, captain GEORGE VANCOUVER, being on his way to North-west America, made the South Coast on Sept. 26, at _Cape Chatham_, in latitude 35° 3' south, and longitude 116° 35' east, not many leagues beyond where Nuyts appears to have commenced hisdiscovery. He sailed eastward, from thence, along the shore, till the28th; when he anchored in a sound, to which was given the name of KINGGEORGE THE III. 

The country in the neighbourhood of the Sound, and of its two harbours, was found to be agreeably variegated in form; to be clothed with grassand wood; and, though generally more barren than fertile, yet affordingmany spots capable of cultivation. No considerable river was discovered;but fresh water was every where abundant for domestic purposes; and theclimate was judged to be as healthy as the temperature was found to beagreeable. Kangaroos did not appear to be scarce; nor were the woods illtenanted by the feathered tribes; and reptiles and other noxious animalswere not numerous. Amongst the aquatic birds, black swans and wild ducksheld a distinguished place; but, like the land animals, were very shy:sea and shell fish were in tolerable abundance. 

None of the inhabitants were seen; but from the appearance of theirdeserted huts, they were judged to be the same miserable race as those ofthe North-west and East Coasts. No marks of canoes, nor the remains offish, even shell fish, were found near their habitations; and thiscircumstance, with the shyness of the birds and quadrupeds, induced abelief that the natives depended principally upon the woods for theirsubsistence. 

Captain Vancouver quitted King George's Sound on Oct. 11, and proceededeastward in the examination of the coast; but unfavourable windsprevented him from doing this so completely as he wished, and some partswere passed unseen; and the impediments to his progress at length causedthe examination to be quitted, in favour of prosecuting the main designof his voyage. The last land seen was _Termination Island_, in latitude34° 32' and longitude 122° 8'. The coast to the north of this islandappeared much broken; but, although in Nuyts' chart a considerable groupof islands were laid down in about that situation, captain Vancouverrather supposed it to be a continued main land. *

[* For captain Vancouver's account of his proceedings and observations onthe South Coast, see his _Voyage round the World_, Vol. I. Page 28-57. ]

So far as this examination extended, the general form of the coast wasfound to correspond with that of the old chart; nor was any materialerror found in Nuyts' latitude. A further, and more extended confirmationof the Dutch navigator's discovery, and of its having been well laiddown, considering the period at which it was done, was obtained in thefollowing year. 

D'ENTRECASTEAUX. 1792. 

The French rear-admiral BRUNY D'ENTRECASTEAUX, having been sent out withthe ships _La Recherche_ and _L'Espérance_ in search of the unfortunateLa Pérouse made the south coast of New Holland on Dec. 5, 1792, abouttwenty-eight leagues to the north-west of Cape Chatham. * The coast, fromthe South-west Cape to the longitude of Termination Island, was exploredby the admiral, with all the minuteness that the state of the weathercould permit; and he was, generally, able to keep the shore closer abordthan captain Vancouver had done, and to supply the deficiencies in hischart. The broken land to the north of Termination Island was found to beconformable to what Nuyts had laid down: it made part of a very extensivegroup of islands, one of which afforded timely shelter to the Frenchships on Dec. 9, from a gale which had arisen at south-west. 

[*When the Investigator sailed, the journal of _M. Labillardière_, naturalist in D'Entrecasteaux's expedition, was the sole account of thevoyage made public: but M. DE ROSSEI one of the principal officers, hassince published the voyage from the journals of the rear-admiral and itis from this last that what follows is extracted. ]

They remained a week at this anchorage, whilst the naturalists exploredthe surrounding country, and the surveyors examined such of the islandsas were visible from the ships. Seals, penguins, and some kangaroos wereseen; but no fresh water, accessible to shipping, could any where befound; the country within their reach being sandy and sterile. From Dec. 17 to 24, the ships were occupied in coasting eastward, along theoutskirt of the group of islands, and then found it to terminate at 2½°of longitude from its commencement. The main land at the back of theislands had been generally visible, but at too great a distance for theprecise form of the coast to be ascertained, or to allow of fixing thepositions of, or even seeing, many of the inner islands and reefs. 

This group is the first of the two marked upon the chart of Nuyts; andadmiral D'Entrecasteaux praises the general accuracy of the Dutchnavigator, in that "the latitude of Point Leeuwin, and of the coast ofNuyts' Land, were laid down with an exactness, surprising for the remoteperiod in which they had been discovered. " This liberal acknowledgmentrenders it the more extraordinary, that in the appellation which it wasjudged proper to give to this extensive group, the French admiral had notrather thought of doing honour to the original discoverer, or to the_Gulde Zeepaard_, than to his own ship; more especially, as hisexamination was far from being complete. This would have been moreconformable to his general practice; but ARCHIPEL DE LA RECHERCHE was thename adopted. 

Beyond the archipelago, the South Coast was found to trendeast-north-eastward; without any island lying off it, or presenting anyplace of shelter. The shore was either a steep calcareous cliff, of anequal height, or low and sandy, with a few naked hillocks behind; andabove these, no hill. , nor any thing of the interior country, could bediscerned. "It is not surprising, " says D'Entrecasteaux. , "that Nuyts hasgiven no details of this barren coast; for its aspect is so uniform, thatthe most fruitful imagination could find nothing to say of it. "

1793. 

Frustrated in his expectation of procuring fresh water, and having nomore than sufficient, at a short allowance, to reach Van Diemen's Land, the admiral abandoned the investigation of the South Coast, on Jan. 3;being then in latitude 31° 49' south, and longitude 131° 38½' east ofGreenwich. 

In the otherwise excellent charts constructed by M. BEAUTEMPS-BEAUPRÉ, geographical engineer on board La Recherche, there is an extraordinaryomission, arising either from the geographer, or the conductor of thevoyage. In the first 12° of longitude no soundings are marked along thecoast; whilst, in the last 50, they are marked with tolerable regularity:the cause of this difference is not explained. 

In comparing the French chart with that of Nuyts, it appeared that therear-admiral had not proceeded so far along this coast as the Dutchnavigator had done; for he did not see the islands of St. Francis and St. Peter, nor the reef marked about thirty leagues to the west of them. Thepoint, however, where D'Entrecasteaux's examination terminated, was, inall probability, within a few leagues of that reef; and the end of Nuyts'discovery would be between 133° and 134° to the east of Greenwich. 

CONCLUSIVE REMARKS. 

The South Coast was not known, in 1801, to have been visited by any otherthan the three navigators, _Nuyts_, _Vancouver_, and _D'Entrecasteaux_. *The coast line, from Cape Leeuwin to near the longitude of 132°, wasgenerally so well ascertained, and the charts of Vancouver andD'Entrecasteaux appeared to be so good, that little remained in thisspace for future visitors to discover. At two places, the country andproductions near the sea-side had also been examined; though nocommunication had any where been obtained with the inhabitants. It wasknown also from Nuyts, that at 133° or 134° of east longitude, commenceda second archipelago; and that the coast began there to assume anirregular form; but in what direction it trended, whether to thesouth-eastward for Bass' Strait, or northward for the Gulph ofCarpentaria, was altogether uncertain. 

[* It afterwards appeared, that lieutenant James Grant had discovered apart of it in 1800, in his way to Port Jackson with His Majesty's brigLady Nelson. ]

The great point, then, which required to be ascertained, was the form ofthe land from longitude 133° to 146° east, and from south latitude 32° to38½°; comprising a space of two hundred and fifty leagues in a straightline. What rendered a knowledge of this part more particularlyinteresting, was the circumstance of no considerable river having beenfound on any of the coasts of Terra Australis previously explored: but itwas scarcely credible that, if this vast country were one connected massof land, it should not contain some large rivers; and if any, thisunknown part was one of two remaining places, where they were expected todischarge themselves into the sea. 

The apparent want of rivers had induced some persons to think, that TerraAustralis might be composed of two or more islands, as had formerly beensuspected by the Dutch, and by Dampier; whilst others, believing in thecontinuity of the shores, thought this want might arise from the interiorbeing principally occupied by a mediterranean sea; but it was generallyagreed, that one end of the separating channels, or otherwise theentrance, if such existed, into the supposed sea, would most likely befound in this unexplored part of the South Coast. 

Besides the solution of this important geographical problem, somethingremained to be done upon the parts already seen. The main land behind thefirst archipelago, as also the inner islands, were yet to be examined forharbours, where refreshment for ships might be obtained; a comparison ofthe persons and usages of the inhabitants, with those in other parts ofthis vast country, was desirable; and, although little utility could bedrawn from the known productions at the two points visited, it mightreasonably be hoped, that an investigation of a coast so extensive, wouldnot fail to produce much useful information. 

Many circumstances, indeed, united to render the south coast of TerraAustralis one of the most interesting parts of the globe, to whichdiscovery could be directed at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its investigation had formed a part of the instructions to theunfortunate French navigator La Pérouse, and afterwards of those to hiscountryman D'Entrecasteaux; and it was, not without some reason, attributed to England as a reproach, that an imaginary line of more thantwo hundred and fifty leagues extent, in the vicinity of of one of hercolonies, should have been so long suffered to remain traced upon thecharts, under the title Of UNKNOWN COAST. This comported ill with herreputation as the first of maritime powers; and to do it away was, accordingly, a leading point in the instructions given to theInvestigator. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION IV

EAST COAST, WITH VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 

PART I. 

Preliminary Observations. Discoveries of Tasman;of Cook;Marion and Furneaux. Observations of Cook;Bligh; and Cox. Discovery of D'Entrecasteaux. Hayes. 

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 

Van Diemen'S Land would more properly have been arranged under the headof the South Coast; but the later discoveries here have so intimate aconnexion with those on the East, as to render it impossible to separatethem without making repetitions, and losing perspicuity in the narrative. 

The anxiety of the Dutch government at Batavia, to know how far the SOUTHLANDS might extend towards the antarctic circle, was the cause of Tasmanbeing sent with two vessels, to ascertain this point; and the discoveryof Van Diemen's Land was one of the results. It was not, however, thepolicy of the Dutch government to make discoveries for the benefit ofgeneral knowledge; and accordingly this voyage "was never, " says Dr. Campbell, "published intire; and it is probable, that the East-IndiaCompany never intended it should be published at all. However, _DirkRembrantz_, moved by the excellency and accuracy of the work, publishedin _Low Dutch_ an extract of captain Tasman's journal, which has eversince been considered as a great curiosity; and as such, has beentranslated into many languages. " *

[* _Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels, originally published byJohn Harris, D. D. And F. R. S. _ London, 1744. Vol. I. Page 325. ]

If a judgment may be formed from the translations, Rembrantz must haveomitted great part of the nautical details concerning Van Diemen's Land, a defect which is remedied in the following account. It is taken from ajournal containing, besides the daily transactions and observationsthroughout the whole voyage, a series of thirty-eight manuscript charts, views, and figures. The expression _by me_, which often occurs in it, andfollowed by the signature _Abel Jansz Tasman_, shows that if this werenot his original journal, it is a copy from it: probably one made onboard for the governor and council of Batavia. With this interestingdocument, and a translation made in 1776, by Mr. C. G. Woide, chaplain ofHis Majesty's Dutch chapel at St. James's, I was favoured by the RightHon. SIR JOSEPH BANKS. *

[* I am proud to take this opportunity of publicly expressing myobligations to the Right Hon. President of the Royal Society; and of thusadding my voice to the many who, in the pursuit of science, have found inhim a friend and patron. Such he proved in the commencement of my voyage, and in the whole course of its duration; in the distresses which tyrannyheaped upon those of accident; and after they were overcome. Hisextensive and valuable library has been laid open; and has furnished muchthat no time or expense, within my reach, could otherwise have procured. ]

TASMAN. 1642. (Atlas. Plate VII. )

CAPTAIN ABEL JANSZ TASMAN sailed from Batavia on Aug. 14, 1642, with theyacht _Heemskerk_ and fly-boat _Zeehaan_; and, after touching atMauritius, steered south and eastward upon discovery. Nov. 24, at fourp. M. , high land was seen in the E. By N. , supposed to be distant fortymiles. The ships steered towards it till the evening; when there werehigh mountains visible in the E. S. E. , and two smaller ones in the N. E. They sounded in 100 fathoms, and then stood off from the land, with thewind at south-east. 

In the morning of Nov. 25. , it was calm; but on a breeze springing upfrom the southward, Tasman steered for the land; and at five p. M. , whenit was twelve miles distant, sounded in 60 fathoms, coral bottom: at fourmiles off, the bottom was fine white sand. The latitude was then 42° 30'south; the _mean of all their longitudes_ 163° 50' east (of Teneriffeapparently); and the compass had no variation. The coast here lies S. ByE. And N. By W. It is of an even height; and was named ANTONY VANDIEMEN's LAND, in honour of the governor-general, "our master, who sentus out to make discoveries. The islands round about, as many of them aswere known to us, we called in honour of the Council of India. "

The ships stood off again for the night, with a light breeze at S. S. E. On the 26th, the wind was from the eastward, and weather rainy, so thatno land could be seen; but its distance was supposed to be twelve orthirteen leagues. At noon, the latitude from dead reckoning was 43° 36', and longitude 163° 2'; the course having been S. S. W. 72 miles. * In theevening the wind shifted to the north-east, and their course was directedE. S. E. : the variation was then half a degree west. 

[* This and the following courses and distances run from one noon toanother, do not always agree with the latitudes and longitudes; but thedifferences are not great: They probably arose from the distances beingmarked to the nearest Dutch mile on the log board; whereas the latitudeand longitude are taken to minutes of a degree. ]

Nov. 27, the land was again seen. At noon, a course of S. E. By E. 52miles, gave the latitude by estimation 44° 4' south, and longitude 164°2' east. The weather was thick and rainy, and the wind still from thenorth-eastward; and at the fourth hour of the night, the vessels lay to, not venturing to run in the dark. In the morning of the 28th, it wasfoggy, with rain. They made sail to the east; but on seeing the land fromN. E. To N. N. E. , hauled up for it. From what could be perceived of thecoast, it extended S. E. By E. And N. W. By W. , and seemed to decrease inheight to the eastward. At noon, the latitude by estimation was 44° 1', longitude 165° 2'; and the course steered, E. By S. 44 miles. The windwas then at north-west; and in the evening, they came near three smallislands, one of which was shaped like a lion's head, and lies twelvemiles from the continent (this was the _Mewstone_, of Furneaux). The windwas from the eastward in the night, and the ships lay to. 

Nov. 29, they were still near the cliffy, lion-head-shaped island. Thewind was light and fair, and they steered parallel to the coast, whichlies here east and west. At noon, having made a course of E. N. E. 48miles, the latitude was judged to be 43° 53', longitude 166° 3'. Theyhad, a little before, passed two cliffy islets lying to seaward; of whichthe westernmost (_Swilly_ of Furneaux) is like _Pedra Blanca_ near thecoast of China: the easternmost (_Eddystone_ of Cook) resembles anawkward tower, and is about sixteen miles from the main land. Continuingto coast along the shore, they came, at five in the evening, to a bay, into which it was resolved in council to enter; but when almost in it, ahigh wind rose, and obliged them to shorten sail and stand out to sea. Atdaylight of the 30th, they found themselves driven so far off by the_storm_ (whence the name of STORM BAY, applied in the chart), that theland was scarcely visible. At noon, the general course had been E. By N. 80 miles; the latitude _was found_ to be 43° 41', and longitude byestimation (corrected) 168° 3': the needle pointed here, true North. Theland was in sight to the north-west, and the wind strong, but variable, from the northward. The ships steered westward for a short time; but theweather being too stormy to admit of approaching the land, they went uponthe other tack; and kept as much to the northward. , under easy sail, asthe wind would permit. 

Dec. 1, the wind was more moderate; and on its veering to W. S. W. , theships steered towards the shore. At noon, their course made good was N. N. W. 39 miles; the latitude was 43° 10' and longitude 167° 55'. It thenfell calm, and a council of officers from the two vessels was called, inwhich it was resolved, if wind and weather permitted, "to get a knowledgeof the land, and some refreshments. " An eastern breeze sprung up soonafterward; and they got to anchor, an hour after sunset, "in a good port, in 22 fathoms, whitish good-holding sand; wherefore we ought to cc praiseGOD ALMIGHTY. " This port is called FREDERIK HENDRIK'S BAY, in the chart. 

Next morning early, two armed boats were sent to an inlet (the innerbay), situate four or five miles to the north-westward of the ships, inorder to search for fresh water, wood, and refreshments. They returned inthe afternoon, and the officers gave the following account. 

They rowed four or five miles round the point of the inlet, along a highand level shore. Wild greens were plentiful; some resembled those at theCape of Good Hope, "and may be used in place of wormwood;" others werelong and saltish, and like sea parsley. They found many dry gullies, andone watering place in which the water was good, but obtained withdifficulty, and in very small quantities. Some human voices were heard, and a sound like that of a trumpet, or little _gong_, which was not faroff; but they could see no person. Amongst the trees, two were remarkedwhose thickness was two, or two and a half fathoms, and the firstbranches from sixty to sixty-five feet above the ground. The bark hadbeen taken off with a flint stone, and steps were cut, full five feet onefrom the other; whence the natives were presumed to be very tall, or ableto get up these trees by some artifice. They supposed the steps to bemade for the purpose of getting at the nests of birds; and that some ofthem had not been cut above four days before. They observed traces on theground, as if made by the claws of a tiger; and saw the excrements, aswas thought, of quadrupeds. Some well-looking gums, which dropped fromthe trees and somewhat resembled _gum-lac_, were brought on board. 

Off the east point of the (inner) bay, they found thirteen to fourteenfeet water; and that the tide flowed about three feet. They there saw anumber of men, of wild ducks, and geese; but inland none were seen, though their noise was heard. Muscles were found sticking to bushes, indifferent places. The country was covered with trees; but so thinlyscattered, that one might see every where to a great distance amongstthem, and distinguish men and animals. Several of the trees were "muchburnt about the foot; and the ground was here and there like littlesquares (_vuysterchen_), and become as hard as stone, by fire. "

A short time before the boats returned, a thick smoke had been observedupon the continent, to the west of where the ships lay at anchor; andfrom the people staying so much longer than they had been ordered, it wasthought to have been made by them, as a signal. But on inquiry, theyanswered in the negative; and said that they, also, had seen smoke inseveral places; and bushes--(here seems to be a line omitted. ) "So thatwithout doubt, here must be exceedingly tall people. "

Dec. 3. A boat was sent to the south-east part of the (outer) bay, andfound fresh water; but it broke through the low shore to the sea, and wasbrackish; and the soil was too rocky to dig wells. In the afternoon, commodore Tasman went, with several officers from both vessels in twoboats, to the south-east extremity of the bay; taking with them thePRINCE'S flag, and a post upon which was cut a compass, to be erected onshore. One of the boats was obliged to return, from the bad weather; butthe shallop went to a little cove W. S. W. Of the ships. The surf beingthere too high to admit of landing, the first carpenter, _PieterJacobsz_, swam on shore with the post and Prince's flag; and set it upnear the last of four remarkable trees, which stood in the form of acrescent, in the middle of the cove. "When the first carpenter had donethis, in the sight of me ABEL J. TASMAN, of the master _Gerrit Jansz_, and under-merchant _Abraham Coomans_, we went with the shallop as near aspossible to the shore, and the said carpenter swam back, through thesurf. We then returned on board; and left this as a memorial to theposterity of the inhabitants of this country. They did not showthemselves; but we suspected some to be not far from thence, watchingcarefully our doings. "

The wind was from the northward all this day; and at sunset, it blew astorm. The variation at anchor was observed to be 3° east; the latitudewas 43° south, and longitude 167½° east from Teneriffe. 

Dec. 4. The wind was more moderate, and came from the westward, off theland. The anchors were then weighed, but the flukes of one were broken. On quitting Frederik Hendrik's Bay, the ships steered northward as muchas possible, to look for a watering place. At noon, the course had beenN. E. 32 miles; the latitude was 42° 40', and longitude 168°. In theevening, they saw a round mountain, about eleven leagues to the N. N. W. ;and during the whole day, several smokes were visible along the coast. "Here, " says Tasman, "I should give a description of the extent of thecoast, and the islands near it, but I hope to be excused, and refer, forbrevity's sake, to the chart made of it, and herewith joined. "

The ships kept close to the wind all night, as they did in the morning ofDec. 5, when it was N. W. By W. The high round mountain was then seenbearing west, eight leagues, and this was the furthest land visible, nordid the wind allow them to come in with it again. At noon, the latitudewas judged to be 41° 34', and longitude 169°; the course for the last dayhaving been N. E. By N. 80 miles. Tasman then steered "preciselyeastward, to make further discoveries, " agreeably to a resolution of thecouncil, taken in the morning. 

The copy of Tasman's charts, given in the Atlas, PLATE III. OfD'Entrecasteaux's Voyage, and taken from Valentyn, is conformable to themanuscript charts in the Dutch journal. There is, however, an error ofone degree too much east, in the scale of longitude; and Pedra Blanca iserroneously written against the Eddystone, in the general chart. In theplan of Frederik Hendrik's Bay, the name is placed _within_ the innerbay, instead of being written, as in the original, on the point of landbetween the inner and outer bays: I conceive the name was intended tocomprise both. *

[* In Vol. III. Just published, of captain Burney's _History ofDiscoveries in the South Sea_, a copy is given of Tasman's charts, asthey stand in the original. ]

COOK. 1770. 

More than a century had elapsed after this celebrated voyage of Tasman, and the eastern limit of Terra Australis remained still unknown. But theBritish nation was then taking the lead in discovery; and the new andliberal principles upon which His Majesty, GEORGE III, ordered it to beprosecuted, was a sure indication that so considerable a part of theglobe would not long escape attention. Captain JAMES COOK, accompanied byMr. Green, was sent in the _Endeavour_ to observe, at Taheity, thetransit of Venus over the sun's disk; and after accomplishing thatobject, and making a survey of New Zealand, he continued his coursewestward, in order to explore the east side of the _Terra AustralisIncognita_. 

(Atlas, Pl. I. )

In the morning of April 19, 1770, the land was seen bearing fromnorth-east to west; the furthest part, in the latter direction, beingjudged to lie in 38° south, and 148° 53' east. But captain Cook could notdetermine whether it did, or did not, join to Tasman's Van Diemen's Land. 

It would be superfluous, here, to follow our great navigator in hisdiscoveries along the coast, northward to _Botany Bay_ and from thence toCape York. Such an abstract as suits the plan of this Introduction wouldbe little satisfactory to the reader; when, by an easy reference to theoriginal narrative, so much interesting information upon this newcountry, its productions, and inhabitants, may be obtained. *

[* _Hawkesworth's Voyages_, Vol. III. Page 77, _et seq_. ]

This voyage of captain Cook, whether considered in the extent of hisdiscoveries and the accuracy with which they were traced, or in thelabours of his scientific associates, far surpassed all that had gonebefore. The general plan of the voyage did not, however, permit captainCook to enter minutely into the details of every part; and had it beenotherwise, the very extent of his discoveries would have rendered itimpossible. Thus, some portions of the east coast of Terra Australis werepassed in the night, many openings were seen and left unexamined. , andthe islands and reefs lying at a distance from the shore could, generally, be no more than indicated: he reaped the harvest of discovery, but the gleanings of the field remained to be gathered. 

MARION. 1772. 

The first visitor to Van Diemen's Land, after Tasman, its discoverer, wascaptain MARION. He commanded the _Mascarin_ and _Marquis de Castries_, from the Isle Mauritius; and one of the objects of his expedition, wasthe discovery of the supposed SOUTHERN CONTINENT. This voyage possesses aconsiderable degree of interest, and was published at Paris in 1783; butnot being generally known in England, the parts which relate to VanDiemen's Land, are here given in abridgment. 

March 3, 1772, M. Marion made the west side, in latitude 42° 56', half adegree south of Tasman's first land fall; and behind a point in 43° 15', he saw an opening leading to the northward, but of which no particularmention is made. Steering eastward, round all the rocks and islets lyingoff the south coast, he arrived, on the evening of the 4th, in _FrederikHendrik's Bay_; and anchored in 22 fathoms, sandy bottom. The great sandycove of the outer bay bore from thence, S. 25° W. One league and a half;the extreme of Maria's Island, N. E. By N. ; and the northernmost part ofthe main land, N. 5° W. Six leagues: (these bearings appear to be astaken by the compass). The latitude observed here, was 42° 50' south, andlongitude 145° 20 east of Greenwich; the first being 10', and thelongitude above 5° _less_, than given by Tasman. *

[* According to captain Cook, the longitude should be 148° 10'. ]

The fires and smokes, seen by day and night, bespoke the country to bewell inhabited; and, on anchoring, there were about thirty men assembledupon the shore. On the boats being sent next morning, the natives went tothem without distrust; and, having piled together some pieces of wood, presented a lighted stick to the new comers, and seemed to ask them toset fire to the pile. Not knowing what this ceremony meant, theycomplied; and the act seemed neither to excite surprise, nor to cause anyalteration in the conduct of the natives: they continued to remain aboutthe French party, with their wives and children, as before. 

These people were of the common stature, of a black colour, and were allnaked, both men and women; and some of the latter had children fastenedto their backs, with ropes made of rushes. All the men were armed withpointed sticks (spears), and with stones which appeared to have beensharpened in the manner of axe heads. They had, in general, small eyes, and the white duller than in Europeans; the mouth very wide, the teethwhite, and flat noses. Their hair, which resembled the wool of theCaffres, was separated into shreds, and powdered with red ochre. Theywere generally slender, tolerably well made, kept their shoulders back, and upon their prominent chests, several had marks raised in the skin. Their language, appeared harsh; the words seeming to be drawn from thebottom of the throat. 

The French tried to win them by little presents, but they rejected withdisdain every thing that was offered; even iron, looking-glasses, handkerchiefs, and cloth. They were shown ducks and fowls, which had beencarried from the ships; and it was endeavoured to make them understand, that such would be gladly purchased of them; but they took these animals, with which they seemed to be unacquainted, and threw them away in anger. 

The party had been about an hour with the savages when captain Marionwent on shore. One of the natives stepped forward, and offered him afirebrand to be applied to a small heap of wood; and the captain, supposing it was a ceremony necessary to prove that he came with friendlyintentions, set fire to the heap without hesitation. This was no soonerdone, than they retired precipitately to a small hill, and threw a showerof stones, by which captain Marion, and the commander of the Castrieswere both wounded. Some shots were then fired; and the French, returningto their boats, coasted along the beach to an open place in the middle ofthe bay, where there was no hill or eminence from whence they could beannoyed. The savages sent their women and children into the woods, andfollowed the boats along shore; and on their putting in to land, one ofthe natives set up a hideous cry, and immediately a shower of spears wasdischarged. A black servant was hurt in the leg; and a firing thencommenced, by which several of the natives were wounded, and one killed. They fled to the woods, making a frightful howling, but carried off suchof the wounded as were unable to follow. Fifteen men, armed with muskets, pursued them; and on entering amongst the trees, they found a dyingsavage. This man was a little more than five feet seven inches high; hisbreast was marked like those of the Mozambique Caffres, and his skinappeared as black; but on washing off the soot and dirt, his naturalcolour appeared to be reddish. The spears, which it was feared might havebeen poisoned, were proved not to be so by the facility with which thewound of the black servant was healed. 

After the flight of the savages, captain Marion sent two officers withdetachments, to search for water, and for trees proper to make a foremastand bowsprit for the Castries; but after traversing two leagues ofcountry without meeting a single inhabitant, they returned unsuccessfulin both pursuits; nor could any fresh water be found during the six dayswhich the ships remained in Frederik Hendrik's Bay. 

The land here is quite sandy, but covered with brush-wood, and with smalltrees which the savages had mostly stripped of the bark for cooking theirshell fish. The greater part of the trees were burnt at the foot; butamongst them there was a kind of pine, less than ours, which wasperfectly preserved; apparently from the natives finding them to be ofuse in some way or other. *

[* It is more probable, that these trees are able to resist the firebetter than the others. ]

There were marks of fire almost every where; and in many places the earthwas covered with ashes. Where it was not burnt, there was plenty ofgrass, ferns like those of Europe, sorrel, and _alléluia_. From the fewanimals seen, it was thought that the fires made by the natives near thecoast, drove them inland. The shooters met with a tiger cat, and saw manyholes in the ground, like those of a warren. They killed crows, blackbirds, thrushes, doves, a white-bellied paroquet whose plumageresembled that of the same bird at the River Amazons, and several kindsof sea birds, principally pelicans, and the black-bodied red bill. 

The climate was cold, although in the end of summer; and it excitedsurprise, that the savages could go naked; the more so, as the nearestapproach to houses consisted of branches of trees, set up behind the fireplaces to break off the wind. The many heaps of shells seemed to bespeak, that the usual food of these people was muscles and other shell fish. 

Many large rays were caught by the French, as also sea cats, old wives, and several other fish whose names were not known. They found also plentyof cray-fish, lobsters, very large crabs, and good oysters; and thecurious picked up sea stars, sea eggs, and a variety of fine and rareshells. 

Finding he was only losing time in searching for water in this wildcountry, captain Marion determined to make sail for New Zealand, where hehoped to succeed better, and also to obtain masts for the Castries. Heaccordingly left Van Diemen's Land on the 10th of March; and the accountof it concludes with the observation that they had very bad weather onthe west coast, but on the east side the sky was much clearer and windsmore moderate. 

The chart of _Mons. Crozet_, which accompanies the voyage, appears, though on a very small scale, to possess a considerable degree ofexactness in the form of the land. The wide opening, called Storm Bay, isdistinctly marked; as is another bay to the westward, with several smallislands in it, the easternmost of which are the _Boreel's Eylanden_ ofTasman. 

FURNEAUX. 1773. 

A year after Marion had quitted Frederik Hendrik's Bay, Van Diemen's Landwas visited by captain TOBIAs FURNEAUX, in His Majesty's ship_Adventure_. He made the _South-west Cape_ on March 9, and steeredeastward, close to the islands and rocks called Maatsuyker's, by Tasman;and behind which lay a bold shore, which seemed to afford severalanchoring places. Some of these rocks resembled, says captain Furneaux, "the Mewstone, particularly one which we so named, about four or fiveleagues E. S. E. ½ E. Off the above cape, which Tasman has not mentioned, or laid down in his draughts. " * This is nevertheless the lion-head-shapedisland, particularly mentioned by Tasman, as lying twelve miles out fromthe coast: the mistake arose from the imperfection of the accounts. After passing Maatsuyker's Isles, captain Furneaux sent a boat to themain land, on the 10th, and the people found places where the natives hadbeen. , and where pearl scallop shells were scattered about. "The soilseemed to be very rich; the country well clothed with wood, particularlyon the lee sides of the hills; plenty of water which falls from the rocksin beautiful cascades, for two or three hundred feet perpendicular, intothe sea; but they did not see the least sign of any place to anchor inwith safety. "

[* _Cook's Second Voyage_, Vol. I. P. 109. ]

On the return of the boat, captain Furneaux made sail, and came to "thewesternmost point of a very deep bay, called by Tasman _Stormy Bay_. Fromthe west to the east point of this bay there are several small islands, and black rocks which we called the _Friars_. " From the Friars hefollowed the coast N. By E. Four leagues, and the same evening anchoredin ADVENTURE BAY. "We first took this bay, " says the captain, "to be thatwhich Tasman called Frederik Henry Bay; but afterwards found that his islaid down five leagues to the northward. "

Captain Furneaux here mistook the Storm and Frederik Hendrik's Bays ofTasman; and he has been followed in this error by all the succeedingnavigators of the same nation, which has created not a little confusionin the geography of this part of the world. 

The bay supposed to have been Storm Bay, has no name in Tasman's chart;though the particular plan shows that he noticed it, as did Marion moredistinctly. The rocks marked at the east point of this bay, and calledthe Friars, are the _Boreel's Eylanden_ of Tasman; and the true Storm Bayis the deep inlet, of which Adventure Bay is a cove. Frederik Hendrik'sBay is not within this inlet, but lies to the north-eastward, on theouter side of the land which captain Furneaux, in consequence of hisfirst mistake, took to be Maria's Island, but which, in fact, is a partof the main land. All this is evident from a close comparison of theforms of the land in the two charts, and is corroborated by thedifferences of longitude from the Mewstone. 

Adventure Bay proved to be a valuable discovery, being a good andwell-sheltered anchorage, where wood and water were abundant, andprocurable without much difficulty. The country was found to be pleasant;the soil black and rich, though not deep; the sides of the hills coveredwith large trees of the evergreen kind, growing to a great height beforethey spread out into branches. There were several species of land birds;and the aquatic fowl were ducks, teal, and the sheldrake. An opossum wasseen, and the excrement of another quadruped, judged to be of the deerkind. Sea fish were caught, but not in plenty. The lagoons abounded withtrout and several other sorts of fish. No natives came down to the ships;but their fires were seen at a distance, and several of their miserablehuts were examined. Not the least mark of canoe or boat was seen, and itwas generally thought they had none; "being altogether, from what wecould judge, a very ignorant and wretched set of people; though nativesof a country capable of producing every necessary of life, and a climatethe finest in the world. We found not the least sign of any minerals ormetals. "

After remaining five days in Adventure Bay, captain Furneaux sailed alongthe coast to the northward, in order to discover whether Van Diemen'sLand were joined to New South Wales. He passed the Maria's, Schouten's, and Vanderlin's Islands of Tasman, at some distance; and then, closingmore in with the coast, he found the land to be low and even, and of anagreeable aspect, "but no signs of a harbour or bay, where a ship mightanchor in safety. " In latitude 40° 50', the coast, from running nearlynorth, turned to the westward. , and, as captain Furneaux thought, formeda deep bay. From thence to 39° 50', is nothing but islands and shoals;the "land high, rocky, and barren. " In the course northward, past theseislands, he had regular soundings, from 15 to 30 fathoms, though no landwas visible; it was, however, seen again (or thought to be so) inlatitude 39°, and nearly due north from the islands. The bottom thenbecoming uneven, our navigator discontinued his course, and steered forNew Zealand. 

Whether Van Diemen's Land were, or were not, joined to New South Wales, was a question not yet resolved; but captain Furneaux gave it as hisopinion, "that there is no strait between New Holland and Van Diemen'sLand, but a very deep bay. "

COOK. 1777. 

The next visitor to Van Diemen's Land was captain JAMES COOK, with hisMajesty's ships _Resolution_ and _Discovery_. He made the South-west Capeon Jan. 24, 1777, and steered eastward along the shore, as captainFurneaux had done, but generally at a greater distance: on the 26th heanchored in Adventure Bay. 

Captain Cook's account of this bay agrees nearly with that of Furneaux;but he there procured abundance of fish, and had frequent communicationwith the natives: his description of them coincides, generally, with whathas been recited in Marion's voyage. The most striking differencesbetwixt these people and those captain Cook had seen on the east coast ofNew South Wales, were in their language, in having no canoes, and in thedifferent texture of the hair: in those it was "naturally long and black, though it be universally cropped short;" whilst in Adventure Bay, "it wasas woolly, as that of any native of Guinea. " * In these particulars, as insome others, they agreed with Dampier's description of the people on theNorth-west Coast, who were without canoes, and had woolly hair. 

[* See Cook's _Third Voyage_, Vol. I. P. 93-117. ]

The following articles, to the conclusion of PART I. Of this Section, areplaced somewhat out of their chronological order, for the convenience ofclassing together all the discoveries which had no connection with theBritish settlement in New South Wales. Those made in vessels from thatsettlement, or which may be considered as a consequence of itsestablishment, will compose PART II. In uninterrupted order. 

BLIGH. 1788. 

Captain William Bligh put into Adventure Bay with his Majesty's ship_Bounty_ in 1788, and with the _Providence_ and _Assistant_ in 1792; forthe purpose of obtaining wood and water. These were procured withfacility, as also plenty of fish; and many useful seeds and trees wereplanted. 

No discoveries being made here, beyond those of Furneaux and Cook, thereader is referred to captain Bligh's _Voyage to the South Seas_, P. 45to 54, for his observations on the country and inhabitants. There is, however, one remarkable circumstance recorded of these people, which is, that when presents wrapped up in paper were thrown to them, "they tookthe articles out, and placed them on their heads;" a ceremony which issimilar to that recorded by _Witsen_, of the inhabitants on the east sideof the Gulph of Carpentaria. 

COX. 1789. 

The brig Mercury, commanded by JOHN HENRY COX, Esq. , anchored at theentrance of a deep bay on the south side of Van Diemen's Land, on July 3, 1789. This bay was then first discovered, and lies N. By W. Ten milesfrom the _Mewstone_. * The country was found to be agreeably interspersedwith hills and vallies, and some of the hills were luxuriantly clothedwith trees to their very summits. About four miles from the vessel, therewas a stream of fresh water; and close to it stood a hut, or ratherhovel, neatly constructed of branches of trees and dried leaves. "Aroundit were scattered a great quantity of pearl, escalop, oyster, and othershells, which had been lately roasted. " The faeces of some large animalwere met with in every direction; but neither the animal itself nor anyof the natives could be found. 

[* _Observations, etc. , made during a voyage in the brig Mercury_; byLieut. G. Mortimer of the Marines. London, 1791. ]

July 5. A heavy swell from the southward obliged Mr. Cox to get underway; and he worked along shore to the eastward. His intention was to putinto Adventure Bay; but being set to the northward of his reckoning, onthe 8th, he discovered, and came to an anchor in OYSTER BAY, on the innerside of Maria's Island, the shelter there being found secure, and woodand water plentiful. This bay lies in 42° 42' south, and 148° 25' east, and not more than three or four leagues to the northward of Tasman's_Frederik Hendrik's Bay_; though Mr. Cox, following in the error ofcaptain Furneaux, seems to have had no idea of this proximity. 

Some communication was obtained with the inhabitants of the island; butas nothing in this, or in other respects, was found materially differentto what was observed by Mons. Marion and captain Cook in the neighbouringbays, it is unnecessary to enter into the details. 

D'ENTRECASTEAUX. 1792. 

The French rear-admiral, BRUNY D'ENTRECASTEAUX, made the coast of VanDiemen's Land with the intention of procuring wood and water at AdventureBay; "but deceived by the forms of the coast, which resemble each other, he entered Storm Bay, " April 20, 1792. * This is not, however, the StormBay of Tasman; but that which was taken for such by captain Furneaux. 

[* _Voyage de D'Entrecasteaux, rédigé par M. De Rossel_: À Paris 1808. Tome I. P. 48. ]

The error was soon detected; but finding shelter and good anchoringground, the admiral determined to remain where he was, and to examine theinlet. The result most amply repaid his labour, by opening to him themost important discovery which had been made in this country from thetime of Tasman. Instead of an open bay, this inlet was found to be theentrance into a fine navigable channel, running more than ten leagues tothe northward, and there communicating with the true Storm Bay. Itcontains a series of good harbours, or is itself, rather, one continuedharbour, from beginning to end. 

This new passage obtained the name of CANAL DE D'ENTRECASTEAUX; and, after passing through it with his ships, the admiral steered across StormBay, passing to the southward of the land which Furneaux and Cook hadtaken for Maria's Islands. At the head of Storm Bay other openings wereseen; but the wind from the north and the pressure of time, did not allowhim to examine them at that period. 

1793. 

On Jan. 21, of the following year, admiral D'Entrecasteaux anchored againin one of the ports on the west side of the entrance to his newlydiscovered channel; and after completing the wood and water of his twoships, _La Recherche_ and _L'Espérance_, pursued his former course up thepassage, sending boats to complete the surveys of the different harbourson each side. A boat was also sent to explore the two openings in thehead of Storm Bay. The westernmost proved to be a river, up which theboat ascended twenty miles to the northward; and so far it was navigablefor ships. It was not pursued further; so that the distance, to whichthis _Rivière du Nord_ might penetrate into the country, was uncertain. The eastern opening led northward into a wide, open bay; and this intoanother large expanse of water to the eastward, but which was notexamined. It was thought, however, that this eastern bay communicatedwith that of Frederik Hendrik; and on this supposition (which has notproved correct), the land which Furneaux and Cook had erroneously thoughtto be Maria's Island, was named _Ile d' Abel Tasman_. 

The charts of the bays, ports, and arms of the sea at the south-east endof Van Diemen's Land, constructed in this expedition by Mons. BEAUTEMPS-BEAUPRÉ and assistants, appear to combine scientific accuracyand minuteness of detail, with an uncommon degree of neatness in theexecution: they contain some of the finest specimens of marine surveying, perhaps ever made in a new country. 

Admiral D'Entrecasteaux gives a very favourable account of thedisposition of the native inhabitants on the shores of the channel; andhe had frequent communications with them. In person and manner of living, they agree with those described by Marion and Cook; but the vocabulary oftheir language is somewhat different; and bark canoes, which precedingnavigators had thought them not to possess, were found in the channel. The description of the country is, generally, favourable; though somewhatless so than that of captain Cook at Adventure Bay. The climate wasthought good, though moist; and the supplies of wood, water, and fish, for ships, were abundant; but the preference, in these respects, wasgiven to Adventure Bay, even by the French admiral. 

_Mons. Labillardière_, in his previously published account ofD'Entrecasteaux's voyage, says, that he found a small vein of coal nearthe South Cape; and that limestone rocks exist on the west-side ofAdventure Bay. These circumstances are omitted by M. De Rossel; as isalso the remark, that although the natives had their teeth perfect, ingeneral, yet in some near the bay, one, and sometimes two of the upperfront teeth were wanting. The same thing was observed by Dampier, of theinhabitants on the north-west coast of Terra Australis; and thiscoincidence, together with their similarity of person, particularly inthe woolly hair, is sufficiently remarkable to induce a belief, thatthese people, placed at the two extremities of this vast country, haveyet one common origin; although the intermediate inhabitants of the EastCoast differ in some essential particulars. 

HAYES. 1794. 

Captain JOHN HAYES, of the Bombay marine, visited Storm Bay andD'Entrecasteaux's Channel, with the private ships _Duke_ and _Dutchess_from India, in 1794. He went much further up the Rivière du Nord, thanthe boat from the French ships had done, and gave it the name of theDERWENT RIVER. This name is likely to efflace the first appellation, andwith some degree of propriety; both from the superior extent of captainHayes' examination, and from _North River_ being an equivocal term for astream at the _south end_ of Van Diemen's Land. 

That captain Hayes had some intimation of the French discovery isevident, but not knowing the distinctive appellations given, he took uponhimself to impose names every where. Succeeding visitors have gone withhis _sketch_ in their hands, whilst the charts of D'Entrecasteaux wereunknown in that part of the world; from whence, and still more from thosenames having now become familiar to the settlement established in theDerwent River, it will be difficult, if not impossible in many cases, forthe original discoverer to be reinstated in his rights. 

The head of the Derwent is the sole part where captain Hayes' sketchconveys information, not to be found much more accurately delineated inthe charts of D'Entrecasteaux. 

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

SECTION IV

EAST COAST, WITH VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 

PART II. 

Preliminary Information. Boat expeditions of Bass and Flinders. Clarke. Shortland. Discoveries of Bass to the southward of Port Jackson;of Flinders;and of Flinders and Bass. Examinations to the northward by Flinders. Conclusive Remarks. 

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. 

The year 1788 will ever be a memorable epoch in the history of TerraAustralis. On Jan. 18, Captain (now vice-admiral) ARTHUR PHILLIP arrivedin Botany Bay, with His Majesty's brig _Supply_; and was followed by the_Syrius_, captain John Hunter, six sail of transports, and three storeships. The purpose of this armament was to establish a colony in NewSouth Wales, over which extensive country Captain Phillip was appointed_Governor_ and _Captain-general_. Botany Bay proved to be an unfavourablesituation for the new colony; it was, therefore, abandoned in favour ofPORT JACKSON, which lies three leagues to the northward, and was found tobe one of the finest harbours in the world. 

A history of this establishment at the extremity of the globe, in acountry where the astonished settler sees nothing, not even the grassunder his feet, which is not different to whatever had before met hiseye, could not but present objects of great interest to the Europeanreader; and the public curiosity has been gratified by the perusal ofvarious respectable publications, wherein the proceedings of thecolonists, the country round Port Jackson, its productions, and nativeinhabitants, are delineated with accuracy, and often with minuteness. Thesubject to be here treated is the progress of maritime geographicaldiscovery, which resulted from the new establishment; and as thedifferent expeditions made for this purpose are in many casesimperfectly, and in some altogether unknown, it has been judged that acircumstantial account of them would be useful to seamen, and not withoutinterest to the general reader. These expeditions are, moreover, intimately connected with the Investigator's voyage, of which they were, in fact, the leading cause. 

(Atlas, Plate VIII. )

The first advantage to maritime geography which arose from the newsettlement, was a survey of Botany and Broken Bays and Port Jackson, withmost of the rivers falling into them. Botany Bay had, indeed, beenexamined by captain Cook; but of the other two harbours, the entrancesalone had been seen. This survey, including the intermediate parts of thecoast, was made by captain John Hunter, and was published soon after itstransmission to England by governor Phillip. 

In the beginning Of 1795, captain (now vice-admiral) Hunter sailed asecond time for New South Wales, to succeed captain Phillip in thegovernment of the new colony. He took with him His Majesty's armedvessels Reliance and Supply; and the author of this account, who was thena midshipman and had not long before returned from a voyage to the SouthSeas, was led by his passion for exploring new countries, to embrace theopportunity of going out upon a station which, of all others, presentedthe most ample field for his favourite pursuit. 

On arriving at Port Jackson, in September of the same year, it appearedthat the investigation of the coast had not been greatly extended beyondthe three harbours; and even in these, some of the rivers were notaltogether explored. Jervis Bay, indicated but not named by captain Cook, had been entered by lieutenant Richard Bowen; and to the north, PortStephens had lately been examined by Mr C. Grimes, land surveyor of thecolony, and by captain W. R. Broughton of H. M. Ship Providence; but theintermediate portions of coast, both to the north and south, were littlefurther known than from captain Cook's general chart; and none of themore distant openings, marked but not explored by that celebratednavigator, had been seen. 

In Mr George Bass, surgeon of the Reliance, I had the happiness to find aman whose ardour for discovery was not to be repressed by any obstacles, nor deterred by danger; and with this friend a determination was formedof completing the examination of the east coast of New South Wales, byall such opportunities as the duty of the ship and procurable means couldadmit. 

BASS and FLINDERS. 1795. 

Projects of this nature, when originating in the minds of young men, areusually termed romantic; and so far from any good being anticipated, evenprudence and friendship join in discouraging, if not in opposing them. Thus it was in the present case; so that a little boat of eight feetlong, called _Tom Thumb_, with a crew composed of ourselves and a boy, was the best equipment to be procured for the first outset. In the monthfollowing the arrival of the ships, we proceeded round in this boat, toBotany Bay; and ascending George's River, one of two which falls into thebay, explored its winding course about twenty miles beyond where GovernorHunter's survey had been carried. 

The sketch made of this river and presented to the governor, with thefavourable report of the land on its borders, induced His Excellency toexamine them himself shortly afterward; and was followed by establishingthere a new branch of the colony, under the name of _Bank's Town_. 

1796. 

A voyage to Norfolk Island interrupted our further proceedings, untilMarch 1796. Mr Bass and myself then went again in Tom Thumb, to explore alarge river, said to fall into the sea some miles to the south of BotanyBay, and of which there was no indication in captain Cook's chart. 

We sailed out of Port Jackson early in the morning of March 25, and stooda little off to sea to be ready for the sea breeze. On coming in with theland in the evening, instead of being near Cape Solander, we foundourselves under the cliffs near Hat Hill, six or seven leagues to thesouthward, whither the boat had been drifted by a strong current. Notbeing able to land, and the sea breeze coming in early next morning fromthe northward, we steered for two small islets, six or seven milesfurther on, in order to get shelter; but being in want of water, andseeing a place on the way where, though the boat could not land, a caskmight be obtained by swimming, the attempt was made, and Mr Bass went onshore. Whilst getting off the cask, a surf arose further out than usual, carried the boat before it to the beach, and left us there with our arms, ammunition, clothes and provisions thoroughly drenched and partlyspoiled. The boat was emptied and launched again immediately; but it waslate in the afternoon before every thing was rafted off, and we proceededto the islets. It was not possible to land there; and we went on to twolarger isles lying near a projecting point of the main, which has fourhillocks upon it presenting the form of a double saddle, and proved to becaptain Cook's _Red Point_. The isles were inaccessible as the others;and it being dark, we were constrained to pass a second night in TomThumb, and dropped our stone anchor in 7 fathoms, under the lee of thepoint. 

The sea breeze, on the 27th, still opposed our return; and learning fromtwo Indians that no water could be procured at Red Point, we acceptedtheir offer of piloting us to a river which, they said, lay a few milesfurther southward, and where not only fresh water was abundant, but alsofish and wild ducks. These men were natives of Botany Bay, whence it wasthat we understood a little of their language, whilst that of some otherswas altogether unintelligible. Their river proved to be nothing more thana small stream, which descended from a lagoon under Hat Hill, and forceda passage for itself through the beach; so that we entered it withdifficulty even in Tom Thumb. Our two conductors then quitted the boat towalk along the sandy shore abreast, with eight or ten strange natives incompany. 

After rowing a mile up the stream, and finding it to become more shallow, we began to entertain doubts of securing a retreat from these people, should they be hostilely inclined; and they had the reputation at PortJackson of being exceedingly ferocious, if not cannibals. Our musketswere not yet freed from rust and sand, and there was a pressing necessityto procure fresh water before attempting to return northward. Under theseembarrassments, we agreed upon a plan of action, and went on shoredirectly to the natives. Mr Bass employed some of them to assist inrepairing an oar which had been broken in our disaster, whilst I spreadthe wet powder out in the sun. This met with no opposition, for they knewnot what the powder was; but when we proceeded to clean the muskets, itexcited so much alarm that it was necessary to desist. On inquiring ofthe two friendly natives for water, they pointed upwards to the lagoon;but after many evasions our _barica_* was filled at a hole not many yardsdistant. 0

[* A small cask, containing six or eight gallons. ]

The number of people had increased to near twenty, and others were stillcoming, so that it was necessary to use all possible expedition ingetting out of their reach. But a new employment arose upon our hands: wehad clipped the hair and beards of the two Botany Bay natives at RedPoint; and they were showing themselves to the others, and persuadingthem to follow their example. Whilst, therefore, the powder was drying, Ibegan with a large pair of scissors to execute my new office upon theeldest of four or five chins presented to me; and as great nicety was notrequired, the shearing of a dozen of them did not occupy me long. Some ofthe more timid were alarmed at a formidable instrument coming so near totheir noses, and would scarcely be persuaded by their shaven friends, toallow the operation to be finished. But when their chins were held up asecond time, their fear of the instrument--the wild stare of theireyes--and the smile which they forced, formed a compound upon the roughsavage countenance, not unworthy the pencil of a Hogarth. I was almosttempted to try what effect a little snip would produce; but our situationwas too critical to admit of such experiments. 

Everything being prepared for a retreat, the natives became vociferousfor the boat to go up to the lagoon; and it was not without stratagemthat we succeeded in getting down to the entrance of the stream, wherethe depth of water placed us out of their reach. 

Our examination of the country was confined, by circumstances, to ageneral view. This part is called _Alowrie_, by the natives, and is verylow and sandy near the sides of the rivulet. About four miles up it, tothe north-west, is the lagoon; and behind, stands a semicircular range ofhills, of which the highest is Hat Hill. The water in the lagoon wasdistinctly seen, and appeared to be several miles in circumference. Theland round it is probably fertile, and the slopes of the back hills hadcertainly that appearance. The natives were in nothing, except language, different from those at Port Jackson; but their dogs, which are of thesame species, seemed to be more numerous and familiar. 

Soon after dark the sea breeze was succeeded by a calm; and at teno'clock we rowed out of the rivulet, repassed Red Point, and at one inthe morning came to an anchor in 5 fathoms, close to the northernmost ofthe two first rocky islets. * In the afternoon of the 28th, we got onshore under the high land to the north of Hat Hill and were able to cookprovisions and take some repose without disturbance. The sandy beach wasour bed; and after much fatigue, and passing three nights of cramp in TomThumb, it was to us a bed of down. 

[* These islets seem to be what are marked as rocks under water incaptain Cook's chart. In it, also, there are three islets laid down tothe south of Red Point, which must be meant for the double islet lyingdirectly off it, for there are no others. The cause of the point beingnamed _red_, escaped our notice. ]

The shore in this part is mostly high and cliffy; and under the cliffswere lying black lumps, apparently of slaty stone, rounded by attrition. These were not particularly noticed, but Mr. Clarke, in his disastrousjourney along the coast, afterwards made fires of them; and on asubsequent examination, Mr. Bass found a stratum of coal to run throughthe whole of these cliffs. 

March 29. By rowing hard we got four leagues nearer home; and at nightdropped our stone under another range of cliffs, more regular but lesshigh than those near Hat Hill. At ten o'clock, the wind, which had beenunsettled and driving electric clouds in all directions, burst out in agale at south, and obliged us to get up the anchor immediately, and runbefore it. In a few minutes the waves began to break; and the extremedanger to which this exposed our little bark, was increased by thedarkness of the night, and the uncertainty of finding any place ofshelter. The shade of the cliffs over our heads, and the noise of thesurfs breaking at their feet, were the directions by which our course wassteered parallel to the coast. 

Mr Bass kept the sheet of the sail in his hand, drawing in a few inchesoccasionally, when he saw a particularly heavy sea following. I wassteering with an oar, and it required the utmost exertion and care toprevent broaching to; a single wrong movement, or a moment's inattention, would have sent us to the bottom. The task of the boy was to bale out thewater which, in spite of every care, the sea threw in upon us. 

After running near an hour in this critical manner, some high breakerswere distinguished ahead; and behind them there appeared no shade ofcliffs. It was necessary to determine, on the instant, what was to bedone, for our bark could not live ten minutes longer. On coming to whatappeared to be the extremity of the breakers, the boat's head was broughtto the wind in a favourable moment, the mast and sail taken down, and theoars got out. Pulling then towards the reef during the intervals of theheaviest seas, we found it to terminate in a point; and in three minuteswere in smooth water under its lee. A white appearance, further back, kept us a short time in suspense; but a nearer approach showed it to bethe beach of a well-sheltered cove, in which we anchored for the rest ofthe night. So sudden a change, from extreme danger to comparativelyperfect safety, excited reflections which kept us some time awake: wethought Providential Cove a well-adapted name for this place; but by thenatives, as we afterwards learned, it is called _Watta-Mowlee_. 

On landing next morning, March 30, water was found at the back of thebeach. The country round the cove is, in general, sandy and barren. Nonatives were seen, but their traces were recent. The extremity of thereef, which afforded us such signal shelter, bore S. E. By E. From thecentre of the beach, the north head of the cove E. N. E. ; and except at theintermediate five points of the compass, Watta-Mowlee affords shelter forlarge boats, with anchorage on a fine sandy bottom. 

Between three and four miles to the northward of this cove, we found theriver, or rather port, which was the original place of our destination;and it having been a pilot named Hacking, from whom the first informationof it had been received, it was named after him: by the natives it iscalled _Deeban_. 

April 1st, was employed in the examination of the port. It is somethingmore than one mile wide in the entrance; but soon contracts to half thatspace, and becomes shallow. Neither have the three arms, into which itafterwards branches out, any deep channel into them; although, within thesecond branch, there are from 3 to 8 fathoms. Finding there was no partaccessible to a ship, beyond two miles from the entrance, nor anyprospect of increasing our small stock of provisions, _Port Hacking_ wasquitted early in the morning of April 2. 

The shores of the port are mostly rocky, particularly on the north side;but there is no want of grass or wood; and without doubt there are manyculturable spots on the sides of the streams which descend, apparentlyfrom the inland mountains, into the uppermost branch. Two natives camedown to us in a friendly manner, and seemed not to be unacquainted withEuropeans. Their language differed somewhat from the Port Jacksondialect; but with the assistance of signs, we were able to make ourselvesunderstood. 

After sounding the entrance of Port Hacking in going out, and finding 3½fathoms water, we steered N. E. By E for Cape Solander; and the sameevening Tom Thumb was secured alongside the Reliance in Port Jackson. 

In this little expedition, I had no other means of ascertaining thesituations of places than by pocket-compass bearings and computeddistances; which was done as follows:

 South lat. East lon. ° ' ° 'Cliffy south extreme of Cape Solander, lies in 34 2. 5 151 12From thence to Port Hacking, a low curvingshore, mostly beach, lies S. W. B. W. 6 miles +3. 4 -6 ------------------Situation of Port Hacking 34 5. 9 151 6From Port Hacking to Watta-Mowlee; low cliffs, but rising gradually to the head of the cove; S. S. W. 3½ miles +3, 2 -1, 6 -----------------Situation of Watta-Mowlee 34 9, 1 151 4, 4Thence to the end of steep cliffs, nearlystraight S. S. W. 4½ miles +4, 2 -2, 1To the end of coal cliffs, and commencement ofHat-Hill beach; mostly a high shore, sometimescliffy, with small beaches at intervals;S. By W. L0 miles, +9. 8 -2. 4From thence to Red Point; a curving sandy beachwith small rocky points; S. ¾ E. 6½ miles +6, 4 + 1. 1 -----------------Situation of Red Point 34 29. 5 151 1From Red Pt. To the entrance of Tom Thumb'slagoon; a low, curving sandy beach; S. W. 5 miles +3. 5 -4. 3 -----------------Situation of the entrance to Tom Thumb's lagoon 34 33. 0 151 56. 7 -----------------

CLARKE. 1797 (Atlas, Pl. I. )

After this expedition, the duties of the ship, and a voyage to the Capeof Good Hope by the way of Cape Horn, suspended our projects for sometime. On the return of the Reliance to New South Wales, we found therethe supra-cargo of the Sydney Cove, a ship from India commanded by Mr. G. A. Hamilton, which, having started a butt end, had been run on shore atFurneaux's Islands and wrecked. Mr. Clarke had left the ship, with thechief mate and others, in the long boat, designing for Port Jackson, inorder to procure means for transporting the officers and people, and suchpart of the cargo as had been saved, to the same place; but beingovertaken by a heavy south-east gale, their boat had been thrown on shorenear Cape Howe, three-hundred miles from the colony, and stove to pieces. 

There was no other prospect of safety for Mr. Clarke and his companions, than to reach Port Jackson on foot; and they commenced their march alongthe sea shore, scantily furnished with ammunition, and with lessprovisions. Various tribes of natives were passed, some of whom werefriendly; but the hostility of others, and excessive fatigue, dailylessened the number of these unfortunate people; and when the provisionsand ammunition failed, the diminution became dreadfully rapid. Their lastloss was of the chief mate and carpenter, who were killed by Dilba, andother savages near Hat Hill;* and Mr. Clarke, with a sailor and onelascar, alone remained when they reached Watta-Mowlee. They were soexhausted, as to have scarcely strength enough to make themselvesobserved by a boat which was fishing off the cove; but were at lengthconveyed into her, and brought to Port Jackson. 

[* This Dilba was one of the two Botany-Bay natives, who had been moststrenuous for Tom Thumb to go up into the lagoon, which lies under thehill. ]

Mr. Clarke gave the first information of the coal cliffs, near Hat Hill;and from him it was ascertained, that, besides the known bays, many smallstreams and inlets had interrupted his march along the shore, from CapeHowe to Watta-Mowlee; but that there were none which he had not been ableto pass, either at the sea side, or by going a few miles round, into thecountry. A journal of his route was published in the Calcutta newspapers, some time in 1798. 

The colonial schooner Francis had made one voyage to Furneaux's Islands, and brought from thence captain Hamilton, and part of his people andcargo. The same vessel was about to proceed thither a second time, and Iwas anxious to embrace that opportunity of exploring those extensive andlittle known lands; but the great repairs required by the Reliance wouldnot allow of my absence. My friend Bass, less confined by his duty, madeseveral excursions, principally into the interior parts behind PortJackson; with a view to pass over the back mountains, and ascertain thenature of the country beyond them. His success was not commensurate tothe perseverance and labour employed: the mountains were impassable; butthe course of the river Grose, laid down in Plate VIII, resulted from oneof these excursions. 

SHORTLAND. 1797. (Atlas, Pl. VIII. )

In September, a small colonial vessel having been carried off byconvicts, lieutenant JOHN SHORTLAND, first of the Reliance, * went afterthem to the northward, in an armed boat. The expedition was fruitless, asto the proposed object; but in returning along the shore from PortStephens, Mr. Shortland discovered a port in latitude 33°, capable ofreceiving small ships; and what materially added to the importance of thediscovery, was a _stratum of coal_, found to run through the south headof the port, and also pervaded a cliffy island in the entrance. Thesecoals were not only accessible to shipping, but of a superior quality tothose in the cliffs near Hat Hill. The port was named after HisExcellency governor HUNTER; and a settlement, called _New Castle_, haslately been there established. The entrance is narrow, and the deepestwater (about three fathoms) close to the north-west side of the CoalIsland; but no vessel of more than three hundred tons should attempt it. 

[* Afterwards captain of the _Junon_. He was mortally wounded, whilstbravely defending his Majesty's frigate against a vastly superior force;and died at _Guadaloupe_. ]

BASS. 1797. 

In December, Mr. GEORGE BASS obtained leave to make an expedition to thesouthward; and he was furnished with a fine whale boat and six weeksprovisions by the governor, and a crew of six seamen from the ships. Hesailed Dec. 3. , in the evening; but foul and strong winds forced him into_Port Hacking_ and _Watta-Mowlee_. On the 5th, in latitude 34° 38', hewas obliged to stop in a small bight of the coast, a little south of_Alowrie_. The points of land there are basaltic; and on looking roundamongst the burnt rocks scattered over a hollowed circular space behindthe shore, Mr. Bass found a hole of twenty-five or thirty feet indiameter; into which the sea washed up by a subterraneous passage. 

Dec. 6. , he passed a long sloping projection which I have called _PointBass_, lying about three leagues south of Alowrie. Beyond this point, thecoast forms a sandy bay of four or five leagues in length, containing twosmall inlets; and the southernmost being accessible to the boat, Mr. Basswent in and stopped three days. This little place was found to deserve nobetter name than _Shoals Haven_. The entrance is mostly choaked up bysand, and the inner part with banks of sand and mud; there is, however, asmall channel sufficiently deep for boats. The latitude was made to be34° 52' south; the sloping Point Bass, to the northward, bore N. 12° E. , and a steep head at the southern extremity of the bay, S. 35° E. The tidewas found to rise seven or eight feet, and the time of high water to beabout _eight hours and a half after_ the moon passed over the meridian. 

The great chain of high land, called the Blue Mountains, by which thecolony at Port Jackson is prevented from extending itself to the west, appeared to Mr. Bass to terminate here, near the sea coast. The base ofthis southern extremity of the chain, he judged to extend twenty-five orthirty miles, in a south-western direction from Point Bass; after whichit turns north-westward. In the direction of west from Shoals Haven, andin all the space to the south of that line, was an extensive, flatcountry, where a party desirous of penetrating into the interior mightreasonably hope to avoid those impediments which, at the back of PortJackson. , have constantly proved insurmountable. 

In an excursion from the boat towards the southern end of the mountains, Mr. Bass fell in with a considerable stream, which he traced down to theshore, about three miles north of Shoals' Haven: this is the first inletof the long bay, which had been observed from the sea, with a bar runningacross the entrance. The soil on the southern bank of this stream hecompared, for richness, to the banks of the Hawkesbury; and attributesthis unusual fertility to the same cause: repeated inundations. In fact, the stream has since been found to descend from the mountains at twelveor fifteen miles from the coast, and to run along their southernextremity to the sea; so that it performs the same office here that theHawkesbury does further north--that of being a channel for the waterswhich descend from the high back land; but as, in the heavy rains, it isalso unequal to the task, the banks are overflowed, and the low countryto the south and west is inundated and fertilized. There are, however, atthe back of Shoals Haven, many thousand acres of open ground, whose soilis a rich vegetable mould, and now beyond the reach of the floods. 

Dec. 10. The boat left Shoals Haven and entered _Jervis Bay_, a largeopen place of very unpromising appearance. On the north side of theentrance, between Point Perpendicular and Long Nose, there is a smallcove, where a ship's boat might lie at half tide; and with a hose fillwater from the back of the beach, at two pits which appeared to be alwaysfull. The best anchorage for ships seemed to be on the east side of thebay, between Long Nose and the northern beach, though they would not, even there, be entirely land-locked. _Bowen's Island_ lies a quarter of amile from the south side of the entrance, but the passage between doesnot admit any thing larger than boats. There is a small beach at the backof the island, off which ships might anchor in 8 fathoms sandy bottom, and be sheltered as far round as south-east; but with the wind nearer toeast they would be exposed. 

The east shore of Jervis Bay runs, for twelve or fifteen miles, so nearto north from the entrance, that it is not, at the head, more than fourhundred yards across to the shore of the long outer bay. The piece ofland, which is thus made a narrow peninsula, is rather high, with a faceof steep cliffs toward the sea. The rocks on the inner side bear strongmarks of volcanic fire; and being disposed in parallel layers, theirinclination to the west is very evident: quantities of pumice stone werescattered along the shores. 

The country round the bay is mostly barren. On the eastern side it isrocky, with heath and brush-wood; the west is low, swampy, and sandy, with some partial exceptions; but on the south side there are grassyspaces amongst the brush-wood which might afford pasturage for cattle. 

Jervis Bay was quitted Dec. 13. , and at noon the Pigeon House bore W. ByN. In the evening Mr. Bass stopped in a cove, which Point Uprightshelters from northern winds; and he employed the next day in lookinground the country. The vallies and slopes of the hills were found to begenerally fertile; but there being nothing of particular interest in thisplace, it was quitted on the 15th. Some small islands lying close underthe shore (in Bateman Bay), bore west at noon; and the night was passedat anchor under a point, in latitude 36° 00', where, the wind being foulon the 16th, Mr. Bass laid the boat on shore, and proceeded to examinethe surrounding country. 

At eight or nine miles from the coast is a ridge of hummocky hills, extending to the southward; but the space between these hills and the seais low and in great part occupied by salt swamps. The sea was found tohave an entrance at the back of the point, and to form a considerablelagoon, which communicated with the swamps by means of several branchingarms. The soil, as may be supposed, was generally bad, the sloping sidesof some of the hills being alone capable of any utility. In a round oftwelve or fourteen miles Mr. Bass could not find a drop of fresh water, or see a native. There were, however, many huts, and he traced the pathsfrom them down to holes dug in the lowest grounds; but these were thenall dried up, and the country in general seemed to be suffering fromdrought. 

Dec. 17. The wind having veered to N. N. W. , the boat was launched, andproceeded to the southward. Mount Dromedary was passed at eleven; and anisland of about two miles in circuit was seen lying off it, a few milesto the eastward: the latitude at noon was 36° 23'. At four, the fairbreeze died away, and a strong wind, which burst forth from the south, obliged Mr. Bass to run for a gap in the land, which had just before beennoticed. Here, on a little beach at the mouth of an inlet, across whichthe sea was breaking, the boat was hauled up for the night. Next morning, the inlet being free of breakers, he entered the prettiest little modelof a harbour he had ever seen. Unfortunately it is but a model; foralthough the shelter within be complete for small craft, yet the depthover the bar is too small, even for boats, except at high water, whenthere is eight or nine feet. This little place was named _BarmouthCreek_, and lies, according to Mr. Bass' computation, in 36° 47' south. The country round, so far as was examined, is rocky and barren near thesea; and towards the head of the creek, it is low and penetrated by thesalt swamps. 

(Atlas, Pl. VI. )

Dec. 19. At day light Mr. Bass continued his course to the southward. , with a fair breeze. At seven he discovered TWO-FOLD BAY; but unwilling tolose a fair wind, reserved the examination of it for his return. At fivein the evening the wind came at S. S. W. ; and he anchored under the leeof a point, but could not land. A sea breeze from E. N. E. Next day, enabled him to continue onward; and at eleven, he bore away west, round_Cape Howe_, whose latitude was observed to be 37° 30'. In the evening helanded at the entrance of a lagoon, one mile north of the _Ram Head_, inorder to take in as much fresh water as possible; for it was to be fearedthat a want of this necessary article might oblige him to discontinue hispursuit, at a time when, from the coast being unexplored, it would becomemore than ever interesting. 

Dec. 21. A gale set in at W. S. W. , and continued for nine days withoutintermission. This time was employed in examining the country, which, though hilly in external appearance, was found to be mostly low, sandy, and wet. The hills have a slight covering of green upon them, but consistof little else than sand; and from what could be seen of the backcountry, the soil there is scarcely better. The vallies are overgrownwith long grass, ferns, brush-wood, and climbing plants, so as to bealmost impenetrable; yet even there the soil is good for nothing. 

At every landing place, from Jervis Bay to Barmouth Creek, the freshwater had been observed to diminish both in quantity and quality; andupon this coast of sand the difficulty of procuring it was expected to bevery great. It was, on the contrary, plentiful; there being many littleruns which drained out from the sand hills, and either trickled over therocky spots at their feet, or sank through the beaches into the sea. 

The western gale being at length succeeded by a breeze at E. N. E. , Mr. Bass left the Ram Head early on the 31st. His course was W. By S. , closeto a low, sandy coast; the beach being interrupted by small, rockypoints, not oftener than once in ten or fifteen miles. The back landconsisted of short ridges of irregular hills, lying at no great distancefrom the sea. At noon, the latitude was 37° 42'; and the distance runfrom the Ram Head, by computation, was thirty or thirty-five miles. 

The furthest land seen by captain Cook, is marked at fifteen leagues fromthe Ram Head, and called _Point Hicks_; but at dusk Mr. Bass had run muchmore than that distance close along the shore, and could perceive nopoint or projection which would be distinguishable from a ship: the coastcontinued to be straight, low, and sandy, similar to what had been passedin the morning. There arose many large smokes from behind the beach;probably from the sides of lagoons, with which, there was reason tothink, the back country abounded. 

1798. 

The breeze continuing to be fresh and favourable, Mr. Bass ventured tosteer onward in the night, and kept the shore close a-bord. At two in themorning, the increased hollowness of the waves made him suspect the waterwas becoming shallow; and he hauled off for an hour, until there wassufficient daylight to distinguish the land. It was still low, level, andsandy, and trended S. W. By W. , nearly as the boat was steering. At seveno'clock, high land appeared at a considerable distance in the south-west;and the beach then trended in the same direction. It, however, changedsoon afterward, to run nearly west; and Mr. Bass quitted it to keep onhis course for the high land. The latitude at noon was 38° 41'; and thedifference made from the noon before, upon the average course of S. W. ByW, makes the distance run 107 miles; which, added to the preceding thirtyor thirty-five, gives the length of the beach from the Ram Head, to beabout 140 miles. *

[* But the latitude observed appears to be 8' or 10' too little; and ifso, the length of the beach would be something more than 150 miles. It isno matter of surprise if observations taken from an open boat, in a highsea, should differ ten miles from the truth; but I judge that Mr. Bass'quadrant must have received some injury during the night of the 31st, fora similar error appears to pervade all the future observations, eventhose taken under favourable circumstances. ]

The high land extended from the bearing of S. W. By S. To W. N. W. , andwas distant in the latter direction two or three leagues. North of itthere was a deep bight; and further eastward, two or three places in theLong Beach which had the appearance of inlets. To the south there wereseveral rocky islets; and great numbers of petrels, and other sea-birds, were flying about the boat. 

From the latitude of the high land, Mr. Bass considered it to be thatseen by captain Furneaux (or supposed to have been seen), in 39°; andconsequently, that he had traced the unknown space between Point Hicksand _Furneaux's Land_. His course was now steered to pass round thisland; but on coming abreast of the rocky islets, a hummock appeared abovethe horizon in the S. E. By S. , and presently, a larger one at S. ½ W. ;and being unable to fetch the first, he steered for the latter, whichproved to be an island; and at six in the evening, he anchored under itslee. Vast numbers of gulls and other birds were roosting upon it, and onthe rocks were many seals; but the surf would not admit of landing. Thisisland was judged to be thirty miles, S. By W. , from the situation atnoon. 

Jan. 2. The wind was strong at E. N. E. ; and Mr. Bass being apprehensivethat the boat could not fetch the high main land, determined to steersouthward for the islands, in the hope of procuring some rice from thewreck of the ship Sydney Cove, to eke out his provisions. The wind, however, became unfavourable to him, veering to E. S. E; so that with thesea which drove the boat to leeward, the course to noon was scarcely sogood as S. S. W. The latitude observed was then 39° 51'; and no landbeing in sight, the prospect of reaching Furneaux's Islands became veryfaint. At four o'clock an accident caused it to be totally given up:water was observed to rush in fast through the boat's side, and made itabsolutely necessary to go upon the other tack. The latitude to which Mr. Bass supposed himself arrived, was something to the south of 40°; and theweather was clear enough for land of moderate height to have been seenfive leagues further, had there been any within that distance. 

The boat was then kept north-eastward, towards Furneaux's Land. At ninein the evening, the wind blew hard at S. E. By E. , accompanied by ahollow, irregular sea, which put our enterprising discoverer and hisboat's crew into the greatest danger; but the good qualities of hislittle bark, with careful steerage, carried him through this perilousnight. On the 3rd, at six o'clock the land was seen; and in theafternoon, whilst standing in to look for a place of shelter, a smoke andseveral people were observed upon a small island not far from the maincoast. On rowing up, they proved to be, not natives, to Mr. Bass' greatsurprise, but Europeans. They were convicts who, with others, had runaway with a boat from Port Jackson, in the intention of plundering thewreck of the Sydney Cove; and not being able to find it, theircompanions, thinking their number too great, had treacherously left themupon this island, whilst asleep. These people were seven in number; andduring the five weeks they had been on this desert spot, had subsisted onpetrels, to which a seal was occasionally added. Mr. Bass promised tocall at the island, on his return; and in the mean time, proceeded to thewest side of the high main land, where he anchored, but could not get onshore. 

Jan. 4. The wind being at north-east, he continued his course onward, steering W. N. W. Round an open bay; and afterwards N. W. By W. , as thecoast generally trended. The shore consisted of long, shallow bights, inwhich the land was low and sandy; but the intermediate rocky points weregenerally steep, with a ridge of hills extending from them, into theinterior, as far as could be distinguished. In the evening an inlet wasdiscovered, with many shoals at the entrance; and the deep channel beingnot found till a strong tide made it unattainable, Mr. Bass waited forhigh water; he then entered a spacious harbour which, from its relativeposition to the hitherto known parts of the coast, was named WESTERNPORT. It lies, according to the boat's run, about sixty miles N. W. By W. ½ W. From Furneauxs Land; and its latitude is somewhere about 38° 25'south. * The time of high water is near _half an hour_ after the moon'spassage over the meridian, and the rise of tide from ten to fourteenfeet. 

[* The true latitude of the east entrance into Western Port, is about 38°33' south. ]

The examination of this new and important discovery, the repairs of theboat, and the continuance of strong winds, kept Mr. Bass thirteen days inWestern Port. His sketch of it has since been superseded by the moreregular examination of ensign Barralier, copied into the chart, where itsform, situation, and extent will be best seen. The land upon its bordersis, generally, low and level; but the hills rise as they recede into thecountry, and afford an agreeable prospect from the port. Wherever Mr. Bass landed, he found the soil to be a light, brown mould, which becomespeaty in the lowest grounds. Grass and ferns grow luxuriantly, and yetthe country is but thinly timbered. Patches of brush wood are frequent, particularly on the eastern shore, where they are some miles in extent;and there the soil is a rich, vegetable mould. The island (since called_Phillip Island_) which shelters the port, is mostly barren, but iscovered with shrubs and some diminutive trees. 

Mr. Bass had great difficulty in procuring good water, arising, as hejudged, from unusual dryness in the season; and the head of the windingcreek on the east side of the port, was the sole place where it had not abrackish taste. The mud banks at the entrance of the creek may be passedat half tide by the largest boats; and within it, there is at all times asufficient depth of water. 

No more than four natives were seen, and their shyness preventedcommunication; the borders of the port, however, bore marks of havingbeen much frequented, but the want of water seemed to have occasioned amigration to the higher lands. Kangaroos did not appear to be numerous;but black swans went by hundreds in a flight, and ducks, a small, butexcellent kind, by thousands; and the usual wild fowl were in abundance. 

The seventh week of absence from Port Jackson had expired, by the timeMr. Bass was ready to sail from Western Port; and the reduced state ofhis provisions forced him, very reluctantly, to turn the boat's headhomeward. 

Jan. 18. At daylight, he sailed with a fresh wind at west, whichincreased to a gale in the afternoon, with a heavy swell from thesouth-west; and he sought shelter behind a cape since named _CapeLiptrap_. Next morning, he ran over to the islands on the west side ofFurneaux's Land; but was obliged to return to his former place ofshelter, where a succession of gales kept him until the 26th. A quantityof petrels had been taken on the islands, and this week of detention wasmostly employed in salting them for the homeward bound voyage. 

At length, Mr. Bass was able to execute the project he had formed for theseven convicts. It was impossible to take them all into the boat;therefore to five, whom he set upon the main land, he gave a musket, halfhis ammunition, some hooks and lines, a light cooking kettle, anddirections how to proceed in their course toward Port Jackson. Theremaining two, one of whom was old and the other diseased, he took intothe boat with the consent of the crew, who readily agreed to divide thedaily bannock into nine with them. He then bore away, with a fresh windat west, round Furneaux's Land. *

[* I have continued to make use of the term Furneaux's Land conformablyto Mr. Bass' journal; but the position of this land is so different fromthat supposed to have been seen by captain Furneaux, that it cannot bethe same, as Mr. Bass was afterwards convinced. At our recommendationgovernor Hunter called it WILSON'S PROMONTORY, in compliment to my friendThomas Wilson, Esq. Of London. ]

From Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, Mr. Bass was detained by eastern gales fromproceeding on his return. The boat lay in _Sealers Cove_, whilst heoccupied the time in examining Wilson's Promontory. The height of thisvast cape, though not such as would be considered extraordinary byseamen, is yet strikingly so from being contrasted with the low, sandyland behind it; and the firmness and durability of its structure make itworthy of being, what there was reason to believe it, the boundary pointof a large strait, and a corner stone to the new continent. It is a loftymass of hard granite, of about twenty miles long, by from six to fourteenin breadth. The soil upon it is shallow and barren; though the brushwood, dwarf gum trees, and some smaller vegetation, which mostly coverthe rocks, give it a deceitful appearance to the eye of a distantobserver. 

Looking from the top of the promontory to the northward, there is seen asingle ridge of mountains, which comes down, out of the interior country, in a southern direction for the promontory; but sloping off gradually toa termination, it leaves a space of twelve or sixteen miles of low, sandyland between them. This low land is nearly intersected by a considerablelagoon on the west, and a large shoal bay, named _Corner Inlet_, on theeast side; and it seemed probable, that this insulated mass of granitehas been entirely surrounded by the sea at no very distant period oftime. 

There were no inhabitants on Wilson's Promontory; but, upon the sandyneck, some were seen near the borders of the inlets. The few birds werethought to have a sweeter note than those of Port Jackson. 

Four small, barren islands lie seven or eight miles to the northeast, from Sealers Cove. The northernmost of them was visited, and found to beabout one mile and a half in circuit, ascending gradually from the shore, to a hill of moderate elevation in the centre. There was neither tree norshrub upon it; but the surface was mostly covered with tufts of coarsegrass, amongst which the seals had every where made paths and the petrelstheir burrows. Mr. Bass was of opinion, that upon these islands, andthose lying scattered round the promontory, which are all more or lessfrequented by seals, a commercial speculation on a small scale might bemade with advantage. The place of shelter for the vessel would be SealersCove, on the main land; which, though small, and apparently exposed toeast winds, would be found convenient and tolerably secure: fresh wateris there abundant, and a sufficiency of wood at hand to boil down anyquantity of blubber likely to be procured. 

The observed latitude of the cove was 38° 50';* and the rise of tidefound to be ten or eleven feet, _ten hours and a quarter after_ the moonpassed over the meridian. The flood, after sweeping south-westward alongthe great eastern beach, strikes off for the Seal Islands and thepromontory, and then runs westward, past it, at the rate of two or threemiles an hour: the ebb tide sets to the eastward. "Whenever it shall bedecided, " says Mr. Bass in his journal, "that the opening between thisand Van Diemen's Land is a strait, this rapidity of tide, and the longsouth-west swell that seems to be continually rolling in upon the coastto the westward, will then be accounted for. "

[* This appears to be from 10' to 15' too little: an error which probablyarose from the same cause as others before noticed. ]

Feb. 2. , Mr. Bass sailed to Corner Inlet; and next day fell in with thefive convicts, whom he put across to the long beach. * but was himselfunable to proceed until the 9th, in consequence of foul winds. CornerInlet is little else than a large flat, the greater part of it being dryat low water. There is a long shoal on the outside of the entrance, whichis to be avoided by keeping close to the shore of the promontory; butwhen the tide is out the depth, except in holes, no where exceeds 2½fathoms. A vessel drawing twelve or thirteen feet may lie safely underthe high land, from which there are some large runs of most excellentwater. The tide rises a foot less here than in Sealers Cove, and flows anhour later; arising, probably, from the flood leaving it in an eddy, bysetting past, and not into the inlet. 

[* Nothing more had been beard of these five men. , so late as 1803. ]

Feb. 9, Corner Inlet was quitted with a strong south-west wind, and Mr. Bass steered E. By N. Along the shore. At the distance of five miles, hepassed the mouth of a shallow opening in the low sandy beach, from whicha half-moon shoal stretches three miles to the south-eastward. Four orfive miles further, a lesser opening of the same kind was passed; and bynoon, when the latitude was 38° 34' (probably 38° 46'), he had arrived atthe point of the long beach, which in going out, had been quitted tosteer for the promontory. His general course from thence was N. E. By E. Along the shore, until nine o'clock, when judging the coast must begin totrend more eastwardly, he again steered E. B. N. ; the wind blowing afresh gale at W. S. W. , with a following sea. At daylight, Feb. 10, thebeach was distant two miles, and trending parallel to the boat's course. 

The western gale died away in the morning, and was succeeded by one fromthe eastward. The boat was in no condition to struggle against a foulwind; and Mr. Bass, being unwilling to return to Corner Inlet, venturedthrough a heavy surf and took refuge upon the beach; having firstobserved the latitude to be 37° 47' south. 

The country at the back of the beach consisted of dried-up swamps andbarren sand hills. Some natives came down with very little hesitation, and conducted themselves amicably: they appeared never to have seen orheard of white people before. 

(Atlas, Plate VIII. )

Feb. 11. The foul wind had ceased to blow, and the clouds threatenedanother gale from the south-west. So soon as there was sufficientdaylight, the boat was launched, and at four the same afternoon anchoredunder the Rain Head. Mr. Bass was kept there till the 14th in theevening; when a strong breeze sprung up suddenly at south-west, and hesailed immediately, passing Cape Howe at ten o'clock. By noon of the15th, he had reached Two-fold Bay, where the latitude was observed to be36° 53' south;* and having ascertained that _Snug Cove_, on itsnorth-west side, afforded shelter for shipping, he steered northward, andpassed Mount Dromedary soon after midnight. At noon, Feb. 16, Mr. Basslanded upon a small island lying under the shore to the south-east of thePigeon House, to examine a pole which he had before observed, andsupposed might have been set up as a signal by shipwrecked people; but itproved to be nothing more than the dead stump of a tree, much taller andmore straight than the others. He sailed next morning; but the wind hungso much in the north and east quarters that he was forced successivelyinto Jervis Bay, Shoals Haven, and Port Hacking; and it was not until the24th at night, that our adventurous discoverer terminated his dangerousand fatiguing voyage, by entering within the heads of Port Jackson. 

[* The true latitude of the mouth of Two-fold Bay is 37° 5', showing anerror of 12' to the north, nearly similar to what has been specified inthe observations near Wilson's Promontory. ]

It should be remembered, that Mr. Bass sailed with only six weeksprovisions; but with the assistance of occasional supplies of petrels, fish, seal's flesh, and a few geese and black swans, and by abstinence, he had been enabled to prolong his voyage beyond _eleven_ weeks. Hisardour and perseverance were crowned, in despite of the foul winds whichso much opposed him, with a degree of success not to have beenanticipated from such feeble means. In three hundred miles of coast, fromPort Jackson to the Ram Head, he added a number of particulars which hadescaped captain Cook; and will always escape any navigator in a firstdiscovery, unless he have the time and means of joining a closeexamination by boats, to what may be seen from the ship. 

Our previous knowledge of the coast scarcely extended beyond the RamHead; and there began the harvest in which Mr. Bass was ambitious toplace the first reaping hook. The new coast was traced three hundredmiles; and instead of trending southward to join itself to Van Diemen'sLand, as captain Furneaux had supposed, he found it, beyond a certainpoint, to take a direction nearly opposite, and to assume the appearanceof being exposed to the buffetings of an open sea. Mr. Bass, himself, entertained no doubt of the existence of a wide strait, separating VanDiemen's Land from New South Wales; and he yielded with the greatestreluctance to the necessity of returning, before it was so fullyascertained as to admit of no doubt in the minds of others. But he hadthe satisfaction of placing at the end of his new coast, an extensive anduseful harbour, surrounded with a country superior to any other known inthe southern parts of New South Wales. 

A voyage _expressly_ undertaken for discovery in an open boat, and inwhich six hundred miles of coast, mostly in a boisterous climate, wasexplored, has not, perhaps, its equal in the annals of maritime history. The public will award to its high spirited and able conductor, alas! nowno more, an honourable place in the list of those whose ardour standsmost conspicuous for the promotion of useful knowledge. 

FLINDERS. 1798. 

During the time that Mr. Bass was absent on his expedition in the whaleboat, the _Francis_ schooner was again sent with captain Hamilton to thewreck of his ship the Sydney Cove; to bring up what remained of the cargoat Preservation Island, and the few people who were left in charge. Onthis occasion I was happy enough to obtain governor Hunter's permissionto embark in the schooner; in order to make such observations serviceableto geography and navigation, as circumstances might afford; and Mr. Reed, the master, was directed to forward these views as far as was consistentwith the main objects of his voyage. 

(Atlas. Plate VIII. )

Feb. 1, we sailed out of Port Jackson with a fair wind; and on thefollowing noon, the observed latitude was 35° 42', being 14' south ofaccount. I prevailed on Mr. Reed to stand in for the land, which was thenvisible through the haze; and at sunset, we reached into Bateman Bay. *When the two rocky islets in the middle of the bay bore S. By W. ¼ W. , ashort mile, we had 8 fathoms water, and 6 fathoms a mile further in. Thenorth head is steep with a rock lying off it; but Bateman Bay falls backtoo little from the line of the coast to afford shelter against windsfrom the eastward. The margin of the bay is mostly a beach, behind whichlie sandy, rocky hills of moderate elevation. 

[* The bearings in the following account are corrected, as usual, for thevariation; but I am sorry to say that the steering compasses of theschooner proved to be bad, and there was no azimuth compass on board. ]

In the morning of the 3rd, we steered S. By W. Along the shore; and saw, in latitude about 35* 58', and eight or nine miles from the south pointof Bateman Bay, a small opening like a river running south-westward. Itwas here that Mr. Bass found a lagoon, with extensive salt swamps behindit, and observed the latitude 36° 00'. At noon, the east point of theopening bore N. ¼ W. Seven miles, and the top of Mount Dromedary wasvisible above the haze; but no observation could be taken for thelatitude. 

Soon after noon, land was in sight to the S. S. E. , supposed to be thePoint Dromedary of captain Cook's chart; but, to my surprise, it provedto be an island not laid down, though lying near two leagues from thecoast. The whole length of this island is about one mile and a quarter, north and south; the two ends are a little elevated, and produce smalltrees; but the sea appeared to break occasionally over the middle part. It is probably frequented by seals, since many were seen in the waterwhilst passing at the distance of two miles. This little island, I wasafterwards informed, had been seen in the ship Surprise, and honouredwith the name of _Montague_. 

When captain Cook passed this part of the coast his distance from it wasfive leagues, and too great for its form to be accurately distinguished. There is little doubt that Montague Island was then seen, and mistakenfor a point running out from under Mount Dromedary; for its distance fromthe mount, and bearing of about N. 75° E. , will place it in 36° 17', orwithin one minute of the latitude assigned to the point in captain Cook'schart. 

(Atlas Pl. VI. )

At six in the evening, Mount Dromedary was set at N. 40° W. Five leagues. We steered S. S. W. Until two in the morning, when the land was so nearas made it necessary to alter the course; and at daybreak of the 4th, theshore was not more than three miles distant; it was moderately high androcky, and at the back were many hummocky hills. Having been much upondeck in the night, I then retired to rest; and in the mean time, theschooner passed Mr. Bass's _Two-fold Bay_ without its being noticed. Atnine we came abreast of a smooth, sloping point which, from itsappearance, and being unnoticed in captain Cook's chart, I named GREENCAPE. The shore, for about seven miles to the northward, lies N. 16° W. , and is rocky and nearly straight, and well covered with wood: the Capeitself is grassy. On the south side, the coast trends west, three or fourmiles, into a sandy bight, and then southward to Cape Howe. 

The latitude at noon was 37° 25', giving a current of twenty miles to thesouth, in two days; Green Cape bore N. By E. Four leagues, and Cape HoweS. By W. Five or six miles. Captain Cook lays down the last in 37° 26', in his chart; but the above observation places it in 37° 30½', which Iafterwards found to agree with an observation of Mr. Bass, taken on thewest side of the cape. The shore abreast of the schooner was between oneand two miles distant; it was mostly beach, lying at the feet of sandyhillocks which extend from behind Green Cape to the pitch of Cape Howe. There were several fires upon the shore; and near one of them, upon aneminence, stood seven natives, silently contemplating the schooner as shepassed. 

On coming abreast of Cape Howe, the wind chopped round to the south-west, and the dark clouds which settled over the land concealed it from ourview; we observed, however, that it trended to the west, but sought invain for the small island mentioned by captain Cook as lying close offthe Cape. *

[* Hawkesworth, Vol. III. P. 80. Mr. Bass sailed close round the cape inhis whale boat, but did not ace any island lying there. ]

Our latitude was 38° 30' next day, or 38' south of account, although thewind had been. And was still from that direction. Mr. Reed then steeredW. By N. , to get in again with the coast; and on the following noon, wewere in 38° 16' and, by account, 22' of longitude to the west of PointHicks. The schooner was kept more northward in the afternoon; at fouro'clock a moderately high, sloping hill was visible in the N. By W. , andat seven a small rocky point on the beach bore N. 50° W. Three or fourleagues. The shore extended E. N. E. And W. S. W. , and was low and sandyin front; but at some miles distance inland, there was a range of hillswith wood upon them, though scarcely sufficient to hide their sandysurface. 

At five in the morning of the 7th, the rocky point bore N. E. ½ N. Six orseven miles, and the furthest visible part of the beach W. ½ S. Thesouthern wind had died away in the night; and a breeze springing up at N. E. By E. , we steered before it along the same low, sandy shore as seen inthe evening. The hills which arose at three or four leagues behind thebeach, appeared to retire further back as we advanced westward; theywould, however, be visible to a ship in fine weather, long before thefront land could be seen. 

The observed latitude at noon was 38° 17' south, and by two sets ofdistances of the sun east of the moon, reduced up from the morning, thelongitude was 147° 37' east. * The beach was six or seven miles distant, but after obtaining the noon's observation, we closed more in; and at twoor three miles off, found a sandy bottom with 11 fathoms fathoms of line. Our course along the shore from two to four o'clock, was S. W. ¾ S. , witha current in our favour. The beach then trended more to the west; but thebreeze having veered to E. By N. And become strong, with much sea, it wasconsidered too dangerous to follow it any longer. At five, the westernand most considerable of two shallow-looking openings bore north-west, seven or eight miles; and at sunset, some high and remarkable land wasperceived bearing S. W. By W. , which proved to be the same discovered byMr. Bass, and now bearing the name of _Wilson's Promontory_. It appeared, from a partial view given by a break in the clouds, as if cut in two, andthe parts had been removed to some distance from each other: the gap wasprobably Sealers Cove. 

[* It was 147° 10'; but as I afterwards found that observations of thesun to the east gave 27' less, by this small five inch sextant, and thoseto the west 27' greater than the mean of both, that correction is hereapplied; but not any which might be required from errors in the solar orlunar tables. ]

The state of the weather, and the land to leeward, made it necessary tohaul up south-eastward, close upon a wind. At day-break of the 8th, neither Wilson's Promontory nor any other land to the northward could beseen; but between the bearings of N. 84° and S. 63° E. , six or eightmiles distant, there was land rather high and irregular, with a cliffyshore; and a separate cluster of rocky islets bore south to S. 16° W. , from three to five miles. We passed close to these last, at six o'clock, and perceived that the tide, which before had set to leeward, was thenturned to the east: the moon had just before passed the meridian. 

This small cluster consists of a steep island, near one mile in length, of two smaller round islets, and two or three rocks; one of whichobtained the name of _Judgment Rock_, from its resemblance to an elevatedseat. The higher and more considerable land to the eastward was seen, aswe advanced, to divide itself also into several parts. This group isprincipally composed of three islands; and between the largest on theeast and two others on the west, there appeared to be a deep channel. Theother parts are rocks, which lie scattered mostly off the north-westernisland. These two clusters were called KENT'S GROUPS, in honour of myfriend captain William Kent, then commander of the Supply. 

Our latitude at noon was 39° 38'; the steep island of the small groupbore N. 50° W. , and the passage through the larger islands N. 12° E. , six or eight miles. This observation places the centre of the passage andof the large group, in about 39° 29' south; and from the lunarobservations of the preceding day, brought on by log, (for unfortunatelyI had no time keeper, ) it should lie in longitude 147° 25' east. It is, however, to be observed, that a fortuitous compensation of errors canalone render a dead reckoning correct in the way of such tides as we hadexperienced during the last twenty-four hours. *

[* The longitude of the large group, as given by my time keepers in afuture voyage, is 147° 17'. ]

By keeping the wind to the southward, we came up with a pyramidal-shapedrock through which there is a chasm: it bore W. 8° S. One mile, at fouro'clock, when the eastern island of Kents large group was set at N. 17°E, five or six leagues. At six, the pyramid bore N. 38° W. Five miles, and high land came in sight to the eastward: one piece extended from N. 75° to S. 87° E. , apparently about five leagues distant, and the bluff, southern end of another range of hills bore S. 51° E. , something further. Captain Hamilton supposed these to be parts of the land he had seen tothe north-west of Preservation Island, where the wreck of his ship waslying; but whether they might belong to Furneaux's Islands or to themain, was unknown to him. He had always gone to, and returned from hisisland by the east side of this land; and the wind having veerednorthward, the schooner was kept as much to the north-east as possible, in order to pursue the same track. 

We came up with a low point or island at eleven at night, when the winddied away. At six in the morning of Feb. 9. , the northern land extendedfrom N. 49° E. Three leagues, to S. 47° E. Four or five miles; thesouthern land bore S. 24° to 2° E. Five or six leagues, and seemed toform a hilly, separate island; although, as low land was seen betweenthem, the two may probably be connected: there was also a cliffy islandbearing north, seven or eight miles. On a breeze springing up fromsouth-west, our course was steered to pass close round the northern land;but finding much rippling water between it and two islands called the_Sisters_ by captain Furneaux, we passed round them also, and then hauledto the southward along the eastern shore. 

This northern land, or island as it proved to be, has some ridges ofsandy-looking hills extending north and south between the two shores; andthey are sufficiently high to be visible ten leagues from a ship's deckin clear weather. On the west side of the north point, the hills comenearly down to the water; but on the east side, there is two or threemiles of flat land between their feet and the shore. The small trees andbrush wood which partly covered the hills, seemed to shoot out from sandand rock; and if the vallies and low land within be not better than whatappeared from the sea, the northern part of this great island is sterileindeed. The Sisters are not so high as some of the hills on the greatisland, and are less sandy: the small, cliffy island, which lies eight ornine miles, nearly west, from the inner Sister, had no appearance ofsand. 

Whilst passing round the north end of Furneaux's Islands, I experiencedhow little dependence was to be put in compass bearings, in such, atleast, as were taken with my best instrument, the steering compass of theschooner. The south extreme of the inner Sister shut on with thenorth-west point of the great island at E. ¾ S. , magnetic bearing; butafter passing round, they shut, on the other side, at W. By N. ¼ N. ; sothat, to produce an agreement, it was necessary to allow half a pointmore east variation on the first, when the schooner's head was N. By W. , than on the last, when it was S. S. E. In a second instance, the northend of the outer Sister opened from the inner one at N. E. ½ N. ; but theycame on again at S. W. ½ W. , making a difference of a whole point, whenthe head was N. By W. And E. S. E. These bearings were probably notcorrect within two or three degrees; but they showed that a change in thecourse steered produced an alteration in the compass. 

The observed latitude at noon was 39° 50 1/3', the centre of the outerSister bore N. 34° W. , nearly five leagues, and our distance from thesandy, eastern shore of the great island was about six miles. At two, o'clock, we came up with an island of three miles in length, and nearlythe same space distant from a sandy projection of the great island. Thepassage between them is much contracted by shoal spits of sand which runout from each side; and it seemed doubtful, whether the water were deepenough in any part of the channel to admit a ship. The form of the landhere is somewhat remarkable: upon the low projection of the great islandthere are three pyramidal hills, which obtained the name of the_Patriarchs_, and stand apart from the more western high land; and uponthe south-west end of the island opposite there is also a pyramid, which, with other hills near it, presents some resemblance to the Lion's Headand Rump at the Cape of Good Hope. This island and two rocky islets lyingoff its south-east end were afterwards called the _Babel Isles_. Thelargest is covered with tufted grass and brush wood; and the wholeappeared to be much frequented by shags, sooty petrels, and other seabirds. 

We had scarcely passed the Babel Isles, when the wind, which had been atW. By S. , chopped round to the southward, with squally weather, and drovethe schooner off to the north-east. In the night, it became lessunfavourable; and at noon of the 10th, our latitude was 40° 3½'; theisles bore N. 78° W. , three or four leagues, and the high land of _CapeBarren_ S. 13° to 34° W. Having a fair wind in the afternoon, we passedalong the outskirts of the Bay of Shoals, without perceiving anybreakers; but in the space between the great island and the land of CapeBarren there were many rocks, and a low island of three or four mileslong, with a hill in the middle, lay at the entrance of the opening. 

The high part of Cape-Barren Island, but particularly the peak, may beseen eleven, and perhaps more leagues from a ship's deck. The extremityof the cape is a low point, which runs out two miles east from the highland; and off this point lies a flat, rocky islet and a peaked rock. Theshore is sandy on each side of the Cape point: it trends N. 40° W. , forabout five miles, on one side, and S. 49° W. , past two sandy bights onthe other, to a rocky projection on which are two whitish _cones_, shapedlike rhinoceros' horns. 

We steered south-westward, in the evening, round the Cape point, and weresufficiently close to hear the bellowing of the seals upon the islet. Arrived off _Cone Point_, the schooner was hauled offshore; and the windbecoming strong and unfavourable in the night, it was not until theevening of the 12th, that we got to anchor in _Hamilton's Road_, at theeast end of Preservation Island. This road is sheltered from all winds, except between south and S. S. E. ; and these do not throw in much sea:the bottom is good-holding sand, in from 4 to 3 fathoms, at a quarter ofa mile from the beach. 

The ship Sydney Cove had been run on shore between Preservation and RumIslands, and part of her hull was still lying there; but the sea thrownin by western gales had, in great measure, broken her up, and scatteredthe beams, timbers, and parts of the cargo, upon all the neighbouringshores. 

My purpose of making an expedition amongst the islands was delayed by theschooner's boat being out of repair; but in the mean time, a base linewas measured round the sandy north-east end of Preservation Island, andangles taken from all the conspicuous points. 

Feb. 16. The boat was fitted, and I made an excursion of five days, through the channel which separates the land of Cape Barren from the moresouthern islands. It is called ARMSTRONG'S CHANNEL, from the master ofthe Supply, who had gone to afford assistance in saving the cargo of theSydney Cove, and was the first to pass through it on his return towardsPort Jackson; but he never arrived there, having, in all probability, perished at sea with his sloop and crew. The stations whence angles weretaken for a survey of the channel and surrounding lands, were--1st. _Point Womat_, a rocky projection of Cape-Barren Island, where a numberof the new animals, called _womat_, were seen, and some killed. 2nd. _Battery Island_; so named from four rocks upon it, resembling mountedguns; sooty petrels, and large hair seals were found there. 3rd. Thesandy north-east point of Clarke's Island; which, with the opposite_Sloping Point_, forms the narrowest part of the channel. Its width wasfound to be three-quarters of a mile, but is somewhat contracted by rockslying on the south side. These rocks were also frequented by hair seals, and some of them (the old males) were of an enormous size, and ofextraordinary power. I levelled my gun at one, which was sitting on thetop of a rock with his nose extended up towards the sun, and struck himwith three musket balls. He rolled over, and plunged into the water; butin less than half an hour had taken his former station and attitude. Onfiring again, a stream of blood spouted forth from his breast to someyards distance, and he fell back, senseless. On examination, the sixballs were found lodged in his breast; and one, which occasioned hisdeath, had pierced the heart: his weight was equal to that of a commonox. 

The 4th station was on Sloping Point, where an aculeated ant-eater wascaught, and some quartz crystals were picked up from the shore. 5th, Atthe east side of _Kent's Bay_, under the peak of Cape Barren. This peak Iwished to ascend, in order to obtain a view of the surrounding lands, particularly of an extensive piece to the southward, which, from thesmokes continually seen there, was supposed to be a part of Van Diemen'sLand; but the almost impenetrable brush wood, with which the sides of thepeak and surrounding hills were covered, defeated my purpose. 

The 6th station was at _Passage Point_. The 7th, on Cone Point, where thenumber of seals exceeded every thing we had, any of us, before witnessed;and they were smaller, and of a different species from those whichfrequented Armstrong's Channel. Instead of the bull-dog nose, andthinly-set, sandy hair, these had sharp-pointed noses, and the generalcolour of the hair approached to a black; but the tips were of a silvergrey, and underneath was a fine, whitish, thick fur. The commotionexcited by our presence, in this assemblage of several thousand timidanimals, was very interesting to me, who knew little of their manners. The young cubs huddled together in the holes of the rocks, and moanedpiteously; those more advanced scampered and rolled down to the water, with their mothers; whilst some of the old males stood up in defence oftheir families, until the terror of the sailors bludgeons became toostrong to be resisted. Those who have seen a farm yard, well stocked withpigs, calves, sheep, oxen, and with two or three litters of puppies, withtheir mothers, in it, and have heard them all in tumult together, mayform a good idea of the confused noise of the seals at Cone Point. Thesailors killed as many of these harmless, and not unamiable creatures, asthey were able to skin during the time necessary for me to take therequisite angles; and we then left the poor affrighted multitude torecover from the effect of our inauspicious visit. 

My 8th station was taken, in returning to the schooner, upon the southend of the eastern _Passage Isle_; 9th, the south-west end of the westernPassage Isle; and 10th, the south-east point of Clarke's Island. The 11thand last station was at _Look-out Head_, the bearings from which includedsome parts of the southern land, between the extremes of S. 20° 20' E. And S. 59° 35' W. At these different stations, the needle of thetheodolite was sometimes found to vary one or two degrees from itself, asit had done at Preservation Island; an effect which I attribute to theattraction of the rocks, having since experienced the same, and evengreater, differences in most places where the rocks, as here, aregranitic. 

In the wider parts of Armstrong's Channel there are many shoals of sandon each side, but a passage of sufficient width and depth is swept out bythe tides, for ships to go through in safety. The bottom is either rockyor sandy: rocky in the deep and narrow parts, where the tides run threeor four miles in an hour; and sandy in the bights and shoaler places. Thesand of the beaches is mostly granitic, but it sometimes consists ofblack metallic particles, such as are found in the stone of the islands. 

It was not until Feb. 25 that the remains of the Sydney-Cove's cargo wereall on board, and that a favourable change in the wind permitted us tosail for Port Jackson. These four days of detention enabled me tocontinue the survey along the south side of Preservation Island, and asfar as the _Bay of Rocks_ upon that of Cape Barren. A meridian altitudefrom the south horizon, observed under more favourable circumstances thantwo others before taken, gave 40° 28' for the latitude of Hamilton'sRoad. The longitude is 19' 20" west of Cape Barren; and therefore shouldbe 148° 6' east of Greenwich. It is high water in the road, according toMr. Hamilton's report, _half an hour before_ the moon passes over themeridian; but from what I observed, without paying particular attentionto it, the tide did not appear to flow so late by an hour: the mediumrise was about seven feet, as at Port Jackson. 

Well tasted fresh water is collected, at certain seasons, in small poolsnear the east end of Preservation Island; but that which drains from therocks was first used by the Sydney-Cove's crew, until several of themdied. Small runs or pools of water are to be found almost every whereunder the high parts of Cape-Barren Island, and it is probable there maybe some upon Clarke's Island; but at the Passage Isles we found itdifficult to obtain wherewithal to satisfy our thirst. 

The stone of which the southern, and probably the whole of Furneaux'sIslands are composed, is mostly a whitish granite, but sometimesinclining to red; and is full of small, black specks. Quartz seems tohave a more than usual share in its composition, and we occasionallyfound crystals of that substance upon the shores. The black specks werethought to be grains of tin, and to have communicated a deleteriousquality to the water used by the shipwrecked people. The exceptions tothe general prevalence of granite were few: they consisted of some black, and some grey slate, in thin _strata_, placed nearly perpendicular to thehorizon; but even here, the granite had pervaded the fissures of the_strata_; and, in two instances, a substance which, from its appearance, I supposed to be a toad stone, had insinuated itself. 

Some of the trees on Preservation Island had partly undergone a peculiartransformation. The largest of them were not thicker than a man's leg, and the whole were decayed; but whilst the upper branches continued to beof wood, the roots at the surface, and the trunks up to a certain height, were of a stony substance resembling chalk. On breaking these chalkytrunks, which was easily done, rings of the brown wood sometimes appearedin them, as if imperfectly converted; but in the greater number, nothingmore than circular traces remained. The situation in which these treeswere principally found, is a sandy valley near the middle of the island, which was likewise remarkable for the quantity of bones of birds andsmall quadrupeds, with which it was strewed. The petrefactions wereafterwards more particularly examined by Mr. Bass, who adopted theopinion that they had been caused by water. 

Upon Cape-Barren Island the hills rise to a considerable height, that ofthe peak, which does not much exceed some others, being near twelvehundred feet; but on the smaller islands there is no elevation ofimportance. The upper parts of all are generally crowned with huge lumpsof granite; and upon many of these, particularly on Rum Island, is asmaller, unconnected, round lump, which rests in a hollow at the top, asa cup in its saucer; and I observed with a glass, that there was a stoneof this kind at the summit of the peak of Cape Barren. The lower parts ofthe islands are commonly sandy; and, in several places under the hills, swamps and pools are formed. The water in these is generally tinged red;and in one, situate between Passage and Cone Points, it had so much theappearance of blood, that I went to taste it; but, except being a littlebrackish, found nothing remarkable. Whether the water become thus tinged, in its course down the hills, by earthy or metallic substances, oracquire its colour from the roots and leaves of vegetables, I am unableto decide; but think the former most probable. 

All the islands are over-run with brush wood, amongst which, in the moresheltered and less barren parts, are mixed a few stunted trees, whichseem to shed their bark annually, and to be of the heavy kind called gumtree at Port Jackson. The brush wood overspreads even the rocks where itcan get the least hold; it is commonly impenetrable, and on the south andwest sides of the islands assumes a depressed, creeping form, stronglyindicative of the strength and generality of the winds from thosequarters. Many of the sandy parts are covered with the hassocks of wirygrass, which constitute the favourite retreat of the sooty petrel; and atthe back of the shores, there is frequently some extent of ground wherethe creeping, salt plants grow, and to which the penguins principallyresort. To this general account of the scanty vegetable productions ofFurneaux's Islands, may be added several low shrubs, and a grass whichgrows on the moist grounds near the borders of the pools and freshswamps, and which, though coarse, might serve as food for cattle. 

Of the animal productions of the islands, the list is somewhat moreextensive. Those for which they are indebted to the sea, are seals of twokinds, sooty petrels, and penguins. The hair seal appears to frequent thesheltered beaches, points, and rocks; whilst the rocks and rocky pointsexposed to the buffettings of the waves are preferred by the handsomerand superior species, which never condescends to the effeminacy of abeach. A point or island will not be greatly resorted to by theseanimals, unless it slope gradually to the water, and the shore be, as weterm it, steep to. This is the case with the islet lying off Cape Barren, and with Cone Point; with parts of the Passage Isles, and the south endof Clarke's Island; and at these places only, did I see fur seals in anynumber. 

The sooty petrel, better known at sea under the name of _sheerwater_, frequents the tufted, grassy parts of all the islands in astonishingnumbers. It is known that these birds make burrows in the ground, likerabbits; that they lay one or two enormous eggs in these holes, and bringup their young there. In the evening, they come in from sea, having theirstomachs filled with a gelatinous substance gathered from the waves; andthis they eject into the throats of their offspring, or retain for theirown nourishment, according to circumstances. A little after sunset, theair at Preservation Island used to be darkened with their numbers; and itwas generally an hour before their squabblings ceased, and every one hadfound its own retreat. The people of the Sydney Cove had a strong exampleof perseverance in these birds. The tents were pitched close to a pieceof ground full of their burrows, many of which were necessarily filled upfrom walking constantly over them; yet, notwithstanding thisinterruption, and the thousands of birds destroyed, for they constituteda great part of their food during more than six months, the returningflights continued to be as numerous as before; and there was scarcely aburrow less, except in the spaces actually covered by the tents. Thesebirds are about the size of a pigeon, and when skinned and dried in smokewe thought them passable food. Any quantity could be procured, by sendingpeople on shore in the evening. The sole process was to thrust in the armup to the shoulder, and seize them briskly; but there was some danger ofgrasping a snake at the bottom of the burrow, instead of a petrel. 

The penguin of these islands is of the kind denominated _little_; theback and upper parts are of a lead-coloured blue; the fore and underparts, white. They were generally found sitting on the rocks, in the daytime, or in caverns near the water side. They burrow in the same manneras the sooty petrel; but, except in the time of rearing their young, donot seem, like it, to return to their holes every night. The placespreferred for breeding are those at the back of the shore, where the sandis overspread with salt plants; and they were never found intermixed withthe petrels, nor far from the salt water. Their flesh is so strong andfishy, that had not the skins served to make caps, rather handsome, andimpenetrable to rain, the penguins would have escaped molestation. 

No other quadrupeds than the kangaroo, womat, and duck-billed aculeatedant-eater were found upon the islands. The kangaroo, is of a reddishbrown, and resembles the smaller species which frequents the brush woodsat Port Jackson: when full grown, it weighs from forty to fifty pounds. There were no traces of it upon the Passage Isles; but, upon Cape-Barrenand Clarke's Islands, the kangaroo, was tolerably abundant, thoughdifficult to be procured, owing to the thickness of its retreats. Therewere also numbers on Preservation Island, when the Sydney Cove was firstrun on shore; but having been much harassed and destroyed, a few onlywere shot during the time of our stay. 

Clarke's Island afforded the first specimen of the new animal, called_womat_; but I found it more numerous upon that of Cape Barren:Preservation and the Passage Isles do not possess it. This littlebear-like quadruped is known in New South Wales, and called by thenatives _womat_, _wombat_, or _womback_, according to the differentdialects, or perhaps to the different rendering of the wood rangers whobrought the information. It burrows like the badger, and on the Continentdoes not quit its retreat till dark; but it feeds at all times on theuninhabited islands, and was commonly seen foraging amongst the searefuse on the shore, though the coarse grass seemed to be its usualnourishment. It is easily caught when at a distance from its burrow; itsflesh resembles lean mutton in taste, and to us was acceptable food. Another species of this animal has been discovered in New South Wales, which lives in the tops of the trees and, in manners, bears muchresemblance to the sloth. 

The aculeated ant-eater was not found on any other of the islands thanthat of Cape Barren: it is exceedingly fat, the flesh has a somewhataromatic taste, and was thought delicious. 

Of the birds which frequent Furneaux's Islands, the most valuable are thegoose and black swan; but this last is rarely seen here, even in thefreshwater pools, and except to breed, seems never to go on shore. Thegoose approaches nearest to the description of the species called_bernacle_; it feeds upon grass, and seldom takes to the water. I foundthis bird in considerable numbers on the smaller isles, but principallyupon Preservation Island; its usual weight was from seven to ten pounds, and it formed our best repasts, but had become shy. Gannets, shags, gulls, and red-bills were occasionally seen; as also crows, hawks, paroquets, and a few smaller birds. Fish were not plentiful, but somewere taken with hook and line from the rocks. 

Speckled yellow snakes, of three or four feet in length, were found uponPreservation Island, and exist, no doubt, upon the larger isles. Theysometimes get into the burrows of the sooty petrel, and probably destroythe young. I saw one dragged out by a sailor who expected to have taken abird; but, being quick in his movements, he was not bitten. These snakespossess the venomous fangs; but no person experienced the degree ofvirulence in their poison. 

The schooner was ready to sail on Feb. 25; and the wind from the westwardbeing fresh and favourable, we left Hamilton's Road to return to PortJackson. It was still a matter of doubt whether the land to the south ofthe islands were, or were not, a part of Van Diemen's Land; and Itherefore requested of Mr. Reed to make a stretch that way. At noon ourlatitude was 40° 44 2/3', and the peak of Cape Barren bore N. 13° E. ; anisland which had been visited by the Sydney-Cove's people, and wasrepresented to be a breeding place for swans, bore from N. 68° W. Towest, five or six miles, and there were some smaller islets behind it. The land lying two or three miles more to the south is sandy and low infront, but ascends in gently rising hills as it retreats into thecountry. Its general appearance was very different from that ofFurneaux's Islands, the lower hills being covered with green grass, interspersed with clumps of wood, and the back land well clothed withtimber trees. 

We stretched on until the land was seen beyond 40° 50'; and then veeredto the northward. In this latitude, captain Furneaux says, "the landtrenches away to the westward;" * and as he traced the coast from thesouth end of the country to this part, there could no longer be a doubtthat it was joined to the land discovered by Tasman in 1642. The smokeswhich had constantly been seen rising from it showed that there wereinhabitants; and this, combined with the circumstance of there being noneupon the islands, seemed to argue a junction of Van Diemen's Land withNew South Wales; for it was difficult to suppose, that men should havereached the more distant land, and not have attained the islandsintermediately situated; nor was it admissible that, having reached them, they had perished for want of food. On the other hand, the great strengthof the tides setting westward, past the islands, could only be caused bysome exceedingly deep inlet, or by a passage through to the southernIndian Ocean. These contradictory circumstances were very embarrassing;and the schooner not being placed at my disposal, I was obliged, to mygreat regret, to leave this important geographical question undecided. 

[* _Cook's Second Voyage_, Vol. I. Page 114. ]

At the time we veered to the northward, the coast of Van Diemen's Landwas about three miles distant, and the furthest extreme, a low point, bore S. 15° E. Two or three leagues. On repassing Cape-Barren Point atfour o'clock. I obtained two sets of distances of the sun west of themoon, to pair with others of the sun on the east side, taken on the 10th, also within sight of the Cape. The mean result, freed from the errors ofthe tables, gave its longitude 148° 20' E; being 14' more than isassigned to it by captain Furneaux, but 5½' less than what appears to beits real situation. 

Nothing worthy of notice occurred in our passage back to Port Jackson: wemade Hat Hill on March 7, and on the 9th, anchored in Sydney Cove. 

Mr. Bass had been returned a fortnight from his expedition in the whaleboat; and he communicated all his notes and observations to be added tomy chart. There seemed to want no other proof of the existence of apassage between New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, than that ofsailing positively through it; but however anxious I was to obtain thisproof, the gratification of my desire was required to be suspended by avoyage to Norfolk Island in the Reliance. 

FLINDERS and BASS. 1798. 

In September following, His Excellency Governor Hunter had the goodnessto give me the _Norfolk_, a colonial sloop of twenty-five tons, withauthority to penetrate behind Furneaux's Islands; and should a strait befound, to pass through it and return by the south end of Van Diemen'sLand; making such examinations and surveys on the way as circumstancesmight permit. Twelve weeks were allowed for the performance of thisservice, and provisions for that time were put on board; the rest of theequipment was completed by the friendly care of Captain Waterhouse of theReliance. 

I had the happiness to associate my friend Bass in this new expedition, and to form an excellent crew of eight volunteers from the king's ships;but a time keeper, that essential instrument to accuracy in nauticalsurveys, it was still impossible to obtain. 

My report of the seals at Furneaux's Islands had induced Messrs. Bishopand Simpson, the commander and supracargo of the snow Nautilus, toprepare their vessel for a sealing speculation to that quarter; and onOct. 7, we sailed out of Port Jackson together. *

[* Mr. Bass' Journal of observations upon the lands, etc. Discovered orseen in this voyage, has been published by colonel Collins, in his_Account of the English Colony in New South Wales_, Vol. II. Page 143 _etseq. _; his observations will, therefore, be generally omitted in thisaccount. ]

(Atlas, Pl. VIII. )

The wind being fair, we passed Hat Hill at four in the afternoon, andnext morning, made Mount Dromedary. I took this opportunity of passingbetween Montague Isle and the main; but the depth of water beinguncertain, the Nautilus was desired by signal not to follow. There was nobottom with 13, and afterwards with 20 fathoms, at a mile distance fromthe island; and the passage seemed perfectly free from danger, and isfive or six miles wide. Mount Dromedary, from which the island lies E byN ½ N. , is the highest land upon this part of the coast; its elevationbeing, I think, not less than 3000 feet. The top is about three mileslong, and the south end is somewhat the most elevated part; it is coveredwith wood, even there, but still more so down the sides; the shore underit is mostly a white, sandy beach. 

(Atlas, Pl. VI. )

At noon the centre of the mountain bore N. N. W. Four leagues; but thehaziness of the weather prevented an observation being taken for thelatitude, as it had before done when passing in the Francis*. We thenhauled further off the coast, with the Nautilus in company, and beingnear the latitude of Cape Howe, at ten o'clock, lay to until daylight, for the purpose of obtaining a good departure; but on the 9th, the windhad veered to south-west, and the weather having a bad appearance, webore up for Two-fold Bay. The course after passing Green Cape, was N. 16°W. Seven miles to _Haycock Point_, and N. 44° W. Three or four miles fromthence to the south point of entrance to the bay; the shore being allalong bold, and for the most part rocky. From the south point, which maybe known by its reddish appearance and having a steep rock lying off it, we steered for _Snug Cove_, on the north-west side of the bay; and thereanchored in 3½ fathoms, sandy bottom, at something more than a cable'slength from the small beach, and the same distance from the two pointswhich bound the cove. In this situation, the outer red point was hiddenby Snug-cove Head; and further out, in 5 fathoms, where the Nautilusanchored, the head and point were in a line. 

[* The highest part of Mount Dromedary appears to lie in 36° 19' south, and longitude 150° 11' east; or about 2' south and 11' east of itsposition in captain Cook's chart. ]

In order to make some profit of this foul wind, Mr Bass landed early nextmorning to examine the country, whilst I went with Mr Simpson to commencea survey of Two-fold Bay. In the way from Snug Cove, through the wood, tothe long northern beach, where I proposed to measure a base line, ourattention was suddenly called by the screams of three women, who took uptheir children and ran off in great consternation. Soon afterward a manmade his appearance. He was of a middle age, unarmed, except with a_whaddie_, or wooden scimitar, and came up to us seemingly with carelessconfidence. We made much of him, and gave him some biscuit; and he inreturn presented us with a piece of gristly fat, probably of whale. ThisI tasted; but watching an opportunity to spit it out when he should notbe looking, I perceived him doing precisely the same thing with ourbiscuit, whose taste was probably no more agreeable to him, than hiswhale was to me. Walking onward with us to the long beach, our newacquaintance picked up from the grass a long wooden spear, pointed withbone; but this he hid a little further on, making signs that he shouldtake it on his return. The commencement of our trigonometrical operationswas seen by him with indifference, if not contempt; and he quitted us, apparently satisfied that, from people who could thus occupy themselvesseriously, there was nothing to be apprehended. 

We measured 116 chains along the north beach, and having taken thenecessary angles, returned to Snug Cove for the purpose of observing thelatitude; but the thick squalls, which were continually passing over fromthe south-west, prevented a sight of the sun. The survey was continued inthe afternoon; and on the following morning, 11 October, the wind beingstill unfavourable, the west side of the bay was nearly completed. 

I was preparing the artificial horizon for observing the latitude, when aparty of seven or eight natives broke out in exclamation upon the bankabove us, holding up their open hands to show they were unarmed. We werethree in number, and, besides a pocket pistol, had two muskets. Thesethey made no objection to our bringing, and we sat down in the midst ofthe party. It consisted entirely of young men, who were better made, andcleaner in their persons than the natives of Port Jackson usually are;and their countenances bespoke both good will and curiosity, though mixedwith some degree of apprehension. Their curiosity was mostly directed toour persons and dress, and constantly drew off their attention from ourlittle presents, which seemed to give but a momentary pleasure. Theapproach of the sun to the meridian calling me down to the beach, ourvisitors returned into the woods, seemingly well satisfied with what theyhad seen. We could perceive no arms of any kind amongst them; but I knewthese people too well not to be assured that their spears were lyingready, and that it was prudent to keep a good lookout upon the woods, toprevent surprise whilst taking the observation. 

Oct. 12. We sailed in the afternoon, with a breeze from the eastward; buta return of the wind to south-west, with threatening weather, induced meto bear up again in the evening; and we anchored on the south side of thebay. This part is not so well sheltered as Snug Cove, for the Nautiluswas not quite land-locked in 3 fathoms water. The weather became very badin the night; and, being no better on the 13th, the two vessels werecompleted with wood, and the country further explored; a few morebearings were also added to our materials for laying down a plan of thebay, and thus terminated our examination. 

The latitude of Snug Cove on the north-west side of Two-fold Bay, and bymuch the best anchorage in it, is 37° 4' south. The longitude, from twosets of distances of the sun west of the moon, deducting 16½' for theerrors of the tables, was 150° 3' east of Greenwich. The variation of theazimuth compass observed on the beach, was 9° 29' and of the surveyingtheodolite 11° 8½' east. My haste to complete the survey did not allow ofmuch attention being paid to the tides; but it was high water _aboutnipte??? hours after_ the moon passed over the meridian, and the generalrise from six to eight feet. 

Two-fold Bay is not, of itself, worthy of particular interest; but asnothing larger than boats can find shelter in any other part of thiscoast, from Jervis Bay, in latitude 35° 6', round to Corner Inlet, or toFurneaux's Isles in 40½°, it thereby becomes of importance to whalers, and to other ships passing along the coast. 

Besides its latitude, Two-fold Bay may be known by Mount Dromedary, whichwill be seen, in moderately fine weather, at the distance of fifteen orsixteen leagues to the northward; and also by the land behind the baylying more in hummocks than elsewhere. One of these hummocks is round, and much higher than the rest; and when it bears S. 60° W. (S. W. ½ W. Nearly, by compass, ) a course for it will bring a ship to the middle ofthe bay. On approaching near, she should look for two rocks, ratherpointed, of which one lies off the outer north, and the other off theouter south point. Snug Cove is difficult to be distinguished by astranger; but on coming near the rocky head, at the south-west end of thelong northern beach, it will be seen on the south side of that head; andthe anchor must be then ready to be let go. If the wind be from thesouthward, it should be dropped a little before the head shuts on withthe south point of the bay, in 5 or 6 fathoms water; and in veering away, the lead should be kept out astern of the vessel. There is room for twoor three small ships in Snug Cove, but not for more. 

Wood, in abundance, can be procured on every side of the bay; but thereare only two places where fresh water was found, and that not very good. One of these was a swampy pond upon the low neck behind Snug Cove, wherecasks might be filled without much difficulty; the other is near theinferior anchorage on the south side of the bay; and both are indicatedin the particular plan. 

The ponds and lagoons, which are to be found at the back of most of thebeaches, are frequented by ducks, teal, herons, red-bills, and some smallflights of the curlew and plover. The bay seemed to be well stocked withfish; and our success with hook and line made us regret having no seine, for the hauling of which many of the beaches are particularly welladapted. It is not improbable that Two-fold Bay, like some of the openbays on the east coast of Africa, may be frequented by whales at certainseasons: of this I have no decisive proof; but the reef of rocks, called_Whale Spit_, received its name from the remains of one found there. Thenatives had taken their share; and the dogs, crows, and gulls werecarrying away the rest. 

Oct. 14. In the morning, we left Two-fold Bay with a breeze atnorth-east; and at sun-set, having run eleven leagues from the southpoint, our departure was taken from Cape Howe. I then steered S. W. ByS. , judging it to be the course best calculated to bring us within sightof the land supposed, by captain Furneaux, to lie in 39° south. On the15th, at noon, our latitude was 38° 34'; the weather was fine. , but noland visible to the southward. In the opposite direction there was arange of hills whose centre bore N. By W. ½ W. ; at sunset it was seen asfar as N. 37° W. , from the sloop's deck, and from the mast head of theNautilus, the land was distinguished, or thought to be so, as far as N. 60° W. These bearings, but particularly the last, seemed to show a strongcurrent to the westward, for neither Mr. Bass nor myself could believe, that the hills at the back of the Long Beach were sufficiently elevatedto be seen beyond fifteen leagues; I therefore took four sets ofdistances, of stars east and west of the moon, which placed us, an hourand a half after sunset, in longitude 149° 13' east, agreeing nearly withthe dead reckoning. The land, if it really were such, was consequentlytwenty-five or more leagues off; and if the bearing of N. 60° W. Were nota mistake, it must have been thirty leagues distant in that direction. This supposed land was visible all the afternoon; but it might possiblyhave been the dense clouds hanging over the hills at the back of the LongBeach, and not the land itself. 

Our course to the south-westward was continued all night; but the windhaving veered to W. S. W. At daybreak of the 16th, the sloop was then puton the northern tack. No land was visible in any direction; nor was thereany at noon, when the observed latitude was 38° 42'. The wind veeredround by the south until it fixed itself at east; and when the day broke, on the 17th, the signal was made to the Nautilus, and we bore away S. W. By W. Until noon. The latitude was then 39° 11' south, and we judgedourselves to be nearly in the meridian of the Sisters; the weather wastolerably fine, and had been so all the morning, yet no land was anywhere to be seen; and I therefore concluded, that none could lie in ornear the meridian of these islands, and be in the latitude of 39°. 

The course steered at noon was west; but in half an hour it was alteredfor high irregular land which came in sight to the south-westward, andproved to be the largest of the two clusters which I had discovered whenin the Francis, and named _Kent's Groups_. We sounded in 30 fathoms, butlost the lead, the _sole_ deep-sea line with which we had been furnished, proving to be totally rotten. After running twenty miles, assisted by aflood tide, we came up with the group at four o'clock, and steeredthrough the channel by which the principal islands are separated. It isabout three miles long, and a full mile in width; is free from danger, and so deep, that our hand line could not reach the bottom. There are twosandy coves on the east, and one on the west side of the channel, wheresmall vessels might find shelter, if there were any inducement to visitthese steep, barren, granitic masses of rock. Above the cliffs we couldoccasionally perceive a brown-looking vegetation of brush wood, and hereand there a few starved gum trees; but there was neither bird norquadruped to enliven the dreary scene. * The principal island of thesmall, western group, opened at S. 68° W. , on clearing the channel; andwe then hauled the wind to the southward, for Furneaux's Islands, thatthe Nautilus might no longer be detained from her sealing business. 

[* Kent's large group is not, however, so barren and deserted asappearances bespoke. It has since been ascertained that, in the centralparts of the larger islands, there are vallies in which trees of a fairgrowth make part of a tolerably vigorous vegetation, and where kangaroosof a small kind were rather numerous; some seals, also, were found uponthe rocks, and fresh water was not difficult to be procured in certainseasons. ]

The wind blew fresh from the eastward all night, with hazy weather. Atdaylight, Oct. 18, a large piece of hilly land bore N. 48° to 64° E. , four leagues; and soon afterward, _Mount Chappell_, a smooth round hillwhich had been seen from Preservation Island, was set at S. 78° E. , distant seven or eight leagues, and was as conspicuous on this side aswhen seen from the eastward. Our latitude at noon was 40° 22', and MountChappell bore N. 71° E. Seven or eight miles, which would place it to thenorth of its position before determined. Between us and the mount weretwo small, low islands, and to the northward the hilly land first seenwas visible under the sun. 

Finding the wind hang obstinately in the eastern quarter, we had tackedto the north in order to keep under the lee of the islands. This coursebrought us, in the evening, within two miles of the hilly northern land, the same which had been discovered in the Francis, and of whoseconnection with the great island of Furneaux I was doubtful; nor could ityet be determined. The shores of the south-western part are rocky; andthe land rises, by a steep ascent, to hills of an elevation equal to thatof Mount Chappell. These hills are slightly covered with grass and smallbrush wood, but the general appearance was that of great sterility. 

About four miles to the south of this land we had passed a rocky islet, and observed a circular reef which seemed to connect the two together. The stormy appearance of the night induced me to stretch in, under thisreef; and finding there was shelter from the east winds, we came to ananchor in 5 fathoms, coarse sand: the Nautilus followed; but not likingthe place, captain Bishop preferred keeping the sea. On sounding roundthe sloop, I found the bottom every where foul, and that there were nomeans of escape in case of a shift of wind; therefore, after killing afew seals upon the granitic rocks, we weighed the anchor, ran two leaguesto the southward, and then hauled the wind under storm sails for thenight. 

Oct. 19, the wind was at north-east; and we bore away to pass betweenMount Chappell and the low islands lying to the westward. The passage isabout two miles wide, and the water much discoloured; but 10 fathoms ofline did not reach the bottom. A similar appearance in the water had beenobserved several leagues to the westward of the low islands, where therewas 23 to 25 fathoms, on a bottom of sand and broken shells. 

This small group, to which the name of _Chappell Isles_ is affixed in thechart, consists of three, or perhaps four islands, for the mount seemedto stand detached from the land on the east side of the passage. Thebasis of the whole is probably of granite, and they seemed nothingsuperior in fertility to the worst of Furneaux's Islands; but in adistant view, a slight covering of small herbage upon their sloping, evensurfaces, gave them a prepossessing appearance. Mount Chappell is five orsix hundred feet above the water, a very conspicuous object until, by theclearing away of the haze the high mountains of the great island behindit became visible: their white, towering peaks, bathed in the lateshowers, reflected the gleaming sunshine with great splendour, andpresented a spectacle so magnificent, that the circular, gently slopingMount Chappell no longer attracted attention. 

We joined the Nautilus off the south side of the islands and, afterpassing several rocks in our course eastward, anchored at the east end ofPreservation Island about noon. Mr Hamilton had left his house standing, with some fowls and pigeons in it, when we had quitted the island ninemonths before. The house remained in nearly the same state but itstenants were not to be found, having probably fallen a prey to the hawks. 

Oct 20, the wind was at north-west, and blew a gale, accompanied withrain, which continued for several days. This weather very much impededour progress with the Nautilus in Armstrong's Channel, but Captain Bishopat length moored in Kent's Bay, the most secure place to be found withinreach of the sealing points. The greater part of Kent's Bay is occupiedby shoals; but along the shore of Sloping Point there is a deep channelrunning northward, which leads into the western head of the bay; andthere, behind a reef of dry rocks, several ships may lie in 4 or 5fathoms, sheltered from all winds. The Nautilus's tents were pitched uponthe borders of a run of fresh water, about one mile north of theanchorage; and a garden, which Captain Bishop made there, produced sometolerable vegetables. 

We had no prospect of advancing along the north coast of Van Diemen'sLand whilst the strong western winds continued to blow; and therefore, whilst Mr Bass explored some of the islands, I occupied myself insounding different parts of Armstrong's Channel, and in making some otheradditions to my former survey. At length, on Oct. 31. , the gale moderatedto a light breeze, and we stretched over, with the flood tide, towardsthe Swan Isles. At noon, our situation was as under. 

 ° 'Latitude observed, 40 39 S. Peak of Cape Barren, N. 16 E. Van Diemens Land, eastern extr. About S. By E. Largest Swan Isle, the centre, S. 53 W. 

Soon after three o'clock, we anchored in a small sandy bay, at thesouth-east end of the largest Swan Isle, in 4 fathoms; being wellsheltered from north and western winds, but entirely open to any thatmight arise from the opposite quarters. The furthest extreme of theopposite coast then bore S. 36° E. Three leagues; but the nearest part, in the direction of S. By W. , was little more than three miles distant. 

I landed with Mr Bass; and leaving him to pursue his researches, wentround to the north side of the island, to take angles. From a small, elevated projection there, ° 'The peak of Cape Barren was set at N. 28 40 E. Mount Chappell, N. 21 20 W. ;

from which, and several intermediate bearings, this station became firmlyconnected with the survey of Furneaux's Islands. Mr. Bass thought thestone to contain a rather large quantity of iron, and the bearings seemedto confirm it, for they did not agree in any common intersection with theallowance of 9° east, which I considered to be the true variation; butwith 6° 30', they not only coincided, but placed this station in latitude40° 43' south, the same as deduced from three meridional observationstaken within sight of the island. 

One mile from the north-west end, lies a low, rocky islet, and severalrocks both above and under water. All these are comprehended under thegeneral name of the _Swan Isles_; a name which, on examination, theyappeared very little to deserve, for we did not see a single bird of thatspecies, or any of their nests; but there were several of the bernaclegeese, and two of them were shot by Mr Bass. 

The length of the largest Swan Isle is two and a quarter miles, by amedium breadth of one mile. The stony parts are over-run with thick brushwood, and the sandy are mostly covered with hassocks of wiry grass, towhich the sooty petrels resort. In external appearance, this island bearsa resemblance to that of Preservation; but its sterility is greater, andit is destitute of the kangaroo. We did not see any fresh water in thevalleys, a seal upon the shores, nor any marks of the island having beenever visited by the natives of the opposite coast. 

Nov 1. Having an unfavourable wind, I waited the flood tide, and thenproceeded westward, along that part of Van Diemen's land to which thename of CAPE PORTLAND was given, in honour of His Grace the thensecretary of state for the colonies. From the eastern extremity, thecoast trends about N. 62° W. Six leagues, and terminates in a point, offwhich lie some small rocky islets. The shore consists of long, sandybeaches, separated by low and stony points, which project very littlebeyond the coastline. The country for two or three miles behind the shoreis low and sandy; but it then ascends in gradations of gently risinghills, and being covered with verdure, interspersed with clumps of woodand single trees of a fair growth, it had a very pleasing appearance. Atthe back of these hills, the bare and rugged tops of a ridge of distantmountains appeared here and there, and formed a striking contrast withthe verdure of the front scene. 

Our soundings along the south side of the largest Swan Isle weregenerally 8 fathoms, on a sandy bottom; nor was there much decrease untilnoon, when the low shore of Cape Portland was at something less, and theouter rocky islets something more than a mile distant, and we came rathersuddenly into 3 fathoms. The latitude observed was 40° 43 2/3' south, andthe island last quitted bore N. 85° to S. 84° E. , distant six miles. 

There being little wind at this time, the sloop, in passing round therocky islets of Cape Portland, was carried by the tide over a ledge wherethere was scarcely 2 fathoms; and was then driven westward on a curvedline of rippling water, which extended northward from the islets as faras the eye could reach. We passed over the rippling in 9 fathoms; and thewind being entirely gone, were then carried to the south-west. 

Soon after four o'clock, the ebb appeared to be making; and the anchorwas dropped in 11 fathoms, sandy bottom, about one mile west of CapePortland. The shore on this side of the cape trends south, in rocky headsand beaches, and afterwards curves westward, forming an extensive bay, which terminates in a point. To this the name of _Point Waterhouse_ wasgiven, in honour of the commander of the Reliance, and an island, whosetop is level and moderately high, lying off the point, was named ISLEWATERHOUSE. 

The bottom of the large bay is sandy, and the hills of Cape Portlandthere retiring further back, permitted a view of the inland mountains, ofwhich there was a high and extensive ridge. Mountains like these areusually the parents of rivers; and the direction of the ebb tide, whichcame from between S. W. By S. And S. W. By W. At the rate of two-and-a-halfmiles an hour, gave hopes of finding some considerable inlet in the bay, and increased our anxiety for a fair breeze. 

A set of distances of the sun east of the moon, a meridian altitude ofthe planet Mars, and a western amplitude of the sun were taken at thisanchorage, the results of which, with the bearings of the land, were asunder:

 ° 'Latitude observed, 40 44 S. Longitude from lunar distances corrected, 147 56 E. Variation of the compass (the sloop's head being S. W. ) 12 30 E. C. Barren peak, over the outer islets of C. Portland, N. 47 E. Mount Chappell, North. Isle Waterhouse, centre, dist. 5 or 6 leagues, S. 71 W. Point Waterhouse. S. 61 W. Ridge of inland mountains, South to S. 42 W. Highest part of ditto, a round top, S. 19 W. 

The flood tide ceased to run at three quarters past three in the morning, or _about nine hours after_ the moon passed over the meridian. 

Nov. 2. A light breeze having sprung up from the eastward we steered forthe bottom of the bay, and at noon the nearest part of the beach wasdistant only two miles. 

 ° 'Observed latitude, 40 49¾ S. C. Portland, with the outer islets behind, N. 27 E. Isle Waterhouse, extremes, N. 78° to 89 W. Point Waterhouse, S. 88½ W. 

We stood on another mile, and then bore away westward, following theround of the shore, but no inlet could be perceived. At three o'clock, wehad passed Point Waterhouse, and seeing a fair channel of about two mileswide between it and the island, steered through, S. W. By W. 

Isle Waterhouse is near four miles in length. Its southern shore consistsof beaches and rocky points; but it rises abruptly to a moderateelevation. The level top is mostly covered with wood; and although itsappearance did not bespeak fertility, it was superior to any we had seenof Furneaux's Islands. The land at the back of Point Waterhouse is higherthan that of the island, and is composed of grassy, woody hills, risingover each other by gentle ascents. Upon the point there is a sandyhillock, and a reef of rocks extends out from it a quarter of a mile. Wehad 8 fathoms, whilst rounding this reef; and in steering through thepassage, the soundings were 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 5, 6 fathoms; the sandy bottombeing visible under the sloop. At the further end of the channel, a rockyislet and a small reef were passed, leaving them on the starbord hand. The islet was almost covered with sea birds and hair seals; from whichcircumstance we judged, that the natives of Van Diemen's Land were notable to get across here, any more than to the Swan Isles; and that, consequently, they had no canoes upon this part of the coast. 

From Point Waterhouse, the shore trends S. 67° W. , five or six miles, andis mostly rocky. It then takes a direction of S. S. W. , in a long sandybeach, and afterwards curves westward to a projecting point, near whichwe had no ground with 13 fathoms a little before sunset. Another islandhad been for some time visible, and was then distant six miles: It wascalled

_Ninth Island_, and bore N. 32° W. Isle Waterhouse, about the centre, N. 50° E. South side of the passage, N. 62° E. Projecting point, dist. One-third of a mile, South. 

The projecting point is over-topped with hillocks of almost bare sand, asis a second, which lies W. 6° S. , two or three miles from, and muchresembles, the first: these two projections received the joint name of_Double Sandy Point_. The back country was manifestly worse than anybefore seen on this coast. The pleasant looking hills of Point Waterhouseno longer approached the shore; but retiring far inland, left a low spacebetween the back hills and the sea, which had every appearance of beingsandy and barren. 

In passing the western part of Double Sandy Point, we had 5, and then 4fathoms; and saw a reef extending from it some distance to the westward. It was then nearly dark, and we hauled off upon a wind, for the night;the furthest visible extreme, a remarkable stony head, bearing S. 70° W. About eight miles. 

The wind blew a moderate breeze all night, at north-east. At five in themorning, Nov. 3, the Ninth Island was distant two miles, and bore E. 2°N. , in a line with Point Waterhouse. The top of the island appeared greenand level; but I did not see any seals upon the rocks. Resuming ourformer course along shore, we passed close to _Stony Head_ at teno'clock, when two sets of distances of the sun east of the moon, gave itscorrected longitude 147° 10' east. The wind having then veered more tothe north, we hauled further off, and passed a rocky islet (the tenth), upon which a few overgrown hair seals were sunning themselves. At noon, our situation was as follows. 

Latitude observed, 40° 55½' S. Tenth I. , distant four miles, S. 87 E. Stony Head, dist. Six or seven miles, S. 62 E. A low head, distant ten miles, S. 35 W. Western extreme of the land, S. 53 W. 

Stony Head is the extremity of a ridge of hills which branches out fromthe inland mountains, and stretches across the low, sandy land in front, to the sea. On each side of the ridge there were several smokes, whichinduced me to suppose the flat lands might contain lakes of fresh water. The low head, bearing S. 35° W. Seemed to be the termination of anotherbranch from the inland mountains; round it there was some appearance ofan opening, and at two o'clock, this excited so much hope that I venturedto bear away before the wind. We advanced rapidly with the flood, and atfour, had passed LOW HEAD and were steering S. E. By S. , up an inlet ofmore than a mile wide. Some shoals, not quite covered, we left on thestarbord hand; keeping a straight course for the entrance of a basin orbay, at which the inlet seemed to terminate. This course took us oversome strong ripplings of tide, on none of which, however, there was lessthan 5 fathoms; and so soon as they were passed, 13 fathoms did not reachthe bottom. After advancing three miles, we approached a low, greenisland, lying nearly in mid-channel; and being uncertain which was thedeepest side, I took the most direct, which lay to the west. From 8fathoms, the next cast of the lead was 3½, and immediately the sloop wasaground. Fortunately, the bottom was soft, and the strong flood draggedher over the bank without injury. The water deepened again as quick; andwhen the channel on the east side of _Green Island_ was open, there wasno bottom at 13 fathoms. 

We could not but remark the contrast between the shores of this inlet, covered with grass and wood down to the water's edge, and the rockysterile banks observed in sailing up Port Jackson: it spoke favourablyfor the country, and added to the satisfaction we felt in having made thediscovery. There was, however, little time for meditation: the tide drovethe sloop rapidly onward to the basin; and the evening coming on, Ipushed between some dry rocks and a point on the western side, andanchored in 2 fathoms, on a bottom of sand and mud. 

There appeared to be three arms, or rivers, discharging themselves intothis extensive basin. That which came from the westward. , had its_embouchure_ close to the sloop; and Mr. Bass went off in the boat tolook up it. His attention was, however, soon called to another pursuit: anumber of black swans were swimming before him, and judging from formerexperience in Western Port, that several of them were unable to fly, hegave chase with the boat. On his return at dusk, he rejoiced us with thesight of four, and with a promise that we should not be in want of freshprovisions in this port. 

Nov. 4. I landed Mr. Bass with two men, to examine the country, and thencommenced a survey of the port by an examination of the _Western Arm_. Itis narrow, and has not more in the entrance than 3 fathoms, although, about one mile up, there be 7 near the starbord shore. This arm is notaccessible to ships beyond three miles; and even in that distance thereis much more shoal than deep water. 

The rocks lying at the entrance of the basin are covered at the top ofthe flood, but at other times are much frequented by shags. Afterobserving the latitude and taking bearings there, I went down to GreenIsland; and the tide being then out, perceived the shoals in Sea Reach tobe so numerous and extensive, that it was surprising how the sloop couldhave reached thus far without striking upon some of them. In the channelto the east of Green Island I found from 7 to 25 fathoms, and both thesides of it steep to; a rock lies in the middle of the passage, but attwenty yards from it there was 3 fathoms all round. Green Island iscovered with long, coarse grass and bushes, with a few small treesintermixed. The large, noisy gulls frequent it for the purpose ofbreeding, as do the swans, several of whose deserted nests were foundwith the broken egg-shells in them. These were corroborating proofs, thatthe natives of this part of Van Diemen's Land have not the means oftransporting themselves across the water; for Green Island is scarcelytwo cables length from the shore. 

In returning to the sloop, I took off Mr. Bass and his party, togetherwith a kangaroo weighing between eighty and ninety pounds, which he hadshot out of a considerable flock. Our fresh provisions were still furtherincreased by an addition of six swans, caught this evening with the boat. 

Nov. 5 was employed in the survey of the Western Arm, and searching, butin vain, for the means of conveniently replenishing our water casks. Nextmorning we steered across the basin. , and sought to anchor under anisland which, from its situation at the entrance of the eastern arm, wascalled _Middle Island_; but there not being a sufficient depth of waterbehind it, the course was continued up the eastern arm, in 10 or morefathoms water, for two or three miles; when we anchored upon afive-fathom bank, near a small cove on the northern shore. On landing, alittle stream was found descending from the hills into the south-eastcorner of the cove, and in the middle was a gully with several deep holesin it full of excellent water: this last, though not accessible till halfflood, was the most convenient for our purpose. 

There were many recent traces of natives on the shore; and afterreturning to the sloop, we saw, on the opposite side of the arm a man whoemployed or amused himself by setting fire to the grass in differentplaces. He did not stay to receive us, and we rowed down to Middle Islandwhere a smoke was rising. The natives shunned us there also; for soonafter landing, I saw three of them walk up from the shoal which joinsMiddle Island to the opposite low, sandy point. The party appeared toconsist of a man, a woman, and a boy; and the two first had somethingwrapped round them which resembled cloaks of skins. 

The gently-sloping hills of Middle Island afford about forty acres ofpasture land, well covered with grass, and thinly wooded. No fresh waterwas seen, but it might probably be obtained by digging. This island islittle frequented by aquatic birds, from the circumstance of its beingaccessible, at low water, to the inhabitants of the main. 

Nov. 7. Mr. Bass and myself landed on the south shore upon our respectivepursuits. The sandy point at the back of Middle Island was particularlyfavourable to the survey; and a base of sixty-six chains measured roundit, with the concomitant angles, enabled me to connect the eastern armwith the basin. The sloop had been completed with water in the morning, and was ready to proceed in continuation of the voyage; but the width ofthe arm, the depth of water in it, and strength of the tides, were toostrong indications of a river of extensive course for me to be able toquit it without some further examination. 

(Atlas, Pl. VII. )

A rainy gale from the eastward did not allow of moving until Nov. 9th; wethen got under way with the flood tide, and beat up the first, or _LongReach_, against a south-east wind. Abreast of _Point Rapid_ (see thechart), where the river turned sharp round to the south-west, I went awayin the boat to examine the upper end of Long Reach; but the hasterequired in following after the sloop, which the tide assisted in drivingfast upward, allowed me to do it but very cursorily. In _Crooked Reach_, I stopped at two places, and measured a short base near _Glen Bight_. Thesloop was then lost to view, although the wind had died away; and onreaching _Brush Island_, it was not easy to know which way she had taken, _Round-head Bay_ having as much the appearance of being a continuation ofthe river, as had _Whirlpool Reach_. This reach stretches south-eastward, and its width is much less than in any of the lower parts of the river, being no more than a short quarter of a mile; but, as might be expected, the depth in it, from 10 to 22 fathoms, is greater, and its borders aresteep and rocky. At the end of Whirlpool Reach, the banks of the riveropened out so considerably that, from our little boat, it appeared like asea, the land at the further end being scarcely distinguishable. Fortunately, we got sight of the sloop in _Anchor Bight_ before it wasdark, and carried with us another black swan. 

Nov. L0, being under the necessity of going down to Brush Island, tobring the survey up from thence to the position of the sloop, we did notget under way till near noon. The wind was from the westward, and I wentforward in the boat to Egg Island, so named from the number of eggs, mostly of the gull and red bill, which were there found. It is small andstony; but covered with grass, and had not been visited by the natives. My next station was on the opposite side of the river, upon a low sandypoint which is lengthened by a dry shoal. These project out from thegeneral line of the southern shore, and contract the river to less thanhalf a mile; whereas its width above and below, is one mile and a half. On the east, or lee side of this point and shoal was a flock of swans, innumber not less than from three to five hundred; and their cast quillswere so intermixed with the sand, as to form a component part of thebeach. This countless number of quills gave me an insight into the causewhy so many of the swans, though not young birds, were unable to fly:they moult their wing feathers, probably at stated periods, though not, Ishould think, every year. This sandy projection was named _Swan Point_. 

On steering southward from thence, I found that the bight in which thisgreat number of birds had assembled, was full of shoals producing thelong aquatic grass which forms the principal part, if it be not theirsole food. We sailed through the flock, and might have procured a goodnumber, had not the progress of the sloop obliged us to hasten onward to_Shoal Point_: one incautious bird was caught by his long neck as wesailed past him. 

The change in the direction of the river, from south-east to south, madethe extension of a new base necessary. From the end of Shoal Point, I ranthirty-two chains westward, across a small stream of _fresh water_; andhaving taken the necessary angles, returned to the sloop, which had thenanchored at half a mile from the point, in 4 fathoms. The shoal was dryin the evening, within two cables length of the vessel, and rendered thefresh stream inaccessible to a boat. 

The time of our absence from Port Jackson being restricted to thebeginning of January, I did not think it advisable to take the sloop anyfurther up the river; but determined, after devoting one day more to anexcursion in the boat, to return and proceed along the north coast of VanDiemen's Land, in prosecution of the main object of the voyage. 

Nov. 11, Mr. Bass landed near Shoal Point, to go as far back into thecountry as the limited time would permit. I steered from thence over to ared bank on the east side of the river, measured a base of seventy ninechains, and took angles from a variety of stations. At the CrescentShore, the river was contracted to a quarter of a mile in width, thewater was half fresh, and the depth across as follows: 1½, 3, 5½, 8, 8½, 12½, 11, 6, 4 fathoms at half flood. 

The direction of the river, from where the sloop was lying to this part, is nearly S. S. W. ; but it then winds round the Crescent Shore, and runsE. S. E. My uppermost station was upon a hill near the water side, at thecommencement of this new reach; and from thence the river appeared, atthe distance of a mile and a half, to reopen out its banks, and to turnmore southward. In an eastern direction, across the wide part, there werethree ridges of hills, and beyond them some blue peaks and caps ofdistant mountains, which I judged to be the same we had seen from CapePortland; and amongst which the source, or some of the sources of thisriver most probably arose. The distance of these mountains concurred withthe strength of the tides and the depth of water to indicate, that, atthe Crescent Shore, the larger half of the river still remained to beexplored. *

[* The chart will show from later examinations, how far the river isnavigable, and whence its different sources are derived. ]

The morning of Nov. 12 was foggy and calm. We rowed the sloop down withthe assistance of the ebb tide, to Round-head Bay, and anchored in 3½fathoms. At high water, the anchor was again weighed; and at dusk, havinghad a breeze, we reached the five-fathom bank in Long Reach, nearWatering Cove. From the upper end of Whirlpool Reach to Point Rapid, Iwent ahead in the boat and examined all the creeks and gullies on thewestern shore, for watering places. There were drains of fresh water downsome of these, but in none, not even in Glen Bight, was there anyaccessible to boats. 

Nov. 13, we beat down with the ebb tide to Middle Island, and thensteered across the basin for the _Middle Arm_, which was yet totallyunexplored; but after many ineffectual attempts to find a passage overthe shoals, we came to, in 5 fathoms, near the Shag Rocks, and I went toexamine the arm with the boat. From _Inspection Head_ I discovered anarrow channel leading into it, where there was more than sufficientdepth for ships; but this arm is altogether of little consequence. 

In the evening, it blew a gale of wind from the north-westward, with hailand rain; and the same weather continuing next day, I employed the timein examining Sea Reach. On the 15th, somewhat finer weather enabled us toget down to Outer Cove, a place opposite to Green Island, where there isroom for a larger vessel than the Norfolk to ride at single anchor, in 8fathoms. The head of the cove is shoal, and the stream that falls into itis salt to a greater distance than a boat can go; nor could anyaccessible fresh water be found in the neighbourhood. _Middle Rock_, sonamed from its situation in the deep channel between the cove and GreenIsland, is hidden at half flood. Fine muscles were gathered from it, manyof them containing small, discoloured pearls, such as are found in thoseof Adventure Bay. 

From this time to the 20th, the western winds continued to blow strong;and finding, after an ineffectual attempt, that it was impossible to makeany progress in the voyage, we remained in port, taking astronomicalobservations, completing the survey, and examining the country, until afavourable change should take place. At the back of the longest beachnear Low Head, and on the same side, I found a deep pool of tolerablygood water, at which our casks were again replenished; and when the boatwas not employed in this, or other services, the people were sent swanhunting, and never without success. 

Nov. 20. The wind having become moderate at north-west, we beat out ofthe port with the ebb tide; and at one p. M. , took a departure from LowHead. The breeze had then veered to E. N. E. ; and when we had run nineleagues, a head on the west side of the port bore S. 53° E. , and thefurthest visible part of the coast was at west: being then dusk, the windwas hauled off shore. 

We had rainy weather in the night, and the wind shifted back to W. N. W. , and blew a fresh gale. This soon raised a high sea, and reduced us to aclose-reefed main sail and jib; nor were we without apprehensions of theshore for the following night, so much did the sloop drive to leeward. Onthe 22nd at noon the gale was more moderate, the wind at W. By S. , andthe weather permitted an observation to be taken for the latitude; it was40° 13', and we had land bearing E. N. E. About three leagues distant. Sosoon as I had satisfied myself that this could be no other than the hillyland lying five leagues to the northward of the Chappell Isles, we boreaway before the sea; and by carrying all sail, secured an anchorage inHamilton's Road before dark. 

It was not safe to move on the 23rd, and there being a lunar eclipseannounced in the ephemeris to take place in the following night, I landedto observe it with the telescope of the sextant. The times at which thebeginning and end happened by the watch, being corrected from altitudesof the stars _Rigel_ and _Sirius_ observed in an artificial horizon, gave148° 37½' for the uncorrected longitude of Preservation Island; which is37' more than was deduced from the lunar distances in the Francis. Thepenumbra attending the earth's shadow is usually supposed to render thisobservation uncertain to two or three minutes of time, or more than halfa degree of longitude. 

Nov. 24. The gale had subsided to a moderate breeze, and we tried to beatback to the westward; but finding too much sea, bore away intoArmstrong's Channel to speak the commander of the Nautilus; that, throughhim, governor Hunter might be informed of our discoveries thus far, andof the delays experienced from the western winds. I was happy to findcaptain Bishop proceeding successfully in his sealing business, thoughslower than he might have done, had the anchorage been nearer to theeastern points. *

[* Nine thousand skins of the first quality, with several tons of oil, were procured by the Nautilus, and Furneaux's Islands have since beenfrequented by small vessels from Port Jackson upon the same errand. Unfortunately, this species of fishery is soon exhausted in any oneplace; or it would have been the means of raising up an useful body ofseamen, and thus proved of advantage, both to the colony and to themother country. ]

In the evening it fell calm, and the tide being favourable, we rowed backfor Hamilton's Road; but a fair breeze springing up when abreast of it, instead of anchoring we made all sail to the west-south-west for VanDiemen's Land. 

On the 25th at day-light, the Ninth Island bore south, five miles; thewind had then shifted to N. By W. , and blew strong, with rainy weather;and at eight o'clock, it was at N. W. By W. , and obliged us to tackoffshore. This gale cleared away on the 26th, and at noon our situationwas in

Latitude 40° 34½' S. Mount Chappell bore N. E. Peak of Cape Barren, N. 78° E. Land taken for Isle Waterhouse, S. 7° E. 

We were then steering south-westward again with a fair breeze; but hadscarcely passed Stony Head, next morning, when another gale sprung upfrom the north-west. It was a happy circumstance that we were able toreach our new discovered port, and take refuge at the former secureanchorage near the Shag Rocks; for this gale was more violent and oflonger continuance than any of the preceding. This long succession ofadverse winds caused us almost to despair of accomplishing the principalobject of the voyage; for of the twelve weeks, to which our absence fromPort Packson was limited, nearly eight were already expired. 

Dec. 2. The gale moderated, and we made an attempt to continue thevoyage, but were driven back. On the 3rd, the attempt was repeated; andthe wind being light, we anchored at the entrance of the port, to preventlosing by the flood what had been gained by the ebb tide. In the eveninga fair wind sprung up; and at length, to our great satisfaction, we wereenabled to proceed in the discovery of the strait. 

The harbour, which we entered with so much pleasure on Nov. 3, andfinally quitted with still more on Dec. 3, was named PORT DALRYMPLE, byHis Excellency governor Hunter, as a mark of respect to AlexanderDalrymple, Esq. , the late hydrographer to the Admiralty. The following isa summary of the observations taken there, for fixing the position of LowHead, on the east side of the entrance:

_Latitude_ from six meridian altitudes, of which threewere taken in port, and three at sea within sightof Low Head 41° 3'30" S. _Longitude_ from two sets of distances of the sun east, and two west of the moon, with Troughton's nineinch sextant No. 251, corrected for the errors ofthe lunar and solar tables 146° 43'45" E. 

From two sets of distances of the sun east, and two westof the moon, with a five-inch sextant of Adams 146° 52'46"

 ---------------Mean from sun and moon 146° 48' 15" E. ===============

From one set of a star east, and one west of the moon, with No. 251 146° 52'34"From two ditto, ditto, with the five-inch 146° 56'50" ---------------Mean from stars and moon 146° 54'42" ---------------Mean of all 146° 51'28" E. * ===============

_Variation_ of the theodolite. , observed on the shoreof Outer Cove 7 28eastDo. Of the azimuth compass, observed in the same place, 8 30Do. Of the same, taken at anchor off the port, thesloop's head being N. By E. (magnetic), 7 44The time of high water in Port Dalrymple, is _one quarter of an hourbefore_ the moon passes over the meridian; and the rise of tide is fromsix to eight, or it is said to ten, feet. The ebb sets out seven hours;and both ebb and flood run with much rapidity in the narrow parts, butthe particular rate was not ascertained. 

[* The longitude of Low-Head, deduced from the Investigator's timekeepers, combined with my surveys in the Francis and Norfolk, is 146° 47½east; as the observations with the large sextant, No. 251, taken alone, would give it very nearly. ]

Port Dalrymple and the _River Tamar_* occupy the bottom of a valleybetwixt two irregular chains of hills, which shoot off north-westward, from the great body of inland mountains. In some places, these hillsstand wide apart, and the river then opens its banks to a considerableextent; in others, they nearly meet, and contract its bed to narrowlimits. The Tamar has, indeed, more the appearance of a chain of lakes, than of a regularly-formed river; and such it probably was, until, bylong undermining, assisted perhaps by some unusual weight of water, acommunicating channel was formed, and a passage forced out to sea. Fromthe shoals in Sea Reach, and more particularly from those at Green Islandwhich turn the whole force of the tides, one is led to suppose, that theperiod when the passage to sea was forced has not been very remote. 

[* So named by the late lieut. Colonel Paterson, who was sent from PortJackson to settle a new colony there, in 1804. The sources of the riverwere then explored, and the new names applied which are given in thechart. The first town established was _Yorktown_ at the head of theWestern Arm, but this proving inconvenient as a sea port, it was proposedto be removed lower down, near Green Island. _Launceston_, which isintended to be the capital of the new colony, is fixed at the junction ofthe _North_ and _South Esks_, up to which the Tamar is navigable forvessels of 150 tons. The tide reaches nine or ten miles up the North Esk, and the produce of the farms within that distance may be sent down theriver by boats, but the South Esk descends from the mountains by acataract, directly into the Tamar, and, consequently, is not accessibleto navigation of any kind. ]

Of the two chains of hills which bound the valley, the eastern oneterminates at Low Head; the other comes down to the sea, five or sixmiles from it, on the west side of the port. The ends of these chains, when seen from directly off the entrance, appear as two clusters of hillshaving some resemblance to each other; and in fine weather, the distantblue heads of the back mountains will be seen over the tops of bothclusters. These appearances, joined to the latitude and longitude, arethe best _distant_ marks for finding Port Dalrymple. If a ship come alongshore from the eastward, the Ninth Island, and afterward Stony Head withthe Tenth Islet lying three or four miles to the north-west, willannounce the vicinity of the port; and Low Head will be perceived in thebight to the S. S. W. , but it is not a conspicuous object. 

Three or four leagues to the westward of the port, the back land isuncommonly high, and the top of the ridge is intersected into uncouthshapes. From the brilliancy of some of these mountains, on the appearanceof the sun after rain, I judged them to be of granite, like those ofFurneaux's Islands. These mountains, with the direction of the coast andwhat has been said of the clusters of hills, may serve as marks for PortDalrymple to ships coming along shore from the westward. 

Reefs and banks extend out to a considerable distance on the west side ofthe entrance; so that strangers should avoid that side, and endeavour tocome in with Low Head. The greater part of these shoals, as also of thosein Sea Reach, are covered at half tide; therefore the first of the flood, or even a little before, is the best time to enter Port Dalrymple, asalmost the whole of the dangers are then visible. A signal post, withpilots, was fixed at Low Head on the settlement of the new colony in1804, and beacons have since been placed on the most dangerous rocks andshoals; it has therefore become unnecessary to give particularinstructions for sailing up the port, especially as they may be found inmy _Observations on the coasts of Van Diemen's Land, etc. _; a littlememoir published by Mr. Arrowsmith, in 1801. *

[* In Mr. Horsburgh's _Sailing Directions, etc. _ Part II. , are given, upon my friend captain Kent's authority, notices of the beacons laiddown, and directions respecting them; to which I add, from theinformation of lieut. Oxley, that a rock, on which H. M. Ship Porpoisestruck, lies W. ½ N. By compass, one cable's length from _PointRoundabout_. There is no more than four feet upon it at low water, but itway be safely passed on either side. ]

We found Port Dalrymple to be an excellent place for refreshment. Out ofthe flocks of black swans, from one-fifth to one-tenth of them wereunable to fly; and since the same thing has been found to obtain in themonths of January and May, as well as in October. It is probably so atall times of the year. These birds are endowed with a considerableportion of sagacity: they cannot dive, but have a method of immersingthemselves so deep in the water, as to render their bodies nearlyinvisible, and thus frequently to avoid detection. In chase, their planwas to gain the wind upon our little boat; and they usually succeededwhen the breeze was strong, and sometimes escaped from our shot also. 

Kangaroos appeared to be rather numerous in this part of Van Diemen'sLand; but as they were shy, and we had little time or necessity to goafter them, one only was procured; it was of the large, forest kind, andthe flesh was thought superior to that of the same animal at PortJackson. 

Ducks and teal went by flocks in Port Dalrymple; but they were shy, andwe took no trouble after them. The white-bellied shag, and the black andpied red bills were common in the lower parts of the port, and somepelicans were seen upon the shoals. The large black shag, usually foundin rivers, was seen in different parts of the Tamar; and upon anotheroccasion, we found these birds to be tolerable food. 

Neither our wants nor leisure were sufficient to induce any attempt tocatch fish. Muscles were abundant upon those rocks which are overflowedby the tide; and the natives appeared to get oysters by diving, theshells having been found near their fire places. 

The country round Port Dalrymple has, in general, a pleasing and fertileappearance; nor did examination prove it to be deceitful. But thissubject, and what concerns the natives, came more particularly within thedepartment of Mr. Bass; and his observations upon them having beenpublished, I proceed to the continuation of the voyage. 

Dec. 3, in the evening, the Norfolk was lying at anchor off the entranceof the port, when a breeze sprung up from the north-eastward, and enabledus to proceed along the coast. At dusk, Low Head bore S. 77° E. Sixmiles, and we then hauled off for the night. The shore on the west sideof Port Dalrymple falls back to the southward and forms a bight under thehigh land, where it is possible there may be some small opening; for thehaziness of the weather did not allow the coast line to be distinctlytraced. Upon the back mountains are many variously-shaped tops, of whichthe easternmost bore S. 5° E. , and a flat one towards the other end ofthe ridge, S. 38° W. The furthest land which could be seen was a roundhill, making like an island, and bore very nearly west from the masthead. 

Dec. 4. We resumed our course westward, but the wind being at N. N. E. , did not dare to approach very near the shore. At noon, the observedlatitude was 40° 58', and the hills on the west side of Port Dalrymplebore S. 65° E. Five or six leagues. From thence to S. 38° W. , whereanother chain of hills came down to the sea, the country is well wooded, and lies in hills and vallies. The Round Hill bore S. 65° W. Five or sixleagues, and in the evening, when three leagues distant, the low landconnecting it with the main was visible. 

During the night, and next day, Dec. 5, the winds were light andvariable, so that we made little progress. At noon, the furthest landseen to the westward appeared like a small flat-topped island, but beingfound to be connected with the main land, received the descriptive nameof _Circular Head_; a nearer projection, of a jagged appearance, wascalled _Rocky Cape_, and a steep cliffy head still nearer, _Table Cape_, from its flat top. Our situation was then as under;

Latitude observed, 40° 56' S. Round Hill, distant three leagues, S. 22 E. Table Cape, north extreme, N. 88 W. Rocky Cape, highest knob, N. 77 W. Circular Head N. 71 W. A flat-topped peak, inland, S. 14 W. 

The sandy shore abreast was seven or eight miles distant, and behind itthe land was low, but tolerably well covered with wood. The soleremarkable object inland, was the flat-topped peak, which had very muchthe appearance of an extinguished volcano. From after bearings, it wasfound to lie S. 1° E. Eleven leagues from Table Cape; and in thatdirection its top assumes the form of a pointed cone. 

In the morning of Dec. 6, our situation was N. 8° E. Four miles from thecliffy, north-east end of Table Cape, and the Round Hill bore S. 41° E. Having a favourable breeze, we passed, at eight o'clock, within half amile of the reef which surrounds Rocky Cape, and steered onward forCircular Head, which as yet was the furthest visible land. 

Table Cape, Rocky Cape, and Circular Head lie nearly in a line of N. 62°W. , and are about ten miles apart from each other. Between these, thecoast forms two shallow bights; the shore of the first is mostly rocky, and an islet lies in the middle; the western bight is sandy, and promisesbetter anchorage, particularly near Circular Head, where a vessel may besheltered against all winds from the western half of the compass. Theland at the back of the shore, from Table Cape westward, is of adifferent description to that before passed: instead of having anextensive view over a variegated, and well wooded country, the sight wasthere confined by a ridge of stony hills, of which Rocky Cape is no morethan a projecting part. 

Circular Head is a cliffy, round lump, in form much resembling aChristmas cake; and is joined to the main by a low, sandy isthmus. Theland at the back is somewhat lower than the head, and is formed into verygentle slopes. A slight covering of withered grass gave it a smoothappearance; and some green bushes scattered over it much resembled, at adistance, a herd of seals basking upon a rock. 

We passed Circular Head at ten, and three hummocks of land then came insight to the north-westward, the southernmost and highest havingsomething of a sugar-loaf form. Between these hills and the smooth landto the west of Circular Head, there was a large bight, in which somepatches of land were indistinctly visible through the haze; but as thewind was then blowing directly into the bight, the fear of gettingembayed prevented its examination. Our position at noon was as follows:

Latitude observed, 40° 39¾' S. Circular Head, distant seven miles, S. 17 E. West extreme of the smooth land behind it, S. 6 W. Sugar-loaf hummock, N. 55 W. Northernmost hummock, N. 49 W. 

From the time of leaving Port Dalrymple no tide had been observed, untilthis morning. It ran with us, and continued until three o'clock; at whichtime low land was seen beyond the three hummocks. This trending of thecoast so far to the north made me apprehend, that it might be found tojoin the land near Western Port, and thus disappoint our hopes ofdiscovering an open passage to the westward; the water was alsodiscoloured, as if we were approaching the head of a bay, rather than theissue of a strait; and on sounding, we had 17, and afterwards 15 fathomson a sandy bottom. 

The wind having become light and the tide turned to the eastward, oursituation at dusk was little altered from what it had been at threeo'clock; but from the clearing away of the haze, the lands in the greatbight had become more distinguishable, and the following bearings weretaken:

Table Cape, distant 11 or 12 leagues, S. 43½° E. Circular Head, S. 26 E. Sugar-loaf hummock, N. 75 W. Extreme of the three-hummock land, N. 48 W. Low point in the great bight, with a cliffyhead at a further distance behind it, S. 70 W. 

The cliffs visible behind the low point had every appearance of being thenorth head of an opening, but of what kind, our distance was too great todetermine. *

[* In 1804, Mr. Charles Robbins, acting lieutenant of His Majesty's shipBuffalo, was sent from Port Jackson to examine this great bight; and fromhis sketch it is, that the unshaded coast and soundings written at rightangles are laid down in the chart. ]

During the night and next day, Dec. 7, the wind was variable, withalternate calms. The latitude at noon was 40° 28', and the sugarloaf hillbore W. By S. Ten miles. On the 8th a breeze sprung up from thesouth-westward, and threatened a gale from that boisterous quarter. Wewere in 40° 23' at noon, and trying to work up to the land of the threehummocks, to prevent losing ground; and at six in the evening, got to ananchor in a quarter less 4 fathoms, in a small sandy bight under thenorthern hummock, being sheltered from N. 2° E. , round by the west to S. 30° E. Circular Head was still visible, bearing S. 35° E. ; and thedifference of longitude made from Port Dalrymple was calculated at 1¾°, subject to future revision. 

Mr. Bass and myself landed immediately to examine the country and thecoast, and to see what food could be procured; for the long detention byfoul winds had obliged me to make a reduction in the provisions, lest theobject of our voyage and return to Port Jackson should not beaccomplished in the twelve weeks for which we were victualled. At dusk, we returned on board, having had little success as to any of the objectsproposed; but with the knowledge of a fact, from which an interestingdeduction was drawn: the tide had been running from the eastward all theafternoon, and contrary to expectation, we found it to be near low waterby the shore; the flood, therefore, came from the west, and not from theeastward, as at Furneaux's Isles. This we considered to be a strongproof, not only of the real existence of a passage betwixt this land andNew South Wales, but also that the entrance into the Southern IndianOcean could not be far distant. 

The little time there was for examining the coast, confined myobservations to what were necessary for giving it the formation it has inthe chart. The country is hilly, and Mr. Bass found it impenetrable fromthe closeness of the tall brush wood, although it had been partiallyburnt not long before. There was very little soil spread over the rockand sand, and the general aspect was that of sterility. Several desertedfire places, strewed round with the shells of the sea ear, were foundupon the shore. 

The south-west wind died away in the night; and at six next morning, Dec. 9, we got under way with a light air at south-east. After rounding thenortheast point of the three-hummock land, our course westward waspursued along its north side. 

A large flock of gannets was observed at daylight, to issue out of thegreat bight to the southward; and they were followed by such a number ofthe sooty petrels as we had never seen equalled. There was a stream offrom fifty to eighty yards in depth, and of three hundred yards, or more, in breadth; the birds were not scattered, but flying as compactly as afree movement of their wings seemed to allow; and during a full _hour anda half_, this stream of petrels continued to pass without interruption, at a rate little inferior to the swiftness of the pigeon. On the lowestcomputation, I think the number could not have been less than a hundredmillions; and we were thence led to believe, that there must be, in thelarge bight, one or more uninhabited islands of considerable size. *

[* Taking the stream to have been fifty yards deep by three hundred inwidth, and that it moved at the rate of thirty miles an hour, andallowing nine cubic yards of space to each bird, the number would amountto 151, 500, 000. The burrows required to lodge this quantity of birdswould be 75, 750, 000; and allowing a square yard to each burrow, theywould cover something more than 181 geographic square miles of ground. ]

From the north-east point of the three-hummock land, the shore trended W. 1° N. Three miles; then S. 39° W. Four miles, to a rocky point, formingthe south-west extremity of what was then ascertained to be THREE-HUMMOCKISLAND. The channel which separates it from the land to the west, is, atleast, two miles in width, and is deep; so that it was difficult toconjecture how the Indians were able to get over to the island. It wasalmost certain that they had no canoes at Port Dalrymple, nor any meansof reaching islands lying not more than two cables length from the shore;and it therefore seemed improbable that they should possess canoes here. The small size of Three-hummock Island rendered the idea of fixedinhabitants inadmissible; and whichever way it was considered, thepresence of men there was a problem difficult to be resolved. *

[* Future visitants to these islands have seen the Indians passing overin bodies, by swimming, similar to those whom Dampier saw on thenorth-west coast of New Holland. Why the natives of Port Dalrymple shouldnot have had recourse to the same expedient, where the distance to betraversed is so much less, seems incomprehensible. ]

The coast on the west side of the channel lies nearly south, and rises inheight as it advances towards the cliffy head, set on the 6th p. M. Thenorth end of this land is a sloping, rocky point; and the firstprojection which opened round it, was at S. 32° W. , five or six miles. Beyond this there was nothing like main land to be seen; indeed, thiswestern land itself had very little the appearance of being such, eitherin its form, or in its poor, starved vegetation. So soon as we had passedthe north sloping point, a long swell was perceived to come from thesouth-west, such as we had not been accustomed to for some time. It brokeheavily upon a small reef, lying a mile and a half from the point, andupon all the western shores; but, although it was likely to provetroublesome, and perhaps dangerous, Mr. Bass and myself hailed it withjoy and mutual congratulation, as announcing the completion of ourlong-wished-for discovery of a passage into the Southern Indian Ocean. 

We had a fine breeze at east; and our course was directed for a small, rocky island which lies W. ½ N. 6 miles from the north point of thebarren land. This island appeared to be almost white with birds; and somuch excited our curiosity and hope of procuring a supply of food, thatMr. Bass went on shore in the boat whilst I stood off and on, waiting hisreturn. No land could be seen to the northward, and the furthest clearlydistinguishable in the opposite direction was a steep island at thedistance of four leagues. The observations taken at noon were, Latitude, 40° 23½' S. The bird island, distant two miles, S. 16 to 64 E. Three-hummock Island, the sugar loaf, S. 64 E. Steep-head Island S. 9 E. 

Mr. Bass returned at half past two, with a boat load of seals andalbatrosses. He had been obliged to fight his way up the cliffs of theisland with the seals, and when arrived at the top, to make a road withhis clubs amongst the albatrosses. These birds were sitting upon theirnests, and almost covered the surface of the ground, nor did they anyotherwise derange themselves for the new visitors, than to peck at theirlegs as they passed by. This species of albatross is white on the neckand breast, partly brown on the back and wings, and its size is less thanmany others met with at sea, particularly in the high southern latitudes. The seals were of the usual size, and bore a reddish fur, much inferiorin quality to that of the seals at Furneaux's Islands. 

_Albatross Island_, for so it was named, is near two miles in length, andsufficiently high to be seen five or six leagues from a ship's deck: itsshores are mostly steep cliffs. The latitude is 40° 25', and longitudemade by the running survey, 2° 7' west of Port Dalrymple; but itafterwards appeared from the Investigator's time keepers, to lie in 144°41' east of Greenwich. 

The tide (apparently the ebb) had set so strong to the south-westward, that notwithstanding our efforts to keep up with the island, it wasdistant five miles when Mr. Bass returned and the boat was hoisted in. Ablack lump of rock was then seen three or four leagues to thesouth-westward, and the following bearings were taken just before makingsail. 

Albatross Island, N. 75° to 86° E. Steep-head Island, S. 31 E. Black. Pyramidal rock, S. 59 W. 

We kept close to the wind at north-east, in order to fetch Steep-headIsland; but were carried so far to leeward by the tide, that soon afterfour o'clock our situation was as follows:

Albatross Island, N. 18° E. Sugar-loaf hummock, N. 71 E. Western part of the barren land, N. 61 E. Steep-head Island, centre, S. 71 E. Black, pyramidal rock, N. 77 W. High black rock, dist. 2 miles, having breakers to the south-westward, S. 18 E. 

Besides these islands and rocks, we passed another cliffy island four orfive miles to the south of Steep-head, and to which I gave the name of_Trefoil Island_, its form appearing to be nearly that of a clover leaf;there were, also, several others of less importance, mostly lying nearthe barren land. The steep south end of this land was set over the northend of Trefoil at N. 65° E. ; and being almost assured of its separationfrom Van Diemen's Land, I added it, under the name of _Barren Island_, tothe rest of this cluster; and in honour of His Excellency, the governorof New South Wales, I gave to the whole the title of HUNTER'S ISLES. 

(Atlas Pl. VII. )

The north-west cape of Van Diemen's Land, or island, as it might now betermed, is a steep, black head, which, from its appearance, I call CAPEGRIM. It lies nearly due south, four miles, from the centre of Trefoil, in latitude 40° 44'; the longitude will be 144° 43° east, according tothe position of Albatross Island made in the Investigator. There are tworocks close to Cape Grim, of the same description with itself. On thenorth side of the cape, the shore is a low, sandy beach, and trendsnorth-eastward, three or four miles; but whether there be a sufficientdepth for ships to pass between it and Barren Island, has not, I believe, been yet ascertained. To the south of the cape, the black cliffs extendseven or eight miles, when the shore falls back, eastward, to a sandybay, of which little could be perceived. 

Our situation at dusk, was three miles from the cliffs, with Cape Grimbearing N. 18° E. The furthest land, beyond the sandy bay, bore S. 4° E. Four or five leagues, and proved to be near the westernmost point of VanDiemen's Land. The wind being strong at E. N. E. And the night dark andtempestuous, we kept as much under the land as possible; but foundourselves in the morning, Dec. L0, to be driven far to thesouth-westward. At eight o'clock, the wind having moderated, we madesail, S. E. ½ E; and at noon, were in the following situation. 

Latitude observed, 41° 13¾' S. Sandy west Pt. Of V. D. Land, dist. 10 m. N. 10 W. Furthest extreme, a low point, S. 22 E. An inland mount, S. 53 E. 

The nearest part of the coast was between two and three miles distant, and consisted of sandy beaches, separated by points which had manystraggling rocks lying off them. At the back of the shore, the land waslow for two or three miles, and then rose gently to a ridge of barren, low hills. The inland mount, set at S. 53° E. , appeared to be the northend of a second chain, much higher, and better wooded, than the frontridge: it lies eight miles back from the shore, and is named _MountNorfolk_, after my little vessel. 

After obtaining the noon's observation and bearings, we steered southwardalong the shore; and at six o'clock, had passed five leagues of the samekind of coast as before described; but the wind then flew round to W. N. W. , and made it necessary to haul further off. At 6° 30', Mount Norfolk bore N. 56° E. Low, rocky projection, distant four miles, N. 35 E. Distant mount, at the southern end of the back ridge, and the furthest land in sight, S. 42 E. 

Dec. 11. Before five o'clock, we came in with the land a few miles fromwhere it had been quitted in the evening. 

Mount Norfolk then bore N. 27° E. Low, rocky projection, dist. Three leagues, N. 12 W. Two conic rocks, at the southern extreme, S. 42 E. 

The wind was moderate at north-west, and we bore away along the shore, which was distant four miles, and much similar to that of the precedingday; but it had no scattered rocks lying in front. Behind some lowcliffs, passed at seven o'clock, was perceived a small opening like ariver, whose course seemed to run northward, between the front and backridges of hills: a smoke, which arose from the inner side of the opening, was the first seen upon this west coast. I steered a short time for theentrance; but seeing rocks in it, and the wind coming more on shore, hauled off south, to increase our distance. 

Two miles from the opening are the conic, and several low rocks, whichwere passed at the distance of one mile and a half. At ten, we kept twopoints more away, having gained an offing of seven miles; and at noonhad, Latitude observed, 42° 2¼' S. Furthest extreme of the coast, S. S. E. Mount at the southern end of the back ridge, N. 42 E. A peaked hill, four miles E. S. E. From it, N. 60 E. 

The two last appear to have been the smaller mountains seen by TASMAN tothe north-east, on his discovering this land Nov. 24, 1642; and I havetherefore named the first _Mount Heemskerk_, and the latter _MountMeehan_, after his two ships. The back ridge of woody hills does notterminate here; but it retreats further inland, and as far as could beperceived through the haze, rises in height to the southward. The extremeof the coast, which bore S. S. E. , forms the southern point of a sandy, and rather deep bight, where I thought it probable there might be somesmall opening; but as the wind blew strong directly into it, there wastoo much danger in bearing away for its examination. 

At three o'clock, we passed the southern point of the bight, at thedistance of four miles; and the coast then again trended S. S. E. , wavingin rocky bights and projections. The land here rises by a gentle ascentfor two or three miles from the shore; its appearance was smooth anduniform; but it was destitute of wood, and almost of other vegetation:the back mountains were obscured by the haze. 

The heavy south-west swell, which had met us at the entrance of theIndian Ocean, still continued to roll in, and set dead upon this coast;and the wind blew fresh at W. N. W. Under these circumstances, we lookedout for some little beach where in case of necessity, the sloop might berun on shore with a prospect of safety to our lives; for should the windcome three or four points further forward, there was no probability ofclearing the land on either tack. No such beach could, however, bediscovered; and we therefore carried all possible sail to get past thisdreary coast. A remarkable pyramid came in sight in the evening; at eighto'clock it was distant five miles to the east, and seen to be a rock onthe north side of a point, which projects two or three miles from thecoast line. This point, named _Point Hibbs_ after the colonial master ofthe Norfolk, is higher than the neck by which it is joined to the backland; and from thence, it appears to have been taken for an island byTasman; for I consider Point Ebbs and the pyramid to be the two islandslaid down by him, in 42° 35': their latitude, by our run from noon, is42° 39'. 

We hauled off, upon a wind, at eight o'clock; and at four next morning, Dec. 12, came in again with the same land. At five, when our course wasresumed along shore, Point Hibbs was distant two or three miles, and thepyramid, which bore N. 31° E. Over its extremity, then appeared like thecrown of a hat. The coast to the southward is more irregular in itstrending, is of somewhat greater elevation, and not so destitute of woodas on the north side of the point. At the distance of three leagues wepassed a cliffy head, with high rocks lying a mile from it; and twoleagues further, there were some patches of breakers two miles off theshore: the general trending was between S. By E. And S. S. E. 

At ten o'clock, a projection which merited the name of _Rocky Point_ boreS. 74° E. , five miles; and here the direction of the coast was changed toeast, for near seven miles, when it formed a bight by again trendingsouth-eastward. The shore round the bight is high, and at the back wereseveral bare peaks which, from their whiteness, might have been thoughtto be covered with snow; but their greatest elevation of perhaps 1200feet, combined with the height of the thermometer at 62°, did not admitthe supposition. These peaks are probably what Tasman named De Witt'sIsles, from his distance having been too far off to distinguish theconnecting land, and I therefore called the highest of them, lying in 43°9½' south, _Mount De Witt_. 

This morning, two sets of distances of the sun west of the moon wereobserved, and our situation at noon was as follows:

Latitude, 43° 7' S. Longitude from the lunar observations, 145 16 E. Rocky Point, distant six or seven miles, N. 3 W. Mount De Witt, S. 77 E. Highest of two smaller hills, at the S. Extreme, S. 59 E. 

It afterwards appeared, that these smaller hills stood upon the extremityof a point; and in honour of the noble admiral with whose victory we hadbecome acquainted, it was named POINT ST. VINCENT. 

The western breeze died away in the evening, and the sloop was drifted inby the swell, and perhaps by a tide, towards an opening round Point St. Vincent. This opening is indicated in the small chart which accompaniesthe voyage of M. Marion, but does not appear to have been seen by anyother navigator. Our bearings of the land, at sunset, deduced from thesun's amplitude and sextant angles, were as follow:

Mount De Witt, N. 18° E. Point St. Vincent, distant five miles, N. 57 E. Steep head on the east side of the opening, dist. 8 m. N. 86 E. Pyramidal rock, lying off a cliffy head, S. 46 E. 

At a further distance, and in the same bearing with the pyramidal rock, was a steep, jagged point, which proved to be the south-west cape of VanDiemen's Land. Our latitude at this time was 43° 18½', the passage of themoon having allowed me to get an observation at four o'clock; from whenceto eight, our position had changed only one-and-half mile to the east. 

It remained nearly calm all night; and on the 13th, at daybreak, I wasmuch surprised to find our situation near ten miles to the southward, instead of being in the same place. This circumstance, and a breeze whicharose at north, precluded me from examining the opening as I hadintended; for a width of three or four miles at the entrance, and theform of the mountains behind, made it probable that a considerable riverdischarged itself there; and the offset during the night strengthened thesupposition. At six o'clock, Mount De Witt bore North. Point St. Vincent, N. 7° E. Steep head on the east side of the opening, W. 27 E. Pyramidal rock, off the cliffy head, N. 33 E. South-west Cape, the extreme. S. 82 E. 

We were then steering for the South-west Cape, and at nine I set Mount DeWitt over it at N. 22° W. , our distance from the cape being then aboutthree miles. 

Seven islands and rocks were counted to the eastward, lying at differentdistances from the coast; and the wind having veered to west, permittedus to pass within them. At noon, the shore to the north being too nearfor the sun's altitude to be observed, its supplement was taken to thesouth, and gave the latitude 43° 27½'. A steep head which lies N. 79° E. Four or five miles from the south-west Cape, then bore S. 74° W. , threemiles;* whence the latitude of the Cape should be 43° 29', which is 10_less_ than given by captain Furneaux, and 8' by captain Cook. Thisdifference naturally excited some suspicion of an error in theobservation, and I measured the supplement in the same manner on thefollowing noon, when it gave 2' 40" _less_ than the latitude determinedby D'Entrecasteaux in Storm Bay. The South-west Cape is therefore placed2' 40" further south than my observation gave it; that is, in latitude43° 32'. ** The longitude of the Cape, from the observations taken offRocky Point and brought forward by the survey, would be 145° 47'; but itssituation in 146° 7', by captain Cook, appears to be preferable:D'Entrecasteaux places it in 146° 0'. 

[* This head opened round the Cape at E. 14° N. . Magnetic, the sloop'shead being E. By N. ; and shut at W. 20° S. , when the head was north. Inthe first case I allow 3½° east variation, and in the last, 8°; whichmakes them agree as nearly as can be expected from bearings taken undersail. ]

[** Captain Furneaux says (in _Cook's second Voyage_, Vol. I. Page 109), that on March 9, 1773, at noon, the South-west Cape bore _north, fourleagues_; and by referring to the _Astronomical Observations_, p. 193, Ifind that his latitude was 43° 45 2/3', which would place the Cape in 43°33 2/3'; nevertheless the captain says it is in 43° 39', and it is solaid down in his chart. The observation by which captain Cook appears tohave fixed the South-west Cape, is that of Jan. 24, 1777, at noon; whenhe says, "our latitude was 43° 47' south" (_Third Voyage_, Vol. I. P. 93. ) But the _Astronomical Observations_ of that voyage show (p. 101), that the observed latitude on board the Resolution was 43° 42½'; whichwould make the Cape in 43° 32½' south. I consulted captain King's journalat the Admiralty, but found no observed latitude marked by him on thatday. ]

The nearest land, at noon, was a steep head bearing N. 66° E. , one mileand a half; and between this, and the head which bore S. 74° W. , theshore forms a sandy bay four miles deep, where it is probable there maybe good anchorage, if two clumps of rock, which lie in the entrance, willadmit of a passage in. After taking bearings of Maatsuyker's Isles andthe different headlands, we bore away eastward, and passed another deep, sandy bight, probably the same in which Mr. Cox anchored in 1789. At twoo'clock, the

South-west Cape, distant 15 or 16 miles, bore W. 2° S. A steep head at the furthest extreme, which proved to be the _South Cape_, S. 72° E. *

[* The magnetic bearing of the South-west Cape was W. 5° S. , and that ofthe South Cape E. 15° S. The true variation I believe to have been 8° E. ;but as the sloop's head was at east, no more than 3° are allowed, from asystem which will be hereafter explained. It seemed necessary to saythis, because the formation of the south end of Van Diemen's Land in mychart, differs from that given by captain Cook, and from those of mostothers. In Bayly's _Astronomical Observations_, page 192, it appears thatsix sets of variations were observed on board the Resolution, Mar. 24, 1777, off the South Cape; the mean result of which was 4° 43' east. Nextmorning six other sets were taken near the same place, and the meanvariation came out 10°8' east. In captain King's journal, I found thesame observations entered, and that the ship's head was E. By N. ½ N. Inthe first case, and N. W. By W. In the second. This, with the example inthe Francis, page cxxvi {The relevant paragraph begins "Whilst passinground the north end . . . " ebook Ed. }, and that in the Norfolk on thepreceding page {a few paragraphs above this point. Ebook Ed. }, may serveto show, for the present, that corrections are required to the variation, according to the direction of the vessel's head. ]

At this time we were one mile within, or north of the largest of theislands; and saw with some surprise, for it is three miles from the main, that its grassy vegetation had been burnt. From hence we steered for theeasternmost isle, lying off a wide open bight in the coast, andafterwards hauled up for the South Cape. The wind died away at sixo'clock, when the Cape was one mile distant; but thick clouds weregathering in the south and west, and strong gusts with heavy rainpresently succeeded. Fortunately, the squalls came from the westward, sothat we were enabled to get further from those stupendous cliffs; hadthey come from the south, the consequences might have been fatal to theNorfolk. 

The first steep head, to the eastward of the South Cape, opened round itat E. 7° N. , (allowing 4° east variation, ) and a second from the first, at E. 16° N. , their distances asunder being each about five miles. It isthe middlemost of these three heads which is called South Cape by captainCook, as appears from the relative situations of his Peaked Hill and ofSwilly rock; but he had not the opportunity of seeing the heads openingone from the other, as we had in the Norfolk. I make the latitude of theCape (adding the 2' 40") to be 43° 37', nearly as captain Furneaux did;and as captain Cook would have done, had his latitude at noon been taken43° 42½', according to the _Astronomical Observations_, instead Of 42°47', as in the voyage. 

Pedro Blame, or Swilly rock, became visible at half past seven, when thesqualls had mostly blown over; and the following bearings where thentaken:

South Cape, distant five miles, W. By N. East extreme of the next steep head, dist. 2½ miles, N. 14° E. Pedro Blanca, S. 33 E. Distant land through the haze, N. 60 E. 

At nine o'clock we hauled up for D'Entrecasteauxs Channel, of which I hadthe sketch of Mr. Hayes, and stood off and on, in the entrance, duringthe night; the wind blowing hard at west, with dark rainy weather. 

Dec. 14, at four in the morning, our situation was far to leeward; andhaving no prospect of fetching into the channel, we bore away forBoreel's Isles, which were seen bearing N. 65° E. Two leagues. Three ofthese produce some vegetation, and that of the largest had been partiallyburnt not long before. The two easternmost, called the Friars by captainFurneaux, are bare pyramidal rocks, and, except where they had been madewhite by the gannets, are of a black, weather-beaten colour: a patch ofbreakers lies one mile to the north-east from them. 

Fluted Cape opened round Tasman's Head at N. 18° E. We passed these steepprojections at a mile distance; and not being able to fetch intoAdventure Bay, did the same by Cape Frederick Henry. * At noon, this capebore S. 13° W. Eight miles, and Fluted Cape was behind it in the samebearing. I proposed to enter the Derwent River; but on making a stretchtoward Betsey's Island, ** it appeared that the Henshaw's Bay of Hayes, instead of being a shallow bight, was a deep opening; and as thenorth-west wind blew out of the Derwent, we stretched on, seven milesabove the island, and came to an anchor in 10 fathoms, sandy ground. Thisopening is the _North Bay_ of D'Entrecasteaux; but I was totallyignorant, at that time, of its having ever been entered. 

[* This name, given by Captain Furneaux, is altered in D'Entrecasteaux'svoyage to that of _>Cape Trobriand_. The captain was undoubtedly mistakenin his idea concerning Frederik Hendrick's Bay; but this does not appearto be a sufficient reason for changing the established name of the cape, unless Tasman had applied it to some other land, which is not the case. ]

[** This is the _Isle Willaumez_, of D'Entrecasteaux; but it was known tome from the sketch of captain Hayes, and is still to the colonists, underthe name of Betsey's Island. ]

Dec. 15, the wind being at north-west, we passed a sloping island (IsleSt. Aignan of D'Extrecasteaux), and steered north-eastward, to explorethe inlet. After running three-and-half miles, with soundings from 13 nobottom, to 5 fathoms, we anchored under a small island, which lies S. 75°W. , one mile and a half, from _Point Renard_, the uppermost station ofthe French boats. This small spot received the descriptive name of _Isleof Caves_, and lies in the passage from North Bay to a large extent ofwater which appeared to the eastward, and which the French boats did notexplore. 

From the Isle of Caves we ran six miles, E. S. E. Up the new bay, for_Smooth Island_. The width of the entrance, from Point Renard to _GreenHead_, is two miles, the soundings are from 6 to 16 fathoms, and thereare no dangers. Smooth Island, behind which we anchored in 4 fathoms, andwhere I again landed to take bearings, is three quarters of a mile long, and covered with grass and a few small trees. It had been visited by thenatives, as had the Isle of Caves; but from the eggs of gulls found uponboth, I judge they do not go often. 

Dec. 16, we anchored two miles to the south-east of Smooth Island, in 6fathoms, near a point of the main where a round hill afforded me a goodview of this extensive bay. The country there is stony and barren, thoughcovered with wood and much frequented by kangaroos. In the evening, theappearance of a southern gale induced me to shift our berth to the northside of the point; between which, and an islet lying half a mile from it, the depth was 5 to 7 fathoms. 

On the 17th, we landed upon the islet, and killed some out of the manygulls by which it is frequented. A small arm of the bay extendingnorth-eastward, where we hoped to obtain fresh water, was the object ofour examination in the afternoon. There was a little stream falling in atthe head, but rocks prevented it from being accessible to boats, or to araft; and a walk of perhaps a mile to the eastward, afforded nothing butthe sight of a stony country, and of a few miserable huts. Our greyhoundstarted a kangaroo, but it was lost in the wood; and there were no birdsto shoot. 

Dec. 18, the wind still blowing fresh from the westward, we worked up toSmooth Island; and then stretched over to the south side of the bay. Thesoundings were generally 9 fathoms, on mud and sand, to within a mile ofthe shore; and at half a mile, where the anchor was dropped, the depthwas 4 fathoms. 

We landed at a steep, but not high point near the sloop, where I tooksome bearings, and observed the meridian altitude of the moon in anartificial horizon, which gave the latitude 43° 1½'; Mr. Bass, in themean time, walked a little distance inland, but saw nothing of particularinterest. Some further bearings were taken next morning, from a headlying to the west; after which the anchor was weighed, and we steerednorthward along the west side of the bay, with soundings from 8 to 4fathoms. In the evening, we had worked back into North Bay, and come toan anchor under the north-east end of Sloping Island. 

The great eastern bay now quitted had never been entered till this time;and as it is proved not to be Frederik Hendrik's, I have named it NORFOLKBAY. It is about eight miles long, north and south, and three to fivemiles broad from east to west. The largest fleet may find shelter here, with anchorage on a good bottom of 4 to 9 fathoms deep. We saw but onesmall stream of fresh water, and that was of difficult access; but it isscarcely probable that, amongst the many coves all around the bay, waterconvenient for ships should not be found. The country near the shore isrocky; but as the kangaroo seemed to be abundant, there are probably manygrassy plains further inland. Wood abounds every where, except at GreenHead, which is mostly covered with grass. Of the four islands in the bay, Smooth and Gull Islands were found superior in fertility to the mainland: the first contains about forty acres of tolerable pasturage. 

In North Bay, the upper part seemed to be circumscribed by a sandy beach, and to offer nothing of particular interest; we therefore steereddownward, on Dec. 20, for the Derwent River; but rainy squalls coming onfrom the south, ran for a small beach on the western shore, and anchoredoff it in 2½ fathoms. A narrow inlet there, from which the tide issuedwith some strength, excited the hope of finding a short cut into theDerwent; but it proved, on examination, to terminate in a shoal lagoon. The country on its borders affords good pasturage, with some spots fitfor cultivation; there is, also, fresh water on the north side, but onlyfor domestic purposes. The lagoon is frequented by ducks, black shags, pelicans, and gannets. 

Dec. 21, we proceeded round for the Derwent. On clearing North Bay, Iwent off in the boat to Betsey's Island, leaving Mr. Bass to conduct thesloop. This island is high, and accessible only towards its north end;its length is one mile, and mean breadth about half that quantity; thesoil is fertile, and nourishes a luxuriant vegetation of grass and wood;and though the natives visit it occasionally, none of their traces wererecent. On rejoining the sloop, I found she had passed between the islandand two flat rocks near the main, with from 5 to 9 fathoms water; inwhich depths the gigantic sea-weed grows up to the surface. At eightclock we anchored in 9 fathoms, off Cape Direction, at the entrance ofthe river. 

Dec. 22, a base was measured and bearings taken for a survey of theentrance, which proved to be near three miles wide. On the 23rd, the windbeing fair, we ran upwards between shores which were sometimes steep, butgenerally of a gradual ascent, and well clothed with grass and wood. Atnine miles from the entrance lies _Sullivan Cove_, on the west side, where a settlement has since been established by colonel Collins;* andhere the width of the river is suddenly contracted, from one mile and ahalf to less than three-quarters of a mile, but the depth is notdiminished. Four miles higher up we found Risdon Cove, and anchored therein 4 fathoms, with the intention of filling our empty water casks at the_Risdon River_ of Mr. Hayes; but finding it to be a little creek whicheven our boat could not enter, I determined to seek a more convenientwatering place higher up the Derwent. 

[* The first settlement was made in Risdon Cove, in 1803, by captain JohnBowen of the navy, who was sent from Port Jackson for that purpose, byhis Excellency governor King; but on the arrival of colonel Collins in1804, it was removed to Sullivan Cove. ]

Dec. 24, the wind being adverse to proceeding upward, an extensive set ofangles was taken from the top of Mount Direction; and next day, I carriedthe survey up the river, whilst Mr. Bass ascended the great _MountTable_, on the western side. At the northern foot of this mount lie _KingGeorge's Plains_, a name given by Mr. Hayes to about three hundred acresof pasture land; and in the front of the plains is his _Prince of Wales'Bay_, a small shallow cove. Such names as these led us, at first, intosome errors with respect to the importance of the places sought; butafter the above examples, we were no longer deceived by them. 

In the afternoon of the 25th, we got the sloop, with much difficulty, five or six miles further up the river, to an inlet which I called_Herdsman's Cove_, from the pastoral appearance of the surroundingcountry. Two streams fall into it; and up the principal one, in thenorth-east corner, I went two miles with the boat. The water was therefound to be fresh, and the depth sufficient to allow of its being reachedby the sloop; but the banks being steep and channel narrow, I wasdeterred from watering in this place, by the fear of detention from foulwinds. 

The width of the Derwent abreast of Herdsman's Cove is half a mile; butexcept a very narrow channel close to the eastern shore, it is tooshallow even for boats. The intention of proceeding further with thesloop was therefore abandoned; but so soon as the rainy, blowing weatherpermitted, which was not until the 28th, I accompanied Mr. Bass in a boatexcursion up the river. Three miles above Herdsman's Cove the banks openout to a mile in width; the river, from running north-westward, turns tothe south-west; and the deep channel makes a short cut across to theconvex bank, leaving the mud to collect in the opposite elbow. A greatdeal of long, aquatic grass growing upon these mud flats, seemed to haveattracted the black swans, for the number collected there was notestimated at less than five hundred. 

The width of the Derwent is contracted in the south-west reach to littlemore than a quarter of a mile, and we had not rowed far up it before thewater became perfectly fresh. The land on both sides rises to hills ofmoderate elevation, and the rather steep acclivities being well clothedwith verdure, they had an agreeable appearance. Our attention wassuddenly called from contemplating the country, by the sound of a humanvoice coming from the hills. There were three people; and as they wouldnot comply with our signs to come down, we landed and went up to them, taking with us a black swan. Two women ran off, but a man, who had two orthree spears in his hand, stayed to receive us, and accepted the swanwith rapture. He seemed entirely ignorant of muskets, nor did any thingexcite his attention or desire except the swan and the red kerchiefsabout our necks; he knew, however, that we came from the sloop, and whereit was lying. A little knowledge of the Port Jackson, and of theSouth-Sea-Island languages was of no use in making ourselves understoodby this man; but the quickness with which he comprehended our signs spokein favour of his intelligence. His appearance much resembled that of theinhabitants of New South Wales; he had also marks raised upon the skin, and his face was blackened and hair ruddled as is sometimes practised bythem. The hair was either close cropped, or naturally short; but it hadnot the appearance of being woolly. He acceded to our proposition ofgoing to his hut; but finding from his devious route and frequentstoppages, that he sought to tire our patience, we left him delightedwith the certain possession of his swan, and returned to the boat. Thiswas the sole opportunity we had of communicating with any of the nativesof Van Diemen's Land. 

At one o'clock, when advanced five miles above the elbow, the ebb tidemade; and the wind being unfavourable, we landed to dine. The generalcourse of the river had been nearly south-west; but it there turnedwest-by-north. The width, found by extending a base line, was two hundredand thirty yards, and the depth, as it had generally been in the channelfrom Herdsman's Cove, was 3 fathoms; but in some parts there may not bemore than 2, at low water. 

We arrived on board the sloop in the evening, with fourteen swans, intime to get a short distance down the river, before the ebb tide had donerunning; and no place more convenient than Risdon Cove having offereditself, we anchored there next day, and proceeded to complete our water, and refit the sloop for returning to Port Jackson. The late rains had somuch increased the stream at the head of the cove, that our labour wasmuch abridged; and in the evening of Dec. 30, every thing was completed. 

This cove is the highest part of the Derwent to which a ship can advance. There is no danger in proceeding thus far, except off Shoal Point, abouttwo miles below, on the western shore; and on the opposite side, near theechoing cliffs, there are 12 to 17 fathoms. Above Risdon Cove the mudflats commence, and will stop any vessel which draws more than ten ortwelve feet; although there be, in some places higher up, from 5 to 8fathoms. Mount Direction, on the north side of Risdon Cove, forms tworound heads which are distinguishable from the entrance of the river, bearing N. 16° W. From Cape Direction. The latitude observed under themount, from the moon's meridian altitude, was 42° 48' 12" south;variation of the azimuth compass on the south side of the cove, 8° 28', and of the surveying theodolite 9° 15' east; but I found it alter one ortwo degrees in different places, both in Norfolk Bay and in the Derwent, owing to partial attractions in the land. *

[* Upon the top of Mount Table, the compass has since been found to varyas much as 20°, from one part of the mountain to another. ]

In Risdon Cove the tide rises between four and five feet, which is more, by at least a foot, than it appeared to be at the entrance of the river. The time of high water is _about eight hours after_ the moon's passageover the meridian, or one hour later than in Adventure Bay. * In thenarrow parts, above Sullivan Cove, the tides run with tolerableregularity, and with some degree of strength; but towards the entrance ofthe river, the water at the surface sometimes ran down twelve hourstogether, and at other times as much upwards, whilst the rise and fall bythe shore were at the usual periods. These anomalies were probablyoccasioned by the wind, and seemed not to extend far below the surface;for I found a counter current at the bottom. 

[* See Bligh's _Voyage to the South Seas_; page 53. ]

The banks of the Derwent are not remarkably high, but the country ingeneral may be termed mountainous. Mount Table, at the back of SullivanCove, is supposed to be three-quarters of a mile in height; nor do Ithink, from having seen it beyond the distance of thirty miles from thesloop's deck, that it can be much less. The publication of Mr. Bass'remarks upon the soil and productions of this part of Van Diemen's Landdispenses me from entering upon those subjects; it is sufficient to say, that the reports of them were so favourable as to induce theestablishment of a colony on the banks of the Derwent, four yearsafterward; and that the discoveries which have since been made are markedin the chart. 

1799. 

The last day of December and the first of January were occupied inbeating down to the entrance of the river. 

Jan. 2. The wind blew strong from the south-east, with heavy rain; andfinding no advantage could be made by beating in Storm Bay, we ran intoD'Entrecasteaux's Channel, passed the large _North-west Port_, andanchored in Pruen Cove, in 4 fathoms. We landed, so soon as the raincleared away, and found a small creek in which the water was fresh at afew hundred yards above where it falls into the cove. A tree had beenfelled on the bank, probably in 1793 or 4 by Mr. Hayes, who called thisstream Amelia's River; but it would be very difficult to fill casks here, except when long continued rains should bring the fresh water to theentrance of the creek. The valley through which it comes from thewestward, seemed to be of a rich, though damp soil. 

On Jan. 3, having a breeze at north-west, we got under way at daylight;and after repassing the northern entrance of D'Entrecasteaux's Channel, steered across Storm Bay. At two clock I had the following bearings:

Tasman's Head. S. 37° W. Cape Frederik Henry, S. 71 W. Quoin Island, distant six miles, N. 28 W. Low point, distant 1¼ miles, N. 6 E. Cape Raoul, * distant 3 miles, S. 71 E. 

[* This is the cape which, from its appearance, I had called by thedescriptive name of _Cape Basaltes_; not knowing that D'Entrecasteaux, orany other navigator, had previously affixed an appellation. I give it upthe more readily, because it is said these columns are not strictlybasaltes. ]

Cape Pillar opened round Cape Raoul at E. 5° N. , and the distance runfrom one to the other was nine miles. These two high, columnar capes arethe extreme points of the land which captain Furneaux took to be Maria'sIsland. Between them, the shore falls back about four miles, and forms asmall bay at the head, where there appeared to be shelter against allwinds except those from the southward; and perhaps from those also, forthe water seemed to reach behind the inner western point. At five clockwe passed Tasman's small, cliffy Island and Cape Pillar, and Maria'sIsland came in sight at N. 6° E. We then hauled up to keep close in withthe shore to the northward; but the wind came in such violent puffs downthose steep cliffs, that the necessity of steering further off frustratedmy intention: the outer Hippolite Rock bore N. 56° W. Three miles, atdusk. 

Jan. 4. At daylight, Maria's Island appeared to be divided into two, Schouten's Island was visible, and the principal bearings taken were asfollow:

Tasman's small Island, S. 24° W. A deep bight in the coast, S. 56 W. South head of Frederik Hendrik's Bay, S. 72 W. Maria's Island, south part, N. 64° to 43 W. North part, N. 39 to 19 W. Schouten's Island, North to N. 5 E. 

The wind shifted to north at ten o'clock, and we tacked towards Maria'sIsland. At noon, the north-east extreme, a cock's-comb-like head, wasdistant four or five miles; but the islet lying off it, in Mr. Cox'schart, was not visible, nor yet the isthmus which connects the two partsof the island. 

Observed latitude, 42° 41½' S. South head of Frederik Hendrik's Bay, S. 40 W. Maria's Island, south part, Clouded. --------------- north part, S. 82° to N. 64 W. Schouten's Island, dist. 4 leagues, N. 3 W. To 8 E. 

We had squally weather in the afternoon, with the wind at north-west; andbeing unable to get near Maria's Island before the evening, bore awaynorthward, having then a fresh breeze at W. S. W. Schouten's Island waspassed within two miles at ten o'clock, and at eleven, a piece of landcalled Vanderlin's Island by Tasman, but which has since been found to bethe southern extremity of a peninsula. We then steered north, to keep inwith the coast; but the wind drawing forward in the morning of the 5th, the sloop was drifted off, by noon, to four or five leagues. The landthen abreast rose in ranges of irregular, well-wooded hills; and behindthem were two peaks and a flat-topped piece of land, seemingly not manyleagues from the shore. The southernmost of the two peaks is the mostelevated, and appears to be the _high round mountain_ seen by Tasman onDec 4 and 5, 1642; I have, therefore, called it _Tasman's Peak_. It isthe northernmost part seen by him on this side of Van Diemen's Land, asMount Heemskerk was on the west coast: the flat-topped mountain is thatwhich colonel Paterson afterwards named _Benlomen_. To the southward, theland was visible at a great distance; and if Schouten's Island and thecape of the peninsula near it can possibly be seen so far as twentyleagues from the deck, it must have been them. My observation andbearings at this time were as follow:

Latitude observed, 41° 27½' S. South extreme of the coast, S. 18 W. Another piece of land, like an island, S. 23 W. Tasman's Peak, S. 63 W. Northern extremity of the land, N. 32 W. 

It was to me a subject of regret, that the wind did not allow of keepingclose in with this east coast, since captain Furneauxs examination wasmade at too great a distance to be exact; but my limited time of absencebeing expired, and provisions nearly out, nothing more could be attemptedthan what might be done in the way to Port Jackson. 

(Atlas, Plate VI. )

Jan. 6, in latitude 40° 45½' no land was in sight; but on the 7th, whenin 40° 24¾', the high land of Cape Barren was visible through a thickhaze, bearing S. 76° W. Five or six miles. The wind being then nearly ateast, we steered to pass between Cape Barren and the great northernisland, intending to explore the west side of the latter in our way. Atfive o'clock breakers were seen two miles to the north, though no bottomcould be found at 17 fathoms; at six, however, we fell suddenly into 3fathoms; but hoping to find a sufficient depth for the sloop round theisland which lies in the opening, stood on till the soundings diminishedto nine feet, and breakers were seen all round ahead, from beam to beam. It was then near sun-set, and the breeze right aft; but whilst I wasconsidering what could be done for our safety, the wind shifted suddenly, as if by an act of Providence, to the opposite quarter, and enabled us tosteer back, out of this dangerous place, with all sail. At nine o'clockthe wind returned to the south-eastward, having just lasted long enoughto take us out of danger; at eleven we had 20 fathoms; and in two hoursmore steered N. By W. , for the Babel Isles, with a fresh and fair wind. 

Jan 8, at six o'clock, Mr. Bass went on shore to the small, south~eastern islet; whence he brought a boat load of seals and gannets. Besides these, the islet is inhabited by geese, shags, penguins, gulls, and sooty petrels; each occupying its separate district, and using itsown language. It was the confusion of noises amongst these variousanimals which induced me to give the name of _Babel Isles_ to this smallcluster. 

After taking on board our seals and gannets, we steered north-westward;and at one o'clock took a departure from the Sisters. I wished to makeanother effort to find the supposed Furneaux's Land, represented to lienorth of these islands and in latitude 39°; but the wind being strongfrom the south-eastward, the course steered was N. By E. At eight o'clockwe had passed the 39th degree; and no land being visible, the course wasthen altered to north-east, for Cape Howe. 

Jan. 9, the wind blew strong at S. S. E. , with thick, hazy weather. Ateight in the morning, high land was distinguished two points on theweather bow, and sand hills from thence to abaft the lee beam, not morethan six or seven miles distant. We immediately hauled the wind to theeastward, and carried every sail the sloop could bear in such a sea aswas then running. The land to windward was judged to be near the RamHead; although our reckoning was 20' short in latitude, and we supposedourselves to the eastward. 

To make certain of clearing Cape Howe, the eastern course was prolongeduntil day-light of the 10th; we then bore away, and at noon were inlatitude 37° 5'. On the 11th, the observation gave 34° 30'; and the galestill continuing, we anchored within the heads of Port Jackson at teno'clock the same evening, having exceeded, by no more than eleven days, the time which had been fixed for our return. 

To the strait which had been the great object of research, and whosediscovery was now completed, governor Hunter gave, at my recommendation, the name of BASS' STRAIT. This was no more than a just tribute to myworthy friend and companion, for the extreme dangers and fatigues he hadundergone in first entering it in the whale boat, and to the correctjudgment he had formed from various indications, of the existence of awide opening between Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. 

FLINDERS. 1799. 

The success of this expedition favoured my views of further discovery;and the Reliance not being immediately wanted for service, His Excellencyaccepted a proposition to explore _Glass-house_ and _Hervey's Bays_, twolarge openings to the northward, of which the entrances only were known. I had some hope of finding a considerable river discharging itself at oneof these openings, and of being able by its means to penetrate furtherinto the interior of the country than had hitherto been effected. 

The sloop Norfolk was again allotted to me, with nearly the samevolunteer crew as before; and I was accompanied by Mr. S. W. Flinders, amidshipman of the Reliance, and by _Bongaree_, a native, whose gooddisposition and manly conduct had attracted my esteem. Of the assistanceof my able friend Bass I was, however, deprived, he having quitted thestation soon after our last voyage, to return to England. The time of myabsence was limited by the governor to six weeks, some arrivals beingthen expected which might call the Reliance into active service. 

(Atlas, Plate VIII. )

We sailed out of Port Jackson on July 8; and next morning came in with apart of the coast, north of Port Stephens, which captain Cook had passedin the night. * Off a projection which I called _Sugar-loaf Point_, inlatitude 32° 29', lie two rocks to the south-eastward, at the distancesof two and four miles. We passed between these rocks and the point, andkept close in with the shore as far to the north as the hills called_Three Brothers_ by captain Cook, of which the northernmost and highestlies in latitude 31° 43' south. 

[* The journal of this expedition, delivered to governor Hunter on myreturn, having been published in great part by colonel Collins, theaccount here given will be brief, and almost wholly confined to nauticalsubjects. The reader who desires more information upon the lands visited, and upon their productions and inhabitants, is referred to the _Accountof the English Colony in New South Wales_, Vol II. Page 225 to 263. ]

(Atlas, Plate IX. )

July 10, the observed latitude of 31° 38' showed a set of 33' to thesouth; whereas it had the day before been 8' the contrary way. Ourdistance from the shore had then become six leagues, owing to a foulwind; but we got in with it again in the evening, and steered northwardwith a fair breeze. On the 11th we sailed amongst the Solitary Isles, ofwhich five were added to the number before seen; and the space fromthence to twelve leagues northward having been passed by captain Cook inthe night, I continued to keep close in with the coast. 

In latitude 29° 43', we discovered a small opening like a river, with anislet lying in the entrance; and at sunset, entered a larger, to which Igave the name of SHOAL BAY, an appellation which it but too well merited. On the south side of the entrance, which is the deepest, there is tenfeet at low water; and within side, the depth is from 2 to 4 fathoms in achannel near the south shore: the rest of the bay is mostly occupied byshoals, over which boats can scarcely pass when the tide is out. Highwater appeared to take place about _seven hours after_ the moon'spassage; at which time, a ship drawing not more than fourteen feet mightventure in, if severely pressed. Shoal Bay is difficult to be found, except by its latitude, which is 29° 26½'; but there is on the low landabout four leagues to the southward, a small hill somewhat peaked, whichmay serve as a mark to vessels coming from that direction. 

July 12. The morning was employed in examining the bay, and in lookinground the country. The sloop had sprung a bad leak, and I wished to havelaid her on shore; but not finding a convenient place, nor any thing ofparticular interest to detain me longer, we sailed at one o'clock, whenthe tide began to rise. Cape Byron, in latitude 28° 38', and the coastfor twelve miles to the north and south, were passed on the 13th: but noparticular addition or correction could be made to captain Cook's chart. At Moreton Bay, further on, that navigator had left it in doubt whetherthere were any opening; and therefore we closed in again with the land atPoint Look-out, on the 14th. At noon, the point bore S. 42° E. , three orfour miles, and a small flat islet E. 3° N. Three miles; the opening inMoreton Bay was then evident, and bore W. N. W. It is small, and formedby two sandy points, beyond which a large extent of water was visible. Our latitude at this time, was 27° 24', giving that of Point Look-out tobe 27° 27' south. Captain Cook says it is "in latitude 27° 6';" * adifference which probably arose from his having allowed for a strongnorthern current during the run of four or five hours from the precedingnoon, whereas, in reality, none existed; for his course and distance bylog, from the noon's observation, would give the point in its truelatitude. 

[* _Hawkesworth's Voyages_, Vol III. Page 119. ]

We stood on to within two miles of the opening in Moreton Bay; but seeingit blocked up by many shoals of sand, and the depth having diminishedfrom 12 to 4 fathoms, the course was altered for Cape Moreton, which wasvisible seven or eight leagues to the northward. At eight in the evening, the anchor was dropped in 7 fathoms at the entrance of Glass-house Bay, Cape Moreton bearing E. S. E. Two or three miles. 

But little progress was made up the bay on the 15th, owing to the manyshoals in it, and to a foul wind. At noon, the latitude of Cape Moretonwas ascertained to be 27° 0½' south, and the longitude from distances ofstars east and west of the moon, corrected by the observations atGreeenwich, was 153° 25' east; being 4½' south, and 7' west of itsposition by captain Cook. In the evening, when the lunar distances wereobserved, the sloop was at anchor in 11 fathoms on the west side of theentrance, within two miles of a low projection which an unfortunateoccurrence afterwards caused to be named Point Skirmish. 

On the 16th, whilst beating up amongst the shoals, an opening wasperceived round the point; and being much in want of a place to lay thesloop on shore, on account of the leak, I tried to enter it; but notfinding it accessible from the south, was obliged to make the examinationwith the boat, whilst the sloop lay at anchor five miles off. There was aparty of natives on the point, and our communication was at firstfriendly; but after receiving presents they made an attack, and one ofthem was wounded by our fire. Proceeding up the opening, I found it to bemore than a mile in width; and from thequantities of pumice stone on the borders, it was named _Pumice-stoneRiver_. It led towards the remarkable peaks called the Glass Houses, which were now suspected to be volcanic, and excited my curiosity. 

On board the sloop, the leak had, in the mean time, been found to arisefrom a plank having started from the timbers, at three or four streaksabove the keel; and the open space being filled up with oakum from theinside, very little water came in; I therefore left the river and theGlass Houses for a future examination, and proceeded up the bay with theafternoon's flood. On the 18th at noon, we had passed two low islandssurrounded with shoals, and were at anchor in 6 fathoms, abreast of athird. The south point of the opening from Moreton Bay then bore N. 77°E. , ten miles; and the observed latitude being 27° 27¼', confirmed theobservation taken without side on the 14th. Next day, we beat up againsta southern wind to a sixth island; but the shoals then became morenumerous, and the channels between them so narrow, that it was verydifficult to proceed further. 

The latitude observed upon the sixth island was 27° 35', beingthirty-four miles south of Cape Moreton at the entrance of the bay. Abovethis island, the east and west shores, from being nine or ten milesapart, approach each other within two miles, and the space between themtakes the form of a river; but the entrance was too full of shoals toleave a hope of penetrating by it far into the interior, or that it couldbe of importance to navigation. Under this discouragement and that of afoul wind, all further research at the head of Glass-house Bay was givenup; and I returned on board to seek in Pumice-stone River for a place tostop the leak, and the means of visiting the Glass Houses. On the 22nd, we got into the river after many difficulties, arising principally fromshoals in the entrance, which could only be passed at high water. Theplace chosen for laying the sloop on shore was on the east side, fivemiles above Point Skirmish, at a small beach, close to which the depthwas 7 fathoms. 

July 25. The leaky plank being secured, and the sloop restowed andcompleted with water, we proceeded two miles further up the river, amongst mangrove islets and muddy flats. Next morning I landed on thewest side, as far above the sloop as the boat could advance; and with myfriend Bongaree and two sailors, steered north-westward for theGlasshouse peaks. After nine miles of laborious walking, mostly throughswamps or over a rocky country, we reached the top of a stony mount, fromwhence the highest peak was four miles distant to the north-west. Threeor four leagues beyond it was a ridge of mountain, from which varioussmall streams descend into Pumice-stone River; the principal place oftheir junction seeming to be at a considerable extent of water which boreN. 80° E. , and was about six miles above the sloop. Early on the 27th, wereached the foot of the nearest Glass House, a flat-topped peak, one mileand a half north of the stony mount. It was impossible to ascend thisalmost perpendicular rock; and finding no marks of volcanic eruption, wereturned to the boat, and to the sloop the same evening. 

July 28, we proceeded down the river; but owing to strong winds andsqualls from the south-east, did not clear it before the 31st. Somecommunications with the natives had been obtained whilst the sloop waslying on shore; and this detention afforded opportunities of repeatingthem. I am happy to say they were all friendly, which is attributable totheir opinion of us having undergone a salutary change from the effect ofour fire arms at Point Skirmish. 

These people were evidently of the same race as those at Port Jackson, though speaking a language which Bongaree could not understand. They fishalmost wholly with cast and setting nets, live more in society than thenatives to the southward, and are much better lodged. Their spears are ofsolid wood, and used without the throwing stick. Two or three bark canoeswere seen; but from the number of black swans in the river, of whicheighteen were caught in our little boat, it should seem that these peopleare not dextrous in the management either of the canoe or spear. 

The entrance of Glass-house Bay, from Point Skirmish to the inner part ofCape Moreton, is eight miles wide; but it contains so many shoals that aship would have much difficulty in finding a passage. These shoals are ofsand, and in the channels between them are various depths from 5 to 13fathoms upon similar ground; but towards the head of the bay, both on theshoals and in the deeper parts, the bottom is almost universally of mud. The land on the borders of Pumice-stone River is low; and is either sandyor rocky, with a slight superficies of vegetable soil; yet not illclothed with grass and wood. On the west side of Glass-house Bay, theappearance of the land was much similar, but with a diminution of sand inthe upper part. The long slip on the east side, which I have called_Moreton Island_, as supposing it would have received that name fromcaptain Cook, had he known of its insularity, is little else than a ridgeof rocky hills, with a sandy surface; but the peninsula further south hadsome appearance of fertility. I judged favourably of the country on theborders of what seemed to be a river falling into the head of the bay, both from its thick covering of wood, and from the good soil of the sixthisland, which lies at the entrance. The other islands in the bay are verylow, and so surrounded with forests of large mangrove, that it must bedifficult to land upon them. It was high water in Pumice-stone River, _nine hours and a half after_ the moon's passage over the meridian; andthe rise of tide was from three to six feet, the night tide being muchthe highest. 

July 31, we sailed out of Pumice-stone River; and by keeping near theshore of Point Skirmish had generally 6 fathoms; but two narrow shoalswere passed upon which the depth was only twelve feet. At noon, when theeast extreme of the point bore S. 40° W. One mile and a half, theobserved latitude was 27° 4', and depth 10 fathoms; but before oneo'clock, it suddenly diminished to 3; and during five miles run to the N. N. E. , varied from that to 6 fathoms. It then deepened to 9, and theouter edge of the shoals, a well-defined line of discoloured water, wasseen stretching S. 60° E. For Cape Moreton. At five o'clock, the top ofthe highest Glass House, appearing like a small peak upon the mountainousridge behind, bore S. 62° W. , and Cape Moreton S. 11° E. Twenty-twomiles. The cape was then disappearing from the deck; whence its elevationshould be between three and four hundred feet above the sea. 

(Atlas, Plate X. )

August 2 at noon, the eastern extremity of Sandy Cape bore N. 51° W. , sixmiles, and its latitude was found to be 24° 42', being three minutesnorth of its situation by captain Cook. In running northward, within twoor three miles of the edge of Break-sea Spit, we had 12 fathoms; and atfive o'clock, passed over the end of the spit in 3½; Sandy Cape thenbearing S. 9° E. Six leagues. The water deepened almost immediately tomore than 17 fathoms; and in keeping close to a south-east wind, upHervey's Bay, the depth was from 20 to 14, during the night. 

On the 3rd, the wind veered to S. S. W; and at noon the anchor wasdropped in 17 fathoms, with the extreme of Sandy Cape bearing N. 66° E. Seven or eight miles. The observed latitude was 24° 45 1/3', and a tideof one mile per hour came from the southward. A fair wind sprung up inthe afternoon, and we ran five leagues by log in a S. By W. Direction, anchoring at dusk in 11 fathoms, sandy bottom. 

Aug. 4 was employed in beating up along the eastern shore, against asouth-west wind. At three leagues above the anchorage, our progress wasstopped by a mass of shoals which seemed to preclude all further accesstowards the head of the bay on that side. In the night, we stretchednorth-westward, to get round them; and in the evening of the 5th, anchored in 5 fathoms, three or four miles from the western shore. 

Aug. 6. The wind being off the land, we followed the line of the coastupwards, as close as the shoals would allow; and before noon entered anopening formed by the western shore on one side, and an island ofmoderate height, three or four miles long, on the other. The opening wasnot more than two miles wide, and was still further contracted by a lowislet in the middle, surrounded with shallow banks. There was a largeexpanse of water above; but we had not advanced two miles before shoalwater obliged us to tack; and after having tried for a channel in everydirection, without success, I anchored in 3 fathoms, half a milenorth-west from the low islet, and landed. 

This rocky, sandy spot lies in latitude 25° 17'. It is much frequented byaquatic birds, particularly by that species whence it obtained the nameof _Curlew Islet_; and since a small shield and three wooden spears werefound there, it must also be visited occasionally by men. The largerisland, lying to the east, is richly covered with grass and wood. Itsposition is nearly in the middle of the entrance to what may be calledthe upper bay; and as no deep channel past the island could be found onthe west, I determined to try on the east side; having much difficulty inbelieving, that a piece of water six or seven miles in extent every way, should not have a channel into it sufficiently deep for the Norfolk. 

The anchor was weighed soon after four o'clock, and several attempts madeto get round the larger island; but being constantly repulsed by shoals, I was at length forced to relinquish the hope of penetrating further upHervey's Bay. We then steered north-westward, to complete the examinationof the west side down to the coast seen by captain Cook. 

Aug. 7. At daylight, a sloping hummock, in latitude 24° 50', bore W. 16°N. , our distance off the shore under it being one mile and a half, andthe depth 7 fathoms. At nine, the water shoaled suddenly, and obliged usto haul off north-eastward. The coast was then seen extending to the W. N. W. , and having been laid down by captain Cook, the north-easterncourse was continued for Break-sea Spit, and the examination of Hervey'sBay concluded. 

This inlet is about fifteen leagues across, from the sloping hummock tothe eastern extremity of Sandy Cape, and nearly as much in depth. Theeast side is formed by a great sandy peninsula, of which the cape is thenorthern extremity; but about half way up, there are several whitecliffs, and others in the upper bay, which had the appearance of chalk. The shores at the head and on the west side are more rocky than sandy. The back land is low for some miles, and not ill covered with grass andwood; it then rises to hills of considerable elevation, amongst whichDouble Mount was most remarkable. The smokes in different places bespokethe country to be inhabited in the scanty numbers usual on other parts ofthe east coast; but none of the people were seen. 

Aug. 7, at ten in the evening, we passed the end of Break-sea Spit in 13fathoms, and hauled up south-east; but the winds were so unfavourable, that on the 14th our latitude was no more than 29° 19'. I kept the landbarely within sight, in order to obtain the greatest advantage from thesouthwardly current; for, contrary to captain Cook's observation, it wasfound to be strongest at the distance of six, and from thence to twentyleagues. Close in with the shore, more especially in the bights whichfall within the general line of the coast, an eddy had been found settingto the northward. 

Light northern winds favoured us for two days; but returning to thesouth-west, and sometimes blowing strong, it was the 20th in the eveningbefore the sloop was secured in Port Jackson, although the current hadset us 210 miles on the way. 

I must acknowledge myself to have been disappointed in not being able topenetrate into the interior of New South Wales, by either of the openingsexamined in this expedition; but, however mortifying the conviction mightbe, it was then an ascertained fact, that no river of importanceintersected the East Coast between the 24th and 39th degrees of southlatitude. 

CONCLUSIVE REMARKS. 

The account of the discoveries which resulted from the establishment ofthe colony in New South Wales, closes with this expedition; and itremains only to point out what was wanted to be done in these parts ofTerra Australis. 

(Atlas, Plate I. )

In Van Diemen's Land, the opening round Point St. Vincent and the spacebetween Maria's Island and Cape Portland required to be further explored. The north side also, from the want of a time keeper in the Norfolk, required to have the longitude of its points better ascertained; and thatthe bight between Circular Head and Cape Grim should be examined. InBass' Strait, some of the islands were known, but the middle of thestrait and its western entrance were in want of much investigation, before it could be deemed a safe passage for ships; and the greater partof the coast on the north side, remained as laid down by Mr. Bass, withall the uncertainty attending the navigation of an open boat. 

On the east coast of New South Wales, from Bass' Strait to Bustard Bay inlatitude 24°, the shore might be said to be well explored; but fromthence northward to Cape York, there were several portions which hadeither been passed by captain Cook in the night, or at such a distance inthe day time, as to render their formation doubtful: The coast from 15°30' to 14° 30' was totally unknown. 

The following openings or bights had been seen and named by captain Cook, but were yet unexamined: _Keppel_ and _Shoal-water Bays_; _Broad Sound_;_Repulse_, _Edgecumbe_, _Cleveland_, _Halifax_, _Rockingham_, and _WearyBays_. To the northward of these were _Weymouth_, _Temple_, _Shelburne_, and _Newcastle Bays_; and perhaps many others which distance did notpermit our great navigator to notice. There was also a numerous list ofislands, of which a few only had been examined; and several were merelyindicated from a distant view. 

From 16° northward to Cape York, an extensive chain of reefs had beenfound to lie at a considerable distance from the coast, without side ofthe islands; and two vessels from Port Jackson had met with othersfurther south, extending nearly from 21° to 23°. It was of importance toascertain the limits of these vast bodies of coral, were it only onaccount of the ships employed in the whale fishery; but in the view tofuture settlements within the tropic, it was necessary to be knownwhether these reefs might form such a barrier to the coast, as to renderit inaccessible from the eastward: if not, then the open parts were to beascertained. 

Of the persons, manners, and customs of the inhabitants, little newinformation could be expected. The skirts of their country had beenexamined in the southern parts, and extensive collections in naturalhistory made there; but to the north of _Endeavour River_, the countryhad been seen only at a distance. The vast interior of this new continentwas wrapped in total obscurity; and excited, perhaps on that veryaccount, full as much curiosity as did the forms of the shores. This partof the subject, however, will scarcely be thought to belong to a navalexpedition; except in so much as rivers and other inlets might conduce toobtaining the desired information. 

* * *

On a general review of the various objects in Terra Australis, to whichinvestigation might be usefully directed at the commencement of thenineteenth century, and in which natural history, geography, navigation, and commerce were so much interested, the question, Why it should havebeen thought necessary to send out another expedition? will no longer beasked. But rather it will be allowed that, instead of one, there wasample room for two or three ships; each to be employed for years, and tobe conducted with a zeal and perseverance not inferior to the examplesgiven by the best navigators. 

On the arrival of His Majesty's ship Reliance in England, at the latterend of 1800, the charts of the new discoveries were published, and a planwas proposed to the Right Hon. SIR JOSEPH BANKS for completing theinvestigation of the coasts of Terra Australis. The plan was approved bythat distinguished patron of science and useful enterprise; it was laidbefore EARL SPENCER, then first Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty; andfinally received the sanction of HIS MAJESTY, who was graciously pleasedto direct that the voyage should be undertaken; and I had the honour ofbeing appointed to the command. 

A VOYAGE TO TERRA AUSTRALIS. 

BOOK I. 

TRANSACTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE TO THE DEPARTURE FROM PORTJACKSON. 

CHAPTER I. 

Appointment to the Investigator. Outfit of the ship. Instruments, books, and charts supplied, with articles for presents andbarter. Liberal conduct of the Hon. East-India Company. Passage round to Spithead. The Roar sand. Instructions for the execution of the voyage. French passport, and orders in consequence. Officers and company of the Investigator, and men of science whoembarked. Account of the time keepers. 

1801. JANUARY. 

[IN ENGLAND. SHEERNESS. ]

On the 19th of January 1801, a commission was signed at the Admiraltyappointing me lieutenant of His Majesty's Sloop INVESTIGATOR, to whichthe name of the ship, heretofore known as the _Xenophon_, was changed bythis commission; and captain John Henry Martin having received orders toconsider himself to be superseded, I took the command at Sheerness on the25th of the same month. 

The Investigator was a north-country-built ship, of three-hundred andthirty-four tons; and, in form, nearly resembled the description ofvessel recommended by captain Cook as best calculated for voyages ofdiscovery. She had been purchased some years before into His Majesty'sservice; and having been newly coppered and repaired, was considered tobe the best vessel which could, at that time, be spared for the projectedvoyage to Terra Australis. 

The ship was in a state of re-equipment; but, on obtaining permissionfrom the Navy Board to fit her out in such manner as I should judgenecessary, without reference to the supplies usually allotted to vesselsof the same class, all the stores were returned, and others of the bestquality demanded, upon a more extensive scale. Such of the officers andcrew as were aged, or did not volunteer for this particular service, weredischarged; and able young men were received in lieu from His Majesty'sship Zealand, on board of which the flag of vice-admiral Graeme wasflying at the Nore. Upon one occasion, where eleven volunteers were to bereceived from the Zealand, a strong instance was given of the spirit ofenterprise prevalent amongst British seamen. About three hundreddisposable men were called up, and placed on one side of the deck; andafter the nature of the voyage, with the number of men wanted, had beenexplained to them, those who volunteered were desired to go over to theopposite side. The candidates were not less than two-hundred and fifty, most of whom sought with eagerness to be received; and the eleven whowere chosen, proved, with one single exception, to be worthy of thepreference they obtained. 

In making the various alterations required in the ship, and in performingthe duties incident to an equipment of this nature, I received the mostready concurrence and assistance from Isaac Coffin, Esq. , (nowvice-admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart. ) the resident naval commissioner atSheerness. At his suggestion I had the ship coppered two streaks higherthan before, and took on board a spare rudder, which, after being fitted, was stowed away in pieces, ready against those accidents to which shipsemployed in examining new, or little known coasts, are more peculiarlyliable. To Mr. Whidbey, the master attendant, who had served in theexpedition of captain Vancouver. I was also much indebted, for hisvaluable advice and assistance in the selection of the proper stores. Both these officers constantly took pleasure in promoting whatever couldbe useful to the voyage, or add to our comfort and convenience; and insome cases, our wants, and even wishes, were anticipated. 

FEBRUARY. MARCH. 

February 16, I was promoted to the rank of commander. On the 14th of thefollowing month, the guns, twelve six-pounders, with their ammunition anda chest of fire works were received; and the provisions and stores beingall on board on the 27th, and the ship ready for sea, we dropped out tothe Nore. I was anxious to arrive upon the coasts of Terra Australis intime to have the whole of the southern summer before me; but variouscircumstances retarded our departure, and amongst others, a passport fromthe French government, to prevent molestation to the voyage, had notarrived. I took advantage of this delay to remedy an inconvenience, underwhich we were otherwise likely to suffer. The quantity of provisionsnecessary to be carried out did not leave room in the holds for morewater than fifty tons; but by removing ten of the long guns, andsubstituting a few light carronades which could be carried on the upperdeck, ten tons more of water might be received, without reducing ourefficient strength; for the ship was too deep to admit of the guns belowbeing used in bad weather, whereas the carronades would be alwaysserviceable. My application to have this exchange made, was compliedwith; and on May 20 it was effected. 

MAY. 

On the 22nd, a set of astronomical and surveying instruments, for the useof myself and officers, was sent down by direction of the Navy Board; asalso various articles for presents to, and barter with, the nativeinhabitants of the countries to be visited, and many for our own use andconvenience. Amongst the latter were most of the books of voyages to theSouth Seas, which, with our own individual collections, and theEncyclopedia Britannica, presented by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, formed a library in my cabin for the use of all the officers. Every chartat the Admiralty, which related to Terra Australis and the neighbouringislands, was copied for us under the direction of the late hydrographer, Alexander Dalrymple, Esq. ; who also enriched our stock of information bycommunicating all such parts of his works as were appropriate to thevoyage. 

The expense to officers of an outfit for several years, was muchalleviated by the liberality of the Hon. East-India Company. The sum of£600. Was ordered by the Court of Directors, to be paid as an allowanceto the men of science, to the officers of the ship, and myself, for ourtables; and the same sum to be given at the conclusion of the voyage. This allowance the directors were pleased to make, from the voyage beingwithin the limits of the Company's charter, from the expectation of ourexaminations and discoveries proving advantageous to their commerce andthe eastern navigation, and partly, as they said, for my former services. 

On the 26th, I received orders to proceed round to Spithead; but thewinds being generally from the westward, we did not arrive there beforethe 2nd of June. A circumstance occurred during the passage, which, amongst many others, showed the necessity there was for a regulationsince adopted, to furnish His Majesty's ships with correct charts. Nomaster had been appointed to the Investigator; nor was any officer onboard intimately acquainted with the navigation of the Channel; andhaving been most of my life engaged in foreign voyages, I was under thenecessity, after leaving the pilot in the Downs, to trust almost whollyto my chart, which was that of Mr. J. H. Moore. In working up underDungeness, on the evening of May 28, we made a trip in shore, towards thetown of Hythe, as I supposed from the chart. A little after six, theofficer of the watch had reported our distance from the land to be neartwo leagues; and there being from 10 to 14 fathoms marked within two orthree miles of it, and no mention of any shoal lying in the way, Iintended to stand on half an hour longer; but in ten minutes, felt theship lifting upon a bank. The sails were immediately thrown aback; andthe weather being fine and water smooth, the ship was got off withouthaving received any apparent injury. 

This sand is laid down in the Admiralty charts, under the name of the_Roar_; and extends from Dungeness towards Folkstone, at the distance offrom two and a half, to four miles from the land. The leadsman, havingfound no bottom with 15 fathoms at ten minutes before six, had veryculpably quitted the chains when his watch was out, without takinganother cast of the lead; and the ship, in going at the rate of two knotsand three-quarters, was upon the bank at twenty minutes after six; sothat it appears to be steep on the east side. 

The bearings given by the azimuth compass, whilst the ship was aground, were as under:

Dungeness light house, S. W. Lidd church W. By S. ½ S. Town of Dim, but taken to be Hythe, N. W. By N. Cheriton church, then supposed to be Folkstone, E. N. E. Cliffy eastern extreme of the land, near Dover, E. ½ N. 

The distance from the town of Hythe (Dim, ) was guessed to be not lessthan two-and-half, nor more than four miles. 

[IN ENGLAND. PORTSMOUTH. ]

JUNE. 

In consequence of this accident, we went into Portsmouth Harbour and intodock on June 10; and it being ascertained that the ship had received noinjury, we returned to Spithead next day, and moored as before, waitingfor orders. On the 18th, commissioner Sir Charles Saxton paid the ship'scompany their wages up to the end of May, with an advance of two months;and the officers were permitted to draw bills for three months pay inadvance. 

JULY. 

On July 17, I received the following instructions for the execution ofthe voyage. 

By the Commissioners for executing the officeof Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland, etc. 

Whereas the sloop you command has been fitted and stored for a voyage toremote parts; And whereas it is our intention that you should proceed inher to the coast of New Holland for the purpose of making a completeexamination and survey of the said coast, on the eastern side of whichHis Majesty's colony of New South Wales is situated; You are herebyrequired and directed to put to sea the first favourable opportunity ofwind and weather, and proceed with as little delay as possible inexecution of the service above-mentioned, repairing in the first place to_Madeira_ and the _Cape of Good Hope_ in order to take on board suchsupplies of water and live stock as you may be in want of. 

Having so done you are to make the best of your way to the coast of NewHolland, running down the said coast from 130 degrees of east longitudeto _Bass's Strait_; (putting if you shall find it necessary, into _KingGeorge the third's Harbour_ for refreshments and water previous to yourcommencing the survey;) and on your arrival on the coast, use your bestendeavours to discover such harbours as may be in those parts; and incase you should discover any creek or opening likely to lead to _aninland sea or strait_, you are at liberty either to examine it, or not, as you shall judge it most expedient, until a more favourable opportunityshall enable you so to do. 

When it shall appear to you necessary, you are to repair to _Sydney Cove_for the purpose of refreshing your people, refitting the sloop under yourcommand, and consulting with the governor of New South Wales upon thebest means of carrying on the survey of the coast; and having receivedfrom him such information as he may be able to communicate, and takenunder your command the Lady Nelson tender, which you may expect to findat Sydney Cove, you are to recommence your survey, by first diligentlyexamining the coast from Bass's Strait to King George the third'sHarbour; which you may do either by proceeding along shore to thewestward, or, in case you should think it more expedient. , by proceedingfirst to King George's Sound, and carrying on your survey from thence tothe eastward. 

You are to repair from time to time, when the season will no longer admitof your carrying on the survey, to Sydney Cove; from whence your are toreturn in the execution of these instructions, so soon as circumstanceswill enable you so to do. 

You are to be very diligent in your examination of the said coast, and totake particular care to insert in your journal every circumstance thatmay be useful to a full and complete knowledge thereof, noting the windsand weather which usually prevail there at different seasons of the year, the productions and comparative fertility of the soil, and the mannersand customs of the inhabitants of such parts as you may be able toexplore; fixing in all cases, when in your power, the true positions bothin latitude and longitude of remarkable head lands, bays, and harbours, by astronomical observations, and noting the variation of the needle, andthe right direction and course of the tides and currents, as well as theperpendicular height of the tides; and in case, during your survey, any_river_ should be discovered, you are either to proceed yourself in thetender, or to direct her commander to enter it, and proceed as far up ascircumstances will permit; carefully laying down the course and the banksthereof, and noting the soundings, going on shore as often as it shallappear probable that any considerable variation has taken place either inthe productions of the soil or the customs of the inhabitants; examiningthe country as far inland as shall be thought prudent to venture with thesmall number of persons who can be spared from the charge of the vessel, wherever there appears to be a probability of discovering any thinguseful to the commerce or manufactures of the United Kingdom. 

When you shall have completely examined the whole of the coast fromBass's Strait to King George the third's Harbour, you are, at such timesas may be most suitable for the purpose, (which may be seen on areference to Mr. Dalrymple's memoir, an extract of which accompaniesthis, ) to proceed to and explore the _north-west coast of New Holland_, where, from the extreme height of the tides observed by Dampier, it isprobable that valuable harbours may be discovered. 

Having performed this service, you are carefully to examine the _Gulf ofCarpentaria_, and the parts to the westward thereof, between the 130thand 139th degrees of east longitude; taking care to seize the earliestopportunity to do so, when the seasons and prevalent winds may befavourable for visiting those seas. 

When you shall have explored the Gulf of Carpentaria and the parts to thewestward thereof, you are to proceed to a careful investigation andaccurate survey of _Torres' Strait_, and when that shall have beencompleted, you are to examine and survey the whole of the remainder ofthe north, the west, and the north-west coasts of New Holland, andespecially those parts of the coast most likely to be fallen in with byEast-India ships in their outward-bound passages. And you are to examineas particularly as circumstances will allow, the bank which extendsitself _from the Trial Rocks towards Timor_, in the hope that byascertaining the depth and nature of the soundings thereon, greatadvantage may arise to the East-India Company's ships, in case thatpassage should hereafter be frequented by them. 

So soon as you shall have completed the whole of these surveys andexaminations as above directed, you are to proceed to, and examine verycarefully the _east coast_ of New Holland, seen by captain Cook, _fromCape Flattery to the Bay of Inlets_; and in order to refresh your people, and give the advantage of variety to the painters, you are at liberty totouch at the _Fejees_, or some other of the islands in the _South Seas_. 

During the course of the survey, you are to use the tender under yourcommand as much as possible; moving the Investigator onward from oneharbour to another as they shall be discovered, in order that thenaturalists may have time to range about and collect the produce of theearth, and the painters allowed time to finish as many of their works asthey possibly can on the spot where they may have been begun: And whenyou shall have completed the whole of the surveys and examinations asabovementioned, you are to lose no time in returning with the sloop underyour command to England for farther orders, touching on your way, ifnecessary, at the Cape of Good Hope, and repairing with as little delayas possible to Spithead, and transmit to our secretary an account of yourarrival. 

During your continuance on the service above-mentioned, you are, by allproper opportunities, to send to our secretary for our information, accounts of your proceedings and copies of the surveys and drawings whichyou shall have made, and such papers as the Naturalist and the Paintersemployed on board may think proper to send home; and upon your arrival inEngland you are immediately to repair to this office in order to laybefore us a full account of your proceedings in the whole course of yourvoyage; taking care before you leave the sloop to demand from theofficers and petty officers the log books and journals which they mayhave kept and such drawings and charts as they may have taken, and toseal them up for our inspection. 

And whereas you have been furnished with a _plant cabin_ for the purposeof depositing therein such plants, trees, shrubs, etc. , as may becollected during the survey above-mentioned, you are, when you arrive atSydney Cove, to cause the said plant cabin to be fitted up by thecarpenter on the quarter deck of the sloop you command, according to theintention of its construction; and you are to cause boxes for containingearth to be made and placed therein, in the same manner as was done inthe plant cabin carried out by the Porpoise store ship, which plant cabinyou will find at Sydney Cove. 

You are, to place the said plant cabin, with the boxes of earth containedin it, under the charge and care of the naturalist and gardener, and tocause to be planted therein during the survey, such plants, trees, shrubs, etc. , as they may think suitable for the _Royal Gardens at Kew_;and you are, as often as you return to Sydney Cove, to cause the saidplants to be deposited in the governor's garden and under his charge, there to remain until you sail for Europe: And so soon as you shall bepreparing to return home, you are to cause the small plant cabin to beremoved from the sloop's quarter deck, and the one brought out by thePorpoise (which is something larger), to be placed there in its stead. Inthis last mentioned cabin the naturalist and gardener are to place theplants, trees, shrubs, etc. , which may have been collected during thesurvey, in order to their being brought home for His Majesty; and youare, so soon as the sloop shall arrive at any port in England, to givenotice of her arrival to His Majesty's botanic gardener at Kew, and totransmit to him a list and state of the said plants etc. , which thegardener employed under your orders is to furnish you with for thatpurpose. 

Given under our hands the 22nd of June, 1801. (Signed), ST. VINCENT. T. TRUBRIDGE. J. MARKHAM. 

ToMATTHEW FLINDERS, Esq. Commander of His Majesty's sloopInvestigator, at Spithead. 

By command of their Lordships, (Signed, )EVAN NEPEAN. 

The instructions were accompanied with the extract of a memoir from Mr. Dalrymple, respecting the winds and weather to be expected, principallyupon the south coast of Terra Australis. Also with the following PASSPORTfrom the French government. 

LE PREMIER CONSUL DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE, sur le compte qui lui a étérendu de la demande faite par le LORD HAWKESBURY au Citoyen Otto, commissaire du gouvernement Français à Londres, d'un Passeport pour lacorvette Investigator, dont le signalement est ci-après, expédiée par begouvernement Anglais, sous le commandement du capitaine Matthew Flinders, pour un voyage de découvertes dans la Mer Pacifique, ayant décidé que cepasseport seroit accordé, et que cette expédition, dont l'objet estd'étendre les connoissances humaines, et d'assurer davantage les progrèsde la science nautique et de la géographie, trouveroit de la part dugouvernement Français la sureté et la protection nécessaires. 

LE MINISTRE DE LA MARINE ET DES COLONIES ordonne en conséquence à tousles commandants des bâtiments de guerre de la République, à ses agensdans toutes les colonies Françaises, aux commandants des bâtimentsporteurs do lettres de marque, et à tous a autres qu'il appartiendra, delaisser passer librement et sans empêchement, ladite corvetteInvestigator, ses officiers, équipage, et effets, pendant la durée deleur voyage; de leur permettre d'aborder dans les différents ports de laRépublique, tant in Europe que dans les autres parties du monde, soitqu'ils soient forcés par le mauvais tems d'y chercher un refuge, soitqu'ils viennent y reclamer les secours et les moyens de reparationnécessaires pour continuer leur voyage. Il est bien entendu, cependant, qu'ils ne trouveront ainsi protection et assistance, que dans le cas ouils ne se seront pas volontairement détournés de la route qu'ils doiventsuivre, qu'ils n'auront commis, ou qu'ils n'annonceront l'intention decommettre aucune hostilité contre la République Française et ses alliés, qu'ils n'auront procuré, ou cherché à procurer aucun secours à sesennemis, et qu'ils ne s'occuperont d'aucune espéce de commerce, ni decontrebande. 

Fait à Paris le quatre Prairial an neuf de la République Française. Le Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies(signed) FORFAIT. 

Par le Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies(Signed)CHes. M. JURIEN. 

Signalement de la corvette. 

La corvette l'Investigator est du port de 334 tonneaux. Son équipage estcomposé de 83 hommes, outre cinq hommes de lettres. 

Son artillerie est de 6 carronades de 12. 2 ditto de 18. 2 canons de 6. 2 pierriers. 

Le soussigné, commissaire du gouvernement Français à Londres, certifie lesignalement ci-dessus conforme à la note qui lui a été communiquée par leministre de Sa Majesté Britannique. 

Londres le 4 Messidor an 9. 

(Signed) OTTO. 

In consequence of this passport, I received directions from the Admiralty"to act in all respects towards French ships as if the two countries werenot at war; and, " it was added, "with respect to the ships and vessels ofother powers with which this country is at war, you are to avoid, ifpossible, having any communication with them; and not to take letters orpackets other than such as you may receive from this office, or theoffice of His Majesty's secretary of state. "

From His Grace the duke of Portland, I carried an order to the governorof New South Wales to place the brig Lady Nelson under my command, onarriving at Port Jackson; and also one from the Admiralty, directing thegovernor, in his quality of senior naval officer, not to take theInvestigator from the purposes of the voyage; but to assist me with allthe means in his power to put them into execution. 

So soon as my sailing orders were received, demands were sent on shorefor provisions to replace what had been consumed at Spithead; and theycame on board next morning, when the ship was unmoored. We were able tostow a proportion of provisions for twelve months, bread excepted, ofwhich only seven months could be taken, including a part in flour. Ofsalt meat I took for eighteen months, knowing that little reliance couldbe had upon the colony in New South Wales for that article; and furtherto guard against any detriment to the voyage from a want of provisions, Ileft an application to the Admiralty for a general supply, for twelvemonths; to be sent after me, and lodged in the store houses at PortJackson for our sole use. 

Of the various extra provisions usually furnished as preservatives ofhealth to the crews of His Majesty's ships going upon similar service, our supply was abundant; and the surgeon was as liberally furnished withantiscorbutic medicines. 

The complement of the Xenophon had been seventy-five men; but on the nameand destination of the ship being changed, the following establishmentwas ordered. The names of the officers are added to the list, and also ofthe men of science who took part in the expedition. 

Astronomer, 1 John Crosley. Naturalist, 1 Robert Brown. Natural-history painter, 1 Ferdinand Bauer. Landscape painter, 1 William Westall. Their servants, 4Gardener, 1 Peter Good. Miner, 1 John Allen. --Supernumeraries 10Commander, 1 Matthew Flinders. Lieutenants, 2 Robert Fowler. Samuel W. Flinders. Master, 1 John Thistle. Surgeon, 1 Hugh Bell. Surgeon's assistant, 1 Robert Purdie. Master's mates andmidshipmen 6 Thomas Evans. William Taylor. John Franklin. Thomas Bell. Nathaniel Bell. Kennet Sinclair. Sherrard P. Lound. James Wolsey. Boatswain, 1 Charles Douglas. Gunner, 1 Robert Colpits. Carpenter, 1 Russel Mart. Clerk, 1 John Olive. Cook and mate, 2Sailmaker and mate, 2Armourer, 1Master at arms, 1Boatswain's mates, 2Gunner's mate, 1Carpenter's mates, 2D. Crew, 2Quarter masters, 4Able and ordinary seamenand landsmen, 35 Marines. Serjeant, 1Corporal, 1Drummer, 1Privates, 12 --Complement 83 Deficiency. Sailmaker, 1Master at arms, 1Quarter masters, 2Cook's mate, 1Carpenter's crew, 1Seaman, 1 --Deficient of complement 7 --

The deficiency of seven, and the two young gentlemen more than allowed, left the whole number of persons on board to be eighty eight, at the timeof sailing. 

Mr. Crosley, the astronomer, brought with him an assortment ofinstruments from the Board of Longitude; part for use at sea, and thelarger instruments for making observations on shore, at such ports andbays as we might anchor in during the voyage. His time keepers were thenumbers 543 and 520, and watch 465 of Earnshaw; and the numbers 176 and82 of Arnold. Amongst the instruments supplied to me by the Navy Board, which were unconnected with the above and mostly intended for surveying, was Arnold's watch number 1786, sent for the purpose of being taken uprivers in the tender, or in boats. Its error from mean Greenwich time, atnoon July 17, was 2' 38. 71" slow, and its rate of losing per day 4. 41". This error and rate were given me by Mr. Bayly, mathematical master ofthe naval academy at Portsmouth, who had the kindness to take charge ofthe watch during our stay at Spithead. 

CHAPTER II. 

Departure from Spithead. Variation of the compass. The Dezertas. Arrival at Madeira. Remarks on Funchal. Political state of the island. Latitude and longitude. Departure from Madeira. The island St. Antonio. Foul winds; and remarks upon them. The ship leaky. Search made for Isle Sable. Trinidad. Saxemberg sought for. Variation of the compass. State of the ship's company, on arriving at the Cape of Good Hope. Refitment at Simon's Bay. Observatory set Up. The astronomer quits the expedition. Rates Of the time keepers. Some remarks on Simon's Bay. 

1801. JULY. 

[TOWARDS MADEIRA. ]

On July 18 we sailed from Spithead; and in the afternoon of the 20th, having a light breeze from the eastward, with fine weather, our departurewas taken from the Start, bearing N. 18° W. Five or six leagues. On thefollowing day we fell in with vice-admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell, with adetachment of four three-decked ships from the grand fleet cruisingbefore Brest. It was gratifying to learn from the admiral, that althoughhe had not dropped an anchor for seventeen weeks, there was not ascorbutic man on board; nor any in the sick list, except from slighthurts. 

The variation of the compass off St. Alban's Head, had been observed byMr. Thistle, the master, to be 28° 43' west, from amplitude; off theStart it was 29° 34' from a western azimuth, and 29° 30' from amplitude;but on the following afternoon, where the variation should have beennearly the same, azimuths gave 24° 12' and an amplitude 23° 43' west; themean 5° 35' less than off the Start. The same compass was always used, and the ship's head was at west (magnetic), or within one point of it, inall the cases; but in the first observations the compass was placed onthe binnacle, and in the last, was upon the booms. In order to ascertainclearly what effect this change of place did really produce, I tookobservations a few days afterward [MONDAY 27] with every compass onboard, and Mr. Thistle did the same upon the booms, ten or twelve feetbefore the main mast, where the compasses were as far removed from anyquantity of iron, as they could be placed in any part of the ship. Thehead was south-west by the steering compass, our latitude was 38° 1'north, longitude 14° 18' west, and the results were as under. 

 Binnacle. Booms. Variation from an azimuth compass by Walker, ° ' ° 'marked No 1: mean of both sides of the vane. 25 47 22 17 W. From a ditto marked No. 2, 25 35 19 15 ditto marked No. 3, 24 41 21 27 Walker's meridional compass, 25 46 - - Ditto used as a common azimuth, 25 51 20 35 Compass made by Adams, 25 44 21 9 -------------- Means, 25 34 20 57 W. --------------

Thus a change of place from the binnacle to a little before the centre ofthe ship, produced an alteration of 4° 37' in the mean variation, thesame way as, but a less quantity than Mr. Thistle had found it off theStart, when the ship's head was west. The true variation I judge to havebeen 23°, and that the observations on the booms showed 2° too little, and those on the binnacle 2½° too much. The error in excess, upon thebinnacle, appeared to continue so long as the ship was in the northernhemisphere and the head to the westward; but it diminished gradually aswe approached the equator, and the observations on the binnacle and boomsthen nearly coincided. This example is sufficient to show the improprietyof allowing a variation upon the ship's course, from observations takenelsewhere than at the binnacle. 

THURSDAY 30 JULY 1801. 

We continued our course for Madeira, with fair winds. Our latitude on the30th, was 30° 5' north, longitude 15° 31' west; and in the afternoonPorto Santo was seen, bearing west-north-west; the wind then became lightand variable, and soon afterwards died away. The variation observed onthe binnacle by the master, when the head was south-west-by-south, was22° 45', but on the booms 19° 51'; the true variation being as I believe, 20° 51' west. 

FRIDAY 31 JULY 1801. 

It was calm on the 31st, and I had a boat lowered down and went round theship with the carpenter, to inspect the seams near the water line, for wehad the mortification to find the ship beginning to leak so soon as thechannel was cleared, and in the three last days she had admitted threeinches of water per hour. The seams appeared sufficiently bad, especiallyunder the counter and at the butt ends, for the leak to be attributableto them; and as less water came in when the ship was upright than whenheeling to a beam wind, I hoped the cause need not be sought lower down. Before hoisting up the boat, a small hawke's-bill turtle was picked up;and between this time and that of anchoring in Funchal Road, severalothers were seen, and a second, weighing about thirty pounds, was caught. 

SATURDAY AUGUST 1 1801. 

Aug. 1, at noon, Porto Santo bore N. 11° W. , and the rocky islands called_Dezertas_, from N. 65° to S. 85° W. Distant three leagues. The south endof these islands lies, by our observations, in latitude 32° 24' 20"north, which differs less than one mile from its position in Mr. Johnston's chart of the Madeiras. There being little wind next morning[SUNDAY AUGUST 2], I went off in one of the cutters, accompanied byMessieurs Brown and Bauer, the naturalist and natural-history painter, tothe southernmost island, called _Bujio_, which was not far distant. Onthe way, I shot several birds of the puffin kind, one of which had afathom of small brass wire attached to its wing. The distance of the landproved to be more considerable than was expected; and there being acurrent setting southward we did not reach the shore until near three inthe afternoon, when it was necessary to think of returning. 

[AT MADEIRA--FUNCHAL ROAD]

A small ledge of rocks, which projected a little from under the cliffs atthe south-west part of Bujio, afforded a landing place; but it wasimpossible to ascend the top of the island. We saw no other animatedbeings than a few birds something like green linnets, but which weresaid, at Madeira, to have been canary birds; and the other productionswere scarcely sufficient to afford amusement even to a naturalist. Thecliffs over head showed marks of irregular stratification, and in some ofthe lines there was a red tinge, apparently of iron. The base underneathwas black and honey-combed, as if it had been in the fire, resembling inthis respect the common stone at Funchal. 

We left Bujio well satisfied that, so far as we could judge of theislands, the name Dezertas, or Desert Islands, was well chosen; and soonafter dusk, reached the ship. There was then a good breeze from thenorth-eastward, with which we steered for Madeira. Tacking occasionallyduring the night, to take advantage of the different flaws of wind. Atthe following noon [MONDAY 3 AUGUST], the ship was under Brazen Head, which forms the east side of Funchal Road; and being there becalmed, wetowed in with the boats, and came to an anchor at four o'clock, in 22fathoms, steadying with a kedge to the north-west. In this situation, which seems to be as good as any in the road, the bearings by compasswere as follow:

Brazen Head, S. 71° E. Punta de Cruz, on the west side, N. 85 W. Loo Fort, distant one-third of a mile, N. 12 W. 

The north-east winds usually prevail at Madeira in the summer season, andsometimes blow very strong. To reach Funchal Read, ships are accustomedto sail between the east end of Madeira and the Dezertas, before thewind. They are not very desirous of passing close to Brazen Head, wherethey would be becalmed, but keep off a mile or two, in the skirt of thenorth-east wind, until they are off the town, or even off Punta de Cruz, where they generally find a breeze from the south-west, which takes themto the anchorage. This south-west wind is the sea breeze of Funchal; andduring the time we lay in the road, it usually set in at eight or nineo'clock in the morning, and prevailed as far as three or four miles inthe offing, till sunset. A variable breeze comes off the land in thenight; at which time it is recommended to ships to pass close to BrazenHead and tow into the road. 

We found his Majesty's ship Argo lying here; and I waited upon captainJames Bowen, immediately that the ship was secured. Lieutenant Flinderswas sent, at the same time, to present my respects to the Portuguesegovernor, and to ask his Excellency's permission to purchase thenecessaries of which we stood in need; as also for the scientificgentlemen to make such an examination of the natural productions of theisland, as our short stay would allow. The first request was granted bythe governor in polite terms, and accompanied with offers of assistance;but an answer to the second was deferred until he should see me. 

This evening the ship was heeled three streaks, when it was found thatshe admitted more than three inches of water per hour; whereas, whenupright, it scarcely amounted to one inch. Next morning [TUESDAY 4AUGUST], therefore, the carpenters began caulking two seams above thecopper, all round, whilst the seamen were employed in shifting the topmasts and examining the rigging. 

By the assistance of Joseph Pringle, Esq. , the British consul, I procuredboats from the shore to be sent for our empty water casks; and an ox waskilled for our use, and wine prepared for embarkation. His Excellency, the governor, had appointed noon of this day to receive my visit; and Iwaited upon him in form, accompanied by the consul, who interpretedbetween us. The governor repeated his offers of assistance; and on beingmade to understand the nature of the excursions which our gentlemendesired to make into the country, he granted his permission with theutmost readiness. After I had answered some questions relative to thesettlement of political affairs in the north of Europe, we took ourleave; and were attended out by the officers in waiting, and saluted bythe guard. 

THURSDAY 6 AUGUST 1801. 

On the 6th in the evening, our supply of provisions was received, and thecaulking of the ship completed. The scientific gentlemen returned from anexpedition towards the _Pico Ruivo_; which is the highest of a ridge ofmountains occupying the central parts of the island, and is said to be5067 feet, or nearly an English mile, above the level of the sea. Theascent was found to be very difficult; and this, with the heat of theweather and limitation of their time to this evening, disabled them fromreaching the summit. It was late when they arrived at the shore; and inembarking abreast of the town, they had the misfortune to be swamped, andto lose the greater part of their collections and sketches, although theboat was managed by Portuguese watermen, accustomed to the place. 

The best landing is behind the Loo Rock; but the stony beach in front ofthe town is usually safe in the summer time. It was so on our firstarrival, until the strong eastern winds in the offing raised so muchswell as to make it dangerous, even for people experienced in themanagement of a boat in the surf. 

The town of Funchal is placed at the foot of a mountain, which projectsfrom the great central ridge; and the houses being mostly white, theyform a strong, but agreeable contrast with the back land. At differentelevations up the side of the mountain, are scattered the country housesof the richer inhabitants, placed amongst groups of trees and surroundedwith vines. These, with a convent dedicated to _Our Lady of theMountain_, which, like the houses, is white, but partly hidden byfoliage, give to the whole a picturesque and pleasing appearance from theships in the road. The town is larger, and there was more trade andactivity in it than I was prepared to expect in a small colony, where thestudents of the college and ecclesiastics of different orders form noinconsiderable part of the superior class of inhabitants. Several Britishmerchants reside at Madeira; their houses of business are at Funchal, buttheir favourite residences are upon the side of the mountain. Iaccompanied captain Bowen to one of these, the hospitable seat of Mr. Murdoch, and thought it one of the prettiest places I had seen. The houseof Mr. Pringle, the consul, was my home when on shore; indeed thepoliteness of our countrymen prevented me from experiencing theaccommodation afforded to strangers at a house in the town, dignifiedwith the name of hotel. Some of our gentlemen complained of its beingmiserable enough, even without the swarms of fleas and other vermin bywhich they were molested. 

His Majesty's ships Argo, Carysfort, Falcon, and transports, under thecommand of captain James Bowen, had arrived in Funchal Road about ninedays before us; having on board the 85th regiment under colonel Clinton. After making their dispositions, the two commanders sent to inform thePortuguese governor, that His Britannic Majesty, considering theprobability of an attack from the French upon the island, had sent troopsto assist in its defence; and they demanded permission for the forces toland. A council was called by the governor; and it being agreed that evenwere they inclined yet no effectual resistance could be made, thepermission was given, and a place assigned for the encampment of thetroops to the west of the town. A part of the 85th was afterwardsquartered in the Loo Fort and in that of St. Diego, which command boththe town and the road; and the men were employed in putting thesefortifications into a state of defence. 

These arrangements caused no change in the administration of thegovernment, nor in the trade of the island; but the governor was said tobe not satisfied that his conduct would be approved. On the day of ourarrival, he received intelligence of peace being concluded betweenPortugal and Spain, but that the war with France was continued; andbefore we sailed, His Majesty's sloop Voltigeur brought despatches fromthe Court of Lisbon, which directed the governor to receive the Britishtroops; and it was supposed that every thing connected with the defenceof the island would be committed to them. This was the state of thingswhen I took leave of captain Bowen and of colonel Clinton. 

Water, wine, and fresh beef, were the supplies procured at Madeira. Winefor the ship's company was charged at the enormous price of 5s. 8d. Pergallon, and the beef at 10d. Per pound; I therefore took only smallquantities of each. For good Madeira, we paid as much as £42. The pipe. Fruit and onions were in abundance, and probably were not of lessadvantage to the health of the people than the more expensive articles. 

The latitude observed in Funchal Road was 32° 37' 44" north. Thelongitude, as given in the Requisite Tables, is 17° 6' 15" west; but inthe _Connoissance des Temps_ for 1792, it is laid down by a member of theAcademy of Sciences, probably the _Chevalier de Borda_, at 16° 56' fromGreenwich. Arnold's watch No. 1736, in my care, gave 16° 22' 42", and thegreatest longitude shown by any of the six time keepers was 16° 54' 26". This was given by Earnshaw's watch No. 465, which had kept an uniformrate during fifteen months previously to its being brought on board. Wemade use of this watch to reduce some lunar observations taken a few daysbefore arriving, and others after sailing, to the place of anchorage; andthe result was as follows:

Ten sets of distances, east and west of the moon, taken by Mr. Crosley in Funchal Bay and afterwards, with a Troughton's sextant, 16° 59' 21" W. Eight sets, * east and west, taken by me with aTroughton's circle and two sextants, before and afterwards, 16 51 28 --------------West longitude of Funchal by lunar observations, 16 55 24 --------------

[* Four of these are uncorrected for the errors of the lunar and solartables. They were taken Aug. 29, on which day no observation of the moonwas made at Greenwich; and the errors observed on the 27th and 30th wereso irregular, that no proportion can be made between them with anyprospect of accuracy. Were the errors of the 30th applied, the longitudeof Funchal would be 4' less. ]

We were therefore induced to prefer the 16° 56', in the Connoissance desTemps, as being nearer the true longitude of Funchal from Greenwich, thanthe 17° 6' 15" of the Requisite Tables. 

Every person had returned on board on Friday morning; and a young man, anative of Ireland, who had been sent here sick in a French cartel, applying to go the voyage, I ordered him to be entered, on the surgeonreporting him to be a fit man for His Majesty's service. 

FROM MADEIRA--TOWARDS THE CAPE

On quitting Funchal Road, we were taken aback, at two o'clock, by theeast-north-east wind, about two miles off Brazen Head. It blew so strongas to make it necessary to clew down all the sails; and until nextmorning [SATURDAY AUGUST 8], nothing above close-reefed top sails couldbe carried with safety. At noon, the log gave 162 miles from Funchal; butthe cloudy weather did not admit of taking observations. 

SUNDAY 9 AUGUST 1801

At daybreak of the 9th the island Palma was in sight, bearing S. 72° E. Ten or twelve leagues. Albacores and bonitas now began to make theirappearance, and the officers and men were furnished with hooks and lines, and our harpoons and fizgigs were prepared. This day I ordered lime juiceand sugar to be mixed with the grog; and they continued to be given dailyto every person on board, until within a short time of our arrival at theCape of Good Hope. 

SATURDAY 15 AUGUST 1801

We carried fair, and generally fresh winds, until the 15th in themorning, when St. Antonio, the north-westernmost of the Cape-VerdeIslands was in sight. At eight o'clock, the extremes bore N. 69° E. AndS. 13° W. , and the nearest part was distant four miles; in whichsituation no bottom could be found at 75 fathoms. A boat was observednear the shore, and our colours were hoisted; but no notice appeared tobe taken of the ship. 

The north-west side of St. Antonio is four or five leagues in length; andrises abruptly from the sea, to hills which are high enough to be seenfifteen, or more leagues from a ship's deck. These barren hills areintersected by gullies, which bore marks of much water having passed downthem. By the side of one of these gullies, which was near the place wherewe lost sight of the boat, there was a path leading up into the interiorof the island. The south-west and south points are low; they lie N. 14°W. And S. 14° E. And are five or six miles asunder. Between them, theland hollows back so as to form somewhat of a bay, which, if it affordgood anchorage, as it is said to do, would shelter a ship from all windsbetween north and east-south-east. We did not observe any beach at thehead of the bay, perhaps from having passed at too great a distance. 

No observations could be taken for fixing the situation of this island;but in 1795, Mr. Crosley and myself made the high land near thesouth-west point to lie in 17° 00' north, and by uncorrected lunarobservations, in 25° 12' west; which agrees well with the position of thenorth-west point, as given by captain Vancouver. * The variation fromazimuth on the evening of the 14th, before making the land, was 13° 51'west, and 13° 3' this evening, when four leagues to the west of it; thecompass being placed on the binnacle, and the ship's headsouth-south-west (magnetic) in both cases. The true variation here, atthis time, I judge to have been 12° 24' west. Captain Vancouver observed12° 32', in 1791; but it does not appear how the ship's head wasdirected. 

[* _Voyage round the World_, Vol. I. Page 10. ]

Some distant land opened from the south point of St. Antonio, at S. 75°E. ; which I took to be a part of the island St. Lucia. 

During the three days before making St. Antonio, the wind varied from theregular north-east trade, to east-north-east, and as far assouth-east-by-east; and about the time of seeing the land, it dwindled toa calm. For three days afterwards it was light, and variable betweennorth and south-east; after which it sometimes blew from the north-westand south-west, and sometimes from the eastward. These variable winds, with every kind of weather, but most frequently with rain, continueduntil the 23rd [SUNDAY], in latitude 11° north and longitude 23° west;when a steady breeze set in from the south-westward, and the weatherbecame more settled and pleasant. The clouds were sufficiently dense tokeep off the intense heat of the vertical sun, but did not often preventus from obtaining daily observations for the latitude and longitude. Atthe same time with the south-west wind came a swell from the southward, which made the ship plunge considerably; and so far opened her leaks, that she again made two inches of water in the hour. 

THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 1801

On the 27th, in latitude 6° north and longitude 17½° west, a noddy wascaught, and next day a swallow was found dead in my sleeping cabin. Thispoor little bird had been our companion for three or four days before, and had become a favourite. It was generally seen darting past the leescuttles and ports, apparently after the flies which were carried out bythe streams of air; sometimes it alighted upon the boats which hung onthe ship's quarters, and more than once rested itself in the cabin where, at length, it was found dead. 

WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 1801

The south-western winds continued to blow without intermission, and droveus, much against my inclination, far to the eastward, towards the coastof Africa. One or two attempts were made to go upon the western tack; butthis could not be done with any advantage until the 2nd of September, when we were in latitude 3° 50' north, and longitude 11¼° west. The windhad veered gradually round, from south-west to south, as we approachedthe African coast, to the direction of which it kept at nearly a rightangle. I had not fully adverted to the probability, that the windsblowing upon this coast would prevail to a greater extent at this seasonthan at any other time of the year; otherwise, as I wished to avoidAfrica, I should have passed some degrees to the westward of theCape-Verde Islands, and probably have carried the north-east trade to the12th, or perhaps to the 10th degree of north latitude; and in 8°, or atfurthest in 6°, the south-east trade might have been expected. 

Captain Cook, in his second voyage, experienced the same south-westernwinds, and was carried so far eastward, that he crossed the equator inlongitude 8° west. Monsieur de la Pérouse also experienced them, and bothwere here at the same season with ourselves; that is, in the months ofAugust and September, when the African continent had received itsgreatest degree of heat. 

Although I preferred to avoid Africa, it is by no means certain that agood passage to the Cape of Good Hope may not be made, especially at thisseason, by steering round the Bight of Benin with the south-west andsouth winds. It is probable, that on approaching the meridian ofGreenwich the wind would be found to return to the south-west, andperhaps more westward, and enable a ship to reach the 10th degree ofsouth latitude before meeting the south-east trade; in which case, thecircuit to be made before attaining the western winds beyond the southerntropic, would be much shortened. The East-India-Company's ships bound toSt. Helena, do, I believe, now generally follow that route. 

The leakiness of the ship increased with the continuance of thesouth-west winds; and at the end of a week, amounted to five inches ofwater an hour. It seemed, however, that the leaks were mostly above thewater's edge, for on tacking to the westward they were diminished to twoinches. This working of the oakum out of the seams indicated a degree ofweakness which, in a ship destined to encounter every hazard, could notbe contemplated without uneasiness. The very large ports, formerly cut inthe sides to receive thirty-two-pound carronades, joined to what I hadbeen able to collect from the dock yard officers, had given me anunfavourable opinion of her strength; and this was now but too muchconfirmed. Should it be asked, why representations were not made, and astronger vessel procured? I answer, that the exigencies of the navy weresuch at that time, that I was given to understand no better ship could bespared from the service; and my anxiety to complete the investigation ofthe coasts of Terra Australis did not admit of refusing the one offered. 

THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 1801

The wind was at south when we tacked to the westward; but it shortlyveered to south-by-east, and as far as south-east-by-south, which enabledme to look up for the small _Isle Sable_, or St. Paul, said to lie in 0°25' south, and about 18½° west. I was desirous of ascertaining the trueposition of this, and of some other small islands, laid down in theneighbourhood of the equator. They are placed so much in the tracks, bothof outward and homeward bound ships, that it was not improbable some oneof the vessels missed at different times, might have suffered shipwreckupon them; and the hope that we might be the happy means of restoring totheir country and friends some unfortunate fellow creatures, perhapscountrymen, was an additional incitement to look after them. 

MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1801

On the 7th, our latitude was 0° 43' north, and we expected to cross theequator some time in the following night. It was a part of my plan forpreserving the health of the people, to promote active amusements amongstthem, so long as it did not interfere with the duties of the ship; andtherefore the ancient ceremonies used on this occasion, were allowed tobe performed this evening; and the ship being previously put under snugsail, the seamen were furnished with the means, and the permission, toconclude the day with merriment. At noon next day, the latitude was 0°17' south, and longitude 17° 7' west; so that the _line_ had been crossedin nearly 17°, about seven in the morning [TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER]. 

From the longitude of 11°, we had been constantly attended by thatspecies of the pelican called man-of-war bird by our seamen, and_frègate_ by the French; but not one of them was to be seen at this time, although we were drawing near to the supposed situation of St. Paul. Atfour in the afternoon, our latitude was judged to be 0° 29' south; andthe course then steered was west, by compass, for a current of ten milesto the north had fully counteracted the western variation on the twopreceding days. On the 9th [WEDNESDAY], the latitude was 0° 43' south, and longitude 18° 35'. We ran northward four hours, finding the currenthad not prevailed as before; and then steered in the parallel of theisland. Next day at noon [THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER], our situation was in 0°22' south and 20° 5' west; and seeing no land, nor any signs of being inits neighbourhood, I gave up the search after the island, and hauledsouth-westward on our way to the Cape of Good Hope. 

In the morning, I had observed the variation with Walker's meridionalcompass, when the ship's head was W. By N. (magnetic); upon the binnacleit gave 14° 30', and on the booms 13' 0' west. Thus the difference, arising from a change of place in the compass, appeared to diminishsensibly as we approached the magnetic equator. The true variation Ijudge to have been 13° 11' west. 

During the two nights of our search for St. Paul's, the quantity of sailwas so reduced that not more than ten or twelve leagues should be passedbetween dusk and daylight; by which means the view astern, in themorning, nearly reached to the horizon of the preceding evening, and anything, a little elevated above the surface of the water, could scarcelyescape being seen from the mast head, more especially as we werefortunate in having distinct views towards each setting and rising sun. The look-out, also, was particularly attended to; for at this time wascommenced the system which, in all similar cases, I intended to pursuethroughout the voyage. A part of this plan was an order to the threewarrant officers to take charge of the look-out betwixt dark anddaylight, and to be answerable for the vigilance with which it should beexecuted, both in their own persons, and in those who were placed uponthe same duty under them. The leisure usually enjoyed by this class ofofficers, particularly by the gunner and carpenter, I conceived to admitof this abridgment, without injury to their ordinary sea duties. 

I had twice before crossed the equator, at the respective distances oftwenty-six and seventy-three miles to the west of where our search forthe Isle of St. Paul ceased; and Mr. Thistle, the master, had crossed theparallel of 25' south, in longitude 22° 12', a few months before; indeedif the Isle had existed between the longitudes of 20° and 25°, it musthave been repeatedly seen. I therefore think it may be asserted, thatthere is no land between 17° and 25° west, either in, or about thelatitude of 25' south. The track of Mons. De la Pérouse cuts thatparallel in longitude 16°; and he saw no other marks of the vicinity ofland than the man-of-war birds which had followed him for several days. If the presence of these birds be any indication of land, I shouldsuppose that there was some lying between the 11th and 16th degrees ofwest longitude; and if such an island as St. Paul exist, it will probablybe found within those limits. 

Having lost all hope of finding this island, I could have wished torecross the equator and run in the latitude of 55' north; in whichparallel the isle _Pennedo de St. Pedro_, sometimes also called St. Paul, is said to be situate. In Arrowsmith's general chart, it is marked in 24°west longitude, whilst another authority places it to the west of 27°, *but I considered that the search might carry me as far as 29°, andperhaps further; and my orders being silent with respect to theseislands, I did not think myself authorized to thus occupy so much time;and we therefore hauled to the south-westward on the afternoon of the10th, as before mentioned. On the following day [FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11], agannet was seen, which seemed to imply that our situation of 1 ¾° south, and 21½° west, was not far removed from some island or rock; for I do notrecollect to have seen this bird at a greater distance from land thanthirty leagues. 

[* _Voyage of La Pérouse_, page 50 of the London translation. I am latelyinformed, that Pennedo de St. Pedro lies in latitude 0° 55' north, andlongitude 27° 0' west; that it makes like four sail of ships, and iscovered with birds, but affords no water. ]

The trade wind varied from south-south-east to east-south-east, andcommonly blew fresh, with frequent squalls. The swell from the southward, with which these winds were for some days accompanied, caused the ship towork so much, that she soon let in as great a quantity of water on thistack, as she before had done on the other; I therefore judged itadvisable to alter the plan of keeping within seven points of the wind, and to go with it upon the beam; and also to put in practice every meansof lightening the upper works, for they seemed to be very inadequate tosupport the weight with which they had been unavoidably loaded. Twoeighteen-pound carronades, stern chacers, were taken off the upper deckand struck into the hold; the spare rudder, and a variety of other thingswhich a want of room had obliged us to stow in the main and mizenchannels, were taken within board; and every exterior weight concentratedas much as possible. After this was done, the tremulous motion caused byevery blow of the sea, exciting a sensation as if the timbers of the shipwere elastic, was considerably diminished; and the quantity of wateradmitted by the leaks was also somewhat reduced. 

SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 1801

On the 13th, in latitude 4° 44' south and longitude 23° 17' west, aswallow, a gannet, and two sheerwaters were seen; and from six to eightin the evening, the officer of the watch and myself thought the water tobe much smoother than before, or than it was afterward. Had it been in anunknown sea, I should have been persuaded that some island, or shoal, layat no great distance to the south-eastward of our situation at that time. 

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 1801

The trade wind continued, with some little variety in its direction, toblow fresh until the 20th, when it became light, and sometimes calm. Wewere then approaching the small island Trinidad. Many gannets were seenat twenty-four leagues off, but none at a greater distance. On the 23rd[WEDNESDAY], the island was in sight; and at noon, when our latitude was20° 1' south, and longitude 29° 13' west, a peaked hummock near theeastern extremity bore S. 25° W. , nine or ten leagues. The westernextremity bore S. 29° W. , and at first appeared to be a bluff head; butit afterwards assumed the form of a conical rock, and was, in allprobability, the _Nine Pin_ of captain D'Auvergne's chart. One of therocks called Martin Vas, was visible from the main top, and angled 49°43' to the left of the peaked hummock; its bearing was consequently verynear S. 25° E. 

Mons. De la Pérouse, who sent a boat on shore to Trinidad, lays down thelatitude of the south-east point at 20° 31' south, and longitude fromlunar observations, 28° 37' west of Greenwich. The latitude appeared toagree with our observations; but in the longitude there is somedifference. According to Earnshaw's two time keepers, No. 465 and 543, which kept better rates than the remaining four, the longitude of theNine Pin is 29° 25½' west; which being reduced to the south-east point, will place it in 29° 23', or 46' west of the French navigator. * Thelongitude in captain D'Auvergne's plan of Trinidad, constructed 1782, is29° 55', or 32' still further west. From two sets of distances of thestar _Altair_ to the west, and two of _Aldebaran_ east of the moon, Imade the longitude of the south-east point to be 29° 19' west; thedifference from the time keepers, which I consider to have given the bestlongitude, being no more than 4'. 

[* The error of No. 465 was found, at the Cape of Good Hope, to be 10'57", 2 to the east, and of No. 543, to be 39' 21", 5 east, contracted in96 days upon their English rates. To obtain the above longitude, aproportional part of these errors according to the number of days, hasbeen applied to the keepers; and the difference between them is then nomore than 2". ]

THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 1801

Azimuths taken upon the binnacle in the morning, with three compasses, and the ship's head at S. W. By S. , gave variation 3° 54'; and in theevening, at S. W. , 3° 50'; but next morning, when Trinidad was justdisappearing from the deck in the N. 60° E. , other azimuths then showedthe variation to be 1° 35' west, the ship's head being S. S. W. ; ittherefore appears, that there is a difference off the north, and off thesouth-west sides of the island. From the first observations I deduce thetrue variation to be 4° 14' west, and from the last 1° 50' west. CaptainD'Auvergne marks the variation 0° 45' west, in 1782; but under whatcircumstances it was ascertained, does not appear. 

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 1801

The trade wind having again arisen from east-south-east, we were enabledto make between eighty and ninety miles a day. It afterwards veeredgradually round, by the north-east and north, to the westward, and blewfresh; so that on the 29th, our latitude was 31° 2' and longitude 26° 0'west. This was 17' to the south, and about 6° west of the situationusually assigned to _Saxemberg_; an island which has been frequentlysought by the East-India, and other ships, in the place which it stilloccupies in the charts; and not finding it there, they have run a fewdegrees to the _eastward_, in the same parallel, but always withoutsuccess. The opportunity which presented itself of now adding 6° oflongitude to the examined space, and on the opposite side, I should havethought myself culpable in neglecting; and therefore, having placed theship in the supposed parallel of the island, we steered due east for it;adopting the same regulations for the look-out at night, as whensearching for St. Paul's. 

We had seen an unusual number of pintado and sooty petrels on thepreceding afternoon, as also of a brown bird, apparently one of thesea-swallow tribe, having a white belly and the form and size of awoodcock; and this evening it was reported to me from the mast head, andconfirmed by others on deck, that a turtle was seen lying upon the water. These indications of land gave me some hope that the long lost Saxembergmight be brought to light. On the following noon [WEDNESDAY 30SEPTEMBER], the observed latitude was 30° 41' and longitude 22° 46'; andnothing further had transpired to betoken the vicinity of land. Next day[THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER], our observations gave 30° 34' south, and 20° 28'west; and I then steered east-south-east, a course which should havetaken us almost directly over the supposed situation of Saxemberg, if thesame current of 11' north had prevailed, as on the preceding day. Butthis not proving to be the case, our track lay a few miles to the south;though sufficiently near for us to be satisfied of the non-existence ofthe island in the place assigned to it, if that could any longer admit ofa doubt. *

[* At the Cape of Good Hope, in 1810, His Excellency the Earl of Caledonfavoured me with the following extract from the log book of the sloopColumbus--Long, master; returning to the Cape from the coast of Brazil. 

"September 22, 1809, at five p. M. , saw the island of Saxonburg, bearingE. S. E. , first about 41 leagues distant: clear weather. Steered for thesaid island, and found it to be in the latitude of 30° 18' south, longitude 28° 20' west, or thereabout. 

"The island of Saxonburg is about four leagues in length, N. W. And S. E, and about 2½ miles in breadth. The N. W. End is a high bluff of about 70feet, perpendicular form, and runs along to the south-east about 8 miles. You will see trees at about a mile and a half distance, and a sandybeach. "

The situation of Saxemberg in the common tables and charts, was 30° 45'south and 19° 40' west, almost 9° of longitude too little; and thereforeit is not surprising that ships have missed it. At the time so many birdswere seen, on the 28th, the Investigator was not more than eighty milesfrom the position of the island, as above given from Mr. Long. ]

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 1801

The fresh western winds continued, with short intervals of calm, as faras the latitude 33° 23', and longitude 13° 0' west; when they died away, and a breeze sprung up from the eastward. With this wind we could dolittle more than look up for the isles of Tristan d'Acunha, whose bearingwas then S. 16° E. , and distance seventy-seven leagues. From thedescription given by sir Erasmus Gower* of the anchorage, and theconvenience with which water may be obtained, and his account of theanimals which resort there, I should not have considered it to be losttime, had the wind made it advisable to put in at Tristan d'Acunha, for afew days; but it veered round to the north-west, on the [TUESDAY] 6th. And we resumed our former course to the Cape of Good Hope. 

[* _Lord Macartney's Embassy to China_, by sir G. Staunton, Vol. I. P. 198-201. ]

WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER 1801

In the morning of the 14th, the variation by mean of amplitude andazimuth, was 25° 10' west; the ship's head being E. By S. , and ourlatitude 35° 4' south, and longitude 12° 50' east. It is worthy of beingmentioned, that in the year 1797, and near the same place, I observed thevariation to be 19° 40' west, on board His Majesty's ship Reliance; andas the compass was upon the binnacle in both cases, the sole cause towhich I can attribute this great difference is, that the ship's head waswest, instead of E. By S. The true variation could not be far from themean of the two observations, since it was 26° at the Cape of Good Hope. In the English Channel, the compass on the binnacle had shown nearly 4°too much west variation, when the ship's head was at _west_; but here, itgives at least 2° too much, with the head in an opposite direction! Thisdifference in the two hemispheres merits particular notice; it is part ofa series of apparent anomalies in the compass which have hithertoremained unaccounted for; but which seem reducible to one general cause, as I have attempted to show in the Appendix No. II. To the second volume. 

FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 1801

At daybreak of the 16th, we expected to see the high land of the Cape;but the weather being hazy, it could not be distinguished until eighto'clock, when it bore north-east, eight leagues; being _three leaguesmore_ than Earnshaw's pocket time keeper, in which we had mostconfidence, led us to expect, and _four miles less_ than was given by myuncorrected lunar observations of the 14th p. M. , brought forward by thetime keeper. 

At this time we had not a single person in the sick list, both officersand men being fully in as good health, as when we sailed from Spithead. Ihad begun very early to put in execution the beneficial plan, firstpractised and made known by the great captain Cook. It was in thestanding orders of the ship, that on every fine day the deck below andthe cockpits should be cleared, washed, aired with stoves, and sprinkledwith vinegar. On wet and dull days they were cleaned and aired, withoutwashing. Care was taken to prevent the people from sleeping upon deck, orlying down in their wet clothes; and once in every fortnight or threeweeks, as circumstances permitted, their beds, and the contents of theirchests and bags, were opened out and exposed to the sun and air. On theSunday and Thursday mornings, the ship's company was mustered, and everyman appeared clean shaved and dressed; and when the evenings were fine, the drum and fife announced the fore castle to be the scene of dancing;nor did I discourage other playful amusements which might occasionally bemore to the taste of the sailors, and were not unseasonable. 

Within the tropics, lime juice and sugar were made to suffice asantiscorbutics; on reaching a higher latitude, sour krout and vinegarwere substituted; the essence of malt was reserved for the passage to NewHolland, and for future occasions. On consulting with the surgeon, I hadthought it expedient to make some slight changes in the issuing of theprovisions. Oatmeal was boiled for breakfast four days in the week, instead of three; and when rice was issued, after the expenditure of thecheese, it was boiled on the other three days. Pease soup was preparedfor dinner four days in the week, as usual; and at other times, twoounces of portable broth, in cakes, to each man, with such additions ofonions, pepper, etc. As the different messes possessed, made acomfortable addition to their salt meat. And neither in this passage, nor, I may add, in any subsequent part of the voyage, were the officersor people restricted to any allowance of fresh water. They drank freelyat the scuttled cask, and took away, under the inspection of the officerof the watch, all that was requisite for culinary purposes; and veryfrequently two casks of water in the week were given for washing theirclothes. 

With these regulations, joined to a due enforcement of discipline, I hadthe satisfaction to see my people orderly and full of zeal for theservice in which we were engaged; and in such a state of health, that nodelay at the Cape was required beyond the necessary refitment of theship, and I still hoped to save a good part of the summer season upon thesouth coast of Terra Australis. 

[CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. FALSE BAY]

The usual time for His Majesty's ships to leave False Bay and go round toTable Bay, I found to be the latter end of September; but being thenunacquainted with the precise time, and knowing of the loss of theSceptre in Table Bay, on November 5, from a heavy gale at north-west, Idetermined to go into False Bay; unless we should get previousinformation that it had been quitted by the squadron. At noon, theextremes of the land bore N. By W. ½ W. And E. ½ N. The Cape Point borenorth, three leagues; and our observed latitude being 34° 32', showed theRequisite Tables to be erroneous in the position of this point; but that34° 23', as assigned to it by captain King, was correct. *

[* See _Cook's third Voyage_, Vol. III. Page 484. ]

At one o'clock we hauled round the rocks which lie off the Cape Point, and steered into False Bay. Near these rocks were two whales; and one ormore of what seamen call _thrashers_ were engaged in a furious combatwith them, at a less distance than half a mile from the ship. The sinewystrength of the thrasher must be very great; for besides raising his tailhigh out of the water to beat the adversary, he occasionally threw thewhole of his vast body several feet above the surface, apparently to fallupon him with greater force. Their struggles covered the sea with foamfor many fathoms round. 

At three o'clock we got sight of the squadron lying in Simon's Bay. Itconsisted of His Majesty's ships Lancaster, Jupiter, Diomede, Imperieuse, Hindoostan, Rattlesnake, and Euphrosyne, under the command ofvice-admiral sir Roger Curtis, Bart. The master of the Lancaster came onboard to pilot the ship to a proper berth, and I went on shore to waitupon the vice-admiral. On showing my orders, and presenting an account ofthe supplies and the work requisite to put the Investigator in the samestate as on leaving England, I found that the naval magazines couldfurnish only some part, and that many articles, especially biscuit, werenot to be obtained; but with great consideration for the service on whichI was sent out, the commander in chief ordered every request to begranted either in the articles specified, or by substitution; and athorough caulking, both within and without side of the ship, being thework most essential to be done, a gang of caulkers, collected from thesquadron, was sent on board on the following morning. 

SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 1801

The water which is conducted in pipes to the wharf, for the convenienceof shipping, was said not to keep well at sea; and the master of theLancaster, from whom this information was obtained, recommended, as muchsuperior, that which drains through the sand, from the hills on the northside of Simon's Bay. I went, accordingly, to make an examination; andfound that by sinking a cask in the sand, with the head out and the upperhoops taken off, the water drained through the spaces between the staves, sufficiently fast for our purpose. This plan was therefore adopted; andthe watering of the ship immediately commenced. 

Having seen this, and some other duties set forward under the properofficers, I accompanied Mr. Crosley, the astronomer, in search of a placewhere the observatory and tents could be conveniently set up. Thesituation chosen was near a small rill on the south side of the bay, about three-hundred yards from the magazine; and the permission of themilitary commandant being obtained, two tents, the observatory, andastronomical instruments were landed in the afternoon, with a guard ofmarines. The whole was placed under the charge of Mr. Flinders, thesecond lieutenant, who was also to act as an assistant in making andcalculating the observations, for which he was qualified. The situationof the tents was tolerably well sheltered from the south-eastern gales, which begin to prevail at this season of the year; but the quantity ofsand put in motion by every breeze, was a great molestation, and provedinjurious to the instruments. Besides this inconvenience, there wasanother attached to the situation which had not been foreseen. The roadfrom Simon's Town to a place called the Company's garden, led close pastthe observatory; and this was the sole ride or walk in the neighbourhood, which the inhabitants and the gentlemen belonging to the ships in the baycould enjoy. From those of the first rank, who took their morning's ride, to the sailor who staggered past on a Sunday, and even the slave with hisbundle of fire wood, all stopped at the observatory to see what was goingon. Ramsden's universal theodolite, set up for the purpose of observingtransits, excited its share of attention from the curious. Some wantedinformation, some amusement, and all would have liked to see how the sunappeared through the telescope. 

By the end of October, our provisions and stores were received; the sailshad been examined and repaired on board the Lancaster, and were rebent;and the caulkers having completed their work, the ship was fresh painted. Being anxious to commence the investigation of the coasts of TerraAustralis, the stripping of the masts and reparation of the rigging weredeferred to King George's Sound, and no more was done at the ship thannecessity required; for I preferred passing the time necessary to acomplete re-equipment in a port where astronomical observations andsurveys could be at the same time usefully carried on, and thenaturalists employ themselves in a field almost unexplored, rather thanin a bay already well known, and where the surrounding country had beenso often traversed. 

Mr. Crosley had been frequently unwell during the passage from Madeira;and after trying the effect of a few days on shore, he decided to remainat the Cape of Good Hope, and relinquish the expedition. The instrumentssupplied by the Board of Longitude he agreed to leave in my care; afterhaving consulted with the commander in chief upon the subject, andreceived his approbation. The loss of the astronomer was severely felt byme, both from being deprived in the surveys of his more accurateobservations, and from being called upon to supply his place so far aswas in my power. The duties of commander joined to the occupation ofsurveyor, left little time for other employment; but through an increaseof effort, and with the assistance of my officers, I hoped to carry onthe surveys and fulfil the most essential parts of the instructions fromthe Board of Longitude, at the same time. Of these instructions, Mr. Crosley permitted me to take a copy. 

SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER 1801

The rates of going with mean solar time of the four time keeperscommitted to my charge, were deduced by Mr. Crosley from three daysobservation of equal altitudes, with a sextant and quick-silver horizon, between the 21st and 27th of October. These rates, which he left with me, I extended to November 1, by equal altitudes taken on that day; and theirrespective errors were deduced by allowing 1h 13' 40. 47" to be thelongitude in time of Simon's Bay. *

[* In 1763, Mr. Mason determined the longitude of his observatory in CapeTown, from the transit of Venus, to be 18° 23' 7" east; and thedifference of longitude from thence to Simon's Bay, by the Dutch survey, is 2' 00" east. ]

Earnshaw's No. 543, slower than mean Greenwich time at noon h ' " "there Nov. 1, 0 14 35. 33 and losing 5. 33 No. 520, 34 16. 62 15. 84Arnold's No. 176, 50 59. 29 8. 96 No. 82 -------- ----- No. 1736, watch, faster 21 20. 03 17. 27

The watch was intended to be taken up rivers, and to such places as theship did not go; and in order to gain some knowledge of its probableperformance, I wore it five days in the pocket. Its rate of losing duringthat time, was from 11. 59" to 8. 79" per day; so that upon the average, itlost 7" less in the pocket than when in a fixed situation; for the aboverate of 17. 27" was what it kept in the box, during the last three days. Arnold's No. 89, altered its rate on the last day, from 2. 98" to1' 18. 68", without any apparent cause; no rate could therefore be fixedfor it, with any probability of its being kept. Of the excellent watchNo. 465 of Earnshaw, being Mr. Crosley's private property, we weredeprived at the same time with the astronomer; he also took with him thereflecting circle, No. 74 of Troughton, both of which I considered to bean addition to our loss. 

So soon as the corresponding altitudes of Sunday afternoon were obtained, I took on board the time keepers and instruments, with the tents andobservatory. The ship was then ready for sea; but the wind blew a galefrom the south-eastward, which continued until Tuesday [3 NOVEMBER 1801]. It then fell calm, and we unmoored; but before getting under way, thesame wind again set in, and obliged us to drop a second anchor. 

Through the kind attention of sir Roger Curtis, the commander in chief, the state of the ship and our provisions and stores were as complete aswhen leaving Spithead. The ship's company had been regularly served withfresh meat every day, beef and mutton alternately; vegetables were not tobe purchased, but we several times received small quantities, withoranges and lemons, from the naval hospital in Cape Town; and aproportion of these for a week, with a few days fresh meat, were carriedto sea. Two of my ship's company, whose dispositions required moreseverity in reducing to good order than I wished to exercise in a serviceof this nature, were exchanged by the vice-admiral; as also two others, who from want of sufficient strength, were not proper for so long avoyage. In lieu of these, I received four men of good character from theflag ship, who made pressing application to go upon a voyage ofdiscovery. Mr. Nathaniel Bell, one of the young gentlemen of the quarterdeck, having expressed a wish to return to England, he was discharged;and Mr. Denis Lacey, midshipman of the Lancaster, received in his place. 

Simon's Bay is known to be a large and well-sheltered cove, in thenorth-western part of the sound, called False Bay. Since the loss of theSceptre in Table Bay, it has been more frequented than formerly; and Ifound it to be a prevailing sentiment, that were it not for theadvantages of Cape Town, Simon's Bay would, in every respect, bepreferable for the royal dockyard, and the equipment of His Majesty'sships. It was remarked to me by an officer of discernment, captain of theflag ship, that instances of vessels being driven from their anchors bywinds blowing into Simon's Bay, were exceedingly rare. He had observedthat the strain upon the cables with these winds, was much less than withthose of equal strength blowing off the land; and he accounted for itfrom the water thrown into the bay by sea winds, rebounding from theshore and forming what is called an under-tow, which tended to keep aship up to her anchors. This takes place in Simon's Bay, with thesouth-east winds, but not in Table Bay with those from the north-west, which blow into it; owing, in part, to the distance at which ships thereride from the land, and apparently, also, from the under-tow passing outon the eastern side of the bay, clear of the anchoring ground. 

The Cape of Good Hope cannot now be supposed to furnish much of noveltyin the department of natural history, especially to transient visitors;but it still continues to afford much amusement and instruction toEnglish botanists. It did so to our gentlemen, who were almost constantlyon shore upon the search; and their collections, intended for examinationon the next passage, were tolerably ample. They were sufficientlyorthodox to walk many miles for the purpose of botanising upon thecelebrated Table Mountain; for what disciple of Linnaeus could otherwiseconscientiously quit the Cape of Good Hope? In taking so early adeparture, though it were to proceed to the almost untrodden, and notless ample field of botany, New Holland, I had to engage with the counterwishes of my scientific associates; so much were they delighted to findthe richest treasures of the English green house, profusely scatteredover the sides and summits of these barren hills. 

CHAPTER III. 

Departure from False Bay. Remarks on the passage to Terra Australis. Gravity of sea-water tried. Cape Leeuwin, and the coast from thence to King George's Sound. Arrival in the Sound. Examination of the harbours. Excursion inland. Country, soil, and productions. Native inhabitants: Language and anatomical measurement. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

[TOWARDS NEW HOLLAND]

WEDNESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 1801

At daybreak of November 4, a light breeze from the eastward enabled me toquit Simon's Bay, after a stoppage of eighteen days. The high land ofGreat Smit's Winkel afterwards becalmed the sails; and we were no furtheradvanced, at noon, than to have the Cape Point bearing south-west, at thedistance of two or three leagues. On receiving the breeze, which camefrom the south-south-west, we stretched towards Cape Agulhas, veeringship at eleven at night, on coming into 50 fathoms. This wind died awayin the morning, and remained calm till noon; the Cape Point then bore N. W. ¾ N. , Cape False N. ¾ E. , and our latitude was 34° 36'. Near thissituation, the bottom is a greenish mud, at the depth of 78 fathoms. 

The report of the guns fired by the squadron in Simon's Bay, tocommemorate the escape from gunpowder treason, was distinctly heard atone o'clock, when we were occupied in making sail to a fine breeze whichhad sprung up from the south-westward. At six in the evening, it blewfresh with cloudy weather; the extremes of the land bore from N. 20° W toW. 58° E. , and we took our departure for New Holland. 

Lieutenant Flinders observed azimuths this evening from the binnacle withtwo compasses; the ship's head was south (magnetic), and the variationfound to be 26° 13' west; and in default of observations on shore, Iconsider this to have been the true variation at the Cape of Good Hope in1801. 

During our run across the Agulhas Bank, I did not find any currentsetting to the westward; but in the five days taken to reach the latitude36° 30' and longitude 33° 38', [TUESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 1801] the ship wasset 59' to the north of the reckoning. The swell which followed after theship probably counteracted the effect of the usual westwardly current;and indeed it must have done something more, if our log were correct, since the longitude by time keepers was then 30' ahead of account. 

I considered the parallel Of 37° south, at this season of the year, to besufficiently distant from the verge of the south-east trade to insure acontinuance of western winds; and to be far enough to the north, to avoidthe gales incident to high latitudes. Having made this passage threetimes before, I was satisfied of the impropriety of running in a highsouthern latitude, particularly when the sun is in the other hemisphere, and there is nothing else in view than to make a good passage; not onlyfrom the winds there being often stronger than desired, but because theywill not blow so steadily from the westward. In the latitude of 42°, Ihave experienced heavy gales from the north, and from the south, and evenfrom the eastward, in the months of June and July; allowances for lee waywere also frequent in that passage, and light winds or calms notuncommon. The parallel of 42° seems to be a very proper one, when the sunis in his highest south declination, and from that time until the middleof February; but in the opposite months of the year, I should prefer torun down my easting two or three degrees even to the northward of whatwas now chosen for the Investigator. 

It may not be improper to anticipate upon the voyage so far as to statewhat was the result of keeping in the parallel of 37°, in the month ofNovember. From the Cape of Good Hope to the island Amsterdam, the windswere never so strong as to reduce the Investigator to close-reefed topsails; and on the other hand, the calms amounted to no more than sevenhours in nineteen days. The average distance on the log board upon directcourses, for we had no foul winds, was a hundred and forty miles per day;and the Investigator was not a frigate, but a collier-built ship, anddeeply laden. In the following twelve days run, from Amsterdam to thesouth-west cape of New Holland, the same winds attended us; and a hundredand fifty eight miles per day was the average distance, without lee wayor calm. 

THURSDAY 12 NOVEMBER 1801

On the 12th, I took the opportunity of light winds to send down a bucket, fitted with valves to bring up water from a depth; but having nothermometer of a proper size to go into the bucket, I could only immerseone after the water was brought up. In this imperfect way, thetemperature at 150 fathoms depth was found to be 63°, 1, differing verylittle from that of the water at the surface, which was 63°, 8. In theair, the thermometer stood at 63°, 6. The specific gravity of the waterbrought up was afterwards tried at King George's Sound, and proved, atthe temperature of 69°, to be 1, 026, taking that of the crystal-glassbulb, with which the experiment was made, at 3, 150; and the specificgravity of the surface water, taken up at the same time, was exactly thesame. The latitude of our situation was 36° 36' south, and longitude 38°23' east. The mean inclination of the dipping needle, placed upon thecabin table, was 58° 4' of the south end; and the variation, by mean ofazimuths on the preceding evening and amplitude this morning, taken onthe binnacle when the ships head was S. E. By E. , magnetic, was 31° 47';but the true variation, or such as would have been obtained with the headat north, or south, I consider to have been 29° 22' west. 

Throughout the passage to the island Amsterdam, we were accompanied bysome, or all of the oceanic birds usually found in these latitudes; butnot in the numbers I had been accustomed to see them further south. Thespouting of a whale was occasionally perceived, and became more frequenton approaching the island; the number of small blue petrels was alsoincreased, and a few Cape hens then made their appearance. 

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 1801

At five in the evening of the 24th, the mean variation from threecompasses on the binnacle, was observed to be 23° 7' west, with theship's head E. S. E. , or 20° 4' true. Our latitude was then 38° 20'south, longitude 76° 26' east; and at eleven at night, having nearlyreached the longitude of Amsterdam, whose situation I wished to comparewith the time keepers, we hove to, in a parallel between it and theisland St. Paul. At five next morning [WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER 1801], westeered southward to make Amsterdam; but having reached its latitude, andno land being visible, our eastwardly course was resumed. The weather wasthick, so that objects could not be distinguished beyond five or sixmiles; and at noon the ship was found to have been set 23' of longitudeto the east of what the log gave. From these joint causes it must havebeen that Amsterdam was not perceived, if its situation of 38° 43' southand 77° 40' east, as made in His Majesty's ship Providence, in 1792, wererightly ascertained. 

In passages like this, when fortunately made, it is seldom that anycircumstance occurs, of sufficient interest to be related. Ouremployments were to clean, dry, and air the ship below; and the seamen'sclothes and bedding, with the sails, upon deck. These, with the exerciseof the great guns and small arms, were our principal employments in fineweather; and when otherwise, we were wet and uncomfortable, and could dolittle. It was a great satisfaction that frequent pumping of the ship wasnot now required, the greatest quantity of water admitted during thispassage being less than two inches an hour. The antiseptics issued weresour krout and vinegar, to the extent of the applications for them; andat half an hour before noon every day, a pint of strong wort, made bypouring boiling water upon the essence of malt, was given to each man. Itwas drunk upon deck; and with half a biscuit, made a luncheon for bothofficers and people. The allowance of grog was never issued until half anhour after the dinner time. 

[SOUTH COAST. CAPE LEEUWIN. ]

SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER 1801

On the 6th of December, our latitude was 35° 10' and longitude 114° 19';which placed us about S. W. ½ S. Twenty-two leagues from the westernmostisles lying off the south-west cape of New Holland, according to theirposition by the French rear-admiral D'Entrecasteaux; a traced copy ofwhose general chart of this coast had been furnished to me from thehydrographical office at the Admiralty. There were no names applied inthis copy; but in the charts of the French voyage, lately published, these islets are called _Îles St. Alouarn_. 

Notwithstanding the nearness of the land there were no signs of suchproximity: no discolouring in the water, no sea weed, no new birds, andbut few of the species before seen. The current had, indeed, somewhatchanged; for while, during the three preceding days, it had set N. 12° W. Twenty-seven miles per day, on an average, it was found this day to haverun N. 47° E. Twenty-two miles. This change, however, could scarcely bethought a sign of land, since equal, or greater differences had occurredduring the passage, and might arise, in part, from errors in the log. 

(Atlas Plate II. )

At two in the afternoon, the wind being north-westward, we hauled up tomake the south-western point of Leeuwin's Land, and bent the cables. Atseven, land was seen right ahead, bearing N. 14° E. , at the supposeddistance of ten leagues; and on sounding there was 85 fathoms, coralsand. We stood for it until eleven at night, and then veered to thesouth-west, in 65 fathoms, same bottom. 

The examination of Nuyts' and of Leeuwin's Lands was not prescribed in myinstructions to be made at this time; but the difference of sailing alongthe coast at a distance, or in keeping near it and making a runningsurvey, was likely to be so little that I judged it advisable to do allthat circumstances would allow whilst the opportunity offered; and I hadthe pleasure to find this slight deviation approved at the Admiralty. 

MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 1801

At two in the morning we had 80 fathoms, and veered towards the land. Itwas seen from the mast head at five; and the highest part, the same whichhad been set in the evening, bore N. 12° W. This is the largest of thebefore-mentioned Isles of St. Alouarn; but at half past seven we sawhills extending from behind, and, to all appearance, joining it to themain land. This supposed isle is, therefore, what I denominate CAPELEEUWIN, as being the south-western and most projecting part of Leeuwin'sLand. The highest hill lies nearly in latitude 34° 19' south, andlongitude 115° 6' east; it is a sloping piece of land of about sixhundred feet in elevation, and appeared to be rocky, with a slightcovering of trees and shrubs; but this cape will be best known from Mr. Westall's sketch. (Atlas Plate XVII. View I. ). A piece of lower land wasseen to the north-west, probably a continuation of the coast, and thereare some rocky islets scattered on the south side of the cape. Thelargest of these islets, lying about four miles off, was passed beforeeight o'clock, at the distance of seven or eight miles, and seen to besurrounded with high and extensive breakers. 

On the east side of Cape Leeuwin the land falls back north-eastward threeor four leagues, and afterwards curves to the south-east, forming a largebight which appeared to be wholly exposed to the southern winds. Thecoast-line round the upper part of this bight was not distinguishable;but the hills at the back showed more of bare sand than of vegetablecovering. At ten o'clock a low, black projection, forming the easternpoint of the bight, bore east three miles; and the depth was 15 fathomsupon a coarse sandy bottom. We then veered round to the south-eastward, following the direction of the coast, with the wind at west-south-westand weather somewhat squally; and at noon, our situation and principalbearings were as follow:

Latitude observed, 34° 32 2/3' S. Longitude by time keepers, 115 30 E. C. Leeuwin, furthest visible part, N. 55 W. The low, black point, N. 4 W. Furthest extreme of the coast ahead, S. 53 E. 

The shore abreast was seven or eight miles distant; and behind it ran acontinuation of the same ridge of sandy hillocks which surrounds thebight, and it extended to the southern extreme. Over this ridge wereperceived, here and there, the tops of some higher and less sandy hills, standing a few miles inland; but the general aspect of the country wasthat of great sterility; nor was there, as yet, any appearance of itsbeing inhabited. 

Soon after four we passed the noon's extreme at the distance of fourmiles. It is a steep, rocky cape, named in the French chart, PointD'Entrecasteaux; and is one of the most remarkable projections of thiscoast. I make its latitude, from the bearings, to be 34° 52' south, andlongitude by time keepers 116° 1' east. A low rock lies two or threemiles to the east-south-east, from the point, and a patch of breakersnearly the same distance from the south; and soon after passing thepoint, two other rocks, white and rather high, were seen lying from itfive leagues to the south-east. At a quarter past seven, when the nightclosed in

The two white rocks bore N. 20° E. Furthest extrem of the land, like a steep head, N. 71° E. 

TUESDAY 8 DECEMBER 1801

The wind was then at south-west, and we stretched onward until one in themorning, before tacking to the north-west for the land. At daylight theship was found to have been carried to the eastward, and neither PointD'Entrecasteaux nor the two white rocks were in sight; but in the N. 19°E. , about eight miles, was a head not far from the extreme set in theevening. It afterwards proved to be a smooth, steep rock, lying one milefrom the main; and is the land first made upon this coast by captainVancouver, who called it Cape Chatham. Its latitude is very nearly 35° 3'south, longitude 116° 29' east, and it was sketched by Mr. Westall. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 2. )

Whilst stretching in for the shore, with the ship's headnorth-west-by-north (magnetic) I took azimuths with two compasses on thebinnacle; after which they were immediately placed on a stand near thetaffrel and other azimuths taken. The variation resulting from theobservations on the binacle was 5° 59' west, and from those near thetaffrel 8° 24' west; affording another instance of the effect produced bychanging the place of the compass. In 1803, and at twenty leagues to thewest of Cape Leeuwin, we had 10° 4' variation on the binnacle, with thehead south-east; from which, and the above 5° 59', the true variation offthe cape, or such as would be obtained with the ship's head at north orsouth, should be 7° 48' west. *

[* The mode by which these, and other observations made with the compasson the binnacle, are reduced to what is conceived to be the truevariation, is explained in the Appendix No. II, to the second volume. ]

At seven o'clock we got sight of the two white rocks, which enabled me totake up the survey of the preceding evening; and we then bore away alongthe coast at the distance of four or five miles, with a pleasant breezeand fine weather. 

Some parts of the shore between Point D'Entrecasteaux and Cape Chathamwere not distinctly seen. That which is nearest to the cape lies in theline of N. 38° W. From its outer part, and presents an intermixture ofsteep cliffs and small sandy beaches, with a back land moderately high, and better covered with wood than that before described. On the east sideof Cape Chatham the shore falls back to the northward, and makes a bightin which is a small reef of rocks. It then projects in a cliffy head, which lies S. 75° E. Seven miles from the cape, and is called Point Nuytsin the French chart; upon the supposition, probably, that this was thefirst land seen by Nuyts in 1627. Beyond this point the coast trends verynearly east; but forms several projections, some of which are steep andothers low; and between them are sandy bights where small vessels mightobtain shelter from all northern winds. The hills lying at the back ofthe shore seemed to be barren, though trees grew thickly on their easternsides; they are not high, but it was rare to perceive any thing of theinterior country above them. 

At noon the nearest parts of the coast were a steep and a more easternlow point, both distant about four miles; and from the bight between themwas rising the first smoke seen upon this coast. Our situation at thistime, and the principal bearings taken, were as under;

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 85° 7' 5". Longitude by time keepers, 116 50. Point Nuyts, with Cape Chatham behind, N. 75 W. Steep point, near the smoke, N. 15 W. Furthest visible extreme ahead, N. 84 E. 

Soon after two o'clock we passed at the distance of five miles from asteep point which has a broad rock lying near it. This point, beingunnamed and somewhat remarkable, I call _Point Hillier_; it lies in 35°4' south and 117° 9' east. The coast extends from thence nearlyeast-by-south, without any considerable projection except at the furthestextreme then visible; and on coming up with it, at half-past five, itproved to be the Cape Howe of Vancouver. There is another Cape Howe uponthis same coast, named by Captain Cook, which makes it necessary todistinguish this by a descriptive adjunct, and I shall therefore call it_West_ Cape Howe. The situation of this projecting cliffy cape is in 35°8½' south and 117° 40' east. Beyond it the land trends north-by-east, four miles, into a sandy bight, in which there is a small islet; andfurther along the shore, which then stretches eastward and again becomescliffy, there are two others. When the cape bore N. 10° W. Four miles, the highest of the Eclipse Isles was in sight, bearing E. 4° N. ; but "thesmall detached islet, " which Captain Vancouver says (Vol. I p. 32) "liesfrom Cape Howe S. 68° E. , three leagues, " could not be seen; though itshould have lain nearly in our track. *

[* This islet, seen by Captain Vancouver in the evening, must have beenthe highest of the Eclipse Isles; but from the apparent difference of itssituation, was thought not to be the same on the following morning. Thechange in the variation of the compass, which had taken place on alteringthe direction of the ship's head, seems to have been the cause of thisapparent difference. ]

[SOUTH COAST. KING GEORGE'S SOUND. ]

(Atlas Plate XVII. View 3. )

The wind blew fresh at this time, and a current of more than one mile anhour ran with us, so that, by carrying all sail, I hoped to get sight ofKing George's Sound before dark. At seven we passed close on the southside of the Eclipse Isles; but Bald Head at the entrance of the sound hadso different an appearance from what I had been led to expect, being aslope in this point of view, that the steep east end of Break-sea Islandwas at first taken for it. The error was fortunately perceived in time;and at eight o'clock we hauled up round the head, with the wind at west, and made a stretch into the sound. It was then dark; but the night beingfine, I did not hesitate to work up by the guidance of captainVancouver's chart; and having reached nearly into a line between SealIsland and the first beach round Bald Head, we anchored at eleven o'clockin 8 fathoms, sandy bottom. 

WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER 1801

King George's Sound had been chosen as the proper place in which toprepare ourselves for the examination of the south coast of TerraAustralis, and I sought to make the best use of the advantages it mightfurnish. The first essential requisite was a place of secure shelter, where the masts could be stripped, the rigging and sails put into order, and communication had with the shore without interruption from theelements; but this, from captain Vancouver's chart and description, I didnot expect the outer sound to afford. The facility of quittingPrincess-Royal Harbour, with such a wind as would be favourable forprosecuting the investigation of the coast, induced me so far to preferit to Oyster Harbour as to make it the first object of examination; andin the morning, after we had sounded round the ship and found her soplaced as to require no immediate movement, I went in a boat for thepurpose, accompanied by the master and landscape painter; the naturalistand some other gentlemen landing at the same time, to botanise in thevicinity of Bald Head. 

(Atlas Plate VII. View 4. )

Seal Island, where we stopped in passing, is a mass of granite, which isaccessible only at its western end, as represented in Mr. Westall'ssketch. After killing a few seals upon the shore, we ascended the hill tosearch for the bottle and parchment left by captain Vancouver in 1791;*but could find no vestiges either of it or of the staff or pile ofstones; and since there was no appearance of the natives having crossedover from the main, I was led to suspect that a second ship had been herebefore us. 

[* See his Voyage, Vol. I. Page 40]

At Point Possession, on the south side of the entrance to Princess-RoyalHarbour, we had a good view of that extensive piece of water. Wood seemednot to be abundant near the shores; and therefore a projection two orthree miles to the south-west, which was covered with trees, firstattracted my notice. The depth of water in going to it was, however, toolittle for the ship; nor was there any fresh stream in the neighbourhood. Some person, but not captain Vancouver, had nevertheless been cuttingwood there; for several trees had been felled with axe and saw. Not farfrom thence stood a number of bark sheds, like the huts of the nativeswho live in the forests behind Port Jackson, and forming what might becalled a small village; but it had been long deserted. Going across fromthe woody point to the north side of the harbour, we there found 3fathoms within less than half a mile of the shore; and an increasingdepth from thence out to the entrance. The soundings in the entrance werefrom 5 to 7 fathoms; but the channel was too narrow to admit of gettingin without a leading wind and much caution. 

THURSDAY 10 DECEMBER 1801

On Thursday morning the master was sent to examine the north side of theharbour for water and wood; and we got the ship under way to beat up tothe entrance, the wind blowing still from the westward. At eleven o'clockthe anchor was dropped in 6 fathoms half a mile from Point Possession;and as I was doubtful of the master's success, I went in a boat, accompanied by lieutenant Flinders, to examine Oyster Harbour. We carried7 and 6 fathoms from the ship towards the entrance until Michaelmas andBreak-sea Islands were closing on with each other; after which the depthdiminished to 5, 4, 3, and 2¾ fathoms. On hauling westward we got intosix feet; but steering the other way, it deepened to seventeen, the eastside of the opening behind then in a line with the middle of some high, flat-topped land, at the back of the harbour. Keeping in that direction, we carried 3, 4, and 5 fathoms; and had 6 in the narrowest part of theentrance. Within side the deep water turned on the starboard hand, but inmany parts there was not more than 3 fathoms. 

As I proposed to make a new survey of King George's Sound, we landed totake a set of angles upon the small central island; the same whichcaptain Vancouver describes (Vol. I. Page 35), as covered with luxuriantgrass and other vegetables, and where he planted vine cuttings, water-cresses, and the seeds of various fruits. There were no remains ofthese valuable gifts, although nothing indicated the island to have beenvisited since his time; and, to our disappointment, the vegetation uponit now consisted of tufts of wiry grass and a few stunted shrubs, supported by a thin layer of sandy soil, which was every where perforatedwith rat-holes. 

From the island we rowed in various directions, sounding the harbour; butthe boat could seldom approach the shore within a cable's length, or theeighth part of a mile. On the south-west side there were two smallstreams, in one of which the water was fresh, though high-coloured. Returning to the entrance, we landed on the east side, and found a spotof ground six or eight feet square, dug up and trimmed like a garden; andupon it was lying a piece of sheet copper, bearing this inscription:"August 27, 1800. Chr. Dixson--ship Elligood"; which solved thedifficulty of the felled trees and the disappearance of captainVancouver's bottle. On digging in this place I found that fresh water ofa high colour, but well tasted, might be obtained; wood was abundant, andthe depth of the entrance admitted of the ship being made fast to theshore; so that this was a situation adapted to our purpose of refitment, provided the ship could be got over the bar. This point I was desirous toascertain in my way on board, but the strength of the wind prevented it. 

The report of the master from Princess-Royal Harbour was, that watercould be obtained at the north side by digging near the shore, at thefoot of the highest hill; but that there was no wood at a convenientdistance. I therefore sent him, next morning [FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER 1801], to land the naturalists at the entrance of Oyster Harbour, and then tosound the bar; and not being satisfied with his report, that there wasnot so much as fourteen feet, which the ship drew when captain Vancouverhad marked seventeen, I went to the nearest head, with a theodolite andsignal flags, to direct his movements. No more, however, than _thirteen_feet could now be found upon the shallowest part of the bar; and, consequently, the idea of refitting in Oyster Harbour was abandoned. Theboat which brought off Mr. Brown and his party in the evening collected agood quantity of oysters, and of the large fan muscles, from the shoals. 

SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 1801

The wind continuing foul for going into Princess-Royal Harbour, a woodingparty was sent next morning to a bight round the north side of theentrance, where the wood was found to split better than at some otherplaces. Another party went to the same place with the launch, to haul theseine, but the wind coming round to the eastward, the boat was recalledand a kedge anchor and hawser put into it. We then weighed and ran intothe harbour under the top-sails; and at eleven anchored in seventeen feetupon muddy ground, at one-third of a mile from the shore under thehighest hill. When the ship was moored Michaelmas Island was on with thenorth, and Break-sea Island with the south point of the entrance, and thehighest hill bore N. E. By N. By compass. The least depth of water we hadin passing the entrance was 4 fathoms; but to those who may wish to goin, the plan in Plate II of the Atlas, and a good look-out from themasthead, will be of more service than any written directions. 

So soon as the ship was secured, I landed with the naturalists; and afterfixing upon a place for our tents, ascended the highest hill to takeangles. Amongst other objects I perceived in the bearing of N. 87° 20' W. Two distant pieces of water, at the back of the bight near West CapeHowe; but whether they were lakes or an inlet of the sea could not bedistinguished. Our tents, under the guard of a party of marines, were setup this evening; and in the morning [SUNDAY 13 DECEMBER 1801] theobservatory and instruments were sent on shore, under the care oflieutenant Flinders, who had undertaken to assist me in performing theoffice of astronomer. 

Marks of the country being inhabited were found every where, but as yetthere was nothing to indicate the presence of the natives in ourneighbourhood; I therefore allowed a part of the ship's company to divertthemselves on shore this afternoon; and the same was done every Sundayduring our stay in this harbour. On Monday [14 DECEMBER 1801] thetopmasts were struck, and our various duties commenced; the naturalistsranged the country in all directions, being landed at such places as theydesired; whilst my own time was divided betwixt the observatory and thesurvey of the Sound. 

Some smokes being perceived at the head of the harbour, Mr. Brown andother gentlemen directed their excursion that way and met with several ofthe natives, who were shy but not afraid. One man with whom they hadcommunication was admired for his manly behaviour, and they gave him abird which had been shot, and a pocket-handkerchief; but, like thegenerality of people hitherto seen in this country, these men did notseem to be desirous of communication with strangers; and they very earlymade signs to our gentlemen to return from whence they came. Next morning[TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 1801], however, we were agreeably surprised by theappearance of two Indians, and afterwards of others, upon the side of thehill behind our tents. They approached with much caution, one comingfirst with poised spear, and making many gestures, accompanied with muchvociferous parleying, in which he sometimes seemed to threaten us if wedid not be gone, and at others to admit of our stay. On Mr. Purdie, theassistant-surgeon, going up to him unarmed, a communication was broughtabout, and they received some articles of iron and toys, giving inexchange some of their implements; and after a short stay, left us, apparently on very good terms. 

MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 1801

On the 17th one of our former visitors brought two strangers with him;and after this time, they and others came almost every day, andfrequently stopped a whole morning at the tents. We always made thempresents of such things as seemed to be most agreeable, but they veryrarely brought us anything in return; nor was it uncommon to find smallmirrors and other things left about the shore, so that at length ourpresents were discontinued. 

WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 1801

I formed a party on the 23rd, consisting of the officers of the ship, thescientific gentlemen, and others, amounting to thirteen, well armed andprovided for two days, in order to visit the lakes behind West Cape Howe. We walked along the shore to the north-western extremity ofPrincess-Royal Harbour, where several small runs of fresh water werefound to drain in from peaty swamps. Striking from thence into thecountry in a western direction, we had not advanced far when a native wasseen running before us; and soon afterward an old man, who had beenseveral times at the tents, came up, unarmed as usual. He was veryanxious that we should not go further; and acted with a good deal ofresolution in first stopping one and then another of those who wereforemost. He was not able to prevail; but we accommodated him so far asto make a circuit round the wood, where it seemed probable his family andfemale friends were placed. The old man followed us, hallooing frequentlyto give information of our movements; and when a paroquet was shot, heexpressed neither fear nor surprise, but received the bird with gladnessand attended with some curiosity to the reloading of the gun. 

Our course for the lakes led us through swamps and thick brushwoods, inwhich our new acquaintance followed for some time; but at length, growingtired of people who persevered in keeping a bad road in opposition to hisrecommendation of a better, which, indeed, had nothing objectionable init but that it led directly contrary to where our object lay, he fellbehind and left us. We afterwards took to the skirts of the sea-coasthills and made better progress; but were obliged to recross the swampsand force our way through a thick brush before reaching the eastern lake. 

This piece of water was found to be one mile and a half east and west, and one mile in breadth, and appeared to receive the drainings from thenumerous swamps round about. In coasting round the north side, to reachthe south-western lake, we were stopped by a serpentine stream, uponwhich were two black swans; but they took to flight before we could getnear to shoot them. After following the windings of this riverlet somedistance to the north-west, without being able to pass over, we struckinland towards the skirt of some rising hills, and crossed the streamearly enough to walk a mile to the south-west before sunset, when theconvenience of dry ground, with wood and water at hand, induced us tohalt for the night. 

THURSDAY 24 DECEMBER 1801

On Thursday morning we reached the south-western lake, and found it to belarger than the first. Its water was brackish, which bespoke acommunication with the sea; and as there was no certainty that thiscommunication might not be too deep to be passed, it was thought prudentto give up the intention of proceeding to the sea side, and our stepswere retraced across the rivulet and round the northern lake. We thenstruck southward and ascended the hills to the top of the cliffs facingthe sea; from whence I had an opportunity of seeing the bight near CapeHowe, and the form of the lakes; but no water communication was visiblebetween them. 

Our course homeward was pursued along the sandy ridge at the back of thecliffs, where the want of water was as great as the superabundance hadbeen in the low land going out. Towards sunset, when Princess-RoyalHarbour was still some miles distant, the natural-history painter becameunable to proceed further, being overcome with the labour of the walk, with the excessive heat, and with thirst. To have detained the wholeparty in a state of sufferance would have been imprudent; and Mr. Brownand two others having volunteered to stay, we left them the scantyremains of our provision, and pushed forward to the tents, which wereached at eight o'clock. At midnight we had the pleasure to see ourfriends arrive, and the preparation made for sending to their assistance, at daybreak, became unnecessary. 

The country through which we passed in this excursion has but little torecommend it. The stony hills of the sea coast were, indeed, generallycovered with shrubs; but there was rarely any depth of vegetable soil, and no wood. The land slopes down gradually behind these hills; and atthe bottom water drains out and forms a chain of swamps extending fromPrincess-Royal Harbour to the lakes. Here the country is covered withgrass and brushwood, and in the parts a little elevated there are foresttrees; nevertheless the soil is shallow and unfit for cultivation. 

WEDNESDAY 30 DECEMBER 1801

On the 30th, our wooding and the watering of the ship were completed, therigging was refitted, the sails repaired and bent, and the ship unmoored. Our friends the natives continued to visit us; and the old man withseveral others being at the tents this morning, I ordered the party ofmarines on shore to be exercised in their presence. The red coats andwhite crossed belts were greatly admired, having some resemblance totheir own manner of ornamenting themselves; and the drum, butparticularly the fife, excited their astonishment; but when they sawthese beautiful red-and-white men, with their bright muskets, drawn up ina line, they absolutely screamed with delight; nor were their wildgestures and vociferation to be silenced but by commencing the exercise, to which they paid the most earnest and silent attention. Several of themmoved their hands involuntarily, according to the motions; and the oldman placed himself at the end of the rank, with a short staff in hishand, which he shouldered, presented, grounded as did the marines theirmuskets, without, I believe, knowing what he did. Before firing, theIndians were made acquainted with what was going to take place; so thatthe vollies did not excite much terror. 

SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 1802

The tents and observatory were already struck; and everything being senton board, we took leave of the natives, and embarked with the intentionof running into the Sound this evening; but a change in the wind, tosouth-by-east, prevented it. This wind veered to east and north-east, andfor a short time blew strong; so that it was the 3rd of January in theafternoon before we steered out of Princess-Royal Harbour. It was not myintention to proceed immediately to sea; and I therefore took theopportunity of standing backward and forward in the Sound, with thedredge and trawl overboard; and a variety of small fish were brought up. These were of little use as food; but with the shells, sea weeds, andcorals they furnished amusement and occupation to the naturalist anddraughtsman, and a pretty kind of hippocampus, which was not scarce, wasgenerally admired. 

In the evening the anchor was dropped in 7 fathoms, abreast of the secondsandy beach near a flat rock on the south side of the Sound, almost inthe same spot where captain Vancouver had anchored in 1791. I think theSound does not afford a more secure place, the sole points of expositionbeing between Bald Head and Break-sea Island, making an angle of no morethan 10°; and as both wood and water are procurable here, though neithervery good, a ship proposing to stay only a few days is under no necessityof having recourse to the harbours. 

MONDAY 4 JANUARY 1802

On the 4th a fresh gale blew from the westward and prevented me frommoving the ship. A bottle, containing a parchment to inform futurevisitors of our arrival and intention to sail on the morrow, was leftupon the top of Seal Island; and the wind having moderated next day, andthe weather become finer, though still squally, we then made sail out ofKing George's Sound to prosecute the further examination of the coast. 

TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 1802

The refreshments we had procured were fish and oysters. The seine wasfrequently hauled upon the different beaches; but although it was done inthe evening, round fires which had been previously kindled, littlesuccess was obtained in this way. With hook and line we were morefortunate, both alongside and from boats stationed off the rocky points;and the whole ship's company had generally a fresh meal once in three orfour days. Of oysters, as many were taken from the shoals in bothharbours as we chose to spare time for gathering. Our fire wood wasprocured from the north point of entrance to Princess-Royal Harbour, atthe inner end of the long middle beach; but the trees best calculated forsawing into planks were obtained at the easternmost of the two woodyprojections on the south side of the harbour. A good number of planks andlogs were taken on board for making garden boxes to contain the mostcurious plants collected by the naturalist, and for a variety of otherpurposes. The fresh water, procured by digging near the tents, was alittle discoloured, but good; and it was sufficiently abundant for everypurpose: its specific gravity was 1. 003 at the temperature of 69°. 

Captain Vancouver has described the country in the neighbourhood of KingGeorge's Sound, and therefore a few observations upon it will suffice. The basis stone is granite, which frequently shows itself at the surfacein the form of smooth, bare rock; but upon the seacoast hills, and theshores on the south sides of the Sound and Princess-Royal Harbour, thegranite is generally covered with a crust of calcareous stone; as it is, also, upon Michaelmas Island. Captain Vancouver mentions (Vol. I. P. 49)having found upon the top of Bald Head, branches of coral protrudingthrough the sand, exactly like those seen in the coral beds beneath thesurface of the sea; a circumstance which should seem to bespeak thiscountry to have emerged from the ocean at no very distant period of time. This curious fact I was desirous to verify; and his description wasproved to be correct. I found, also, two broken columns of stone three orfour feet high, formed like stumps of trees and of a thickness superiorto the body of a man; but whether they were of coral or of wood nowpetrified, or whether they might not have been calcareous rocks worn intothat particular form by the weather, I cannot determine. Their elevationabove the present level of the sea could not have been less than fourhundred feet. 

But little calcareous matter was found elsewhere than on the southernshores. In Oyster Harbour a rather strongly impregnated ironstoneprevails, but mixed with quartz and granite; and in some parts of bothharbours a brown argillaceous earth was not uncommon. 

The soil of the hills is very barren, though, except near the sea coast, generally covered with wood; and that of the plains at the head ofPrincess-Royal Harbour has been described as shallow, and incapable ofcultivation. In the neighbourhood of Oyster Harbour the land was said tobe better, especially near the rivulet which falls into the northerncorner; and on the borders of a small lake, at the back of the long beachbetween the two harbours, the country was represented to be pleasing tothe eye and tolerably fertile. 

The timber trees of the woods consist principally of different species ofthat extensive class called _gum tree_ by the colonists at Port Jackson, by botanists _eucalyptus_. They do not grow very large here, and the woodis heavy and seldom fit for other than common purposes. Amongst theplants collected by Mr. Brown and his associates was a small one of anovel kind which we commonly called the pitcher plant. Around the rootleaves are several little vases lined with spiny hairs, and there weregenerally found to contain a sweetish water, and also a number of deadants. It cannot be asserted that the ants were attracted by the water, and prevented by the spiny hairs from making their escape; but it seemednot improbable that this was a contrivance of nature to obtain the meansnecessary either to the nourishment or preservation of the plant. 

Amongst the animal productions the kangaroo and cassowary hold the firstranks. The kangaroo appeared to be numerous, and of more than onespecies; but none were caught. Three of them seen by me bore aresemblance to the large kind which inhabits the forests of Port Jackson;and the cassowary showed nothing distinguishable at a distance from thesame animal at that place: both were shy; as were the ducks, swans, andall the birds. 

Near Point Possession were found two nests of extraordinary magnitude. They were built upon the ground, from which they rose about two feet; andwere of vast circumference and great interior capacity, the branches oftrees and other matter, of which each nest was composed, being enough tofill a small cart. Captain Cook (see Hawkesworth, Vol. III. P. 195) foundone of these enormous nests upon Eagle Island, on the East Coast; and ifthe magnitude of the constructor be proportionate to the size of thenest, Terra Australis must be inhabited by a species of bird littleinferior to the condor of the Andes. 

Amongst the reptiles was a variety of lizards; one of which, of thelarger size, was met with by Dampier on the West Coast, and is describedby him "as a sort of guano, but differing from others in three remarkableparticulars: for these had a larger and uglier head, and had no tail: andat the rump, instead of the tail there, they had a stump of a tail, whichappeared like another head; but not really such, being without mouth oreyes. Yet this creature seemed, by this means, to have a head at eachend; and, which may be reckoned a fourth difference, the legs, also, seemed all four of them to be fore legs, being all alike in shape andlength, and seeming by the joints and bendings to be made as if they wereto go indifferently either head or tail foremost. They were speckledblack and yellow like toads, and had scales or knobs on their backs likethose of crocodiles. They are very slow in motion and when a man comesnigh them they will stand and hiss, not endeavouring to get away. Theirlivers are also spotted black and yellow; and the body when opened hath avery unsavoury smell. The guano's I have observed to be very good meat, and I have often eaten of them with pleasure; but though I have eaten ofsnakes, crocodiles, and alligators, and many creatures that lookfrightfully enough, and there are but few I should have been afraid toeat of, if pressed by hunger, yet I think my stomach would scarce haveserved to venture upon these New Holland guano's, both the looks and thesmell of them being so offensive. " The animal is certainly of a singularform; but it is scarcely necessary to say that the merit of Dampier'sdescription does not consist in being strictly accurate. 

The fish caught with hook and line were principally small mullet, and anexcellent kind of snapper, nearly the same as that called _wollamai_ bythe natives of Port Jackson; but these were larger, weighing sometimes asmuch as twenty pounds. 

Our frequent and amicable communication with the natives of this countryhas been mentioned. The women were, however, kept out of sight withseeming jealousy; and the men appeared to suspect the same conduct in us, after they had satisfied themselves that the most beardless of those theysaw at the tents were of the same sex with the rest. The belief thatthere must be women in the ship induced two of them to comply with ourpersuasion of getting into the boat, one morning, to go on board; buttheir courage failing, they desired to be relanded, and made signs thatthe ship must go on shore to them. 

It was with some surprise that I saw the natives of the east coast of NewSouth Wales so nearly portrayed in those of the south-western extremityof New Holland. These do not, indeed, extract one of the upper frontteeth at the age of puberty, as is generally practised at Port Jackson, nor do they make use of the _womerah_, or throwing stick; but theircolour, the texture of the hair, and personal appearance are the same;their songs run in the same cadence; the manner of painting themselves issimilar; their belts and fillets of hair are made in the same way, andworn in the same manner. The short, skin cloak, which is of kangaroo, andworn over the shoulders, leaving the rest of the body naked, is more inthe manner of the wood natives living at the back of Port Jackson than ofthose who inhabit the sea coast; and everything we saw confirmed thesupposition of captain Vancouver, that they live more by hunting thanfishing. None of the small islands had been visited, no canoes were seen, nor was any tree found in the woods from which the bark had been takenfor making one. They were fearful of trusting themselves upon the water;and we could never succeed in making them understand the use of the fishhook, although they were intelligent in comprehending our signs uponother subjects. 

The manners of these people are quick and vehement, and theirconversation vociferous, like that of most uncivilised people. Theyseemed to have no idea of any superiority we possessed over them; on thecontrary, they left us, after the first interview, with some appearanceof contempt for our pusillanimity; which was probably inferred from thedesire we showed to be friendly with them. This opinion, however, seemedto be corrected in their future visits. 

Notwithstanding the similarity of person and manner to the inhabitants ofPort Jackson, the language of these people is very different. We foundtheir pronunciation difficult to be imitated; more so, indeed, than ourlanguage was to them. Several English words they pronounced perfectly;whilst of such where an _f_ or an _s_ entered they could make but little:Finger, was pronounced _bing-gah_, ship, _yip_; and of King George theymake _Ken Jag-ger_. In the difficulty of pronouncing the _f_ and _s_ theyresemble the Port Jackson natives; and the word used by them in callingto a distance, _cau-wah_! (come here) is nearly similar to _cow-ee_! Theword also to express _eye_ is nearly the same. But in the followingtable, which contains all the words that, with any certainty, I was ableto collect, the most essential differences will be found both from thePort Jackson language and from that of the south end of Van Diemen'sLand; and the words collected by Captain Cook at Endeavour River bear noresemblance to any of them. 

English. K. George's Sound. Port Jackson. * Van Diemen's Land. **

Head Kaat Ca-ber-raHair Kaat-jou De-war-ra PelilogueniNose Mo-il No-gro Mugui (Muidge, Cook)Cheek, or beard Ny-a-nuk Yar-rin CanguineTeeth Yea-al Da-ra Pegui or Canan (Kamy, C)Ear Du-ong Go-ray Vaigui (Koygee, Cook)Lips Ur-luk Wil-ling Mogude liaThroat Wurt Cad-le-anNipple Bpep Na-bungBelly Ko-bul Bar-rong LomanguiPosteriors Wa-la-kah Boong NuneThigh Dtou-alKnee Wo-nat Go-rook RongaLeg Maat Dar-ra LeraiFoot Jaan Ma-no-e PereThe sun Djaat Co-ing Panubere

[* From Collins' _Account of the English Colony in New South Wales_, Vol. I. P. 610-611]

[** _Voyage de D'Entrecasteaux_, par M. De Rossel. Tome I. P. 552 _et. Seq. _ These words are written after the French pronunciation of theletters. ]

The following anatomical admeasurement of one of the best proportioned ofour visitors was furnished by the surgeon, Mr. Hugh Bell:

Full height Ft. In. Circumference of the head 5 7 6From the transverse nasal suture to the posterior ridge 1 11 0 of the occiput 1 3 0From the small rim of each ear across the forehead 1 0 0From the nasal suture, over the nose, to the tip of the chin 0 5 2From ditto to the tip of the nose 0 1 0From the tip of the nose to the edge of the upper lip 0 1 0From the edge of the under lip to the tip of the chin 0 1 5Extent of the mouth 0 2 1 nostrils 0 1 6 lower jaw from each angle 0 8 6Length of the arm 1 1 6 fore arm 1 0 0 middle metacarpal bone 0 4 0 middle finger 0 4 3 femur, from the great trochanter to its lower end 1 5 6 tibia 1 4 6 foot 0 10 0Length from the protuberance of the inner ankle to the tip of the heel 0 3 9Ditto to the end of the great toe 0 8 6Circumference of the neck 1 0 6 chest 2 8 9 pelvis 2 4 9 arm 0 10 6 elbow joint 0 9 6 fore arm 0 9 9 wrist 0 6 0 thigh 1 7 6Circumference just above the knee joint 1 1 0 of the knee joint 1 1 0 of the leg, immediately below the knee joint 0 11 0 of the leg 1 0 0 of the leg small 0 7 6 of the foot 0 10 6

Our operations at the observatory were not favoured by the weather; but asufficient number of observations was obtained for all the purposes ofnavigation:

The _Latitude_ of the tents in Princess-Royal Harbour, from threemeridian zenith distances of the sun, observed with Ramsden's universaltheodolite, was 35° 2' 5" south. 

_Longitude_ from thirty-one sets of distances of the sun east and west ofthe moon, of which the particulars are given in Table I. Of the Appendixto this volume, 117° 53' 10" east. 

These being reduced by the survey to BALD HEAD, at the entrance of the sound, will place it in

Latitude 35° 6' 15" south. Longitude 118° 0' 45" east. *

The mean rates of the time keepers, deduced from equal altitudes taken onand between Dec. 15 and Jan. 1, and their errors from mean time atGreenwich, at noon there on the last day of observation, were as under:

 h ' " "Earnshaw's No. 543, slow 0 21 46, 69 and losing 6, 46 per day. No. 520, 0 51 2, 81 16, 72Arnold's No. 176, 1 0 45, 46 9, 26 No. 82 went too irregularly to be worth taking. 

The longitude of the tents given by the time keepers on the first day ofobservation, with the Cape rates, was as follows:

Earnshaw's No. 543, 118° 14' 49" east. 520, 117 59 22Arnold's 176, 118 1 14

The two first, which generally throughout the voyage showed themselves tobe the best time keepers, were on a mean 13' 56" to the east of the lunarobservations; but by using rates accelerating in arithmetic progressionfrom those of the Cape of Good Hope to the new ones of King George'sSound, the mean of Earnshaw's two time keepers will then differ only 8'19" to the east in forty-four days. In fixing the position of places fromCape Leeuwin to the Sound, these accelerating rates have been used; andthe longitude has been further corrected by allowing an equal proportionof the error, 8' 19", according to the number of days after Nov. 1, whenthe last observations were made at the Cape of Good Hope. In theAppendix, the nature of these corrections is more particularly explained. 

[* The situation of Bald Head, in captain Vancouver's chart, is 35° 6'40" south, and 118° 16' 30" east from lunar observations which were notcorrected for the errors of the astronomical tables. The situationassigned to Bald Head in the voyage of the French admiralD'Entrecasteaux, is 35° 10' south, and 118° 2' 40" east; but since theadmiral passed it at six in the evening, and in blowing weather, an errorof a few minutes may have entered into both latitude and longitude. ]

The height of the thermometer at the tents, as observed at noon, variedbetween 80° and 64°. On board the ship, it never exceeded 70½°, nor wasbelow 60°. The range of the barometer was from 29, 42 inches in a gale ofwind from the westward, to 30, 28 inches in a moderate breeze fromsouth-west. 

Mean Dip of the S. End of the needle, taken onshore, 64° 1'

On board, upon the cabin table, 64° 52'. 

The increase being probably occasioned by the iron ballast in the breadroom underneath. 

The _Variation_ given by three compasses at the observatory was 6° 22½'west, by Walker's meridional compass 5° 25', and by the surveyingtheodolite 8° 17'; but upon the _eastern_ part of the flat granite rock, on the south side of the sound, two theodolites gave only 4° 1' west. Onboard the ship, at anchor off Point Possession, the variation from thethree compasses on the binnacle. , when the head was southeastward, was 9°28'; or, corrected to the meridian, 7° 12' west. It seems not easy to saywhat ought to be considered as the true variation; but the mean of theobservations at the tents being 6° 42', and on board the ship 7° 12', Iconceive it will not be far wrong if taken at 7° 0' west. 

This is what I allowed in tracing a base line upon the beach between thetwo harbours; and the back bearings from different stations did not varymore than a degree from it, except at the _west_ end of MichaelmasIsland, where the variation, in one spot, was _greater _by 3°. 

The above different variations show that the needle was affected by therocks; and there will be frequent occasion, in the course of the voyage, to point out similar anomalies in the observations on land; for they werefound to take place upon almost all those parts of Terra Australis, wherethe basis stone is of granite, as here; and also in those wheregreen-stone, porphyry, basaltes, or iron-stone prevail; whereas in thelime, or grit-stone countries, the needle did not appear to suffer anyderangement. In the Appendix No. II. To the second volume, where thechanges on ship board, which arose from altering the direction of thehead, are explained, this subject of the differences on shore ismentioned; for they also were not without a certain degree of regularity. 

No set of _Tide_ was perceived on board, either whilst the ship was inthe Sound or in Princess-Royal Harbour; nevertheless it was sometimesfound to run with considerable strength in the narrow entrances of bothharbours. According to lieutenant Flinders' observations on shore duringsixteen days there was only one high water in twenty-four hours, whichalways took place between six and twelve at night; for after, bygradually becoming later, it had been high water at twelve, the nextnight it took place soon after six o'clock; and then happened later bythree-quarters of an hour each night as before. The greatest riseobserved was three feet two inches, and the least two feet eight inches. The accumulation was made in this manner: After low water it rose forseveral hours; then ceased, and became stationary, or perhaps fell back alittle. In a few hours it began to rise again; and in about twelve fromthe first commencement was high water. It was observed by Captain Cookupon the east coast of this country*, and since by many others, includingmyself, that the night tide rose considerably higher than that of theday; which is conformable to our observations in King George's Sound; butwith this difference, that in the day we had scarcely any tide at all. 

[* See Hawkesworth's Voyages, Vol. III. P. 224. ]

The base line for my survey of the Sound was of 2. 46 geographic miles, measured round the curve of the long beach between the two harbours. Theother stations whence bearings were taken with the theodolite were--inthe Sound, four; at the entrance of and within Princess-Royal Harbour, three; and in Oyster Harbour, four; at each of which a point with acircle is marked in the plan. The soundings were either taken in theship, with simultaneous cross bearings, or in boats, generallyaccompanied with notices of known objects in a line, or the anglesbetween them taken with a sextant. 

There are many small but no very essential differences between my planand that of captain Vancouver. The most important to navigation is thatin the soundings going into Oyster Harbour; I could find only thirteenfeet over the bar, whereas he marked seventeen; a difference, however, which may not improbably have taken place between 1791 and 1801. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Departure from King George's Sound. Coast from thence to the Archipelago of the Recherche. Discovery of Lucky Bay and Thistle's Cove. The surrounding country, and islands of the Archipelago. Astronomical and nautical observations. Goose-Island Bay. A salt lake. Nautical observations. Coast from the Archipelago to the end of Nuyts' Land. Arrival in a bay of the unknown coast. Remarks on the preceding examination. 

[SOUTH COAST. FROM KING GEORGE'S SOUND. ]

JANUARY 1802

In running along that part of the South Coast which lies to the west ofKing George's Sound, I had endeavoured to keep so close in with the landthat the breaking water on the shore should be visible from the ship'sdeck; by which means our supposed distance would be little subject toerror, and no river or opening could escape being seen. This closeproximity could not, however, be obtained in every part, especially wherethe coast retreated far back; but it was always attempted wherepracticable and unattended with much danger or loss of time; and when itcould not be done, I was commonly at the mast head with a glass. All thebearings were laid down so soon as taken whilst the land was in sight, and before retiring to rest I made it a practice to finish up the roughchart for the day, as also my journals of astronomical observations, ofbearings, and of remarks. When we hauled off from the coast at night, every precaution was taken to come in with the same point in the morning, as soon after daylight as practicable; and when the situation of the shiprelatively to the land of the preceding evening was ascertained, ourroute along the coast was resumed. This plan, to see and lay downeverything myself, required constant attention and much labour, but wasabsolutely necessary to obtaining that accuracy of which I was desirous;and now, on recommencing the survey from King George's Sound to theeastward, I persevered in the same system; and it was adhered to, although not particularly mentioned, in all the succeeding part of thevoyage. 

TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 1802

(Atlas, Plate II. )

On the 5th of January, in the morning, we got under way from the Sound, having a fresh wind from the westward and squally weather. I steeredbetween Michaelmas Island and the main, in order to explore better thatpart of the Sound, and ascertain the extent of a shoal running off fromthe north-west end of the island. It was found to run out not furtherthan half a mile, at which distance we passed in 5 fathoms water; and atnoon, when the east end of Break-sea Island bore S. 30° W. , we had 33fathoms. 

Mount Gardner is a high, conic-shaped hill, apparently of granite, verywell delineated in captain Vancouver's atlas. It stands upon a projectingcape, round which the shore falls back to the northward, forming a sandybight where there appeared to be shelter from western winds; indeed, asthe coast-line was not distinctly seen round the south-west corner of thebight, it is possible there may be some small inlet in that part. 

The south end of an island, called Ile Pelée (Bald Island) byD'Entrecasteaux, opened round the cape of Mount Gardner at N. 69° E. TheFrench navigator having passed without side of this island, I steeredwithin, through a passage of a short mile wide; and had 17 fathoms forthe shoalest water, on a sandy bottom. Bald Island is of moderateelevation, and barren, as its name implies; it is about two-and-halfmiles in length, and the south end lies in 34° 55' south and 118° 29'east. It lies off a rocky projection of the mainland, at which terminatesa ridge of mountain extending three leagues along the shore from thebight behind Mount Gardner. There are a number of small peaks upon thetop of this ridge which induced me to give it the name _Mount Manypeak_. 

After clearing the passage of Bald Island I found the shore to trendnorth-eastward, and to be low and sandy; but at the distance of eightleagues inland there was a chain of rugged mountains, of which theeastern and highest peak, called _Mount Rugged_, lies N. 11½° W. From thepassage. At six we came up with a steep rock, one mile from the main, andthen hauled to the wind, offshore, for the night. This lump, whichappeared to be of granite, I called _Haul-off Rock_; it lies in 31° 43'south and 118° 39' east, and two leagues to the south-west of a cliffypoint which bears the name of Cape Riche in the French chart. 

WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY 1802

At one in the morning, being seven or eight leagues from the coast and in45 fathoms, we tacked ship towards the land, having a fresh breeze atwest-south-west, with fine weather. Haul-off Rock bore N. 77° W. , threeor four miles, at six, and we then bore away along the coast. Beyond CapeRiche the shore forms a sandy bight, in which is a small island; and onthe north side of another cliffy projection, four leagues further, thereis a similar falling back of the coast, where it is probable there isalso good shelter for boats, if not a small inlet. At noon a projectinghead two miles long, which, from the lumps of rock at the top, I called_Cape Knob_, was three miles distant; and our observations and bearingsof the land were then as under;

Latitude, observed to the north and south 34° 35' 26"Longitude by time keepers, 119 15The cliffy projection past Cape Riche, with Mount Rugged behind it, N. 75 W. Two rocks, distant 7 or 8 miles, N. 56 W. Cape Knob, eastern extremity, N. 11 E. A cliffy projection further eastward, N. 46 E. One of the Doubtful Isles, N. 54 E. 

The coast is sandy on both sides of Cape Knob, but especially on the westside, where the hillocks at the back of the shore are little else thanbare sand. 

At four o'clock we had passed the Point Hood of Vancouver; and seeing achannel of nearly a mile in width between it and the two outer of hisDoubtful Islands, steered through it with soundings from 20 to 24fathoms. I then hauled up south-westward, along the inner island andpoint, and sent away the master to sound between them; it being myintention to anchor, if a sufficient depth should be found for the shipto escape in case the wind came to blow from the eastward: it was thenlight at south-east-by-south. Mr. Thistle found the opening to be verynarrow, and no more than 2 fathoms in the shoalest part; we thereforestood out, repassing within a small black islet, upon which were someseals. At eight, tacked to the southward and weathered the DoubtfulIslands. 

On the north side of the isles and of Point Hood the shore falls backfive or six miles to the west-south-west before it curves northward, andaffords good shelter against all winds which do not blow strong frombetween north-east and east. At the time we stood out of the bay the shipwas three miles within the outermost islands, and not more than a cable'slength from the shore of Point Hood, and we had 7½ fathoms, sandy bottom. The point and islands are steep and rocky, but the western shores of thisgreat bay are mostly sandy beaches. On the north-western and north sidesthere are some masses of tolerably high land which appeared to begranitic; and for distinction in the survey they are called _West_, _Middle_, and _East Mount Barren_. 

THURSDAY 7 JANUARY 1802

The wind was variable between east and north-by-east during the night. Atdaybreak the three mounts were in sight, and the north end of theDoubtful Isles bore N. 74° W. Three leagues. As the wind veered round tothe west and southward, we steered more in for the north side of DoubtfulIsland Bay; and at noon, our situation and the bearings of the land werethese:

Latitude, observed to the north and south 34° 16' 40"Longitude by time keepers 119 47Doubtful Isles, south extreme, dist. 11 miles, S. 55 W. West Mount Barren, N. 77½ W. Middle do. , N. 25 W. East do. , the furthest visible land, N. 28 E. 

Our course was directed to the northward, with the wind atsouth-east-by-south; but seeing the appearance of an opening in thenorth-west corner of the bay, with smokes rising there, we steerednorth-west for it. In an hour the low land was seen from the mast head toextend across the supposed opening, and we then hauled up east-by-north, to the wind, at the distance of five or six miles from the high, rockyshore between the Middle and East Mount Barren. At seven in the eveningthe eastern mount bore N. 44° W. , three leagues, and the coast, whichfrom thence becomes sandy, was seen as far as N. 76° E. A small reef, oneof two before laid down both by Vancouver and D'Entrecasteaux, was thenobserved three or four miles to seaward. It was important to get sight ofthis reef before dark, for we should otherwise have been at greatuncertainty during the night, more especially as the surf upon it brokeonly at times. 

The wind being at south-by-east, we tacked and stood westward, nearly inour afternoon's track, until midnight; and the breeze having then veeredto south-west, we were able to stretch off south-south-east to windwardof the breakers. At half-past five in the morning [FRIDAY 8 JANUARY1802], East Mount Barren was four leagues distant to the northward, andour course was resumed along the shore. The breakers were passed at thedistance of two miles, and the mount was set over them, bearing N. 38° W. At seven o'clock. The second small reef lies nearly east-north-east fromthe first, and was left three miles to the northward. 

On the preceding evening a small rocky island had been seen indistinctlyfrom the mast head, and it now again came in sight to the eastward. TheFrench ships had passed without side of this island, and I thereforesteered to go between it and the mainland; but breaking water was seen toextend so far to the north that the uncertainty of finding a passage madethe attempt too dangerous with the wind right aft. We accordingly hauledup to windward of the island, and had 38 fathoms between it and a smallreef lying S. 72° W. , between two and three miles from it. The island islow, smooth, and sterile, and is frequented by seals; its latitude is 34°6' and longitude 120° 28', and it lies eight or nine miles from themainland. 

At noon the rocky island was near ten miles astern, and a cluster of foursmall islets appeared in the offing at the distance of four leagues. Thenearest part of the main land, seven or eight miles distant, was low andsandy, as it had been all the way from East Mount Barren, and continuedto be to the furthest extreme visible from the masthead; there were, however, a few scattered sandy hillocks on the shore, but nothing couldbe seen of the back country. Our situation, and the bearings taken atthis time were as under:

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 34° 1' 48"Longitude by time keepers, 119 38East Mount Barren, N. 80½ W. The small island astern, S. 65 W. Four islets in the offing, S. 77 E. Mast-head extreme of the coast, N. 59 E. 

We passed at nearly an equal distance between the four rocky islets andthe main land, that is to say, at six or eight miles from each; and atfive o'clock were abreast of a projecting part of the coast where thesandy hills seemed to form white cliffs. This is called Cap des Basses(Shoal Cape) in the French chart; and we saw, in fact, an islet under theland, surrounded with much broken water, and the soundings decreased from35 to 25 fathoms soon after passing it at the distance of five or sixmiles. There was an appearance of small inlets on each side of ShoalCape, but as admiral D'Entrecasteaux passed within three miles and doesnot mark any, it was probably a deception, caused by the land being verylow between the sand hills. 

[SOUTH COAST. RECHERCHE'S ARCHIPELAGO. ]

Before sunset the westernmost isle of D'Entrecasteaux's _Archipel de laRecherche_ was in sight to the eastward, and at half-past seven ourdistance from it was about six miles. The French admiral had mostlyskirted round the archipelago, a sufficient reason for me to attemptpassing through the middle, if the weather did not make the experimenttoo dangerous. It was fine at this time, and the breeze moderate atsouth-south-west; and I therefore took measures to be in with the westerngroup as early on the following morning as possible, to have the wholeday for getting through. 

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY 1802

At a quarter-past five we bore away for the south end of the westernmostisland, passed in within a mile and a half at seven, and steered eastwardfor the clusters rising ahead and on both bows. At noon the number ofrocks above water, the patches of breakers, and the islands with which wewere surrounded made it necessary to heave to, in order to take theangles of so many objects with some degree of accuracy. The situation ofthe ship, and the three most material bearings were these:

Latitude, observed to the north and south 35° 0' 25"Longitude reduced up from eight o'clock 121 49 45Observatory I. (Of D'Entrecasteaux) dist. 6 miles, N. 37 W. High Peak on Cape Le Grand, N. 84½ E. Small, high, peaked island, distant 7 or 8 miles, S. 57 E. 

This last peak had been visible from daybreak, and appears to be the topof the imperfectly formed _Ile de Remarque_ of D'Entrecasteaux's chart. And from it I measured with a sextant the angles of most of the otherobjects. The long reef of rocks called _La Chaussée_ (The Causeway) wasfour or five miles distant to the southward; and a sunken rock, uponwhich the sea broke at times, was three miles off to the north-east. Theislands were more particularly numerous to the east-south-east, where ourcourse lay; but as they were generally high, with bold rocky shores, andwe had hitherto found deep water, I bore away for them so soon as all thebearings were obtained. 

The chart alone can give any adequate idea of this labyrinth of islandsand rocks, or of our track amongst them until half past five in theevening. We were then abreast of the _Ile du Mondrain_, and the view fromthe mast head was almost as crowded as before; but with this difference, that the islands were smaller, and the low rocks and patches of breakersmore numerous. Seeing no probability of reaching a space of clear waterin which to stand off and on during the night, and no prospect of shelterunder any of the islands, I found myself under the necessity of adoptinga hazardous measure; and with the concurrence of the master's opinion, westeered directly before the wind for the main coast, where the appearanceof some beaches, behind other islands, gave a hope of finding anchorage. At seven in the evening we entered a small sandy bay; and finding itsheltered everywhere except to the south-westward, in which directionthere were many islands and rocks in the offing to break off the sea, theanchor was dropped in 7 fathoms, sandy bottom. The master sounded roundthe ship, but nothing was found to injure the cables; and except thewater being shallow in the north-west corner of the bay, there was nodanger to be apprehended, unless from strong south-west winds. Thecritical circumstance under which this place was discovered induced me togive it the name of LUCKY BAY. 

SUNDAY 10 JANUARY 1802

I had intended to pursue our route through the archipelago in themorning; but the scientific gentlemen having expressed a desire for theship to remain two or three days, to give them an opportunity ofexamining the productions of the country, it was complied with; and theylanded soon after daylight. I went on shore also, to make observationsupon the rates of the time-keepers; and afterwards ascended a hill at theback of the bay to take angles with a theodolite. A party of thegentlemen were upon the top, eating a fruit not much unlike green walnutsin external appearance, and invited me to partake; but havingbreakfasted, and not much liking their flavour, I did but taste them. Mr. Thistle and some others who had eaten liberally were taken sick, andremained unwell all the day afterward. The plant which produced thesenuts was a species of _zamia_ (_Zamia spiralis_ of Brown's _Prodr. Flor. Nov. Holl. _, I. 348); a class of plants nearly allied to the third kindof palm found by captain Cook on the East Coast, the fruit of whichproduced the same deleterious effects on board the Endeavour. *

[* Hawkesworth, Vol. III. P. 220. , 221. ]

The weather, unfortunately for my bearings, was so hazy that unlessobjects were eminently conspicuous they could not be distinguished beyondfour or five leagues. My list, however, contained forty-five islands andclusters of rocks, independently of many patches of breakers wherenothing above water appeared; yet most of those in the western part ofthe archipelago were invisible, either from their distance or from beinghidden by other lands. 

In turning from the view of these complicated dangers to that of theinterior country the prospect was but little improved. Sand and stone, with the slightest covering of vegetation, every where presentedthemselves on the lower lands; and the many shining parts of the sides ofthe hills showed them to be still more bare. The vegetation, indeed, consisted of an abundant variety of shrubs and small plants, and yieldeda delightful harvest to the botanists; but to the herdsmen and cultivatorit promised nothing: not a blade of grass, nor a square yard of soil fromwhich the seed delivered to it could be expected back, was perceivable bythe eye in its course over these arid plains. 

Upon a rock on the side of the hill I found a large nest, very similar tothose seen in King George's Sound. There were in it several massesresembling those which contain the hair and bones of mice, and aredisgorged by the owls in England after the flesh is digested. Thesemasses were larger, and consisted of the hair of seals and of landanimals, of the scaly feathers of penguins, and the bones of birds andsmall quadrupeds. Possibly the constructor of the nest might be anenormous owl, and if so, the cause of the bird being never seen, whilstthe nests were not scarce, would be from its not going out until dark;but from the very open and exposed situations in which the nests werefound, I should rather judge it to be of the eagle kind, and that itspowers are such as to render it heedless of any attempts from the nativesupon its young. 

MONDAY 11 JANUARY 1802

On the following morning I sent the master to examine a small bay or covelying two miles to the westward of Lucky Bay. He found it to be capableof receiving one ship, which might be placed in perfect security in thewestern corner, with anchors out on the off bow and quarter, and hawserson the other side fast to the shore. She would thus lie in from 3 to 5fathoms, almost near enough to lay a stage to the beach. There was woodfor fuel; and at less than a hundred yards from the shore, a lake offresh water, one mile in circumference, from which a small stream runsinto the cove; but another stream, descending from the hills nearer intothe western corner, would better suit the purposes of a ship. Thisaccount was from the master, after whom this little but useful discoverywas named _Thistle's Cove_. It seems to be much superior to Lucky Bay, where neither wood nor water can be procured without much time andtrouble, nor is the shelter so complete. 

TUESDAY 11 JANUARY 1802

Next day Mr. Thistle was sent to examine the coast and islands to theeastward, when he found the archipelago to be full as dangerous in thatdirection as to the west. He landed upon an island three leagues distant, and brought me from thence a list of other islands and rocks further on, whose bearings had been taken. Several seals were procured on this andthe preceding day, and some fish were caught alongside the ship; but oursuccess was much impeded by three monstrous sharks, in whose presence noother fish dared to appear. After some attempts we succeeded in takingone of them; but to get it on board required as much preparation as forhoisting in the launch. The length of it, however, was no more thantwelve feet three inches, but the circumference of the body was eightfeet. Amongst the vast quantity of substances contained in the stomachwas a tolerably large seal, bitten in two, and swallowed with half of thespear sticking in it with which it had probably been killed by thenatives. The stench of this ravenous monster was great even before it wasdead; and when the stomach was opened it became intolerable. 

WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 1802

On the 13th the wind blew fresh from the eastward; and as we could notsail with the ship, lieutenant Fowler and Mr. Thistle went over toMondrain Island, the largest we had yet seen in the archipelago. Anobservation of the latitude and a set of angles were there taken, andthey brought back some seals of a reddish fur, and a few small kangaroosof a species different from any I had before seen. The island was coveredwith brush wood; but some of the party, either from accident or design, set it on fire, and the wind being fresh, there was a general blaze inthe evening all over the island. 

Very little other stone was seen about Lucky Bay than granite; and allthe surrounding hills, as well as the islands visited, were composed ofvarieties of the same substance; and some specimens from Mondrain Islandcontained garnets. In many places the surface of the rocks was scalingoff in layers, and in the steep parts great lumps had fallen off, andsome caverns were formed in the cliffs. This propensity to decompositionwas more remarkable in the high peak of Cape Le Grand, about five milesto the westward, to which Mr. Brown made an excursion. He found aperforation at the top forming an arch of great width and height, andabove it, at the very summit of the peak, were loose pieces of granite ofconsiderable size. 

There did not appear to be any Indians at this time in the neighbourhoodof Lucky Bay; but from their fire places, it was judged that they had notquitted it long since. Geese and ducks were found here, and not beingvery shy, some of them were killed by the shore parties. The goose wasalso found upon the islands; and is the same bird spoken of in theIntroduction [**] as resembling the bernacle goose, and frequentingFurneaux's Islands in Bass Strait. *

[* This goose is described by M. Labillardière, page 258 of the Londontranslation, as a new species of swan. ]

[** Of the birds which frequent Furneaux's Islands, the most valuable arethe goose and black swan; but this last is rarely seen here, even in thefreshwater pools, and except to breed, seems never to go on shore. Thegoose approaches nearest to the description of the species called_bernacle_; it feeds upon grass, and seldom takes to the water. I foundthis bird in considerable numbers on the smaller isles, but principallyupon Preservation Island; its usual weight was from seven to ten pounds, and it formed our best repasts, but had become shy. Gannets, shags, gulls, and red-bills were occasionally seen; as also crows, hawks, paroquets, and a few smaller birds. Fish were not plentiful, but somewere taken with hook and line from the rocks. ]

The _latitude_, observed upon a point of the main land on the east sideof Lucky Bay, from one supplement of the sun's altitude, was 33° 59' 45";but as the supplement of the preceding day gave 39" less than the mean ofboth observations, I consider the true latitude to be more nearly 34° 0'20" S. 

The _longitude_ from sixteen sets of distances of the sun east and westof the moon, of which the individual results are given in Table II. Ofthe Appendix to this volume, was 122° 15' 42"; but from the two best timekeepers, in which, from the short period since leaving King George'sSound, I put most confidence, it will be more correctly 122° 14' 14" E. 

_Dip_ of the south end of the needle, taken on shore upon the graniterock, 66° 4' 0"

But I am inclined to think it was attracted by the granite; and that, had the needle been considerably elevated, it would not have shown moredip than at King George's Sound, where it was 64°. 

The _variation_ deduced from observations taken on shore, morning andevening, with three compasses placed on the same rock, was 2° 35' west;with Walker's meridional compass, 4° 55'; and with the surveyingtheodolite 0° 30' west. * An amplitude taken on board the ship, with thehead east-south-east, gave 7° 25', which, reduced to what it should bewith the head in the meridian, is 4° 26' west. The mean, and what Iconsider to be nearest the true variation in this neighbourhood, will be3° 6' west. 

[* It is remarkable, that the difference between these three kinds ofinstruments is directly the reverse here of what it was in King George'sSound. ]

This is what I allowed upon the bearings taken with the theodolite uponthe top of the hill behind the bay, and it appeared to be the same upontwo small islands, one to the east and the other west, where Mr. Thistletook angles; but at Mondrain Island there seemed to be considerabledifferences. 

Before entering the archipelago, the variation was observed to be 9° 21'west, with the ship's head east-south-east; but at three leagues to theeast of Termination Island, in the following year, and with the head ateast-north-east, it was no more than 3° 50' west. From the first, Ishould deduce the true variation on the west side of the archipelago tobe 6° 28', and off Termination Island, from the second, to be 0° 57'west; both of which coincide with the other observations in showing theislands of the archipelago to possess a considerable degree of magneticattraction. 

The rise of _tide_ in Lucky Bay was so trifling, that under thecircumstances of our stay no attention was paid to it. 

THURSDAY 14 JANUARY 1802

In the morning of the 14th, the wind being then light from the northward, we got under way and steered for Mondrain Island. In our route eastwardfrom thence, several low rocks and patches of breakers were left on eachside, besides small islands whose bearings had been taken from the hillbehind Lucky Bay; the depth of water, however, was between 20 and 30fathoms. The wind was then moderate from the south-westward, but theweather so hazy that there was much difficulty, and some uncertainty, inrecognizing the different islands. 

At half-past ten we steered more towards the main land, that no openingin it might escape unseen; and at noon, hove to for the purpose of takingbearings. The latitude observed to the north was 34° 2', and longitude122° 36'. A chain of islands and breakers lay about two miles to thenorthward; and amongst the cluster to the east were two islands withpeaks upon them, which, from their similarity, were named the _Twins_:the southernmost and nearest bore E. 7° N. , three leagues. The nearestpart of the main land was a projection with hills upon it which had beenset from Lucky Bay, whence it is nearly five leagues distant; theintermediate space being a large bight with a low, sandy coast at theback, and containing many small islands and breakers. To the eastward ofthe hilly projection the coast seemed again to be sandy; but although ourdistance from it was not more than six or seven miles, it was scarcelyvisible through the haze. 

After the bearings were obtained we bore away along the south side of thechain of islands and rocks; and at half-past one steered north-east tolook for a place of shelter, either amongst the cluster near the Twins orin the opposite main land. The water shoaled amongst the small islands, from 30 to 10 fathoms, and suddenly to 3, when the bottom was distinctlyseen under the ship. The next cast was 7 fathoms, and we steered oneastward for two islets three-quarters of a mile asunder, between whichthe master was sent to sound. On his making the signal we followedthrough, having 20 fathoms, and afterwards hauled the wind to thesouth-east, seeing no hope of shelter either amongst the islands or nearthe main land. The coast stretched eastward with little sinuosity, andwas sandy, but not so low as before. 

At six o'clock we had some larger, flat islands to windward, and in theeast-south-east was one much higher and of greater extent, which provedto be the _I. Du Milieu_ (Middle Island) of D'Entrecasteaux. Betwixt thisisland and his _Cap Aride_ on the main there were many small isles andapparently passages; and we therefore bore away in the hope of findinganchorage against the approaching night. Many patches of breakers werepassed; and seeing a small bay in the north side of Middle Island, westood in for it under shortened sail, and came to an anchor in 7 fathoms, sandy bottom, off the first of three small beaches. The island shelteredus from east-north-east, round by the south to west-by-north; and to thenorthward there was, besides the main land, a number of reefs and smallisles, of which the nearest and largest was a quarter of a mile distant, as Middle Island was on the other side. The master was immediately sentto examine the passage through to the eastward, that we might knowwhether there were a possibility of escape in case the anchor should nothold; for the wind blew fresh at west-south-west, and threw some swellinto the bay; he found 3 fathoms in the shallow part of the opening. 

FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 1802

The botanists landed in the morning upon Middle Island; for I haddetermined to stop a day or two, as well for their accommodation as toimprove my chart of the archipelago. I went to the northern island, whichis one mile long and near half a mile in breadth, and found it to becovered with tufts of wiry grass intermixed with a few shrubs. Some ofthe little, blue penguins, like those of Bass Strait, harboured under thebushes; and amongst the grass and upon the shores were a number of thebernacle geese, of which we killed nine, mostly with sticks; and sixteenmore were procured in the course of the day. 

After taking bearings from the uppermost of the small elevations of GOOSEISLAND, as it was now named, I ascended the high north-western hill ofMiddle Island, which afforded a more extensive view. The furthest visiblepart of the main land was a projecting cape, with a broad-topped hillupon it bearing N. 58° E. , six or seven leagues. This projection nothaving been seen by D'Entrecasteaux, was named after the late admiral SirThomas Pasley, under whom I had the honour of entering the naval service. The shore betwixt Cape Pasley and Cape Arid is low and sandy, and fallsback in a large bight, nearly similar to what is formed on the west sideof Cape Arid. Behind that cape was a high bank of sand, which stretchedfrom one bight nearly to the other, and had the appearance of having beenthe sea shore not very long since. 

(Atlas, Plate XVII. View 5. *)

[* This view was taken in the following year, at five leagues distantfrom Middle Island, but it shows the form of the mount, and of thegranitic ridge. ]

The mount upon which I stood is the highest part of a ridge of almostbare granite, extending along, or rather forming the west side of MiddleIsland. The other parts of the island are low, and thickly covered withbrush wood and some trees, where a small species of kangaroo seemed to benumerous, though none were caught. In the north-eastern part was a smalllake of a rose colour, the water of which, as I was informed by Mr. Thistle who visited it, was so saturated with salt that sufficientquantities were crystallised near the shores to load a ship. The specimenhe brought on board was of a good quality, and required no other processthan drying to be fit for use. This lake is at the back of theeasternmost of three small beaches on the north side of the island, andit might be concluded that the salt was formed by the evaporation of thewater oozing through the bank which separates it from the sea; but as, inthe small drainings from the hills, the water was too salt to bedrinkable, this may admit of a doubt. 

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1802

On Saturday morning a part of the people were employed cutting a boatload of fire wood, and the master was again sent to sound the passage outto the eastward, and amongst the rocks lying beyond it. The shallowestdepth he found was 3 fathoms, after which the water deepened to 7 and 10, past the north-east point and out to sea. He landed upon some of therocky islets, and brought from thence twenty-seven more geese, some ofthem alive. The botanical gentlemen employed the day in going roundMiddle Island, but they found very little to reward their labour. A pieceof fir plank, with nails in it, which seemed to have been part of aship's deck, was picked up on the shore; but no trace of the islandhaving been visited, either by Europeans or the natives of the main land, was any where seen. 

The basis stone of this, as it appears to be of all the islands as wellas of the coast of the archipelago, is granitic; but at the south side ofMiddle Island there is a thick crust of calcareous rock over it, as thereis at the south end of Goose Island. It was also on the south side ofKing George's Sound that the calcareous rock covered the granite; acoincidence which may perhaps afford some light to the geologist. 

The _latitude_ of Goose Island Bay, for so this anchorage was named, is34° 5' 23" south, and _longitude_ by the two best time keepers corrected123° 9' 30", 5 east; the observations being made on the middlemost of thethree southern beaches. 

The _variation_ from azimuth, observed on the binnacle when the ship'shead was west-south-west, was 0° 54' west, and in the following yearsimilar observations taken at anchor one mile to the eastward, with thehead east, gave 6° 10' west; whence I deduce the variation which wouldhave been obtained with the head at north or south, to be 3° 25' west. From the bearings on shore, compared with the latitudes and longitudes, it appeared to be 5¼° on the centre of Goose Island; and 4° upon thegranitic mount of Middle Island. 

No run of _tide_ was observed, notwithstanding the narrowness of thechannel, where the ship lay. 

Goose-Island Bay may be useful as a place of refreshment, but the geesewere not found to be so numerous at a different season of the year: a fewhair seals may be procured, probably at all times. The wood is a speciesof _eucalyptus_, neither abundant nor large; but two or three ships maybe supplied with fuel. Fresh water was not to be obtained upon either ofthe islands; but upon the opposite Cape Arid, five miles to the north, Ijudged there might be small streams running down from the hills. The lakeof salt will be the greatest inducement for vessels to stop in this bay;they must not, however, come to it in the winter season, as there will beoccasion to show hereafter. 

SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 1802

On the 17th in the morning, the anchor was weighed and we steered outeastward. The shallowest water was seventeen feet, between the south-eastpoint of Goose Island and the opposite west point of the middle beach;after which it deepened; and abreast of the middle rock there was 7fathoms. Having cleared the islets lying off the north-east point ofMiddle Island, we steered for Cape Pasley, leaving the _South-East Isles_of the archipelago far distant on the starbord hand. A low islet and somerocks lie three miles to the south of the Cape, and the soundings we hadin passing between them were 28 and 34 fathoms. 

The wind at this time was moderate at south-west, with fine weather. Middle Island and Cape Arid were still visible at noon, and the _EasternGroup_, which, according to D'Entrecasteaux, terminated the archipelago, was coming in sight. Our situation and most material bearings were thenas under:

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 33° 54' 55"Longitude reduced up from eight o'clock, 123 55Middle Island, top of the mount, S. 65 W. Cape Pasley, the hill, dist. 6 miles, S. 84 W. Furthest extreme, a low point, dist. 3 leagues, N. 38 E. A ragged mount in the interior of the country, N. 21 W. Eastern Group, the northern hill upon thehighest and southernmost isle, dist. 8 leagues, N. 80 E. 

At half-past one we passed within three miles of the point which had beenthe furthest extreme at noon; it is low and sandy, and a ledge of rocksextends from it to the north-east. I named it _Point Malcolm_, in honourof Captain Pultney Malcolm of the navy. The depth diminished from 20 to10 fathoms, in passing near a sunken rock two miles to the south-east ofthe point, and upon which the sea breaks only at times. The coast fromthence trended rapidly to the northward; and in following its directionat from three to five miles distance, we left eight islands of theEastern Group on the starbord and two on the larbord hand. These, withthe exception of the southernmost, which has a hill at each end and somevegetation, are little better than low sterile rocks. 

At seven in the evening, the water being smotth, we anchored in 8fathoms, sandy bottom, three or four miles from the shore; where ourcalculated situation and the bearings of the land were as follows:

Latitude, 33° 17' S. Longitude, 124° 6' E. Northern extreme of the coast, N. 27 E. Southern extreme, S. 36 W. A point in the interior country, S. 68 W. 

From Cape Pasley to the northern extreme the coast is sandy and low, presenting, with trifling exceptions, a continued beach. On the northside of Point Malcolm it stretches north, and then eastward, forming abight five miles within the land; after which the general trending isnorth-north-east, with very little sinuosity. Four or five miles behindthe shore, and running parallel with it, is a bank of moderately high andlevel land, over which the tops of some barren-looking mountains wereoccasionally seen. The most remarkable of these is Mount Ragged, lying N. 8° W. Nine or ten leagues from Cape Pasley. 

[SOUTH COAST. BETWEEN THE ARCHIPELAGOS. ]

We had now altogether lost sight of the Archipelago of the Recherche. Thechart which I have constructed of this extensive mass of dangers is muchmore full, and in many parts should be more accurate than that ofD'Entrecasteaux; but I dare by no means assert that the very great numberof islands, rocks, and reefs therein contained are the whole that exist;nor that every individual one is correctly placed, although the greatestcare was taken to obtain correctness. All the islands seem to be more orless frequented by seals; but I think not in numbers sufficient to make aspeculation from Europe advisable on their account; certainly not for theChina market, the seals being mostly of the hair kind, and the fur ofsuch others as were seen was red and coarse. There is, besides, a risk ofbeing caught in the archipelago with strong south or western winds, inwhich case destruction would be almost inevitable, for I know of no placewhere a ship might take refuge in a gale. The shelter in Thistle's Coveis, indeed, complete, when a vessel is once placed; but the cove is toosmall to be entered except under favourable circumstances, and theshelter in the western corner could not be attained with winds blowingstrong out of it. The archipelago should not, therefore, be enteredwithout the assurance of carrying fine weather to the proposed anchorage. 

During the night of the 17th there was no current or set of tide past theship. Every thing was kept prepared for getting under way at a moment'snotice; but the wind blew gently off the land, and the people of thewatch occupied themselves successfully in catching dog-fish. At daybreak[MONDAY 18 JANUARY 1802] we made all sail to the north-eastward, alongthe same low and, if possible, more sandy coast. The wind was light, andat nine it fell calm. This was succeeded by a sea breeze ateast-south-east, and we trimmed close to it, keeping on our former courseuntil four in the afternoon; when the land being one mile and a halfdistant, we tacked in 12 fathoms, and stretched to the southward. 

The shore curved round here, and took a more eastern direction; and thebank of level land, which continued to run along behind it, approachedvery near to the water side. Three leagues further on it formed cliffsupon the coast; and a projecting part of them, which I called PointCulver, bore N. 77° E. Four leagues: this was the furthest land in sight. 

This afternoon we passed a number of pale red medusas, such as I hadusually seen on the East Coast at the entrances of rivers, and which, onbeing touched, produced a sensation like the stinging of a nettle. Therewas also a red scum on the water, and some of it was taken up to beexamined by Mr. Brown in a microscope. It consisted of minute particlesnot more than half a line in length, and each appeared to be composed ofseveral cohering fibres which were jointed; the joints being of anuniform thickness, and nearly as broad as long. These fibres weregenerally of unequal length, and the extremities of the compound particlethence appeared somewhat torn. The particles exhibited no motion when insalt water; and the sole effect produced by immersing them in spirit ofwine was the separation of each into its component fibres. 

Until daybreak next morning the wind was unfavourable; but it then veeredround to the south, and enabled us to pass Point Culver. Our situation atnoon, and the bearings taken were these:

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 32° 52' 51"Longitude reduced up from eight o'clock, 124 58Point Culver, distant five leagues, S. 78 W. Small rock under the cliffs, dist. 5 miles, North. Furthest extreme of the coast, cliffs, N. 39 E. 

Our course along the shore was so favoured by the wind that at seven inthe evening we had passed another projecting part of the cliffs, namedPOINT DOVER, distant from Point Culver fifty miles; and the extreme insight ahead was twenty miles further, and still cliffy. The nearest partwas two or three leagues distant; and the wind being still at south, wehauled up to it, and at nine o'clock stood back to the westward. 

The elevation of these cliffs appeared to be about five hundred feet, andnothing of the back country was seen above them. In the upper part theyare brown, in the lower part nearly white, and the two _strata_, as alsothe small layers of which each is composed, are nearly horizontal. Theywere judged to be calcareous, as was the white, grey, and brown sandwhich the lead brought up when the bottom was not of coral. 

A surveyor finds almost no object here whose bearing can be set a secondtime. Each small projection presents the appearance of a steep cape as itopens out in sailing along; but before the ship arrives abreast of it, itis lost in the general uniformity of the coast, and the latitude, longitude, and distance of the nearest cliffs are all the documents thatremain for the construction of a chart. Point Culver and Point Dover areexceptions to the general uniformity; but it requires a ship to be nearthe land before even these are distinguishable. The latter point wassomewhat whiter than the cliffs on each side, which probably arose fromthe front having lately fallen off into the water. 

TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 1802

In the night of the 19th the wind shifted round to the eastward, andcontinued there for three days; and during this time we beat to windwardwithout making much progress. Several observations were taken here forthe variation of the compass: with the ship's head east-by-north, azimuths gave 7° 15' west, and at south, 4° 26'; five leagues furthereastward they gave 6° 13' with the head north-east, and eight leaguesfurther, an amplitude 4° 18' at south-by-east. These being correctedwould be 4° 13', 4° 26', 4° 2', and 3° 42' west; so that the variationhad now reassumed a tolerably regular course of diminution. The mean ofthe whole is 4° 6' west variation in the longitude of 125° 51' east. 

FRIDAY 22 JANUARY 1802

At the end of three days beating our latitude in the evening of the 22ndwas 32° 22', and longitude 126° 23', the depth in that situation was 7fathoms at two miles from the land, and the furthest extremes visiblethrough the haze bore west-half-north and east, the latter being distantfour or five miles. The bank which before formed the cliffs had retiredto a little distance from the coast, and left a front screed of low, sandy shore. Several smokes arose from behind the bank, and were thefirst seen after quitting the archipelago. 

The barometer had kept up nearly to 30 inches during the east andsouth-east winds, but it now fell to 29, 65; and we stretched off for thenight in the expectation of a change of wind, and probably of blowingweather. At ten the sails were taken aback by a breeze from the westward;but at daylight [SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 1802] it had veered tosouth-by-west, and the mercury was rising. We then bore away for theland; and having reached in with the low, sandy point which had borneeast in the evening, steered along the coast at three or four milesdistance in from 7 to 11 fathoms water. The latitude at noon from veryindifferent observations was 32° 22½', and longitude 127° 2'; the coast, four miles distant to the northward, was low and sandy, but rose quicklyto the level bank, upon which there were some shrubs and small trees. Nothing of the interior country could be seen above the bank; but thismight possibly have been owing to the haze, which was so thick that noextremes of the land could be defined. The wind was fresh atsouth-south-west, and by seven in the evening our longitude was augmented55'; the land was then distant six or seven miles, trendingeast-north-eastward; and we hauled to the wind, which had increased instrength though the barometer was fast rising. 

Having stood to the south-east till midnight, we then tacked to thewestward; and at five next morning [SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 1802] bore awaynorth for the land, the wind being then at south-by-east, and thebarometer announcing by its elevation a return of foul winds. At six westeered eastward, along the same kind of shore as seen on the precedingday; but the wind coming more unfavourable, and depth diminishing to 5fathoms soon after eight o'clock, made it necessary to stretch off tosea. The coast in latitude 32° 1' and longitude 128° 12' was three milesdistant to the north. A league further on it took a more northerndirection, but without much changing its aspect; it continued to be thesame sandy beach, with a bank behind it of level land topped with smalltrees and shrubs as before described. 

MONDAY 25 JANUARY 1802

The rest of the day and the whole of the 25th were taken up in beatingfruitlessly against an eastern wind. Azimuths observed when the ship'shead was east-by-north gave variation 6° 4'; and ten miles to the south alittle eastward they gave 3° 8' west, at south-by-east; corrected 3° 2'and 2° 32', and the mean 2° 47' for the true variation, showing adecrease since the last of 1° 19' for 2° 11' of longitude. 

At ten in the evening our situation was less advanced than on the morningof the 24th, when we tacked off shore; but the mercury was againdescending, and during the night the wind veered to north-east, to north, and at eight in the morning [TUESDAY 26 JANUARY 1802] to west-by-north, when we steered in for the land. At ten the shore was eight or nine milesdistant, and our course was north-east, nearly as it trended. Thelatitude at noon, from observations to the north and south, was 31° 51'34", and longitude by timekeepers 128° 41'; the beach was distant threeor four miles in the north-north-west, and the bank behind it lay two orthree miles inland and was somewhat higher, but had less wood upon itthan further westward. The wind was fresh at south-west, and the mercurywas rising; but the haziness of the weather was such that no extremes ofthe land could be set. 

Our course from noon was nearly east at the distance of five or six milesfrom the shore; and we ran at the rate of between seven and eight knots, under double-reefed top-sails and foresail. Abreast of our situation athalf-past two the level bank again closed in upon the shore, and formedcliffs very similar to those along which we had before run thirtyleagues. Their elevation appeared to be from four to six hundred feet, the upper part was brown, and the lower two-thirds white; but as weadvanced, the upper brown _stratum _was observed to augment inproportional quantity. We could not distinguish, as before, the smallerlayers in the two _strata_; and from the number of excavations in thewhite part, apparently from pieces having fallen down (see Mr. Westall'ssketch, Atlas, Plate XVII. View 6. ), I was led to think the lower portionof these cliffs to be grit stone rather than calcareous rock. The bankwas not covered with shrubs, as before it came to the water side, but wasnearly destitute of vegetation, and almost as level as the horizon of thesea. 

At dusk we hauled up south-east-by-south to the wind, at one in themorning [WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 1802] tacked to the westward, and at fourbore away north for the land. Having reached within six miles of thecliffs, we steered eastward again, with a fair breeze; and at noon werein latitude 31° 40' 52' and longitude 130° 59'; the cliffs were thendistant seven miles to the northward, and at N. 9° E. Was theirtermination. 

The length of these cliffs, from their second commencement, isthirty-three leagues; and that of the level bank, from near Cape Pasleywhere it was first seen from the sea, is no less than _one hundred andforty-five leagues_. The height of this extraordinary bank is nearly thesame throughout, being no where less, by estimation, than four hundred, nor any where more than six hundred feet. In the first twenty leagues theragged tops of some inland mountains were visible over it; but during theremainder of its long course the bank was the limit of our view. 

This equality of elevation for so great an extent, and the evidentlycalcareous nature of the bank, at least in the upper two hundred feet, would bespeak it to have been the exterior line of a vast coral reef, which is always more elevated than the interior parts, and commonly levelwith high-water mark. From the gradual subsiding of the sea, or perhapsby a sudden convulsion of nature, this bank may have attained its presentheight above the surface; and however extraordinary such a change mayappear, yet, when it is recollected that branches of coral still existupon Bald Head, at the elevation of four hundred or more feet, thissupposition assumes a great degree of probability; and it would furtherseem that the subsiding of the waters has not been at a period veryremote, since these frail branches have yet neither been all beaten downnor mouldered away by the wind and weather. 

If this supposition be well founded, it may, with the fact of no hill orother object having been perceived above the bank in the greater part ofits course, assist in forming some conjecture of what may be within it;which cannot, as I judge in such case, be other than flat, sandy plains, or water. The bank may even be a narrow barrier between an interior andthe exterior sea, and much do I regret the not having formed an idea ofthis probability at the time; for notwithstanding the great difficultyand risk, I should certainly have attempted a landing upon some part ofthe coast to ascertain a fact of so much importance. 

At the termination of the bank and of the second range of cliffs thecoast became sandy, and trended north-eastward about three leagues; afterwhich it turned south-east-by-east, and formed the head of the _GreatAustralian Bight_, whose latitude I make to be 31° 29' south, andlongitude 131° 10' east. In the chart of admiral D'Entrecasteaux the headof the Great Bight is placed in 31° 36' and 131° 27'; but I think thereis an error at least in the latitude, for the admiral says, "At daybreakI steered to get in with the land; and the wind having returned tosouth-east, we hauled our starbord tacks on board, being then four orfive leagues from the coast. At _eleven o'clock_ the land was seen aheadand we veered ship in 32 fathoms, fine sand. "* The latitude observed atnoon, as appears by the route table, was 31° 38' 58"; and if we supposethe ship, lying up south-south-west, to have made 2' of southing in thehour, as marked in the chart, she must have been in 31° 37' at eleveno'clock; which is within one mile of the latitude assigned to the head ofthe bight, where the shore curves to the south-east-by-east. This doesnot accord with the land being only then seen ahead, since the weatherappears to have admitted the sight of it at the distance of four or fiveleagues. If we suppose the admiral, when he veered, to have been eight, instead of one mile from the head of the Great Bight, and the accountstrongly favours the supposition, it will then agree with my latitude. I had only 27 fathoms in crossing the head, and although it is possiblethere may be 30 closer in, yet in such a place as this the probabilityis, that the ship having the greatest depth of water was the furthestfrom the land. 

[* _Voyage de D'Entrecasteaux_, par M. De Rossel, Tome I. Page 220. The32 fathoms are, I believe, of five French feet each, making very nearly30 fathoms English measure. ]

After steering east-north-east, east, and east-south-east, and havingseen the beach all round the head of the Great Bight, we hauled upparallel to the new direction of the coast, at the distance of six miles;and at five o'clock were abreast of the furthest part seen by the Frenchadmiral when he quitted the examination. The coast is a sandy beach infront; but the land rises gradually from thence, and at three or fourmiles back is of moderate elevation, but still sandy and barren. According to the chart of Nuyts, an extensive reef lay a little beyondthis part. (Atlas, Plate IV. ) It was not seen by D'Entrecasteaux, but wewere anxiously looking out for it when, at six o'clock, breakers wereseen from the mast head bearing S. 43° E. Some distance open from theland. We kept on our course for them, with the wind at south-south-west, until eight o'clock, and then tacked to the westward in 27 fathoms; andthe ship's way being stopped by a head swell, we did not veer towards theland until three in the morning, at which time it fell calm. 

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 1802

On a light breeze springing up from the northward we steered in for thecoast; and at noon were in the following situation:

Latitude, observed to the north, 32° 2½'Longitude reduced up from eight o'clock, 131 51Breakers, distant two or three miles, N. 22 to 42 E. A sandy projection of the coast, south part, N. 37 E. Extremes of the land from the deck, N. 15 W. To 89 E. 

The breakers lie five or six miles from the land, and did not appear tohave any connection with it, nor with two other sets of small reefs whichcame in sight to the east and east-south-east, soon afterward. At twoo'clock our situation was betwixt these last reefs. The southernmostpatches are two or three miles in length, and there are large rocks uponthem, standing above water; the northern patches extend eight miles alongthe coast, from which they are distant three miles, and on the easternparts there are also some rocks above water, but there were none upon thewestern reef first seen. It may be doubted whether the western reef wereknown to Nuyts, but there can be no doubt concerning these last; and Icall the whole NUYTS' REEFS. 

The aspect of the shore to the northward was nearly the same as that seenthe preceding afternoon, but behind the second reefs it began to assume amore rocky appearance. A high cliffy cape is formed a little furthereastward; it has a pyramidal rock near it, and the coast there takes adirection somewhat on the north side of east. This remarkable projection, being within a few leagues of the furthest part of the main coastdiscovered by the Dutch, I have called CAPE NUYTS: its latitude is 32° 2'south, and longitude 132° 18' east. 

After clearing Nuyts' Reefs we steered east-north-east, past the cape, tolook for anchorage in two bights, but there were rocks in both, and theywere open to the southward. Beyond them was a low, cliffy point, lying E. 3° N. Seven or eight miles from Cape Nuyts; and seeing a bay behind itwhich promised shelter from south-west and south winds, we hauled roundthe point at half-past five. The water shoaled gradually from 11 to 3fathoms, on which I hove the sails aback and sent the master ahead tosound; and as he did not make the signal for deeper water, as we werealready in tolerable shelter, the anchor was dropped in 3¼ fathoms, sandybottom. We had then the following bearings:

Low cliffy point, distant 2 or 3 miles S. 35° E. Head of the bay, distant 1 ½ miles, S. 58 W. Cliffs, appearing like an island, dist. 4 leagues, N. 77 E. Furthest land visible from the masthead E. S. E. 

Between the first and the last of these bearings we were exposed to thesea, but sheltered at all other points of the compass. 

Being arrived at the extremity of that part of the south coast of TerraAustralis which had been previously explored, it may be useful, beforeentering on the unknown part, to compare my examination of it with whatwas contained in former charts. It will thence appear that the employmentof fifteen days in running along the coast, more than would probably havebeen required had I kept at a distance, was not without some advantage togeography and navigation. 

(Atlas, Plate II. )

At Cape Leeuwin, the largest _Ile St. Alouarn_ of D'Entrecasteaux wasseen to be joined to the main, and to form the south-western extremity ofLeeuwin's Land, and of Terra Australis. The coast from thence to KingGeorge's Sound was more accurately investigated than the French admiralhad an opportunity of doing and his omission of soundings supplied. Captain Vancouver's chart is superior to that of the French from CapeChatham to the Sound; but that officer's distance from some partsprevented him from seeing them correctly. In the Sound, no particularadvantage will be derived from the new survey, the plan given byVancouver being sufficiently correct for nautical purposes, with theexception of the bar to Oyster Harbour, over which he had markedseventeen feet, but where thirteen now appeared to be the greatest depth. From King George's Sound to Point Hood the coast had been veryindistinctly, and sometimes not at all seen by Vancouver; but I found it, speaking generally, to be laid down by D'Entrecasteaux with accuracy, though the bights in the land are marked somewhat too deep, from hisdistance not allowing the low beaches to be always distinguished. Thesetrifling inaccuracies were remedied, the passages between Bald andDoubtful Islands and the main land opposite to them ascertained to besafe, and the omission of soundings along the coast remedied. 

In Doubtful Island Bay the French chart does not give the north-westernpart sufficiently deep; but the coast from thence to the Archipelago ofthe Recherche, as also the reefs and rocks, were well distinguished, better perhaps than by me; but the usual want of soundings, with theexception of some distant ones by Vancouver, still continued. D'Entrecasteaux's chart appeared to be excellent in the western part ofthe archipelago, and good in the positions of the islands on theoutskirts; so that I have, in some cases, borrowed from it. With respectto the inner islands and the main coast, it was necessarily defective, from the French ships having sailed round the archipelago, and notthrough the middle of it as I did in the Investigator. Here, my survey, though far from complete in the details, will afford much new informationand useful also, since it has brought to light a well-sheltered coveaffording wood and water, and two other tolerable anchorages at whichsome refreshments may be procured, and at one, quantities of salt in thesummer season. 

(Atlas, Plate III. )

From the archipelago eastward the examination of the coast was prosecutedby D'Entrecasteaux with much care, and with some trifling exceptions veryclosely; but as far as the 127th degree of longitude from Greenwich nosoundings were given. These have been supplied, and a more minutedescription given of the coast. At the 129th degree the French ships seemto have been closer in with the land than was the Investigator; and itwould appear by the track that they were also closer at the 30th, and atthe head of the Great Bight, but these last are not corroborated by thesoundings. From thence to the bay in which we anchored on the 28th, theDutch chart of 1627 was the sole authority; and making allowances for thestate of navigation at that time, it is as correct in form as couldreasonably have been expected. 

The latitudes and longitudes of the points and islands along the coasthave been either verified or corrected, for there are commonly somedifferences between any longitudes and those of Vancouver andD'Entrecasteaux. The observations by which certain places, taken as fixedpoints, are settled in longitude, are mentioned at those places, as alsoare the corrections applied to the time-keepers for laying down theintermediate parts; and both are more particularly specified in theAppendix to this volume. 

Monsieur _Beautemps Beaupré_, geographical engineer on board LaRecherche, was the constructor of the French charts; and they must beallowed to do him great credit. Perhaps no chart of a coast so littleknown as this was will bear a comparison with its original better thanthose of M. Beaupré. That the Plates II and III in the accompanyingAtlas, are offered as being more full and somewhat more correct, doesneither arise from a wish to depreciate those of my predecessor in theinvestigation, nor from an assumption of superior merit; there is, indeed, very little due to any superiority they may be found to possess;but there would be room for reproach if, after having followed with anoutline of his chart in my hand, improvements should not have been madein all or some of those parts where circumstances had not before admitteda close examination. 

CHAPTER V. 

Fowler's Bay. Departure from thence. Arrival at the Isles of St. Francis. Correspondence between the winds and the marine barometer. Examination of the other parts of Nuyts' Archipelago, and of the maincoast. The Isles of St Peter. Return to St. Francis. General remarks on Nuyts' Archipelago. Identification of the islands in the Dutch chart. 

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 1802

(Atlas, Plate IV. )

The bay in which we anchored on the evening of January 28, at theextremity of the before known south coast of Terra Australis, was namedFOWLER'S BAY, after my first lieutenant; and the low, cliffy point whichshelters it from southern winds and, not improbably, is the furthestpoint (marked B) in the Dutch chart, was called POINT FOWLER. Thebotanical gentlemen landed early on the following morning [FRIDAY 29JANUARY 1802] to examine the productions of the country, and I went onshore to take observations and bearings, and to search for fresh water. 

The cliffs and rocks of Point Fowler are calcareous, and connected withthe main land by a low, sandy isthmus of half a mile broad. Many tracesof inhabitants were found, and amongst others, some decayed spears; butno huts were seen, nor anything to indicate that men had been herelately. Upon the beach were the foot marks of dogs, and some of the emuor cassowary. I found in a hole of the low cliffs one of those largenests which have before been mentioned, but it contained nothing, and hadbeen long abandoned. 

No fresh water was discovered round the shores of the bay, nor was thereany wood large enough for fuel nearer than the brow of a hill two orthree miles off. Two teal were shot on the beach, whence it seemedprobable that some lake or pond of fresh water was not far distant; asea-pie and a gull were also shot, and a few small fish caught alongside. These constituted everything like refreshment obtained here, and thebotanists found the scantiness of plants equal to that of the otherproductions; so that there was no inducement to remain longer. 

Fowler's Bay, however, may be useful to a ship in want of a place ofshelter. It is open to the three points of the compass betweensouth-east-by-south and east-south-east; and it was evident, from plantsgrowing close to the water side, that a swell capable of injuring avessel at anchor was seldom if ever thrown into it. 

The _latitude_ of the east extremity of Point Fowler is 32° 1' south. 

_Longitude_ of the point, deduced from twenty-two sets of distances (seeTable III of the Appendix to this volume) is 132° 30'; but that given bytime keepers with accelerated rates and supplemental correction, asexplained at the end of Chap. VI, and in the Appendix, is preferred, andis 132° 27' east. 

The _variation_ observed upon the binnacle, with the ship's headeast-south-east, was 3° 11' west by the surveying compass; and in theoffing, with the head north-north-east, it was 1° 41' west. These, corrected, will be 0° 19' and 0° 30'; and therefore the variation allowedupon the bearings on shore was 0° 25' west. 

The wind was at south-east-by-south at one in the afternoon, when theanchor was weighed to beat out of the bay. At half past five we werethree miles from a cliffy head which had been taken for an island at theanchorage, and set at N 77° E. The shore forms a small bight on the eastside of this head, and then stretches south-south-eastward in a sandybeach, with a ridge of barren land behind. At sunset we passed towindward of Point Fowler, and stood off to sea for the night. 

[SOUTH COAST. NUYTS' ARCHIPELAGO. ]

SATURDAY 30 JANUARY 1802

Cape Nuyts bore north, two or three leagues, soon after daylight, and thewind was then at east; but as the day advanced it veered to thesouth-east, and permitted us to make a stretch toward the furthest land. At five in the evening we tacked near some low, whitish cliffs, which hadbeen seen from the mast head when in Fowler's Bay; they were two or threemiles off, and the furthest land visible from the deck bore S. 63° E. Atno great distance. The coast here is broken into sandy beaches and small, cliffy points, and the same ridge of barren land runs behind it, but theelevation is not great. 

SUNDAY 31 JANUARY 1802

At three in the afternoon of the 31st we reached in again with the coast, about four leagues beyond our situation on the preceding day. The depthat two miles off shore was 7 fathoms on a coral bottom; the northernextreme bore N. 58° W. , and a low point on the other side, named _PointBell_, S. 45° E. , seven miles. To seaward, a flat rock bore W. 3° S. , onemile and a half; it is the largest of four which were called _Sinclair'sRocks_, and lie scattered at the distance of two or three miles off thecoast. We stood off at this time; but so little could be gained upon thesouth-east winds that when we came in next morning [MONDAY 1 FEBRUARY1802] it was almost exactly in the same spot, and Point Bell was notpassed until late in the afternoon; the weather, also, was adverse to theexamination, being so hazy that the highest land could not be seen beyondthree or four leagues. 

At half-past six in the evening, when we tacked to stand off for thenight, Point Bell bore N. 68° W. Four miles. It lies in 32° 16½' southand 133° 5' east; and there is a broad, flat rock, surrounded withbreakers, one mile to the westward. The main coast beyond the point formssome bights, and is divided betwixt sand and rock, as before described:its general trending is nearly east. A small island, somewhat elevated, lies six miles to the south-east of Point Bell, and has a ledge of rocksand islets extending from it a league to the north-eastward, and aseparate islet one or two miles to the east: these obtained the name of_Purdie's Isles_. After we had tacked in 9 fathoms, a wave was perceivedto break upon a sunken rock within less than half a mile of the ship; andI think it would be dangerous to pass between Point Bell and Purdie'sIsles. 

TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY 1802

At noon of the 2nd February no land was in sight. The weather was stillhazy, and the wind at south-east; but in the afternoon it favoured us twopoints, and we got sight of a higher and larger island than any beforeseen on this part of the coast. At half-past four, being then near asmaller isle and several rocks, we tacked towards the large island whichwas six or seven miles to the southward; and soon after eight in theevening got to an anchor in a little sandy bay on its north side. Thedepth was 6 fathoms in passing the north-west point of the bay, but 10within side, on a fine sandy bottom, where the anchor was dropped. Atdaylight [WEDNESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 1802] we found ourselves hall a mile fromthe shore, and the extremes bearing from N. 32° W. , round by the west andsouth, to S. 77° E. ; and at the distance of two miles we were shelteredby four small islands, extending from N. 41° to 88° E. The master wassent to sound in the bay; but the bottom was everywhere good, and nothingfound to injure the cables. The scientific gentlemen landed upon theirrespective pursuits; and I followed them to take angles for my survey, and see what could be procured for the ship's company. 

The island is nearly three miles long, north-west and south-east, and ismoderately high and cliffy at the ends; the middle part is a sandyisthmus, not more than half a mile broad, but the breadth of the higherends is from one-and-half to two miles. This island is the central one ofa group; for besides the four small isles to the north-east, there aretwo close to the west end, and two others, something larger, lying off tothe southward. I call these the ISLES OF ST. FRANCIS; in the persuasionthat the central one is that named St. Francis by Nuyts. Independently ofthe eight isles and a rock, surrounding this Isle St. Francis, I set fromthe north-east point three other islands. The first, named _Lacy's Isle_, bore N. 28° E. , seven miles; and two miles from it to the north-westthere is an islet and a separate rock above water surrounded withbreakers, the same near which we had tacked at half-past four on thepreceding evening. The second was called _Evans' Isle_, and bore N. 49°E. Eleven miles, and the third to which the name of _Franklin_ was given, bore N. 81° E. Sixteen miles. All these are much inferior in magnitude tothe central island of St. Francis. 

For several days before anchoring here we had observed large flocks ofsooty petrels; and I found the surface of the island, where it was sandyand produced small shrubs, to be full of their burrows. Penguins, similarto those of Furneaux's Islands, had their burrows nearer to thewater-side. A small species of kangaroo, was also found, and at somepreceding season the island had been frequented by geese; but at thistime, the vegetation being almost burnt up, they seemed to have quittedit from want of food. The heat was, indeed, such as to make walking agreat fatigue; and this was augmented by frequently sinking into the birdholes and falling upon the sand. The thermometer stood at 98° in theshade, whilst it was at 78° on board the ship. 

Where the surface is not of sand it consists of calcareous rock, mostlyin loose pieces; but the stone which forms the basis of the island isheavy and of a close grain, and was judged to be porphyry. In thecrevices of a low calcareous cliff, at the south-east side of the bay, Ifound some thin cakes of good salt, incrusted upon a stone containing_laminae_ of quartz. 

A party was sent on shore at dusk to collect petrels, and in less thantwo hours returned with sufficient to give four birds to every man in theship. Early in the morning [THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY 1802] the boats wereagain sent upon the same errand, and to haul the seine; but the birdswere gone off to sea for the day, and no fish were caught. A smallkangaroo was brought off, as also a yellow snake, which was the secondkilled on this island. The great heat deterred the naturalists from goingon shore this morning, for the very little variety in the vegetableproductions presented no inducement to a repetition of their fatigue. Ilanded to see what further could be discovered of the neighbouringislands; and we then prepared to get under way so soon as the breeze setin from the south-eastward, which it usually did about noon, after a fewhours of calm or of light airs. 

The small bay in the Isle St. Francis, which I call _Petrel Bay_, affordsexcellent shelter for two or three ships; but no fresh water, not even torinse our mouths, could be found at this time; and a few scattered busheswere the nearest approach to wood upon the island. Petrels, penguins, anda few hair seals may be procured, and probably some geese in the wetseason. 

I had hitherto observed upon this coast that the south-east and eastwinds produced the same effect upon the barometer as at the Cape of GoodHope, in keeping the mercury high, commonly at or above 30 inches andthe more fresh was the wind, the higher it stood; but within the last fewdays the barometer was much lower with the same winds, and at this timewas at 29. 74. The dense haze which prevailed might possibly have causedthe change, but I suspected another reason for it. Winds coming off theland, I had remarked, had a tendency to depress the mercury, and seawinds to make it rise, though no change took place in the weather; and ittherefore seemed probable, as the trending of the coast beyond theseislands was unknown, that the south-east and east winds came off theland, and not from the sea, as before; in which case the unknown coastwould be found trending to the southward, a conjecture which, it will beseen, was verified. That there was no entrance to a strait, nor any largeinlet near these islands, was almost demonstrated by the insignificanceof the tides; for neither in Fowler's Bay nor at this Isle St. Franciscould any set be perceived; nor was there any rise by the shore worthy ofnotice. 

At half-past one we left Petrel Bay; and having passed between the smallisles to the north-east, steered for Evans' Island, and toward the Islesof St. Peter, which were expected to lie beyond it. At five o'clock, wepassed between Evans' Island and some rocks above water, with breakersround them, lying three miles to the eastward. An island, equally highwith that of St. Francis, was then seen to the north, and low landextended from it to N. 45° E. , which had some appearance of being part ofthe main. We steered for these lands; and seeing an opening between themat sunset, I attempted it in the hope of getting anchorage for the night;but the water shoaled suddenly, from 4 fathoms to sixteen feet uponrocks, and obliged me to veer on the instant. We then stood back to thesouthward till eight o'clock, and nothing being perceived in the way ofthe ship's drift, hove to for the night. 

FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY 1802

The wind was north-east in the morning; and at half-past four o'clock wefilled the sails and steered eastward until eight, when the centralisland of St. Francis bore N. 71° W. , and Franklin's Isles, for there aretwo, besides rocks, were distant four leagues, the small opening betweenthem bearing N. 28° W. To the south-eastward of these islands, at thedistance of eleven miles, is a low projection of the main land, to whichthe name of _Point Brown_ was given, in compliment to the naturalist; andfour leagues further, in the same line, was a cliffy head, called _CapeBauer_ after the painter of natural history. Between these projectionsthere was a wide space where no land was visible, and for which weaccordingly steered on the wind veering more to the northward. Theatmosphere was still hazy, more especially about the horizon, and noobservations worthy of confidence could be taken for either latitude orlongitude. At noon, Franklin's Isles bore N. 48½° to 56½° W. Point Brown, distant four miles, N. 34 W. Cape Bauer, south extremity, dist. 3 leagues, S. 50 E. 

No land was yet visible ahead; and there being much refuse from theshore, as well as seaweed floating about, some hopes of finding a riverwere entertained. At half-past two, however, low, sandy land was seenfrom the mast head, nearly all round, the depth had diminished from 19 to7 fathoms, and the water was much discoloured in streaks at less than amile from the ship. Smokes Were rising in three different places; but asthe wind was unfavourable, and there was no prospect of any openingsufficiently large to admit the Investigator, I gave up the furtherexamination of this place, and called it STREAKY BAY. 

There remained nearly forty miles of space between Point Bell and PointBrown, in which the main coast had not been seen. This it was necessaryto explore; but the wind being then at north-north-east, I steered to thesouthward, to gain some further knowledge of the coast in that directionbefore dark. 

West of Cape Bauer, and distant four miles, there is a low island, extensively surrounded with rocks and breakers, which I called _Olive'sIsland_. We passed between it and the cape, and observed the cliffs ofthe latter to be stratified, and apparently calcareous. Another cliffyand somewhat higher projection opened from it at S. 1° W. , distant sevenmiles, the intermediate low land forming a bight four or five miles deep, which is mostly skirted by a sandy beach. This projection I named _PointWestall_, in compliment to the landscape painter; and at six in theevening, when it bore north-east-by-east two or three miles, we veeredround to the northward. Beyond Point Westall the coast takes a moreeastern direction, the first land which opened out from it being at S. 43° E. : this was a third cliffy projection, terminating another sandybight in the coast. No hill nor anything behind the shore could beperceived, but it does not certainly follow that there are no hills inthe back country, for the haze was too thick to admit of the sightextending beyond four or five leagues. 

The wind having veered to east-north-east, we kept to the northward allnight, under easy sail; and at daylight [SATURDAY 6 FERBRUARY 1802], thelands around us were in the following bearings:

I. St. Francis, the largest southern cliffs, N. 80° W. Lacy's Isle, centre, N. 57 W. Evans' Isle, centre, N. 43 W. Franklin's Isles, extremes, N. 29° to 10 W. Point Brown, south extremity, N. 65 E. Cape Bauer, north extremity, S. 78 E. Olive's Island, centre, S. 67 E. Cliffy Head beyond Point Westall, S. 45 E. 

All sail was made to fetch between Franklin's Isles and Point Brown, inorder to follow the course of the main land as close as possible; butfinding, after several tacks, the impossibility of weathering the isles, we bore away; and at noon hauled up north-north-east round them. The windwas light at east, and the weather fine over head; but there was so densea haze below that, the true horizon could not be distinguished fromseveral false ones, and we had six or seven different latitudes from asmany observers: those taken by me to the north and south differed 19minutes. This dense haze, from its great refractive power, altered theappearance of objects in a surprising manner: a sandy beach seemed to bea chalky cliff, and the lowest islands to have steep shores. Thethermometer stood, at this time, at 82° and the barometer at 29. 60inches. 

On the north side of Point Brown the shore formed a large open bay, intowhich we hauled up as much as the wind would permit, passing near to areef of rocks and breakers, two miles to the north-north-east ofFranklin's Isles. At half-past two the water had shoaled to 5 fathoms;and not being able to distinguish any inlet, we then bore away westwardalong the land. The number of smokes rising from the shores of this wide, open place induced me to give it the name of SMOKY BAY. 

At four o'clock we passed the small opening which had been unsuccessfullyattempted in the evening of the 4th, and hauled up northward under thelee of the island forming its western side. The mainland then came insight ahead; but between it and the islands was a space five or six mileswide, which had the appearance of being the entrance to a river. No landwas visible to the north-east; and besides quantities of grass andbranches of trees or bushes floating in the water, there was a number oflong, gauze-winged insects topping about the surface, such as frequentfresh-water lakes and swamps. In order to form a judgment of how muchfresh was mixed with the salt water, or whether any, I had some taken upfor the purpose of ascertaining its specific gravity; but before theexperiment could be made, the depth diminished to 3 fathoms, and low landwas distinguished nearly all round. We then veered ship; and at seveno'clock came to an anchor in 6 fathoms, off a small beach on the northside of the western and smallest island, being sheltered at all pointsexcept between S. 58° and N. 80° W. 

The specific gravity of the water taken up proved to be 1. 034, or . 008greater than the water of the Southern Indian Ocean, westward of theIsland Amsterdam, although the temperature in which it was weighed washigher by 14°. This circumstance, with the shallowness of the inlet andthe land having been seen to close round so nearly, made me give up theintention of attempting to proceed any higher up, since no river ofimportance was to be expected. 

Great flocks of sooty petrels were observed coming in from sea to theisland, and at the first dawn next morning [SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 1802] aboat was sent to collect a quantity of them, and to kill seals; but thebirds were already moving off, and no more than four seals, of the hairkind, were procured. The botanists preferred going on shore to the moreeastern land, which, though low, was much more extensive than the islandnearer to the ship; and in fact it was not yet ascertained whether itwere not a part of the main. I went to the higher island with atheodolite to take bearings; and as the survey had shown that nodependence was to be placed in any observations taken on board the shipduring the last five days, I took with me the necessary instruments fordetermining the latitude and longitude. 

Granite was found to compose the rocks of the shore, and seemed to be thebasis of the island; but it was covered with a crust of calcareous stone, in some places fifty feet thick. The soil at the top was little betterthan sand, but was overspread with shrubs, mostly of one kind, a whitishvelvety plant--(_artriplex reniformis_ of Brown), * nearly similar to whatis called at Port Jackson, Botany Bay greens. Amongst these the petrelshad everywhere undermined; and from the excessive heat of the sun, thereflection from the sand, and frequently stepping up to the mid-leg inthe burrows, my strength was scarcely equal to reaching the highest hillnear the middle of the island. I had no thermometer, but judged thetemperature could scarcely be less than 120°; and there was not a breathof air stirring. My fatigue was, however, rewarded by an extensive set ofbearings, and I overlooked the lower and larger island to the eastward, and saw the water behind it communicating with Smoky Bay. That low landand the island upon which I stood, being the north-easternmost of thisarchipelago, must, I conceive, be the ISLES OF ST. PETER in Nuyts' chart, notwithstanding their relatively small distance from those of St. Francis. The bay to the northward, between these islands and themainland, I named DENIAL BAY, as well in allusion to St. Peter as to thedeceptive hope we had formed of penetrating by it some distance into theinterior country. The bearings most essential to the survey, taken fromthis station were these, Point Brown, sandy hillocks on it, S. 52° 0' E. Franklin's Isles, the extremes, S. 49° 15' to 33 45 E. Evans' Isle, centre, S. 23 0 W. Isles of St. Francis, southernmost, the centre S. 34 0 W. Do. , the largest extremes, S. 38 0 to 46 20 W. Lacy's Isle, centre, S. 51 0 W. Purdie's Isles, the easternmost, N. 83 15 W. Lound's Isle, centre, N. 76 30 W. Point Bell, the hill on it, N. 73 0 W. Point Peter, across Denial Bay, N. 12 45 W. 

[* _Prod. Flor. Nov. Holl. _ p. 406. ]

On returning to the shore to complete my observations, a flock of tealpresented themselves, and four were shot. There were also pied shags, andgulls of three species; and in the island were seen many crows, a greenparoquet, and two smaller birds. A black snake, of the common size, waskilled, but its form did not bespeak it to be venemous. After observingthe sun's altitude at noon, I returned on board with the intention ofgetting the ship under way, to examine more closely a bight in the coastnear Point Bell; and then of returning to Petrel Bay in the Isle St. Francis, in order to obtain better observations for a base to my chart ofthis archipelago. At two o'clock, Mr. Brown and his party returned fromthe eastern island, bringing four kangaroos, of a different species toany before seen. Their size was not superior to that of a hare, and theywere miserably thin, and infested with insects. No other than calcareousrock was seen upon the eastern island. It seemed to afford neither woodnor water, nor were there any marks of its having been visited by thenatives of the continent; in which respect it resembled the westernisland, as it also did in its vegetation, and in being frequented by thesooty petrel. Mr. Brown's pocket thermometer stood at 125° when placed onthe sand, and 98° in the shade; whilst on board the ship the height wasonly 83°. 

The sun was too high at noon for its altitude to be taken from anartificial horizon with a sextant; but by laying down upon the beach Iobtained it from the sea horizon tolerably free from the refractiveerrors caused by the haze. The _latitude_ of the north side of thewestern Isle of St. Peter, thus observed, was 32° 21¼' south, and the_longitude_ by time-keepers, corrected as usual, 133° 29' east. There wasno set of _tide_ past the ship; but from eight o'clock to noon the waterhad risen about a foot by the shore. 

The anchor was weighed on the return of the botanists, and we steeredwestward past the small island named Lound's, and as far as Purdie'sIsles. When, having seen the whole line of the coast behind them, wehauled to the southward at six o'clock for Petrel Bay; and at one in themorning [MONDAY 8 FEBRUARY 1802] came to, in 13 fathoms, near our formeranchorage. 

It was here confirmed by satisfactory observations on shore that ourformer latitudes and longitudes taken on board the ship were erroneous;and the consequent necessity of reconstructing my chart of these islandsinduced me to remain at anchor the rest of the day. A boat was sent tofish with hook and line, and had some success; and at dusk a sufficientnumber of sooty petrels were taken from the burrows to give nine to everyman, making, with those before caught, more than twelve hundred birds. These were inferior to the teal shot at the western Isle of St. Peter, and by most persons would not be thought eatable on account of theirfishy taste, but they made a very acceptable supply to men who had beenmany months confined to an allowance of salt meat. 

The _latitude_ of our anchorage in Petrel Bay proved to be 32° 33 1/3'south, and corrected _longitude_, by time-keepers, 133° 15½' east. The_variation_ of the compass on the binnacle, with the ship's headsouth-eastwardly, but the exact point not noted, was 2° 23' west. Otherazimuths, taken five leagues to the north-westward, with the headsouth-half-west, gave 0° 19' east; and six leagues to the eastward, thehead being north half-west, we had 0° 16' east. All these observations, being corrected, and supposing the ship's head in the first case to havebeen south-east-half-east, as is probable, would agree in showing thatthe true and magnetic meridians exactly coincided at the Isles of St. Francis in 1802. 

Being about to quit this archipelago, it may be expected that I shouldmake some general remarks upon it. The basis stone of the islands wherewe landed, and that of the others, as also of the projecting parts of themain, appeared to be similar, was either porphyry or granite; but thiswas generally covered with a _stratum_, more or less thick, of calcareousrock. The and sterility of the two largest islands has been alreadymentioned; and yet they appeared superior to any of the smaller isles, where there was no probability that the small kangaroos could exist inthe dry season. The surface of the continent seemed to be almost equallydestitute of vegetable soil to cover the sand and rock; and from the hotwinds off the land, which we felt in Streaky and Smoky Bays, it wouldseem that this aridity prevails to a considerable distance in theinterior. There are, however, some grounds to believe that a lake or runof fresh water exists not far from Denial Bay: the flock of teal seenupon the western Isle of St. Peter, and the number of winged, fresh-waterinsects skimming the surface of that bay, are the grounds to which Iallude. 

My examination of this group of islands was tolerably minute to be donewholly in a ship; but much still remained, which boats would bestaccomplish, to make the survey complete, especially in the bays of themain land. No more than a general examination was prescribed by myinstructions at this time, and I therefore left the minute parts for asecond visit, when the ship would be accompanied by the Lady Nelsontender. 

Upon the identity of the particular islands composing this group, ascompared with the chart of Nuyts' discovery, there may possibly be somedifference of opinion, but there can be no doubt that the group generallyis the same with that laid down by the Dutch navigator; and I thereforedistinguish it from others upon this coast by the title of NUYTS'ARCHIPELAGO. Besides the nine Isles of St. Francis and two of St. Peter, and several distinct rocks and patches of reef, it contains Sinclair'sfour Rocks, Purdie's Isles, Lound's Isle, Lacy's and Evans' Islands, Franklin's Isles, and Olive's Island; all of which are named after youngofficers of the Investigator. The state of navigation in 1627 does notpermit the expectation of any exact coincidence between the islands laiddown by the Dutch and those in my chart; if a few leading features ofresemblance be found, this is all that can be fairly required; and theseI shall endeavour to trace. 

The Cape marked A (see the copy of the Dutch chart from _Thevenot_), thepoint B, and the western reefs, I conceive to be clearly identified inCape Nuyts, Point Fowler, and Nuyts' Reefs, although there be adifference of near half a degree in latitude. The next leading mark isthe line of islands marked 1, 2, to 5, extending south-south-east fromthe furthest extremity of the main land. I found no islands correspondingto the first three of these; but the main coast there trends south-east, and there are cliffy projections upon it which might appear like islandsto a ship so far distant as not to raise the intermediate beaches. Iconceive then, that the island marked 3, is the projecting point which Ihave named Point Bell; and that 1 and 2 are the two cliffy projectionsfurther northward. The island marked 4 will be the largest of Purdie'sIsles; and in looking on, nearly in the same line, we find 5 in Lacy'sIsland. The island 6, or St. Francis, should lie to the west-south-west, or perhaps south-west, for since the line of the five islands is twopoints too much to the right, this bearing may be the same. To thesouth-west-by-south the large Isle St. Francis is found, in the centre ofeight smaller isles which Nuyts has not distinguished. The islands 8, 9, and 10, are to be sought to the east-north-east of 5, or Lacy's Island, or rather to the north-east, two points to the left; and there we find, though not very exactly, Evans' Island and the two Isles of St. Peter. Island 7 should be to the north-west of 8, and in a direction between 4and 9; and in that position is Lound's small Isle. 

This explanation, I am aware, may be disputed, because it leavesFranklin's Isles unnoticed; and it may be objected, that had Lound's Islebeen seen, the main land north of it would have been seen also. ThatNuyts passed to the southward of all the islands laid down in his chartseems improbable, since he distinguished only one of the Isles of St. Francis; but if this be supposed, then 7 and 8 might be Evans' andFranklin's Isles, and 9 and 10 would be Point Brown and Cape Bauer, whichlie to the south-east, instead of north~east; and in this case theislands which I suppose to be St. Peter's, and that of Lound, will nothave been seen. The question is, in fact, of no importance, other thanwhat arises from a desire to do justice to the Dutch navigator; and onthis head, I trust there can be no accusation. My opinion coincides withthe first explanation; and unless an island exist to the south-west ofSt. Francis, and I am tolerably certain that none lies within fiveleagues, a correspondence more free from objections cannot easily bepointed out. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Prosecution of the discovery of the unknown coast. Anxious Bay. Anchorage at Waldegrave's and at Flinders' Islands. The Investigator's Group. Coffin's Bay. Whidbey's Isles. Differences in the magnetic needle. Cape Wiles. Anchorage at Thistle's Island. Thorny Passage. Fatal accident. Anchorage in Memory Cove. Cape Catastrophe, and the surrounding country. Anchorage in Port Lincoln, and refitment of the ship. Remarks on the country and inhabitants. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

[SOUTH COAST. FROM NUYTS' ARCHIPELAGO. ]

TUESDAY 9 FEBRUARY 1802

At daybreak in the morning of Feb. 9, when the anchor was weighed fromPetrel Bay to prosecute the examination of the unknown coast, we wereunexpectedly favoured with a refreshing breeze from the westward; and ourcourse was directed for Cape Bauer. At noon, the latitude from mean ofobservations to the north and south, which differed only 1', was 32° 43'17"; but although our distance from the land could not be more than threeleagues, no part of it was distinguishable; the haze was very thick, butit was of a different nature, and had none of that extraordinaryrefractive power which the atmosphere possessed during the prevalence ofthe eastern winds. At one o'clock, Olive's Island was indistinctlyperceived; and at two we came in with Point Westall, and then steeredsouth-south-eastward along the coast at the distance of four or fivemiles. At six, a bold cliffy head, which I named CAPE RADSTOCK, in honourof Admiral Lord Radstock, bore N. 75° E. , six or seven miles; and theland seemed there to take another direction, for nothing beyond it couldbe perceived. The wind was at west-south-west; and we kept on thestarboard tack till eight o'clock, and then stood off for the night. 

WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 1802

At five in the morning we steered for the land; and soon afterward CapeRadstock was in sight, bearing N. 57° E. , five leagues. The latitude ofthis cape is 33° 12' south, and longitude 134° 15' east. Other cliffyheads came in sight as we advanced eastward; and at seven, the appearanceof an opening induced me to steer close in; but it proved to be a bightfull of rocks, with low land behind. The line of the projecting parts ofthe coast is nearly east from Cape Radstock for four leagues; and at theend of them is a cliffy point which received the name of _Point Weyland_. Round this point an opening was seen of so promising an appearance that Ibore away north and north-east for it, although land was in sight as faras east-south-east. Before noon the greater part of the open space wasfound to be occupied by low land; and no more of the opening remainedthan a small inlet through the beach, leading, apparently, into a lagoon, the water of which was distinguished from the mast head. This inlet wasfit only to receive boats; and therefore we hauled the wind to thesouthward, when the sandy shore near it was distant two-and-half miles onone side, and Point Weyland one mile and a half on the other. Thelatitude of this point is 33° 14' south, and longitude 134° 32' east. Asthe day advanced the wind veered to south-west, and there being a swellfrom the same quarter, we could do no more than make asouth-east-by-south course, parallel with the shore. At three o'clock themainland was seen to extend out beyond what the ship could fetch; therewere besides two islands lying still further out, and a third wasperceived in the offing, almost directly to windward. The two firstreceived the name of _Waldegrave's Isles_, and the latter with some rocksnear it were called _Top-gallant Isles_. Our distance from the sandyshore was then barely a league; and coming into 7 fathoms water soonafterward, we tacked, hoping to weather Cape Radstock; but finding thisto be impossible, were constrained to pass the night in working towindward in the bay. The weather was squally with rain, but our situationmade it necessary to carry all possible sail; and we had thesatisfaction, at daylight [THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 1802], to find the shiphad gained considerably. It then blew a strong breeze atsouth-west-by-south, and we stretched in under Waldegrave's Isles; andfinding the water become smooth, the anchor was let go in 7 fathoms, on abottom of calcareous sand, at half a mile from the north-east end of theinner and largest island. We were here sheltered from the present wind, but exposed from west-by-south to north-north-west; the master wastherefore immediately sent to sound the opening of one mile wide betweenthe island and the main, by which alone we could hope to escape, shouldthe wind shift to the north-westward and blow strong; but the openingproved to be full of rocks and breakers. 

The press of sail carried in the night had so much stretched the riggingthat it required to be set up, fore and aft. Whilst this was doing onboard, the naturalists landed upon the island; where I also went to takebearings with a theodolite, and observations for the latitude andlongitude. The island is about two miles long, and connected by rockswith the small outer isle; and they extend four or five miles from aprojecting part of the main, in a west direction. These islands form thesouthern boundary, as Cape Radstock does the north point of a great openbay, which, from the night we passed in it, obtained the name of ANXIOUSBAY. 

I found the island to bear a great resemblance to the western Isle of St. Peter, in its cliffy shores, granitic basis and _super-stratum_ ofcalcareous stone; in its vegetable productions, and in its surface beingmuch excavated by the burrows of the sooty petrels. It had also beenfrequented by geese at some preceding season of the year, and there weremarks of its having been a breeding place for them; but at this time thevegetation was too much dried up to afford any subsistence. Crows of ashining black colour were numerous; and in two which I shot the bill wassurrounded at the base with small feathers, extending one-fourth of thelength towards the extremity. There were no appearances of the islandhaving been before visited either by Europeans or Indians, and a singlerat was the sole quadruped seen; but a few hair seals were killed uponthe shore. Mr. Brown remarked that this was the first island where not asingle novelty in natural history had presented itself to hisobservation. 

[SOUTH COAST. INVESTIGATOR'S GROUP. ]

From the highest part of the island I saw two patches of breakers, lyingnear three miles out from the western island; and beyond the Top-gallantIsles in the offing, there was a piece of land of more considerableextent, which the haze did not allow of being well defined. No part ofthe main coast was visible from hence, beyond the projection close toWaldegrave's Isles; but on changing my station to the southward, landopened from it at the distance of three or four leagues. The principalbearings taken were as follow:

Point Weyland, distant 7 or 8 leagues, N. 24° 10' W. Top-gallant Isles, centre of the largest, S. 52 20 W. Southmost rock, like a ship under sail, S. 48 5 W. Further land, the east side, S. 57° 40' to 69 10 W. Southern extreme of the coast, S. 49 40 E. 

A squall passed over as the sun came to the meridian, and deprived me ofan observation for the latitude; but the centre of Waldegrave's largestIsle was afterwards found to be in 33° 35½' south, and the longitude bymy observations on shore for the time keepers, was 131° 44' east. 

There were strong squalls during the night, with rain, but the wind beingoff the land, the ship rode easy with a whole cable. At daylight [FRIDAY12 FEBRUARY 1802] the weather was more moderate, and we stretched out forthe distant piece of land in the offing. At noon it was seven miles towindward, and seen to be an island of about five miles in length; andbeing near enough at dusk to observe that it afforded shelter, and thatthere were no apparent dangers, we continued to beat up, and got toanchor at half-past nine, in 7 fathoms, fine sand; the nearest beachbeing distant half a mile, and the island extending from S. 85° E. To 67°W. 

SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 1802

In the morning we were surprised to see breaking water about one milefrom the ship, and as much from the shore. It was not far from the placewhere the last tack had been made in the evening, and the master found nomore than six feet water close to it; so that we were fortunate in havingescaped. The botanical gentlemen landed early; and I followed them tomake the usual observations for the survey. 

From my first station, at the north-east end of the island, the largestof the Top-gallant Isles bore S. 67° E. , four or five miles. It is oflittle extent, but high and cliffy; and there are three rocks on itssouth side resembling ships under sail, from which circumstance thissmall cluster obtained its present name. To the south-west Idistinguished several small islands, of which the northernmost andlargest is remarkable from two high and sharp-pointed peaks upon it, lying in latitude 33° 57' and longitude 134° 13'. This cluster, as itappeared to be, received the name of _Pearson's Isles_; but it ispossible that what seemed at a distance to be divided into several mayform two or three larger islands, or even be one connected land. Anotherisland, about one mile long and of moderate height, was discoveredbearing S. 72° W. , about four leagues. It was surrounded with highbreakers, as was a smaller isle near it; and the two were called _Ward'sIsles_. These three small clusters, with Waldegrave's Isles, and thislarger island, which was named Flinders', after the second lieutenant, form a group distinct from Nuyts' Archipelago; and I gave it the name ofthe INVESTIGATOR'S GROUP. 

The form of Flinders' Island is nearly a square, of which each side isfrom three to five miles in length. Bights are formed in the four sides;but that to the north seems alone to afford good anchorage. In itscomposition this island is nearly the same as that of Waldegrave'slargest isle; but between the granitic basis and the calcareous top thereis a _stratum_ of sand stone, in some places twenty feet thick. Thevegetation differed from that of other islands before visited, in thatthe lower lands were covered with large bushes; and there was very littleeither of the white, velvety shrub (_atriplex_) or of the tufted, wirygrass. A small species of kangaroo, not bigger than a cat, was rathernumerous. I shot five of them, and some others were killed by thebotanists and their attendants, and found to be in tolerably goodcondition. We were now beginning to want a supply of water, and thenorthern part of the island was sought over carefully for it; but thenearest approach to success was in finding dried-up swamps in which thegrowing plants were tinged red, as if the water had been brackish. Noother trees than a few small _casuarinas_, at a distance from theanchorage, were seen upon the island; but wood for fuel might with somedifficulty be picked out from the larger bushes growing near the shore. The beaches were frequented by seals of the hair kind. A family of themconsisting of a male, four or five females, and as many cubs was lyingasleep at every two or three hundred yards. Their security was such thatI approached several of these families very closely; and retired withoutdisturbing their domestic tranquillity or being perceived by them. 

The _latitude_ of the north-east sandy cove in Flinders' Island was foundto be 33° 41' south, and _longitude_ 134° 27½' east. The _variation_ onboard, observed by Mr. Thistle on the binnacle with the ship's headsouth-by-east, was 0° 6' east; which, corrected, gives 0° 44' for thevariation to be allowed on the bearings taken on shore, or on board theship with the head at north or south. The tide appeared to be asinconsiderable here as in Nuyts' Archipelago. With the present southernwinds the temperature at this island was very agreeable; the thermometerstood between 65° and 68°, and the barometer at 30. 08 inches, and it wasrising. 

[SOUTH COAST. FROM INVESTIGATOR'S GROUP. ]

SUNDAY 14 FEBRUARY 1802

In the morning of the 14th, the wind was at south-south-east. We weighedthe anchor at daylight, and beat to windward the whole day; but withoutgaining any thing to the southward. A little before midnight, the windhaving veered more to the east, we passed the Top-gallant Isles, and atnoon next day [MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 1802] were in the following situation:

Latitude observed, 33° 59½'Longitude from bearings, 134 38Top-gallant Isles, centre of the largest, N. 12 W. Pearson's Isles, the two northern peaks, N. 83 W. 

No part of the main land was visible; but the wind having veered back tothe southward, in the nature of a sea breeze. , we were then standingeastward; and in two hours several smokes were seen, and soon afterwardthe land. At six o'clock, a very projecting point of calcareous cliffs, distant five miles, was the southernmost visible extreme. It was named_Point Drummond_, in compliment to captain Adam Drummond of the navy; andlies in 34° 10' south and 135° 13' east. 

The coast from Waldegrave's Isles to Point Drummond runs waving in asouth-eastern direction, and forms bights and broad, cliffy heads. Itappeared to be of moderate elevation, and barren; but the further partsof it could not be well distinguished on account of the haze. 

We tacked from the shore at six o'clock, when the following bearings weretaken;

Point Drummond, S. 14° E. A broad cliffy projection, the north end, N. 11 W. ---- south end, distant 4 or 5 miles, N. 26 E. A rocky islet, distant three leagues, N. 41 W. This islet lies four miles from the main land, and nothing was seen toprevent a ship passing between them. 

Soon after we had tacked, the wind veered gradually round from the southto east; and having steered southward under easy sail till midnight, wethen hove to. A heavy dew fell, which had not before been observed uponthis part of the coast. 

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 1802

At daylight, Point Drummond was seven miles distant to the north-by-east. The shore, after falling back four or five miles from it, trendednorthward; but there was other land further out, and we steered for theopening between them, passing a rocky islet five miles from PointDrummond and nearly as much from the eastern shore. At eight o'clock wefound ourselves in a bay whose width, from the outer western point ofentrance, named _Point Sir Isaac_, to the shore on the east side, wasnear three leagues. It extended also far into the south-south-east butthe depth diminished, in less than half an hour, to 4 fathoms, althoughthe head of the bay was still six or seven miles distant. We were thentwo miles from the eastern shore, with Point Sir Isaac bearing N. 67° W. ;and hoping to find deeper water in that direction, hauled to thewestward; but coming into 3 fathoms, were obliged to tack, and the windveering round from the sea, we worked to windward in the entrance of thebay. 

The situation of Point Sir Isaac is 34° 27' south, and from observationsof the moon with stars on each side, in 135° 13' east; but by thetime-keepers corrected, which I prefer, the longitude is 135° 10' east. The basis of the point seemed to be granitic, with an upper _stratum_ ofcalcareous rock, much similar to the neighbouring isles of theInvestigator's Group. Its elevation is inconsiderable, and the surface issandy and barren, as is all the land near it on the same side. The largepiece of water which it shelters from western winds I named COFFIN'S BAY, in compliment to the present vice-admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart. ; who, when resident commissioner at Sheerness, had taken so zealous a part inthe outfit of the Investigator. Coffin's Bay extends four or five leaguesto the south-eastward from Point Sir Isaac; but I do not think that anystream more considerable than perhaps a small rill from the back landfalls into it, since sandy cliffs and beach were seen nearly all round. On the east side of the entrance the shore rises quickly from the beachto hills of considerable height, well covered with wood. The highest ofthese hills I call _Mount Greenly_; its elevation is between six andeight hundred feet, and it stands very near the water-side. 

Many smokes were seen round Coffin's Bay, and also two parties ofnatives, one on each side; these shores were therefore better inhabitedthan the more western parts of the South Coast; indeed it has usuallybeen found in this country that the borders of shallow bays and lagoons, and at the entrances of rivers, are by far the most numerously peopled. These natives were black and naked, differing in nothing that we couldperceive from those of King George's Sound before described. 

In the evening the wind veered to the southward; and at sunset we passedPoint Sir Isaac at the distance of half a mile. Our course was thendirected to the south-west, towards two high pieces of land whichappeared in the offing, and obtained the name of _Greenly's Isles_. Theship was hove to at midnight; but on seeing the islands to leeward at twoin the morning [WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 1802], we filled; and at three, tacked towards the main land. At daylight a rocky point which lies ten oreleven miles to the south-south-west of Point Sir Isaac, and is called_Point Whidbey_, was distant two miles; and the peak upon thesouthernmost of Greenly's Isles bore S. 66° W. , four or five leagues. AtS. 18° E. , seven or eight miles from Point Whidbey, lies an island onemile in length, the middlemost and largest of seven, which I namedWHIDBEY'S ISLES, after my worthy friend the former master-attendant atSheerness. The basis of these isles appeared to be granitic, but the moreelevated are covered with a thick crust of calcareous rock; and in themiddlemost this upper _stratum_ is perforated, admitting the lightthrough the island. 

The two easternmost of Whidbey's Isles are close to a low projection ofthe main land which was named _Point Avoid_. It lies eleven or twelvemiles to the east-south-east of Point Whidbey; and the shore between themforms so deep a bight that the peninsula between it and Coffin's Bayseems to be there not more than two or three miles broad. At the head ofthis bight is a low, rocky island, and there are rocks and breakers oneach side of the entrance; on which account, and from its being exposedto the dangerous southern winds, I named it AVOID BAY. 

Having a wind at south-east-by-south, we beat up all the morning off theentrance of this bay, taking bearings of the different islands andpoints, and of Mount Greenly which was visible over the peninsula, to fixtheir relative positions. At noon, our

Latitude, observed to the N. And S. , was 34° 43' 32"Longitude by time keepers, 135 3 35Greenly's Isles, the peak, bore N. 74 W. Whidbey's Isles, three westernmost, S. 36° 60 W. ---- middlemost, north end dist. 2 miles, N. 81 E. ---- two near Point Avoid, N. 81 E. Mount Greenly, over the peninsula, Not distinct. Point Whidbey, distant 7 miles, N. 2 E. 

At dusk in the evening, having weathered Whidbey's Isles, we tacked nearPoint Avoid and stretched off to sea; but on coming in with the land atdaylight of the 18th [THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 1802], it appeared thatnothing was gained, our situation being then in the same bight to theeastward of the point. 

The shore of the bight is sandy and low, and trends from Point Avoidabout five miles to the east; after which it takes a more southerndirection and becomes higher, and the projecting parts of the wavingcoast line are cliffy. Behind the shore the land rises to a moderateheight, is destitute of vegetation, and of a yellow colour, but whetherfrom the surface being of bare rock, or of sand, could not bedistinguished. 

In stretching off again, with the wind at east-south-east, we passed nearto a small circular reef, lying nine miles from Point Avoid and six fromthe nearest shore. Azimuths taken at this time with three compasses onthe binnacle, and the ship's head at south (magnetic), gave the meanvariation 1° 12' east; but with the surveying compass alone it was 1° 39'east, which is what I allowed in the survey. On the preceding day the twoguns upon the quarter-deck, nearest to the binnacle, had been struck downinto the after-hold, from a persuasion that the differences so oftenfound in the variations and bearings when on different tacks must arisefrom some iron placed too near the compasses. Strict search had beenrepeatedly made for sail needles, marline-spikes, or other implements ofiron which might have been left in or about the binnacle, but I could fixon nothing unless it were the guns; for it is to be observed that, notwithstanding the constancy of the differences, the idea of anyregularly acting cause to derange the needle had not yet fixed itself inmy mind. The perfection to which naval science had arrived did not allowme to suppose, that if a constant and unavoidable attraction existed inships, it would not have been found out, and its laws ascertained; yet nolonger than three days before, differences had been observed sufficient, one would think, to have convinced any man that they were produced bysome regular cause. Off Point Drummond, about fifteen leagues to thenorth of where the variation 1° 39' east was observed with the ship'shead at south, both azimuths and an amplitude had been taken with thesame compass. The first gave 1° 33' _west_, the head beingsouth-east-by-east; and after we had tacked, and the head wassouth-west-by-west, the amplitude gave 3° 56' _east_! I did not yet seethat as the ship's head was as much on the east side of the magneticmeridian in one case as it was to the west in the other, so was thevariation as much too far west then as it was too far east afterward. Differences like this, of 5½°, which had frequently occurred, seemed tomake accuracy in my survey unattainable from not knowing what variationto allow on the several bearings. The guns were removed in the hope to doaway the differences, but they still continued to exist, nearly in thesame proportion as before; and almost in despair, I at length set about aclose examination of all the circumstances connected with them, in orderto ascertain the cause, and if possible to apply a remedy; but it waslong, and not without an accumulation of facts, before I could arrive atthe conclusions deduced and explained in the Appendix No. II to thesecond volume. 

We tacked towards the land soon after noon; and being within five milesof it at three o'clock, stood off again. The furthest extreme of the mainland was a sloping low point, distant about three leagues; but two orthree miles beyond it, to the south, was a small island to which I gavethe name of _Liguanea_. Some of Whidbey's Isles were still to bedistinguished, and the bearings taken just before tacking were as under:

Inner island near Point Avoid, N. 31° W. Nearest part of the cliffs, E. N. E. The sloping low point, S. 71 E. Liguanea Island, highest part, S. 57 E. 

At seven in the evening, we came in with the land a little further towindward, and tacked at a mile and a half from a patch of breakers whichlie N. 72° W. Three or four miles from the sloping low point. This pointwas still the furthest part of the main land visible, the coast seemingfrom thence to take a more eastern direction. 

FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 1802

In the afternoon of the 19th when the wind had returned to the south, wepassed to windward of Liguanea Island, and saw it surrounded with manybreakers on its south and west sides. The sloping low point was alsovisible; and three miles further eastward there was a steep head, withtwo high rocks and one lower near it, of which Mr. Westall made a sketch. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 7. ) This projection I named CAPE WILES, after aworthy friend at Liguanea, in Jamaica; it lies in latitude 34° 57' south, and longitude 135° 38½' east. Before dark we got sight of a hill situateupon a projecting cape, thirteen miles to the east-south-east of CapeWiles, and observed the intermediate coast to form a large bight or bay, which I proposed to examine in the morning; and for that purpose we stoodoff and on during the night, with the wind from the southward. 

SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 1802

At daylight of the 20th the hill on the east side of the bight bore N. 68° E. Five or six miles, and an island, named _Isle Williams_, was seento lie two miles from it to the south-east. We steered north-west soonafterward, up the bight; but in an hour were able to see the land allround, and that this place, which, I called SLEAFORD BAY, was dangerouswith the wind at south-east, as it was then blowing. We therefore bracedup, to work out; and at noon, our situation, with that of the surroundinglands, was as follows:

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 35° 2' 33"Longitude by time keepers, 135 44Liguana Isle, the centre nearly, N. 67 W. Cape Wiles, centre of the cliffs, N. 38 W. Hill on the east side of Sleaford Bay, N. 77 E. Isle Williams, E. 2 N. 

In the afternoon the wind favoured us by veering to south-by-west, andthe passage between the projection of the hill and Isle Williams, (AtlasPlate XVII. View 8. ) seeming to be clear, we steered through it with goodsoundings, the least being 12 fathoms, upon rippling water. Three milesfurther the main land formed a point, and took the uncommon direction ofN. 15° W. ; but to the eastward, there was a large piece of land, whetherisland or main we could not tell, and several small islands lay between. The opening was four miles wide; and we steered into it, passing throughripplings of tide with irregular soundings. No land could be seen to thenorth-east, but the night was coming on; and as the eastern landsheltered us from the present wind, we ran within half a mile of theshore and anchored in 3½ fathoms. The master was sent to sound about theship; and finding we had not a sufficient depth for swinging toward theshore, the anchor was tripped and let go further out, in 7 fathoms, on asandy bottom. No part of the eastern land was visible beyond the bearingof N. 76° E. , distant one mile and a half; and the furthest extreme ofwhat we could be certain was main land bore N. 17° W. 

A tide from the north-eastward, apparently the ebb, ran more than onemile an hour; which was the more remarkable from no set of tide, worthyto be noticed, having hitherto been observed upon this coast. No landcould be seen in the direction from whence it came; and thesecircumstances, with the trending of the coast to the north, did not failto excite many conjectures. Large rivers, deep inlets, inland seas, andpassages into the Gulph of Carpentaria, were terms frequently used in ourconversations of this evening; and the prospect of making an interestingdiscovery seemed to have infused new life and vigour into every man inthe ship. 

SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY 1802

Early in the morning I went on shore to the eastern land, anxious toascertain its connexion with or separation from the main. There wereseals upon the beach, and further on, numberless traces of the kangaroo. Signs of extinguished fire existed everywhere; but they bespoke aconflagration of the woods, of remote date, rather than the habitualpresence of men, and might have arisen from lightning, or from thefriction of two trees in a strong wind. Upon the whole I satisfied myselfof the insularity of this land; and gave to it, shortly after, the nameof THISTLE'S ISLAND, from the master who accompanied me. In our way upthe hills, to take a commanding station for the survey, a speckled, yellow snake lay asleep before us. By pressing the butt-end of a musketupon his neck I kept him down whilst Mr. Thistle, with a sail needle andtwine, sewed up his mouth; and he was taken on board alive for thenaturalist to examine; but two others of the same species had alreadybeen killed, and one of them was seven feet nine inches in length. Wewere proceeding onward with our prize when a white eagle, with fierceaspect and outspread wing, was seen bounding towards us; but stoppingshort at twenty yards off, he flew up into a tree. Another bird of thesame kind discovered himself by making a motion to pounce down upon us aswe passed underneath; and it seemed evident that they took us forkangaroos, having probably never seen an upright animal in the island ofany other species. These birds sit watching in the trees, and should akangaroo come out to feed in the day-time, it is seized and torn topieces by these voracious creatures. This accounted for why so fewkangaroos were seen, when traces of them were met with at every step; andfor their keeping so much under thick bushes that it was impossible toshoot them. Their size was superior to any of those found upon the morewestern islands, but much inferior to the forest kangaroo of thecontinent. 

From a clear spot upon the north-western head of the island I traced themain coast to a cape bearing N. 18° W. , where it was lost, but reappearedat a further distance, and extended to N. 2½° W. More to the right werethree small islands, which I named _Sibsey_, _Stickney_, and _SpilsbyIslands_, but no other land in a north-east, and none in an easterndirection. On the opposite side, six leagues out at sea, there was asmall cluster of low islands, and some rocks and breakers at a lessdistance; these were called _Neptune's Isles_, for they seemed to beinaccessible to men. In the opening between Thistle's Island and the mainare several small isles; and the two southernmost so much contract theentrance of the passage that one mile and a half of its breadth, betweenthe main land and western isle, are alone safe for ships; I gave to thisthe name of THORNY PASSAGE. The bearings taken at this station, of mostimportance to the survey, were these:

Hill on the east side of Sleaford Bay, S. 70° 50' W. Point where the coast turns northward, S. 73 30 W. Hill of a conic form, on the main land, N. 35 50 W. Sibsey I. , centre, over a nearer low rock, N. 12 0 E. Stickney Island, centre, N. 26 0 E. Spilsby Island, centre, N. 33 0 E. Thistle's I. , west side, furthest visible part, S. 35 30 E. Neptune's Isles, the furthest, centre, S. 5 30 E. ---- two nearer, the extremes, S. 1° E to 4 0 W. 

Thistle's Island is about twelve miles long, and from one to two or threein breadth, and in the middle part is high enough to be seen ten ortwelve leagues from a ship's deck. The stone of the north-east end wasfound to be calcareous; but at the top of the north-west head, not lessthan two hundred feet high, there were many small pieces of granite, rounded to all appearance by attrition in the water. Some of the cliffson the western side are white, as if composed of chalk, and the soil ingeneral seemed to be sandy; yet the island was pretty well covered withwood, principally _eucalyptus_ and _casuarina_. No water could be found;and as the ship's hold was becoming very empty, I returned on board, after observing the latitude, with the intention of running over to themain in search of it. But on comparing the longitude observed bylieutenant Flinders with that resulting from my bearings, a differencewas found which made it necessary to repeat the observation on shore; andas this would prolong the time too near dusk for moving the ship, Mr. Thistle was sent over with a cutter to the mainland in search of ananchoring place where water might be procured. 

The _latitude_ of a small beach on the north end of Thistle's Island wasfound to be 34° 56'; and _longitude_, by the time-keepers corrected, 136°3½', agreeing with thirty sets of lunar observations reduced to a placeconnected with this by land bearings. The strongest _tides_ set past theship at the rate of two miles an hour, from the north-north-east andsouth-south-west; the latter, which appeared to be the flood, ceasing torun _at the time of the moon's passage_ over the meridian. It rose sevenfeet and a half by the lead line in the night of the 20th; and there weretwo tides in the twenty-four hours. 

At dusk in the evening the cutter was seen under sail, returning from themain land; but not arriving in half an hour, and the sight of it havingbeen lost rather suddenly, a light was shown and lieutenant Fowler wentin a boat, with a lanthorn, to see what might have happened. Two hourspassed without receiving any tidings. A gun was then fired, and Mr. Fowler returned soon afterward, but alone. Near the situation where thecutter had been last seen he met with so strong a rippling of tide thathe himself narrowly escaped being upset; and there was reason to fearthat it had actually happened to Mr. Thistle. Had there been daylight, itis probable that some or all of the people might have been picked up; butit was too dark to see anything, and no answer could be heard to thehallooing or to the firing of muskets. The tide was setting to thesouthward and ran an hour and a half after the missing boat had been lastseen, so that it would be carried to seaward in the first instance; andno more than two out of the eight people being at all expert in swimming, it was much to be feared that most of them would be lost. *

[* This evening, Mr. Fowler told me a circumstance which I thoughtextraordinary; and it afterwards proved to be more so. Whilst we werelying at Spithead, Mr. Thistle was one day waiting on shore, and havingnothing else to do he went to a certain old man, named Pine, to have hisfortune told. The cunning man informed him that he was going out a longvoyage, and that the ship, on arriving at her destination, would bejoined by another vessel. That such was intended, he might have learnedprivately; but he added, that Mr. Thistle would be lost before the othervessel joined. As to the manner of his loss the magician refused to giveany information. My boat's crew, hearing what Mr. Thistle said, went alsoto consult the wise man; and after the prefatory information of a longvoyage, were told that they would be shipwrecked, but not in the shipthey were going out in: whether they would escape and return to England, he was not permitted to reveal. 

This tale Mr. Thistle had often told at the mess table; and I remarkedwith some pain in a future part of the voyage, that every time my boat'screw went to embark with me in the Lady Nelson, there was some degree ofapprehension amongst them that the time of the predicted shipwreck wasarrived. I make no comment upon this story, but recommend a commander, ifpossible, to prevent any of his crew from consulting fortune tellers. ]

MONDAY 22 FEBRUARY 1802

At daybreak I got the ship under way and steered across Thorny Passage, over to the main land, in the direction where the cutter had been seen;keeping an officer at the masthead, with a glass, to look out for her. There were many strong ripplings, and some uncommonly smooth places wherea boat, which was sent to sound, had 12 fathoms. We passed to thenorthward of all these; and seeing a small cove with a sandy beach, steered in and anchored in 10 fathoms, sandy bottom; the main landextending from north-half-west, round by the west and south toeast-south-east, and the open space being partly sheltered by thenorthern islands of the passage. 

[SOUTH COAST. CAPE CATASTROPHE. ]

A boat was despatched in search of the lost cutter, and presentlyreturned towing in the wreck, bottom upward; it was stove in every part, having to all appearance been dashed against the rocks. One of the oarswas afterwards found, but nothing could be seen of our unfortunateshipmates. The boat was again sent away in search; and a midshipman wasstationed upon a headland, without-side of the cove, to observeeverything which might drift past with the tide. Mr. Brown and a partylanded to walk along the shore to the northward, whilst I proceeded tothe southern extremity of the mainland, which was now named CapeCatastrophe. On landing at the head of the cove I found several footmarksof our people, made on the preceding afternoon when looking for water;and in my way up the valley I prosecuted the same research, butineffectually, although there were many huts and other signs that nativeshad resided there lately. 

From the heights near the extremity of Cape Catastrophe I examined with aglass the islands lying off, and all the neighbouring shores, for anyappearance of our people, but in vain; I therefore took a set of anglesfor the survey and returned on board; and on comparing notes with thedifferent parties, it appeared that no further information had beenobtained of our unfortunate companions. 

TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 1802

Next morning I went in a boat ten miles along the shore to the northward, in the double view of continuing the search and carrying on the survey. All the little sinuosities of the coast were followed, and in one place Ipicked up a small keg which had belonged to Mr. Thistle, and also somebroken pieces of the boat but these were all that could be discovered. After taking angles at three stations on the main land, I crossed over tothe northernmost and largest of the six small islands lying within Thornypassage. It is a mile and a half long, with a small islet off the northand another off its south end. These I called _Taylor's Isles_, in memoryof the young gentleman who was in the cutter with Mr. Thistle. They lienear two miles from the main, and the depth between is from 7 to 10fathoms, on a sandy bottom. A ship might anchor and be sheltered here, off a small beach at the north end of the largest island; but I did notfind any fresh water, either there or on the opposite parts of the mainland. 

On returning to the ship I learned from some of the gentlemen who hadbeen at the top of the highest hills at the back of the cove, that theyhad seen an inlet, going in westward, a little beyond where my excursionhad terminated. Next day [WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 1802], I went up withinstruments; and having climbed upon a high lump of granite, saw thewater extending 40° behind the coast, and forming, apparently, anextensive port. The view taken from near the same spot by Mr. Westallshows what was visible of this fine piece of water, and the appearance ofthe neighbouring land. In addition to this interesting discovery, Iobtained bearings of Cape Wiles, of the furthest extremity of Thistle'sIsland, and of a group of four islands and two rocks, five leagues beyondit to the east-south-east. The largest of these was named _Wedge Island_, from its shape, and the group GAMBIER'S ISLES, in honour of the worthyadmiral (now lord Gambier) who had a seat at the Admiralty board when theInvestigator was ordered to be fitted. 

This morning lieutenant Fowler had been sent to search the southernislands in Thorny Passage for any remains of our people; but he was notable to land, nor in rowing round them to see any indication of theobjects of his pursuit. The recovery of their bodies was now the furthestto which our hopes extended; but the number of sharks seen in the coveand at the last anchorage rendered even this prospect of melancholysatisfaction extremely doubtful; and our want of water becoming every daymore pressing, we prepared to depart for the examination of the newopening to the northward. I caused an inscription to be engraven upon asheet of copper, and set up on a stout post at the head of the cove, which I named _Memory Cove_; and further to commemorate our loss, I gaveto each of the six islands nearest to Cape Catastrophe the name of one ofthe seamen: Thistle's and Taylor's Islands have been already mentioned. Mr. Westall's view from the ship in Memory Cove, represents Thistle'sIsland and three of the small isles in front of it. 

(Atlas, Plate XVII, View 9. )

The reader will pardon me the observation that Mr. Thistle was truly avaluable man, as a seaman, an officer, and a good member of society. Ihad known him, and we had mostly served together, from the year 1794. Hehad been with Mr. Bass in his perilous expedition in the whale-boat, andwith me in the voyage round Van Diemen's Land, and in the succeedingexpedition to Glass-house and Hervey's Bays. From his merit and prudentconduct he was promoted from before the mast to be a midshipman, andafterwards a master in his Majesty's service. His zeal for discovery hadinduced him to join the Investigator when at Spithead and ready to sail, although he had returned to England only three weeks before, after anabsence of six years. Besides performing assiduously the duties of hissituation, Mr. Thistle had made himself well acquainted with the practiceof nautical astronomy, and began to be very useful in the surveyingdepartment. His loss was severely felt by me; and he was lamented by allon board, more especially by his mess-mates, who knew more intimately thegoodness and stability of his disposition. 

Mr. William Taylor, the midshipman of the boat, was a young officer whopromised fair to become an ornament to the service, as he was to societyby the amiability of his manners and temper. The six seamen had allvolunteered for the voyage. They were active and useful young men; and ina small and incomplete ship's company, which had so many duties toperform, this diminution of our force was heavily felt. 

The _latitude_ of our anchorage in Memory Cove was 34° 58' south, and_longitude_ 135° 56½' east. The _variation_ observed on the binnacle bylieutenant Flinders, when the ship's head was S. By W. , was 2° 38' east, or corrected for one point of western deviation from the magneticmeridian, 2° 0' east. In the bearings taken on the _eastern_ side of thehigh land behind the cove, the variation appeared to be 3° 20', but uponthe summit it was 1° 40', being less than on board the ship. 

The soil of the land round Memory Cove, and of Cape Catastrophe ingeneral, is barren; though the vallies and eastern sides of the hills arecovered with brushwood, and in the least barren parts there are smalltrees of the genus _eucalyptus_. The basis stone is granite, mostlycovered with calcareous rock, sometimes lying in loose pieces; but thehighest tops of the hills are huge blocks of granite. Four kangaroos, notlarger than those of Thistle's Island, were seen amongst the brushwood;and traces of natives were found so recent, that although none of theinhabitants were seen, they must have been there not longer than a daybefore. Water does consequently exist somewhere in the neighbourhood, butall our researches could not discover it. 

Before quitting Memory Cove a boat was sent to haul a seine upon thebeach, which was done with such success that every man had two meals offish and some to spare for salting. In the morning [THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY1802] we sailed for the new discovered inlet, and at two o'clock passedround the projection which had been set at N. 18° W. From Thistle'sIsland. It formed the south side of the entrance to the new opening, andis named CAPE DONINGTON. Our soundings in passing it were from 7 to 9fathoms, and in steering south-westward we left an island four mileslong, named _Boston Island_, on the starboard hand, and passed two isletson the other side, called _Bicker Isles_, which lie off _Surfleet Point_. On the depth of water diminishing to 5 fathoms we tacked, and presentlycame to an anchor on the west side of this point in 4½ fathoms, soft greysand. We were then three miles within the entrance, and the nearest shorewas a beach half a mile distant, lying under a hill which had been seenfrom Thistle's Island. This is a ridge of moderately high land about twomiles long, but when seen to the north or south it assumes a conicalform. I named it _Stamford Hill_; and there being a good deal of woodscattered over it, a hope was given of procuring water by digging at thefoot. A boat was sent to make the experiment this evening, at the back ofthe beach; but the water which flowed into the pit was quite salt; andnotwithstanding the many natives huts about, no fresh water could befound. 

Boston Island at the entrance of the port being also woody and of someelevation, the boat was sent next morning [FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 1802] tosearch there for water; and in the mean time I landed with the botanists, and ascended Stamford Hill to ascertain the nature of this inlet and takeangles. The port was seen to terminate seven or eight miles to thewest-south-west; but there was a piece of water beyond it, apparently alake or mere, from which we, might hope to obtain a supply, if no moreconvenient watering place could be found. Betwixt Cape Donington at theentrance, and Surfleet Point, was a large cove with a sandy beach at thehead, capable of sheltering a fleet of ships, if the depth should besufficient, as it appeared to be, to receive them; this was named_Spalding Cove_. Wood was not wanting there, but no stream of water couldbe distinguished. On the north side of the port, higher up, was aprojecting piece of land, with an island lying off it nearly one mile inlength. This island, which was named _Grantham Island_, contracts thewidth of that part to one mile and three-quarters; whereas above andbelow it the width is from two to three miles. 

The eastern entrance to the port, between Boston Island and CapeDonington, is one mile and a half wide; the western entrance, betwixt theisland and what was called _Kirton Point_, is larger, and appeared to beas deep as the first, in which we had from 7 to 9 fathoms. From KirtonPoint, northward, the shore curves back to the west, and makes asemicircular sweep round the island, forming an outer bay which was namedBoston Bay. It is terminated by _Point Boston_, a low point one mile anda half from the north end of the island; but whether the water betweenthem be deep was not ascertained. From Point Boston the shore takesanother sweep to the west and northward, and comes out again three orfour leagues to the north-east, at a low but somewhat cliffy projection, to which I gave the name of _Point Bolingbroke_. The large bight withinreceived the appellation of _Louth Bay_; and two low islands in it, ofwhich the largest is more than a mile in length, were called _LouthIsles_. At Point Bolingbroke the land appeared to trend north orwestward, and could no further be perceived from Stamford Hill. 

Three small isles had been seen from Thistle's Island and their bearingsset, and the discovery of them was now augmented by several others, forming a cluster to the eastward of Point Bolingbroke. This was calledSIR JOSEPH BANKS' GROUP, in compliment to the Right Honourable presidentof the Royal Society, to whose exertion and favour the voyage was so muchindebted. 

Of the numerous bearings taken with a theodolite from the top of StamfordHill, those which follow were the most important to the connexion of thesurvey. 

Extreme of the land toward C. Catastrophe, S. 17° 56' E. Thistle's I. , highest part and N. E. Extr. , S. 40° and 42 50 E. Sir J. Banks' Group, Stickney I. , centre, N. 70 30 E. ---- Sibsey Island, centre, N. 57 10 E. ---- Kirkby Island, centre, N. 45 20 E. Cape Donington, north-west extremity, N. 37 50 E. Point Bolingbroke, south end, N. 29 12 E. Boston Island, highest hill near the centre, N. 5 10 W. ---- the extremes, N. 15° 54' E. To 13 46 W. A lake behind the head of the port, N. End, S. 74 40 W. 

[SOUTH COAST. PORT LINCOLN. ]

The port which formed the most interesting part of these discoveries Inamed PORT LINCOLN, in honour of my native province; and having gained ageneral knowledge of it and finished the bearings, we descended the hilland got on board at ten o'clock. The boat had returned from BostonIsland, unsuccessful in her search for water; and we therefore proceededupward, steering different courses to find the greatest depth. Soon afterone o'clock we anchored in 4 fathoms, soft bottom, one mile from thebeach at the furthest head of the port, and something less from thesouthern shore. 

Fresh water being at this time the most pressing of our wants, I set offthe same afternoon, with a party, to examine the lake or mere discoveredfrom Stamford Hill. The way to it was over low land covered with loosepieces of calcareous rock; the soil was moist in some places, and, thoughgenerally barren, was overspread with grass and shrubs, interspersed witha few clumps of small trees. After walking two miles we reached the lake, but to our mortification the water was brackish and not drinkable; thedistance, besides, from Port Lincoln was too great to roll casks over astony road. This piece of water was named _Sleaford Mere_. It is one milebroad, and appeared to be three or four in length. The shore was awhitish, hardened clay, covered at this time with a thin crust, in whichsalt was a component part. The sun being too near the horizon to admit ofgoing round the mere, our way was bent towards the ship; and finding amoist place within a hundred yards of the head of the port, I caused ahole to be dug there. A _stratum_ of whitish clay was found at three feetbelow the surface, and on penetrating this, water drained in, which wasperfectly sweet though discoloured; and we had the satisfaction to returnon board with the certainty of being able to procure water, although itwould probably require some time to fill all our empty casks. 

SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY 1802

Early in the morning a party of men was sent with spades to dig pits; andthe time-keepers and astronomical instruments, with two tents, followedunder the charge of Mr. Flinders. I went to attend the digging, leavingorders with Mr. Fowler to moor the ship and send on shore empty casks. The water flowed in pretty freely, and though of a whitish colour, and atfirst somewhat thick, it was well tasted. Before the evening theobservations for the rates of the time-keepers were commenced; and thegunner was installed in the command of a watering party, and furnishedwith axes to cut wood at such times as the pits might require to be leftfor replenishing. 

The necessary duties being all set forward under the superintendance ofproper officers, I employed the following days in surveying and sounding. The direction of the port was too remote from the meridian to obtain abase line from differences of latitude, which, when observed in anartificial horizon, and at stations wide apart, I consider to be thebest; nor was there any convenient beach or open place where a base linecould be measured. It was therefore attempted in the following manner:Having left orders on board the ship to fire three guns at given times, Iwent to the south-east end of Boston Island with a pendulum made to swinghalf-seconds. It was a musket ball slung with twine, and measured 9. 8inches from the fixed end of the twine to the centre of the ball. Fromthe instant that the flash of the first gun was perceived to the time ofhearing the report I counted eighty-five vibrations of the pendulum, andthe same with two succeeding guns; whence the length of the base wasdeduced to be 8. 01 geographic miles. * A principal station in the surveyof Port Lincoln was a hill on the north side called _Northside Hill_, which afforded a view extending to Sleaford Mere and Bay and as far asCape Wiles on one side, and to the hills at the beak of Coffin's Bay onthe other. A great part of the bearings taken from hence crossed thosefrom Stamford Hill very advantageously. 

[* This length was founded on the supposition, that sound travels at therate of 1142 feet in a second of time, and that 6060 feet make ageographic mile. A base of 15' 24" of latitude was afterwards obtainedfrom observations in an artificial horizon, and of 25' 17" of longitudefrom the time keepers with new rates, both correct, as I believe, to afew seconds. From this long base and theodolite bearings, the first baseappeared to be somewhat too short; for they gave it 8. 22 instead of 8. 01miles. The length of the pendulum in the first measurement was such as toswing half seconds in England; and I had not thought it, in this case, worth attention, that by the laws of gravity and the oblate spheroid, thependulum would not swing so quick in the latitude of 35°. I must leave itto better mathematicians to determine from the _data_ and the true lengthof a geographic mile in this latitude, whether the base ought to havebeen 8. 22 as given by the observations and bearings: it was proved to besufficiently near for all the purposes of a common nautical survey. ]

Amongst the various excursions made by the scientific gentlemen, one wasdirected to Sleaford Mere, of which they made the circuit. The twosouthern branches were found to terminate within a hundred yards of thehead of Sleaford Bay, with which the mere had been suspected to have acommunication from its water being not quite fresh; but they areseparated by a stony bank too high for the surf ever to pass over it. Atthe head of the bay a boat's sail and yard were seen floating, and nodoubt had belonged to our unfortunate cutter: after being set out to seaby the tide, it had been driven up there by the late south-east winds. 

WEDNESDAY 3 MARCH 1802

The refitment of the ship being nearly completed on the 3rd of March, lieutenant Fowler was sent round to Memory Cove in a boat, to make afinal search along the shores and round the islands in Thorny Passage forthe bodies of our late shipmates, which the sea might have thrown up. Onthe 4th [THURSDAY 4 MARCH 1802] the last turn of water was received, andcompleted our stock up to sixty tons; and the removal of ourestablishment from the shore waited only for the observation of a solareclipse, announced in the nautical ephemeris for this day. The morningwas cloudy, with rain; but towards noon the weather cleared up, and I hadthe satisfaction to observe the eclipse with a refracting telescope offorty-six inches focus, and a power of about two hundred. The beginningtook place at 1h 12' 37. 8" of apparent time, and the end at 3h 36' 11. 8". So soon as the observation was concluded, the tents and astronomicalinstruments were carried on board, the launch was hoisted in, andeverything prepared for going down the port on the following morning. 

Many straggling bark huts, similar to those on other parts of the coastwere seen upon the shores of Port Lincoln, and the paths near our tentshad been long and deeply trodden; but neither in my excursions nor inthose of the botanists had any of the natives been discovered. Thismorning, however, three or four were heard calling to a boat, as wassupposed, which had just landed; but they presently walked away, orperhaps retired into the wood to observe our movements. No attempt wasmade to follow them, for I had always found the natives of this countryto avoid those who seemed anxious for communication; whereas, when leftentirely alone, they would usually come down after having watched us fora few days. Nor does this conduct seem to be unnatural; for what, in suchcase, would be the conduct of any people, ourselves for instance, were weliving in a state of nature, frequently at war with our neighbours, andignorant of the existence of any other nation? On the arrival ofstrangers, so different in complexion and appearance to ourselves, havingpower to transport themselves over, and even living upon an element whichto us was impassable, the first sensation would probably be terror, andthe first movement flight. We should watch these extraordinary peoplefrom our retreats in the woods and rocks, and if we found ourselvessought and pursued by them, should conclude their designs to be inimical;but if, on the contrary, we saw them quietly employed in occupationswhich had no reference to us, curiosity would get the better of fear; andafter observing them more closely, we should ourselves seek acommunication. Such seemed to have been the conduct of these Australians;and I am persuaded that their appearance on the morning when the tentswere struck was a prelude to their coming down, and that had we remaineda few days longer, a friendly communication would have ensued. The waywas, however, prepared for the next ship which may enter this port, as itwas to us in King George's Sound by captain Vancouver and the shipElligood, to whose previous visits and peaceable conduct we were mostprobably indebted for our early intercourse with the inhabitants of thatplace. So far as could be perceived with a glass, the natives of thisport were the same in personal appearance as those of King George's Soundand Port Jackson. In the hope of conciliating their good will tosucceeding visitors, some hatchets and various other articles were leftin their paths, or fastened to stumps of the trees which had been cutdown near our watering pits. 

In expressing an opinion that these people have no means of passing thewater, it must be understood to be a deduction from our having met withno canoe, or the remains of any about the port; nor with any tree in thewoods from which a sufficient size of bark had been taken to make one. Upon Boston Island, however, there were abundant marks of fire; but theyhad the appearance, as at Thistle's Island, of having been caused by someconflagration of the woods several years before, rather than of being thesmall fire-places of the natives. 

There are kangaroos on the main land but none were caught; our efforts, both in hunting and fishing, were indeed very confined, and almost whollyunsuccessful. What has been said of the neck of land between the head ofthe port and Sleaford Mere may be taken as a description of the countryin general; it is rocky and barren, but has a sufficient covering ofgrass, bushes, and small trees not to look desolate. The basis stone isgranitic, with a _super-stratum_ of calcareous rock, generally in loosepieces; but in some parts, as at Boston Island, the granite is found atthe surface or immediately under the soil. Behind the beach, near ourwatering pits, the calcareous stone was so imperfectly formed that smallshells and bits of coral might be picked out of it. This fact, with thesaltness of Sleaford Mere and of a small lake on the south side of theport, accords with the coral found upon Bald Head and various otherindications before mentioned to show that this part, at least, of TerraAustralis cannot have emerged very many centuries from the sea, the saltimbibed by the rocks having not yet been all washed away by the rains. Inthe mountains behind Port Jackson, on the East Coast, at a vastlysuperior elevation, salt is formed in some places by the exhalation ofthe water which drips from the grit-stone cliffs. 

Port Lincoln is certainly a fine harbour; and it is much to be regrettedthat it possesses no constant run of fresh water, unless it should be inSpalding Cove, which we did not examine. Our pits at the head of the portwill, however, supply ships at all times; and though discoloured bywhitish clay, the water has no pernicious quality, nor is it ill tasted. This and wood, which was easily procured, were all that we found of useto ships; and for the establishment of a colony, which the excellence ofthe port might seem to invite, the little fertility of the soil offers noinducement. The wood consists principally of the _eucalyptus_ and_casuarina_. 

Of the climate we had no reason to speak but in praise; nor were weincommoded by noxious insects. The range of the thermometer on board theship was from 66° to 78° and that of the barometer from 29. 4 to 30. 20inches. The weather was generally clouded, the winds light, coming fromthe eastward in the mornings and southward after noon. On shore theaverage height of the thermometer at noon was 76°. 

The _latitude_ of our tents at the head of Port Lincoln, from the mean offour meridian observations of the sun taken from an artificial horizon, was 34° 48' 25" S. 

The _longitude_, from thirty sets of distances of the sun and stars fromthe moon (see Table IV. Of the Appendix to this volume), was 135 44 51" E. 

These observations, being reduced to Cape Donington at the entrance ofthe port, will place it in latitude 34° 44' south, longitude 135 56½' east. 

No corresponding observation of the solar eclipse appears to have beenmade under any known meridian, and from the nature of circumstances, theerror of the moon's place could not be observed at Greenwich; thedistances would therefore seem most worthy of confidence, and areadopted; but the longitude deduced from the eclipse, as recalculated byMr. Crosley from _Delambre's_ solar tables of 1806, and the new lunartables of _Burckhardt_ of 1812, differs but very little from them: it is135° 46' 8" east. 

The rates of the time keepers, deduced from equal altitudes on, andbetween Feb. 27 and March 4, and their errors from mean Greenwich time, at noon there on the last day of observation, were found to be as under:

Earnshaw's No. 543 slow Oh 30' 30. 54" and losing 8. 43" per day. 520 slow 1h 9' 7. 72" and losing 18. 82" per day. 

Arnold's No. 176 altered its rate prodigiously on March 1st, and on the2nd it stopped. His watch, No. 1736, varied in its rate from 7. 81" to1. 90", so that it continued to be used only as an assistant. 

The longitude given by the time keepers with the King-George's-Soundrates, on Feb. 27, the first day of observation at the tents, was by

No. 543, 136° 15' 9. 0" east. 520, 135 58 53. 55 176, 136 1 23. 95. 

But by allowing a rate accelerating in arithmetic progression, from thoseat King George's Sound to what were obtained at this place, the meanlongitude by the two first time keepers would be 135" 52' 16", or 7' 25"to the east of the lunar observations; which quantity, if the positionsof the Sound and of Port Lincoln be correct, is the accumulation of theirirregularity during fifty-seven days. In laying down the coasts andislands from the Sound up to Cape Wiles, the longitudes are taken fromthe time keepers according to the accelerated rates, corrected by anequal proportion of the error 7' 25" in fifty-seven days. From Cape Wilesto the head of Port Lincoln the survey is made from theodolite bearingsand observed latitudes, without the aid of the time keepers. 

The _Dip_ of the south end of the needle, taken at the tents, was nearlythe same as in K. George's Sound, being 64° 27'Variation of the theodolite at the same place, 1 39 E. And the bearings from different stations in the port were conformable tothis variation, except at Cape Donington, where, at a station on thenorth-western part, it appeared to be as much as 4½° east. 

The observations for the variation on board the ship, at anchor in thelower part of the port, gave 2° 23' _west_, when the ship's head waseastward, and 0° 53' east, at south-south-east. According to the first, which were taken by lieutenant Flinders whilst the ship lay underStamford Hill, the true variation should be 0° 51' east; but by thesecond, observed by myself near Cape Donington, 2° 7' east, or nearly thesame as was found in Memory Cove. Were the mean taken, it would be 1°29', or 10' less than at the head of the port. 

From Mr. Flinders` remarks upon the _Tide_, it appeared that the rise didnot exceed three-and-half feet; and that, like Princess Royal Harbour, there was only one high water in twenty-four hours, which took place atnight, about _eleven hours after_ the moon's passage over the meridian, or one hour before it came to the lower meridian; yet at Thorny Passage, which is but a few leagues distant, there were two sets of tide in theday. This difference, in so short a space, appears extraordinary; but itmay perhaps be accounted for by the direction of the entrance to theport, which is open to the north-east, from whence the ebb comes. 

FRIDAY 5 MARCH 1802

On the 5th of March in the morning we ran down the harbour, and anchoredunder Cape Donington at the entrance of Spalding Cove in 7 fathoms, softmud; the north-western extremity of the point bearing N. 16° E. , onemile, and partly hiding Point Bolingbroke. In the evening, lieutenantFowler returned from his search. He had rowed and walked along the shoreas far as Memory Cove, revisited Thistle's Island, and examined theshores of the isles in Thorny Passage, but could find neither any tracesof our lost people nor fragments of the wreck. He had killed two or threekangaroos upon Thistle's Island. 

SATURDAY 6 MARCH 1802

On the following morning I landed at Cape Donington to take some furtherbearings, and Mr. Evans, the acting master, was sent to sound across theentrance of Spalding Cove, and between Bicker Isles and Surfleet Point, where a small ship-passage was found. The boat was afterwards hoisted up;and our operations in Port Lincoln being completed, we prepared to followthe unknown coast to the northward, or as it might be found to trend. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure from Port Lincoln. Sir Joseph Banks' Group. Examination of the coast, northward. The ship found to be in a gulph. Anchorage near the head of the gulph. Boat expedition. Excursion to Mount Brown. Nautical observations. Departure from the head, and examination of the east side of the gulph. Extensive shoal. Point Pearce. Hardwicke Bay. Verification of the time keepers. General remarks on the gulph. Cape Spencer and the Althorpe Isles. New land discovered: Anchorage there. General remarks on Kangaroo Island. Nautical observations. 

[SOUTH COAST. SPENCER'S GULPH. ]

SATURDAY 6 MARCH 1802

At ten in the morning of March 6 we sailed out of Port Lincoln, andskirted along the east side of Boston Island and the entrance of LouthBay. In the afternoon we passed within two miles of Point Bolingbroke, and at six in the evening came to an anchor in 10 fathoms, off the northside of Kirkby Island, which is the nearest to the point of any of SirJoseph Banks' Group, and had been seen from Stamford Hill. A boat waslowered down to sound about the ship, and I went on shore to takebearings of the different islands; but they proved to be so numerous thatthe whole could not be completed before dark. 

SUNDAY 7 MARCH 1802

I landed again in the morning with the botanical gentlemen, takingArnold's watch and the necessary instruments for ascertaining thelatitude and longitude. Twelve other isles of the group were counted, andthree rocks above water; and it is possible that some others may exist tothe eastward, beyond the boundary of my horizon, for it was notextensive. The largest island seen is four or five miles long, and is lowand sandy, except at the north-east and south ends; it was called_Reevesby Island_, and names were applied in the chart to each of theother isles composing this group. The main coast extended northward fromPoint Bolingbroke, but the furthest part visible from the top of KirkbyIsland was not more than four or five leagues distant; its bearing andthose of the objects most important to the connection of the survey werethese;

Main coast, furthest extreme, N. 13° 40' E. Point Bolingbroke, N. 86 50 W. Stamford Hill, station on the north end, S. 45 17 W. Thistle's Island, centre of the high land, S. 5 37 W. Sibsey Island, extremes, S. 16° 27' to 13 2 W. Stickney Island, S. 18 30 to 22 40 E. Spilsby Island, S. 39 30 to 48 25 E. 

Granite forms the basis of Kirkby Island, as it does of the neighbouringparts of the continent before examined; and it is in the same mannercovered with a _stratum_ of calcareous rock. The island was destitute ofwood, and almost of shrubs; and although there were marks of its havingbeen frequented by geese, none of the birds were seen, nor any otherspecies of animal except a few hair seals upon the shore. Thisdescription, unfavourable as it is, seemed applicable to all the group, with the exception of Reevesby and Spilsby Islands, which are higher andof greater extent, and probably somewhat more productive. 

The _latitude_ of the north side of Kirkby Island, observed from anartificial horizon, was 34° 33' 1" south, and _longitude_ by timekeepers, 136° 10' 8" east. The _variation _from azimuths taken on board the shipat anchor, with the head south-by-west (magnetic as usual), was 2° 40'east; which corrected to the meridian would be 2° 2' east, the samenearly as was observed in Memory Cove and at the entrance of PortLincoln; but an amplitude taken on shore with the surveying theodolitegave 3° 57' east. This seemed extraordinary when, except at CapeDonington, no local attraction of importance had been found in the shoresof Port Lincoln, where the stone is the same. It was, however, corroborated by the bearings; for that of Stamford Hill, with 3° 57'allowed, differed only 2' from the back bearing with the allowance of 1°39'; which is a nearer coincidence than I have generally been able toobtain. 

At two in the afternoon the anchor was weighed, and leaving most of SirJoseph Banks' Group to the right, we steered northward, following thedirection of the main land. The coast is very low and commonly sandy, from Boston Bay to the furthest extreme seen from Kirkby Island; but aridge of hills, commencing at North-side Hill in Port Lincoln, runs a fewmiles behind it. In latitude 34° 20' this ridge approaches the waterside, and in its course northward keeps nearly parallel at the distanceof two or three miles. It is moderately elevated, level, destitute ofvegetation, and appeared to be granitic. At half-past six, when we hauledoff for the night, the shore was five or six miles distant; the furthestpart bore N. N. E. ½ E. , and a bluff inland mountain was set at N. 71°W. , over the top of the front ridge. 

The wind was moderate from the south-eastward; and at seven on thefollowing morning [MONDAY 8 MARCH 1802], when the bluff inland mountainwas bearing W. 2° N. , we resumed our north-eastern course along theshore; which was distant seven miles, and had not changed its appearance. Towards noon the water shoaled to 6 fathoms at three miles from a sandybeach; a lagoon was visible from the mast head, over the beach, and asmall inlet, apparently connected with it, was perceived soon afterward. A few miles short of this the ridge of hills turns suddenly from theshore, and sweeps round at the back of the lagoon, into which the watersrunning off the ridge appeared to be received. The corner hill, where thedirection of the ridge is changed, was called _Elbow Hill_; and sincelosing sight of the bluff inland mount, it was the first distinguishablemark which had presented itself for the survey; it lies in latitude 33°43' and longitude 136° 42'. The coast there trends nearly east-by-north, and obliged us to haul close to the wind, in soundings of 7 to 9 fathoms. 

We had then advanced more than twenty-five leagues to thenorth-north-east from Cape Catastrope; but although nothing had been seento destroy the hopes formed from the tides and direction of the coastnear that cape, they were yet considerably damped by the want of boldnessin the shores and the shallowness of the water; neither of which seemedto belong to a channel capable of leading us into the Gulph ofCarpentaria, nor yet to any very great distance inland. 

At two o'clock the shore again took a northern direction, but it wasstill very low in front, and the depth did not materially increase. Landwas presently distinguished on the starbord bow and beam; and beforefour, an elevated part, called _Barn Hill_ from the form of its top, boreE. 4° N. We continued to follow the line of the western shore, steeringnorth-north-east and north; and the wind being at south, we haulednorth-westward at six o'clock, intending to anchor under the shelter ofthe land. From 7 fathoms the depth diminished to 5, and quickly toseventeen feet; upon which we veered round, ran back into 5 fathoms, andcame to an anchor three or four miles off the shore on a sandy bottom. The wind blew fresh, with rainy squalls; but a whole cable being veeredout, we rode smoothly all night. The furthest land visible to thenorthward consisted of detached hummocks of which the highest was called_Mount Young_ in honour of the admiral. Abreast of the ship the land rosegradually from the beach to the ridge of hills which still continued torun behind it; but at this place some back hills were visible over theridge; and the highest of several hummocks upon the top, which served asa mark in the survey, was named _Middle Mount_. Observations for thetime keepers were taken in the morning [TUESDAY 9 MARCH 1802] beforegetting under way, and the situation of the anchorage was found to be in

Longitude, 137° 27½'Mount Young bore, N. 11 E. Middle Mount, N. 62½ W. Low western shore, extreme, S. 21 W. High eastern land, about the middle, N. 71 E. 

Having obtained the observations, we steered for the outermost of thenorthern hummocks, with soundings gradually increasing to 12 fathoms; butshoaling on a sudden to 7, upon coral, we hauled to the wind and tackedinstantly; finding, however, that the depth did not further decrease, Ilet the ship go entirely round, and continued the former north-easterncourse, with soundings from 7 to 9 fathoms. 

At noon, the furthest hummock seen from the anchorage was distant four orfive miles; it stands on a projection of low sandy land, and beyond itwas another similar projection to which I gave the name of _Point Lowly_. This was the furthest visible part of the western shore; but the easternland there approached within seven or eight miles, and extendednorthward, past it, in a chain of rugged mountains, at the further end ofwhich was a remarkable peak. Our situation and bearings at this time wereas follow:

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 33° 5' 14"Longitude by time keepers, 137 41 1/3Middle Mount, S. 75 W. Mount Young, S. 87 W. Point Lowly, the extreme, N. 43 E. High peak on the eastern land, N. 25 E. 

Our prospect of a channel or strait, cutting off some considerableportion of Terra Australis, was lost, for it now appeared that the shipwas entered into a gulph; but the width of the opening round Point Lowlyleft us a consolatory hope that it would terminate in a river of someimportance. In steering for the point we came into 4 fathoms, but onhauling to the eastward found 8, although a dry sand-bank was seen inthat direction. The depth afterwards diminished to 6, on which the coursefor Point Lowly was resumed; and we passed it at the distance of a mileand a half, in 9 fathoms water. Here the gulph was found to take ariver-like form, but the eastern half of it was occupied by a dry, sandyspit and shoal water. We continued to steer upwards, before the wind; butas the width contracted rapidly, and there was much shoal water, it wasunder very easy sail, and with an anchor ready to be let go. At fouro'clock, in attempting to steer close over to the western side, we camesuddenly into 2½ fathoms; the ship was instantly veered to the eastward, and on the water deepening to 7, we let go the anchor and veered out awhole cable; for the wind blew a fresh gale right up the gulph, andbetween S. 4° W. And 30° E. There was no shelter from the land. At sunseta second anchor was dropped under foot. 

We had reached near five leagues above Point Lowly, at the entrance ofthe narrow part of the gulph; but the shores were low on both sides, andabreast of the ship not so much as four miles asunder. At the back of theeastern shore was the ridge of mountains before mentioned, of which Mr. Westall made the sketch given in the Atlas (Plate XVII. View 10. ); andthe highest peak toward their northern extremity, afterwards called_Mount Brown_, bore N. 32° E. On the western side, upwards, there wasmoderately high, flat-topped land, whose eastern bluff bore N. 36° W. , about three leagues, and there the head of the gulph had the appearanceof terminating; but as the tide ran one mile an hour past the ship, westill flattered ourselves with the prospect of a longer course, and thatit would end in a fresh-water river. 

WEDNESDAY 10 MARCH 1802

Early on the following morning, Messrs. Brown, Bauer and Westall, withattendants, set off upon an excursion to the eastern mountains, intending, if possible, to ascend to the top of Mount Brown; and I wentaway in a cutter, accompanied by the surgeon, to explore the head of thegulph, taking with me Arnold's pocket time-keeper. After crossing themiddle shoal, upon which we had 2½ fathoms in the ship, the waterdeepened to 10, but afterwards diminished to 2, on approaching themangroves of the western side. Keeping then upwards, I had from 7 to 10fathoms in the mid-channel, but found shoal water extending a mile, andsometimes more, from the shore and no possibility of landing until wecame near the broad, flat-topped hill. From the eastern bluff of thishill, Mount Brown bore N. 62° 20' E. , and _Mount Arden_, a peak nearly atthe furthest extreme of the ridge, N. 18° 40' E. ; and the inlet was seento run in a serpentine form to the northward, between low banks coveredwith mangroves. After taking the bearings we returned to the boat andpursued our course upward along the western shore, having from 4 to 7fathoms past the bluff; but the inlet was there less than two miles wide, and a league further on it was contracted to one mile, half of which, besides, was occupied by mud flats. These banks were frequented by ducksand other water fowl; and some time being occupied in chasing them, ourdistance above the ship was not so much as five leagues in a straightline, when the setting sun reminded us of looking out for a place ofrest. A landing was effected with some difficulty amongst the mangroveson the eastern shore; and from a small eminence of red earth I set theship's mast heads at S. 14° E. , and Mount Brown N. 85° E. 

THURSDAY 11 MARCH 1802

Next morning we continued the examination upwards, carrying 4, 3, and 2fathoms in mid-channel; but at ten o'clock our oars touched the mud oneach side, and it was not possible to proceed further. I then landed andtook observations in an artificial horizon for the time-keeper, whichgave 4' 34" of longitude to the west of the ship, or only two secondsmore than was deduced from the bearings. Mount Brown bore S. 72° E. , Mount Arden N. 26° E. , and my last station on the eminence of red earthS. 6° E. The inlet wholly terminated at one mile and a half to the N. 16°W. 

It seemed remarkable, and was very mortifying, to find the water at thehead of the gulph as salt nearly as at the ship; nevertheless it wasevident that much fresh water was thrown into it in wet seasons, especially from the eastern mountains. The summits of the ridge lie fromthree to four leagues back from the water-side, but the greater part ofthat space seemed to be low, marshy land. To the northward no hill wasvisible, and to the westward but one small elevation of flat-topped land;all else in those directions was mangroves and salt swamps, and theyseemed to be very extensive. 

Two miles below the place where the observations for the time-keeper weretaken was a small cliff of reddish clay on the western shore; and beingnear it on our return, when the sun was approaching the meridian, Ilanded to observe the latitude. It was 32° 27' 56" south, so that thetermination of the gulph may be called in 32° 24½' without making agreater error than half a mile. Mount Brown bore from thence S. 80½° E. , and its latitude will therefore be 32° 30¼' south; the longitude deducedfrom bearings and the time-keepers on board is 138° 0¾' east. 

Our return to the ship was a good deal retarded by going after the blackswans and ducks amongst the flats. The swans were all able to fly, andwould not allow themselves to be approached; but some ducks of two orthree different species were shot, and also several sea pies or redbills. Another set of bearings was taken on the western shore, and at tenin the evening we reached the ship, where Mr. Brown and his party had notbeen long arrived. The ascent of Mount Brown had proved to be verydifficult, besides having to walk fifteen miles on a winding coursebefore reaching the foot; by perseverance, however, they gained the topat five on the first evening, but were reduced to passing the nightwithout water; nor was any found until they had descended some distanceon the following day. The view from the top of Mount Brown was veryextensive, its elevation being not less than three thousand feet; butneither rivers nor lakes could be perceived, nor anything of the sea tothe south-eastward. In almost every direction the eye traversed over anuninterruptedly flat, woody country; the sole exceptions being the ridgeof mountains extending north and south, and the water of the gulph to thesouth-westward. 

Mr. Brown found the stone of this ridge of craggy mountains to beargillaceous, similar to that of the flat-topped land where I had takenbearings on the west side of the inlet. It is reddish, smooth, close-grained, and rather heavy. Bushes and some small trees grown in thehollows of the rising hills; and between their feet and the mangroveswamps near the water there was some tolerably good though shallow soil. 

We had seen fires upon the eastern shore opposite to Point Lowly on firstentering the head of the gulph, and wherever I had landed there weretraces of natives; Mr. Brown found them even to a considerable height upthe side of the mountain; and it should therefore seem that the countryhere is as well inhabited as most parts of Terra Australis, but we hadnot the good fortune to meet with any of the people. 

The observations taken by lieutenant Flinders fixed the position of theship in _latitude_ 32° 44' 41" south, and _longitude_ by the time keepers137° 49' 56" east. Twelve sets of distances of the sun and moon gave 137°50' 9"; but these being all on one side, the time keepers are preferred. Azimuths observed from the binnacle, when the ship's head was between S. By E. And S. S. E. , gave 0° 42' east, or 1° 37' east, nearly, for thetrue _variation_; and there was no particular attraction upon thetheodolite at any of my stations on shore. 

We had two flood _tides_ in the day setting past the ship, and they ranat the strongest one mile and a half per hour; the rise appeared to befrom six to eight feet, and high water to take place at _two hours and ahalf after_ the moon passed the meridian. Except in the time of highwater, which is considerably later than at Thorny Passage, the tides atthe head have a near affinity to those at the entrance of the gulph;whence the great differences at Port Lincoln, intermediately situate, become so much the more extraordinary. 

SATURDAY 13 MARCH 1802

Nothing of particular interest having presented itself to detain us atthe head of the gulph, we got under way in the morning of the 13th, having a light breeze from the north-westward. The western shore had beenfollowed in going up, and for that reason I proposed to keep close to theeast side in returning; but before eight o'clock the water shoaledsuddenly from 4 to 2 fathoms, and the ship hung upon a mud bank coveredwith grass, two or three miles from the shore. A kedge anchor was carriedout astern; and in half an hour we again made sail downward, in soundingsfrom 5 to 10 fathoms near the edge of the shoal. 

At noon, latitude observed to the N. And S. 32° 57' 6"Mount Brown bore N. 9 30 E. Pt. Lowly south extreme dist. 7 miles, S. 79 0 W. 

The depth was then 7 fathoms; but there were banks ahead, extending to agreat distance from the eastern shore, and in steering westward to passround them, we had 3½ fathoms for the least water. It afterwards deepenedto 7, and we again steered southward, but were not able to get near theland; on the contrary, the shallow water forced us further off as weproceeded. The wind was at west-southwest in the evening; and this notpermitting us to lie along the edge of the bank, we came to an anchor in7 fathoms, soft bottom; being then above four leagues from the easternlow shore, although there was only 3½ fathoms at less than a mile nearerin. 

Mount Brown bore N. 21° E. Barn Hill, S. 43 E. Mount Young, N. 66 W. 

SUNDAY 14 MARCH 1802

In the morning we followed the line of the great eastern shoal, and itsdirection permitted us to approach nearer to the land, with soundingsbetween 8 and 4 fathoms. A little before noon, after running half an hourin less than 4 fathoms and getting within about six miles of the land, wewere obliged to tack and stretch off, the wind having veered to thesouth-west. Our situation twenty minutes afterward, was in

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 33° 23' 49"Longitude by time keepers, 137 47Mount Young bore N. 38 W. Middle Mount, west side of the gulph, N. 66 W. Barn Hill, on the east side, S. 60 E. 

We beat to windward all the afternoon, and at sunset anchored in 3½fathoms near the edge of the great bank and seven or eight miles from theland. The shore was low and sandy, but there was a ridge of hills behindit nearly similar to that on the west side of the gulph. Barn Hill liesat the back of this ridge and about twelve miles from the water; andtowards the southern end of the ridge was another hill, also somedistance inland, of which I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. Amiddle mount on the west side of the gulph, higher and further back thanthe one before set, was in sight from this anchorage; and the bearingstaken were these:

Middle back mount, N. 61° W. Barn Hill on the east side, S. 74 E. A more southern hill, S. 38 E. 

Mount Br own was no longer visible; but it had been seen this afternoonat the distance of fifty-eight miles, and was sufficiently above thehorizon to have been distinguished some miles further from a ship's deckin a perfectly clear day. 

MONDAY 15 MARCH 1802

On the morning of the 15th the wind had shifted to south-east; and thegreat bank then trending south-westward, we followed it with variablesoundings between 3 and 10 fathoms. At ten o'clock the water had deepenedto 15; and being then nearer to the west than to the east side of thegulph, and the wind having come more ahead, we tacked to theeast-south-east; but in fifty minutes were obliged to steer westwardagain, having fallen into 3 fathoms on the edge of the bank. This is thenarrowest part of the gulph below Point Lowly, the two shores beingscarcely more than twenty miles asunder; and of this space, the greateastern bank, if the part where we last had 3 fathoms be connected withit, occupies about eleven, and the shallow water of the west side one ortwo miles. The soundings we had in stretching westward across the deepchannel were, from the shoal, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 12, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 7, 6, 5 fathoms, at nearly equal distances asunder, and the last at sixmiles from the western land. 

After sounding across the channel we stood back, lying up south-east, andreached within five miles of the eastern shore, where the anchor wasdropped in 4½ fathoms; Barn Hill bearing N. 69° E. , and a cliffyprojection, named _Point Riley_ after the gentleman of that name in theAdmiralty, S. 14° W. , two or three leagues. This point was the furthestvisible part of the eastern shore; and so low and uniform had the coastbeen from the head of the gulph, that this was the first mark I had foundupon it for the survey. The great eastern bank, which we had alreadyfollowed about sixty miles, seemed to terminate at Point Riley; and fromthence southward the gulph greatly enlarges its breadth. The situation ofthe point is about 33° 53' south and 137° 30' E. 

TUESDAY 16 MARCH 1802

We got under way at six in the morning, and the wind being from thesouth-eastward made a good stretch along the coast until noon. A patch ofbreakers then lay five miles to the south-east; but the land was tenmiles distant, and some white sandy cliffs, four or five leagues fromPoint Riley, bore S. 52° E. The intermediate coast, as also that whichextends several leagues to the north of the point, is low and sandy; butat a few miles back it rises to a level land of moderate elevation, andis not ill clothed with small trees. In the afternoon we had to beatagainst a southern wind; and the coast in that part being too open foranchorage, this was continued all night and the next morning [WEDNESDAY17 MARCH 1802]; but with so little profit that the same land was still insight at noon, and our situation found to be as follows

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 34° 15' 24"Longitude by time keepers, 137 24½North extreme near the sandy cliffs, dist. 6 miles, N. 19 E. Low red cliffs, south end dist. 6 or 7 miles, S. 54 E. 

At six in the evening, the reddish cliffs were brought to bear N. 44° E. , and a long point, or an island lying off a point, bore S. 43° W. Twoleagues. Our distance from a cliffy islet, close under the shore, was twoor three miles, but the breakers from it were only half a mile off, andthe depth was 4 fathoms. 

THURSDAY 18 MARCH 1802

On the 18th, in the morning, we fetched to windward of the island-likepoint, to which I gave the name of _Point Pearce_, in compliment to Mr. Pearce of the Admiralty. Its latitude is 34° 28½' south and longitude137° 21' east. On the south side of this point or island, for I could notfully ascertain its connection, the shore falls back seven or eight milesto the east, and then trends southward. It is low and very sandy, butrises gradually to a level country of the same description as that nearPoint Riley. At sunset the land was seen as far as south-west-by-south;and the wind favouring us a little, we made a stretch for it. A fire uponthe shore served as a mark to steer by; and on approaching it at teno'clock, the anchor was let go in 6 fathoms, upon a bottom of coarse sandand small stones, the weather being fine, and wind moderate off the land. 

The howling of dogs was heard during the night, and at daylight [FRIDAY19 MARCH 1802] the shore was found to be distant two or three miles, andwas woody, rising land, but not of much elevation. A remarkable point, which I named _Corny Point_, bearing S 73° W. Three miles, was thefurthest land visible to the westward; its latitude, from meridianobservations of Jupiter and the moon, is 34° 52' South, and longitudefrom the time-keepers 137° 6½' east. Between this point and Point Pearce, twenty-eight miles to the north-north-east, is a large bay, wellsheltered from all southern winds, and none others seem to blow with muchstrength here. The land trends eastward about seven leagues, from CornyPoint to the head of the bay; but what the depth of water may be there, or whether any fresh stream fall into it, I am not able to state; theland, however, was better wooded, and had a more fertile appearance thanany before seen in the neighbourhood. I called this HARDWICKE BAY, inhonour of the noble earl of that title. 

Several observations for the variation of the compass had been takenwhilst beating in the neighbourhood of Point Pearce. On its north side, eight miles from the shore, an amplitude with the ship's head S. W. By S. Gave 4° 38' east; at E. By N. , when fourteen miles off, another gave 1°13' east; but azimuths three or four miles nearer in, 0° 10' _west_; andat S. E. , when six miles off, 0° 35' _west_. On the south side of PointPearce, the head being S. S. W. , and the land distant thirteen miles, anamplitude gave 3° 15' east. These different observations, which were alltaken with the surveying compass, being corrected upon the principles andby the proportion explained in the Appendix No. II. To the second volume, will be respectively, 2° 51', 4° 21' furthest from the land, 2° 58', 1°41' nearest the land, and 2° 1' east. The mean is 2° 46' east; which maybe taken for the true variation at three or four leagues off Point Pearcein 1802; but close in with the shore, I suspect it was less by 1°, orperhaps 2°. 

Having remained at anchor until the sun was high enough to admit ofobservations for the time keepers, we got under way at half past seveno'clock; and the coast round Corny Point being found to trend S. 27° W. , nearly in the wind's eye, I stretched westward across the gulph towardsThistle's Island, in order to compare the time keepers with thelongitudes of places before settled. Our latitude at noon, observed onboth sides, was 34° 50' 10"; Spilsby Island, the south-eastern most ofSir Joseph Banks' Group, was seen bearing N. 56° W. , and the easternbluff of Wedge Island, the central and largest of Gambier's Isles, boreS. 16½° W. Gambier's Isles, four in number besides two peaked rocks, hadbeen first seen from the high land behind Memory Cove. They lie nearly inthe centre of the entrance to the gulph; and the latitude of Wedge Islandis 35°11' south, and longitude 136° 29' east. Soon after four in theafternoon, I had the following bearings:

Wedge Island, highest part, S. 21½° E. Thistle's Island, highest part, S. 29 W. C. Catastrophe, former station on the S. E. Point, S. 53½ W. Stamford Hill, former station at the top, N. 86 W. Sibsey Island, centre, N. 33 W. Stickney Island, N. 11 W. Spilsby Island, N. 17½ E. 

The longitude deduced from these bearings was 30° 22" east, from the headof Port Lincoln, and that resulting from observations for the timekeepers taken in the same place, was 30° 53"; showing a difference of nomore than 0' 31" to the east, since quitting the port. This quantity in asea observation is so small and uncertain, that I considered the timekeepers to have gone correctly from March 4, when the last observationsin Port Lincoln had been made, up to this time; and that the lunarobservations taken in the interval might be reduced back to the head ofthe port by their means, and used to fix its longitude without anyfurther correction. 

Besides the bearings above given, there was a rocky islet four milesdistant in the S. 78° W. ; part of a ledge of low rocks which extendedtowards the north end of Thistle's Island, and may possibly be connectedwith the rock set from thence. This ledge is marked _dangerous_, in theparticular chart. 

Having satisfactorily ascertained the going of the time keepers, wetacked and stretched back for the coast on the east side of the gulph;but did not get sight of it before dark. At six on the following morning[SATURDAY 20 MARCH 1802], Corny Point, dist. 5 or 6 leagues, bore N. 63½° E. A cliffy head, distant 10 miles, S. 85 E. Furthest extreme, a cliffy point, S. 21 E. Wedge Island, eastern bluff, S. 49 W. Thistle's Island, highest part, West. 

An amplitude taken when the ship's head was south-by-east, gave variation1° 25' east, and azimuths at south-south-east, 1° 10': the mean, reducedto the meridian, is 2° 13' east, or a few minutes more than had beenfound on the west side of the gulph, and half a degree less than offPoint Pearce. 

The tide appeared to set us along the shore to the southward, although, from what was observed at Thistle's Island, it should have been the timeof flood. With its assistance, and the wind having become lessunfavourable, we were enabled to make a course for the furthest land. This proved to be a cape, composed of three cliffy points, near thenorthern part of which lay a cluster of black rocks. The southernmostcliff bore at noon E. 4½° S. Six or seven miles, and beyond it there wasno main coast visible; but three small islands, with several rocks and areef, were seen to lie as far as five miles to the southward, out fromthe cape. 

Although the continuation of the main coast was not to be distinguishedbeyond the cape, yet there was land in sight at the distance of seven oreight leagues, from about south to S. 18½° W. Whether this land were anisland or a part of the continent, and the wide opening to the eastward astrait or a new inlet, was uncertain; but in either case, theinvestigation of the gulph was terminated; and in honour of therespectable nobleman who presided at the Board of Admiralty when thevoyage was planned and ship put into commission, I named it SPENCER'SGULPH. The cliffy-pointed cape which forms the east side of the entrance, and lies in 35° 18' south and 136° 55' east, was named CAPE SPENCER; andthe three isles lying off it, with their rocks, _Althorp Isles_. 

A line drawn from the nearest part of Cape Catastrophe to Cape Spencerwill be forty-eight miles long, and so much is the entrance of the gulphin width. Gambier's Isles lie not far from the middle of the line; and ifwe measure upward from them, the gulph will be found, without regard tothe small windings, to extend one hundred and eighty-five miles into theinterior of the country. For the general exactness of its form in thechart I can answer with tolerable confidence, having seen all that islaid down, and, as usual, taken every angle which enters into theconstruction. Throughout the whole extent of the shores the water linewas almost every where distinguished; the only exceptions being smallportions at the head of Hardwicke and Louth Bays, of a bight near PointLowly, and of the low land at the back of the great Eastern Shoal. 

At noon, when off Cape Spencer, the wind became variable and light, withvery hazy, cloudy weather; and the mercury in my marine barometer hadfallen two-tenths of an inch. At six in the evening a breeze sprung up atwest-north-west; and as I expected a gale would come on, and that asusual it would veer to the south-west, we ceased to follow the coastbeyond Cape Spencer, and steered for the land seen in the southernquarter. The Althorp Isles were passed at eight o'clock, at the distanceof eight or nine miles; and the wind being fresh at west, we made shorttrips during the night between the two lands, not knowing what might bein the space to leeward. At daylight [SUNDAY 21 MARCH 1802] the ship wasnearly in mid-channel, between the southern land and Cape Spencer, andnothing was seen to the eastward. It then blew a fresh gale atsouth-west, with much sea running; we stretched south-west underclose-reefed top-sails, to get under the lee of the southern land; and ateight o'clock, when the largest Althorp Isle bore N. 32° W. , it wasdistant six or seven miles to the south, and extended from S. 61° W. To79° E. As far as the eye could reach. It was rather high and cliffy; butthere was nothing by which to judge of its connection with the main. 

At ten o'clock we were close under the land; and finding the watertolerably smooth, had shortened sail with the intention of anchoring neara small, sandy beach; but the situation proving to be too much exposed, we steered eastward along the shore under two close-reefed topsails andfore-sail, the wind blowing strong in squalls from the south-west. Thefurthest land seen ahead at noon was a projecting point, lower than theother cliffs; it bore E. 7° S. , four leagues, and and lies in 35° 33'south and 137° 41' east. It was named _Point Marsden_, in compliment tothe second secretary of the Admiralty; and beyond it the coast was foundto trend southward into a large bay containing three coves, any one ofwhich promised good shelter from the gale. This was called NEPEAN BAY. Incompliment to the first secretary (now Sir Evan Nepean, Bart. ), and wehauled up for it; but the strength of the wind was such that a headlandforming the east side of the bay was fetched with difficulty. At six inthe evening we came to anchor in 9 fathoms, sandy bottom, within a mileof the shore; the east extreme bearing S. 76° E. , and the land near PointMarsden, on the west side of Nepean Bay, N. 61° W. , six leagues. A pieceof high land, seemingly unconnected, bore from N. 45° to 78° E. ; but noland could be distinguished to the northward. 

Neither smokes nor other marks of inhabitants had as yet been perceivedupon the southern land, although we had passed along seventy miles of itscoast. It was too late to go on shore this evening; but every glass inthe ship was pointed there, to see what could be discovered. Severalblack lumps, like rocks, were pretended to have been seen in motion bysome of the young gentlemen, which caused the force of their imaginationsto be much admired; next morning [MONDAY 22 MARCH 1802], however, ongoing toward the shore, a number of dark-brown kangaroos were seenfeeding upon a grass-plat by the side of the wood and our landing gavethem no disturbance. I had with me a double-barrelled gun, fitted with abayonet, and the gentlemen my companions had muskets. It would bedifficult to guess how many kangaroos were seen; but I killed ten, andthe rest of the party made up the number to thirty-one, taken on board inthe course of the day; the least of them weighing sixty-nine, and thelargest one hundred and twenty-five pounds. These kangaroos had muchresemblance to the large species found in the forest lands of New SouthWales, except that their colour was darker, and they were not whollydestitute of fat. 

After this butchery, for the poor animals suffered themselves to be shotin the eyes with small shot, and in some cases to be knocked on the headwith sticks, I scrambled with difficulty through the brushwood, and overfallen trees, to reach the higher land with the surveying instruments;but the thickness and height of the wood prevented anything else frombeing distinguished. There was little doubt, however, that this extensivepiece of land was separated from the continent; for the extraordinarytameness of the kangaroos and the presence of seals upon the shoreconcurred with the absence of all traces of men to show that it was notinhabited. 

[SOUTH COAST. KANGAROO ISLAND. ]

The whole ship's company was employed this afternoon in skinning andcleaning the kangaroos; and a delightful regale they afforded, after fourmonths' privation from almost any fresh provisions. Half a hundred weightof heads, forequarters and tails were stewed down into soup for dinner onthis and the succeeding days; and as much steaks given, moreover, to bothofficers and men as they could consume by day and by night. In gratitudefor so seasonable a supply I named this southern land KANGAROO ISLAND. 

TUESDAY 23 MARCH 1802

Next day was employed in shifting the topmasts on account of some rentsfound in the heels. The scientific gentlemen landed again to examine thenatural productions of the island, and in the evening eleven morekangaroos were brought on board; but most of these were smaller, andseemed to be of a different species to those of the preceding day. Someof the party saw several large running birds; which, according to theirdescription, seemed to have been the emu or cassowary. 

Not being able to obtain a distinct view from any elevated situation, Itook a set of angles from a small projection near the ship, named_Kangaroo Head_; but nothing could be seen to the north, and the solebearing of importance, more than had been taken on board, was that of ahigh hill at the extremity of the apparently unconnected land to theeastward: it bore N. 39° 10' E. , and was named _Mount Lofty_. The nearestpart of that land was a low point bearing N. 60° E. Nine or ten miles;but the land immediately at the back was high, and its northern andsouthern extremes were cliffy. I named it CAPE JERVIS, and it wasafterwards sketched by Mr. Westall. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 12. )

All the cliffs of Kangaroo Island seen to the west of the anchorage hadthe appearance of being calcareous, and the loose stones scattered overthe surface of Kangaroo Head and the vicinity were of that substance; butthe basis in this part seemed to be a brown slate, lying in _strata_nearly horizontal, and _laminae_ of quartz were sometimes seen in theinterstices. In some places the slate was split into pieces of a footlong, or more, like iron bars, and had a shining, ore-like appearance;and the _strata_ were then further from the horizontal line than Iobserved them to be elsewhere. 

A thick wood covered almost all that part of the island visible from theship; but the trees in a vegetating state were not equal in size to thegenerality of those lying on the ground, nor to the dead trees standingupright. Those on the ground were so abundant that in ascending thehigher land a considerable part of the walk was made upon them. They layin all directions, and were nearly of the same size and in the sameprogress towards decay; from whence it would seem that they had notfallen from age, nor yet been thrown down in a gale of wind. Some generalconflagration, and there were marks apparently of fire on many of them, is perhaps the sole cause which can be reasonably assigned; but whencecame the woods on fire? That there were no inhabitants upon the island, and that the natives of the continent did not visit it, was demonstrated, if not by the want of all signs of such visit, yet by the tameness of thekangaroo, an animal which, on the continent, resembles the wild deer intimidity. Perhaps lightning might have been the cause, or possibly thefriction of two dead trees in a strong wind; but it would be somewhatextraordinary that the same thing should have happened at Thistle'sIsland, Boston Island and at this place, and apparently about the sametime. Can this part of Terra Australis have been visited before, unknownto the world? The French navigator, La Pérouse, was ordered to exploreit, but there seems little probability that he ever passed Torres'Strait. 

Some judgment may be formed of the epoch when these conflagrationshappened from the magnitude of the growing trees; for they must havesprung up since that period. They were a species of _eucalyptus_, andbeing less than the fallen trees, had most probably not arrived atmaturity; but the wood is hard and solid, and it may thence be supposedto grow slowly. With these considerations I should be inclined to fix theperiod at not less than ten, nor more than twenty years before ourarrival. This brings us back to La Pérouse. He was in Botany Bay in thebeginning of 1788; and if he did pass through Torres' Strait, and comeround to this coast, as was his intention, it would probably be about themiddle or latter end of that year, or between thirteen and fourteen yearsbefore the Investigator. My opinion is not favourable to this conjecture;but I have furnished all the _data_ to enable the reader to form his ownjudgment upon the cause which might have prostrated the woods of theseislands. 

The soil of that part of Kangaroo Island examined by us was judged to bemuch superior to any before seen, either upon the south coast of thecontinent or upon the islands near it, with the exception of someportions behind the harbours of King George's Sound. The depth of thesoil was not particularly ascertained; but from the thickness of the woodit cannot be very shallow. Some sand is mixed with the vegetable earth, but not in any great proportion; and I thought the soil superior to someof the land cultivated at Port Jackson, and to much of that in our stonycounties in England. 

Never perhaps had the dominion possessed here by the kangaroo beeninvaded before this time. The seal shared with it upon the shores, butthey seemed to dwell amicably together. It not unfrequently happened thatthe report of a gun fired at a kangaroo near the beach brought out two orthree bellowing seals from under bushes considerably further from thewater-side. The seal, indeed, seemed to be much the most discerninganimal of the two; for its actions bespoke a knowledge of our not beingkangaroos, whereas the kangaroo not unfrequently appeared to consider usto be seals. 

The _latitude_ of the landing place near Kangaroo Head from anobservation in the artificial horizon, was 35° 43' 0" south; and the_longitude_ of our anchorage by timekeepers, 137° 58' 31" east. Thislast, being deduced from observations only four days after the proof hadof the time keepers having gone correctly since leaving Port Lincoln, should be as accurate, or very nearly so, as the longitude of that port. 

The _variation_ observed from two compasses on board, with the headsouth-westward, was 6° 31' east; but when the ship swung to a tide comingfrom east-north-east, the change in the bearings of different objectsshowed the variation to be about 4° less. The true variation I deduce tobe 4° 13' east; which is an increase upon what was observed on the westside of Cape Spencer, of 2°; although the distance be no more thantwenty-four leagues, and the previous increase from Cape Catastrophe hadbeen almost nothing. It seems probable that the existence of magneticbodies in the land to the north-westward, and perhaps also in KangarooIsland and Cape Jervis, was the cause of this change in the direction ofthe needle. 

From appearances on the shore, I judged the rise of _tide_ to be aboutsix feet. The flood came from the east-north-east, twice in the day, andby the swinging of the ship, ceased at _two hours and a half after_ themoon's passage; but the time of high water was afterwards found to belater by one hour and a half. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Departure from Kangaroo Island. Examination of the main coast, from Cape Spencer eastward. The Investigator's Strait. A new gulph discovered. Anchorage at, and examination of the head. Remarks on the surrounding land. Return down the gulph. Troubridge Shoal. Yorke's Peninsula. Return to Kangaroo Island. Boat expedition to Pelican Lagoon. Astronomical observations. Kangaroo Island quitted. Back-stairs Passage. The coast from Cape Jervis, eastward. Meeting, and communication with Le Geographe. Remarks upon the French discoveries on the South Coast. 

[SOUTH COAST. INVESTIGATOR'S STRAIT. ]

WEDNESDAY 24 MARCH 1802

March 24 in the morning, we got under way from Kangaroo Island in orderto take up the examination of the main coast at Cape Spencer, where ithad been quitted in the evening of the 20th, when the late galecommenced. The wind had continued to blow fresh from the southward, buthad now moderated, and was at south-west. We steered north-westward fromten o'clock till six in the evening, and then had sight of land extendingfrom N. 62° W. To a low part terminating at N. 17° E. Distant threeleagues. A hummock upon this low part was named _Troubridge Hill_, and atfirst it makes like an island. Nothing was visible to the eastward of thelow land; whence I judged there to be another inlet or a strait betweenit and Cape Jervis. Soon after dusk the wind veered to south-by-east, onwhich we steered south-westward, and continued the same course until fourin the morning [THURSDAY 25 MARCH 1802]; when the largest Althorp Islebeing seen to the north-west, the ship was hove to, with her headeastward; and at daylight, before making sail, the following bearingswere taken of the lands to the northward, but no part of Kangaroo Islandwas visible. 

Wedge I. (of Gambier's Isles), highest part, N. 64½° W. Althorpe Isle, largest, distant 6 miles, N. 83° to 78 W. Cape Spencer, south point, N. 44 W. Furthest extreme of the northern land, N. 44 E. 

The wind fixed itself at south-east, and it took us two days to work backagainst it as far as Troubridge Hill [SATURDAY 27 MARCH 1802]. The shoreis generally low and sandy; but with the exception of one very low point, it may be approached within two miles. Many tacks were made in these twodays from the northern land across to Kangaroo Island, and gaveopportunities of sounding the intermediate strait. From 45 fathoms, inthe middle of the western entrance, the depth diminished quickly to 25, then more slowly to 20 after which it is irregular between 12 and 20fathoms, as far as the mouth of the second inlet. Of the two sides, thatof Kangaroo Island is much the deepest; but there is no danger in anypart to prevent a ship passing through the strait with perfectconfidence, and the average width is twenty-three miles. It was namedINVESTIGATOR'S STRAIT, after the ship. The bottom is mostly brokenshells, mixed with sand, gravel or coral, and appeared to hold well. 

From two amplitudes taken to the north-north-west of Point Marsden, andnear the middle of the strait, the variation was 1° 49' east; the ship'shead being south-south-east in one case, and north-east-by-north in theother. The true variation deduced from these, is 3° 20' east; which is 1°7' greater than at Cape Spencer, and 0° 53' less than at the anchoragenear Kangaroo Head. 

At noon of the 27th, the eastern wind died away; and we dropped a kedgeanchor in 15 fathoms, about two miles from Point Marsden, where thefollowing observations and bearings were taken. 

Latitude, observed to the north, 35° 31' 38"Longitude by time keepers, 137 42Kangaroo I. , furthest western extreme, S. 82 W. Do. , Point Marsden, west side, S. 26 W. Do. , innermost head up Nepean Bay, S. 27 E. Do. , furthest eastern extreme, S. 57½ E. Cape Jervis, south extreme, S. 73 E. 

No set of tide was observable until three o'clock, when it made gently tothe north-east, towards the new inlet; and a breeze springing up atsouth-east soon afterward, we pursued the same course, and were wellwithin the entrance at eight o'clock. Fires were seen ahead; but thesoundings being regular, and increasing, we kept on until midnight; whenthe land was seen also, and we stood back for two hours. At daylight[SUNDAY 28 MARCH 1802] I recognised Mount Lofty, upon the highest part ofthe ridge of mountains which, from Cape Jervis, extends northward behindthe eastern shore of the inlet. The nearest part of the coast was distantthree leagues, mostly low, and composed of sand and rock, with a fewsmall trees scattered over it; but at a few miles inland, where the backmountains rise, the country was well clothed with forest timber, and hada fertile appearance. The fires bespoke this to be a part of thecontinent. 

Light airs and calms prevailed during the morning, and the ship had verylittle way until noon, when a breeze sprung up at south-west. Oursituation was then in

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 35° 4' 13"Longitude by time keepers, 138 23Mount Lofty bore N. 71 E. Southern extreme toward Cape Jervis, S. 17 W. Northern extreme, trees above the water, N. 32 E. 

The situation of Mount Lofty was found from hence and from some othercross bearings, to be 34° 59' south and 138° 42' east. No land wasvisible so far to the north as where the trees appeared above thehorizon, which showed the coast to be very low, and our soundings werefast decreasing. From noon to six o'clock we ran thirty miles to thenorthward, skirting a sandy shore at the distance of five, and thence toeight miles; the depth was then 5 fathoms, and we dropped the anchor upona bottom of sand, mixed with pieces of dead coral. 

MONDAY 29 MARCH 1802

In the morning, land was seen to the westward, and also a hummockymountain, capped with clouds, apparently near the head of the inlet. Azimuths with the surveying compass, taken when the ship's head wassouth-eastward, gave 2° 27' east variation; but an amplitude taken at thesame anchorage on the preceding evening, when the head was south-by-west, showed 5° 22' east. These corrected to the meridian, will be severally 4°43' and 4° 44' east; or half a degree more than was observed nearKangaroo Head. The observations at this anchorage and the bearings takenwere as follow:

Latitude observed from the moon, 34° 36' S. Longitude by time keepers, 138 18 E. Mount Lofty, S. 41½° E. Nearest shore, distant 7 miles, N. E. To N. Hummock mount, highest top, N. 12½ W. Western land, furthest extremes, N. 51° to S. 65 W. 

There being almost no wind in the morning, we remained at anchor untilnine o'clock, to set up afresh the rigging of the new top masts; and Itook a boat to sound upon a rippling near the ship, but found the samedepth of 5 fathoms. Very little progress was made until noon, at whichtime shoal water obliged us to steer westward. At three the soundings hadincreased from 3½ to 10 fathoms, which was the deepest water to be found;for it became shallower on approaching the western shore. After steeringvarious northwardly courses, we anchored at sunset in 5 fathoms, sand, shells and broken coral; the shores then appeared to close round at thedistance of seven or eight miles; and the absence of tide gave noprospect of finding any river at the head of the inlet. 

According to lieutenant Flinders' observations, the situation of theanchorage was in

Latitude, 34° 16' 36"Longitude by time keepers, 138 6Mount Lofty, dist. 17 leagues, bore, S. 35 E. Hummock Mount, highest part, N. 5 E. A low sandy point, dist. 3 or 4, miles, N. 69 E. A low point covered with mangroves, N. 53 W. 

The variation from an amplitude, observed when the ship's head wassouth-eastward, was 2° 50' east; but the compass being upon a stand outof its usual place, I cannot deduce the true variation, but took it tobe; 4° 40' east, nearly as found at the preceding anchorage. 

TUESDAY 30 MARCH 1802

Early in the morning I went in a boat, accompanied by the naturalist, toexamine more closely the head of the gulph. We carried from 4 to 3fathoms water four miles above the ship, when it shoaled to fifteen andeight feet, which brought us to mud flats, nearly dry; but by means of asmall channel amongst them we got within half a mile of the shore, andwalked to it upon a bank of mud and sand. 

It was then ten o'clock, and the tide was out; so that I judged the timeof high water to be _about seven hours after_ the moon's passage, orthree hours later than at Kangaroo Island; and the ordinary rise appearedto be six or eight feet. An observation of the sun's meridian altitudefrom the artificial horizon showed the landing-place to be in latitude34° 8' 52", and the uppermost water might be 30" less; whence the extentof this inlet, from Cape Jervis on the east side of the entrance, is 1°30' of latitude. 

Microscopic shells of various kinds, not larger than grains of wheat, were heaped up in ridges at high-water mark; further back the shore wassandy, but soon rose, in an undulating manner, to hills covered withgrass; and several clumps of trees scattered over them gave the land apleasing appearance from the water side. We set off in the afternoon forthe Hummock Mount, which stands upon a northern prolongation of the hillson the west side of the inlet, and about eight miles from the water; butfinding it could not be reached in time to admit of returning on boardthe same evening, I ascended a nearer part of the range to inspect thehead of the inlet. It was almost wholly occupied by flats, which seemedto be sandy in the eastern part and muddy to the westward. These flatsabounded with rays; and had we been provided with a harpoon, a boat loadmight have been caught. One black swan and several shags and gulls wereseen. 

I found the grass upon these pleasant-looking hills to be thinly set, thetrees small, and the land poor in vegetable soil. The mountainous ridgeon the east side of the inlet passes within a few miles of Hummock Mount, and appeared to be more sandy; but the wood upon it was abundant, and ofa larger growth. Between the two ranges is a broad valley, swampy at thebottom; and into it the water runs down from both sides in rainy weather, and is discharged into the gulph, which may be considered as the lowerand wider part of the valley. 

This eastern ridge is the same which rises at Cape Jervis; from whence itextends northward towards Barn Hill and the ridge of mountains on theeast side of Spencer's Gulph. If it joins that ridge, as I stronglysuspect, its length, taking it only from Cape Jervis to Mount Arden, willbe more than seventy leagues in a straight line. There are someconsiderable elevations on the southern part; Mount Lofty is one of them, and its height appeared nearly equal to that of Mount Brown to the north, or about three thousand feet. Another lies six or seven miles to thenorth-by-east of the Hummock Mount, near the head of this inlet, andseems to have been the hill set from Spencer's Gulph, at the anchorage ofMarch 14, in the evening, when it was distant ten or eleven leagues andappeared above the lower range in front of Barn Hill. 

From my station on the western hills of the new inlet, across toSpencer's Gulph, the distance was not more than thirty miles; but as Idid not ascend the highest part of the range, the water to the westwardcould not be seen. Had the Hummock Mount been within my reach, itselevation of near fifteen hundred feet would probably have afforded anextensive view, both across the peninsula and of the country to thenorthward. 

[SOUTH COAST. GULPH OF ST. VINCENT. ]

In honour of the noble admiral who presided at the Board of Admiraltywhen I sailed from England, and had continued to the voyage thatcountenance and protection of which Earl Spencer had set the example, Inamed this new inlet the GULPH OF ST. VINCENT. To the peninsula whichseparates it from Spencer's Gulph I have affixed the name of YORKE'SPENINSULA, in honour of the Right Honourable Charles Philip Yorke, whofollowed the steps of his above-mentioned predecessors at the Admiralty. 

WEDNESDAY 31 MARCH 1802

On the 31st at daylight we got under way to proceed down the gulph, andhaving followed the eastern shore in going up, I wished to trace thecoast of the peninsula in returning; but the wind being nearly at south, it could only be done partially. At two in the afternoon we tacked in 3fathoms from the eastern shoals, and at sunset in the same depth one milefrom the western side; our distance from the head of the gulph being thenabout ten leagues, and the furthest land of the peninsula bearing S. 3°E. The western hills come down nearly to the water-side here, and havethe same pleasant appearance as at the head of the gulph, being grassy, with clumps of wood scattered over them; the coast-line is somewhatcliffy, and not so low as the eastern shore. 

THURSDAY 1 APRIL 1802

During the night the wind veered round to east, and at three in themorning to north-east; and a fire being seen on the eastern shore, thefore top sail was laid to the mast. At daybreak we made sail west for theland of the peninsula; and at half-past nine it was less than five milesdistant, being very low and sandy. The northern extreme then in sightappeared to be the same land set in the evening at S. 3° E. ; the otherextreme was not far from Troubridge Hill, on the west side of theentrance to the gulph; and near it was an extensive bank, part of it dry, which I called _Troubridge Shoal_. The bearings taken at this time were, Northern extreme of the west shore, N. 2° E. Southern extreme, distant 7 miles, S. 42 W. Troubridge Shoal, dry part S. 13° W. To 9 E. Cape Jervis, S. Extreme of high land, S. 18 E. Mount Lofty, N. 85 E. 

We now hauled the wind to the south-east, and weathered the dry part ofTroubridge Shoal; but passed amongst several patches of discoloured waterin soundings from 4 to 3½ fathoms. At noon, when our latitude observed onboth sides was 35° 9' 38" and longitude by time keepers 138° 4½', theshoal was distant three leagues to the west-north-west; Cape Jervis boreS. 12°, and Mount Lofty N. 72° E. 

Our examination of the gulph of St. Vincent was now finished; and thecountry round it had appeared to be generally superior to that on theborders of Spencer's Gulph. Yorke's Peninsula between them is singular inits form, bearing some resemblance to a very ill-shaped leg and foot. Thelength of the southern part, from Cape Spencer to the sandy point nearTroubridge Shoal, is about forty-five miles; and from thence northward, to where the peninsula joins the main land, about sixty miles. Its leastbreadth is from the head of Hardwicke Bay to the Investigator's Strait, where it appears to be not more than three leagues. 

[SOUTH COAST. KANGAROO ISLAND]

Having now made myself acquainted with the shores of the continent up toCape Jervis, it remained to pursue the discovery further eastward; but Iwished to ascertain previously whether any error had crept into thetime-keepers' rates since leaving Kangaroo Island, and also to procurethere a few more fresh meals for my ship's company. Our course was inconsequence directed for the island, which was visible from aloft; butthe winds being very feeble, we did not pass Kangaroo Head until elevenat night. I purposed to have run up into the eastern cove of Nepean Bay, but finding the water to shoal from 12 to 7 fathoms, did not think itsafe to go further in the dark, and therefore dropped the anchor aboutthree-quarters of a mile from the shore, and two miles to thesouth-west-by-west of our former anchorage. 

FRIDAY 2 APRIL 1802

Early on the following morning a party was sent to shoot kangaroos, another to cut wood, and the naturalists went to pursue their researches. The observations taken by lieutenant Flinders, compared with those ofMarch 24th, showed the timekeepers to have erred 2' 10" of longitude tothe west in the nine days we had been absent; and they had not, consequently, lost quite so much upon a medium as the Port Lincoln ratessupposed. This small error, which principally affected the Gulph of St. Vincent, has been corrected in the longitudes there specified and in thechart by an equal proportion. 

The kangaroos were found to be less numerous than at the first anchoringplace, and they had become shy, so that very few were killed. Those fewbeing brought off, with a boat load of wood, we got under way at daylightnext morning to prosecute the examination of the coast beyond CapeJervis; but the timekeepers had stopped, from having been neglected to bewound up on the preceding day. We therefore came to an anchor again; andas some time would be required to fix new rates, the ship was moored sosoon as the flood tide made. I landed immediately, to commence thenecessary observations, and a party was established on shore, abreast ofthe ship, to cut more wood for the holds. Lieutenant Fowler was sent inthe launch to the eastward, with a shooting party and such of thescientific gentlemen as chose to accompany him; and there being skinswanted for the service of the rigging, he was directed to kill someseals. 

SUNDAY 4 APRIL 1802

On the 4th I was accompanied by the naturalist in a boat expedition tothe head of the large eastern cove of Nepean Bay; intending if possibleto ascend a sandy eminence behind it, from which alone there was any hopeof obtaining a view into the interior of the island, all the other hillsbeing thickly covered with wood. On approaching the south-west corner ofthe cove, a small opening was found leading into a considerable piece ofwater; and by one of its branches we reached within little more than amile of the desired sandy eminence. After I had observed the latitude 35°50' 2" from an artificial horizon, we got through the wood without muchdifficulty, and at one o'clock reached the top of the eminence, to whichwas given the name of _Prospect Hill_. Instead of a view into theinterior of the island, I was surprised to find the sea at not more thanone and half or two miles to the southward. Two points of the coasttowards the east end of the island bore S. 77° E. , and the furthest parton the other side, a low point with breakers round it, bore S. 33° W. , atthe supposed distance of four or five leagues. Between these extremes alarge bight in the south coast was formed; but it is entirely exposed tosouthern winds, and the shores are mostly cliffy. Mount Lofty, on theeast side of the Gulph of St. Vincent, was visible from Prospect Hill atthe distance of sixty-nine miles, and bore N. 40° 40' E. 

The entrance of the piece of water at the head of Nepean Bay is less thanhalf a mile in width, and mostly shallow; but there is a channelsufficiently deep for all boats near the western shore. After turning twolow islets near the east point the water opens out, becomes deeper, anddivides into two branches, each of two or three miles long. Boats can goto the head of the southern branch only at high water; the east branchappeared to be accessible at all times, but as a lead and line wereneglected to be put into the boat, I had no opportunity of sounding. There are four small islands in the eastern branch; one of them ismoderately high and woody, the others are grassy and lower; and upon twoof these we found many young pelicans, unable to fly. Flocks of the oldbirds were sitting upon the beaches of the lagoon, and it appeared thatthe islands were their breeding-places; not only so, but from the numberof skeletons and bones there scattered, it should seem that they had forages been selected for the closing scene of their existence. Certainlynone more likely to be free from disturbance of every kind could havebeen chosen than these islets in a hidden lagoon of an uninhabitedisland, situate upon an unknown coast near the antipodes of Europe; norcan anything be more consonant to the feelings, if pelicans have any, than quietly to resign their breath whilst surrounded by their progeny, and in the same spot where they first drew it. Alas for the pelicans!Their golden age is past; but it has much exceeded in duration that ofman. 

I named this piece of water _Pelican Lagoon_. It is also frequented byflocks of the pied shag, and by some ducks and gulls; and the shoalssupplied us with a few oysters. The surrounding country is almosteverywhere thickly covered with brushwood; and the soil appeared to begenerally of a good quality, though not deep. Prospect Hill and the partsaround it are more sandy; and there seemed to be swamps at the head ofboth branches of the lagoon. The isthmus which separates the southernbranch from the sea is low, but rises gradually up the cliffs of thecoast. 

Not being able to return on board the same night, we slept near theentrance of the lagoon. It was high water by the shore, on the morning ofthe 5th [MONDAY 5 APRIL 1802], at six o'clock; but on comparing this withthe swinging of the ship, it appeared that the tide had then been runningmore than an hour from the westward. The rise in the lagoon seemed to befrom four to eight feet. 

A few kangaroos had been obtained during my absence, as also some sealskins; but one of the sailors having attacked a large seal incautiously, received a very severe bite in the leg and was laid up. After all theresearches now made in the island, it appeared that the kangaroos weremuch more numerous at our first landing-place, near Kangaroo Head, thanelsewhere in the neighbourhood. That part of the island was clearer ofwood than most others; and there were some small grass plats which seemedto be particularly attractive and were kept very bare. Not less thanthirty emus or cassowaries were seen at different times; but it sohappened that they were fired at only once, and that ineffectually. Theywere most commonly found near the longest of the small beaches to theeastward of Kangaroo Head, where some little drainings of water oozedfrom the rocks. It is possible that with much time and labour employed indigging, water might be procured there to supply a ship; and I am sorryto say that it was the sole place found by us where the hope of procuringfresh water could be entertained. 

Having received on board a good stock of wood, the launch was hoisted inand every thing prepared for going to sea. Next morning [TUESDAY 6 APRIL1802], so soon as the sun was sufficiently elevated to be observed in theartificial horizon, I landed to take the last set of observations for thetime-keepers; after which the anchor was weighed, and we steered out ofNepean Bay with a light breeze from the south-west. Towards noon it fellcalm, and finding by the land that the ship was set westward, an anchorwas dropped nearly in our first place off Kangaroo Head; and Mr. Westalltook the sketch given in the Atlas. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 11. )

The rates of the time keepers were obtained, for the sake of expedition, from single altitudes of the sun's upper and lower limbs, taken from aquicksilver horizon with a sextant fixed on a stand; the time being notedfrom Arnold's watch, compared with Earnshaw's time keepers before goingon shore and immediately after returning. From the altitudes of the 3rd, 4th, and 6th, in the morning, the rates of the two time keepers and theirerrors from mean Greenwich time, reduced to noon there on the last day, were as under. 

Earnshaw's No. 543, fast 0h 0' 18. 03" and losing 8. 46" per day. No. 520, slow 0 45 29. 66 and losing 18. 07" per day. 

In deducing these errors, the longitude given by the time keepers on ourfirst arrival from Spencer's Gulph, which I consider to be equally goodwith that of Port Lincoln, was used, with a correction of -1' 20" for thechange of place. The medium of the Port Lincoln rates was somethinggreater than that now found; which corresponded with the time keepershaving given the longitude of Kangaroo Head less on the second than onthe first arrival. This was some proof that the letting down had notaffected the rates, and tended to give me confidence in their accuracy. 

The _variation_ observed on shore, with the theodolite, was 5° 48' east. Do. With azimuth compass, No. 1 with the theodolite, was 2° 58' east. 

For this difference between the instruments, I find it difficult toaccount satisfactorily; but it is the same way, and nearly similar inquantity to what was observed in Lucky Bay. The true variation on boardthe ship, deduced from azimuths taken at anchor two miles to thenorth-east, and using the compasses No. 1 and 2, was as before mentioned, 4° 13', nearly the mean of the above; but the bearings taken with thetheodolite at Kangaroo Head and Prospect Hill showed only 2½° east, ascompared with the bearings on board the ship. There can be little doubtof the existence of magnetic substances in the lands about here, moreparticularly, as I think, in Yorke's Peninsula; and there will presentlybe occasion to notice more instances of their effect. 

The approach of the winter season, and an apprehension that the discoveryof the remaining unknown part of the South Coast might not be completedbefore a want of provisions would make it necessary to run for PortJackson, prevented me from stopping a day longer at Kangaroo Island thanwas necessary to obtaining rates for the time-keepers, and consequentlyfrom examining the south and west parts of that island. The direction ofthe main coast and the inlets it might form were the most importantpoints to be now ascertained; and the details of particular parts, whichit would interfere too much with those objects to examine, were bestreferred to the second visit, directed by my instructions to be made tothis coast. When, therefore, the rising of a breeze made it advisable toget under way from Kangaroo Head, which was not until two in theafternoon, we proceeded for the eastern outlet of the Investigator'sStrait, in order to prosecute the discovery beyond Cape Jervis. 

The wind was at south-east; and the tide being against us, but littleprogress was made until the evening, when it became favourable. Oursoundings were irregular, and some rocky islets being seen without sideof the opening, I stood in at nine o'clock, to look for anchorage at theeast end of Kangaroo Island; and finding no shelter there, we ran alittle to leeward into a small bay which I had observed before dark, andanchored at half past ten, in 4½ fathoms, on a bottom of hard sand. Atdaylight [WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 1802], the following bearings were taken. 

East point of the little bay, dist. 1½ mile, East. West point, distant three miles, N. 38° W. Cape Jervis, inner low point, N. 3 W. Eastern extreme of the coast, N. 65 E. 

The bay is perfectly sheltered from all southern winds; and as there wereseveral spots clear of wood near the beach, it is probable that thekangaroos, and perhaps cassowaries, might be numerous. We did not stop toland, but got under way so soon as the bearings were taken, to beat outof the strait against the south-east wind; so little was gained, however, after working all the day, that at eight in the evening the ship wasstill off the east end of Kangaroo Island. 

This part of the Investigator's Strait is not more, in the narrowestpart, than seven miles across. It forms a private entrance, as it were, to the two gulphs; and I named it _Back-stairs Passage_. The small baywhere we had anchored is called the _Ante-chamber_; and the cape whichforms the eastern head of the bay and of Kangaroo Island, and lies in 35°48' south and 138° 13' east, received the appellation of _CapeWilloughby_. Without side of the passage, and almost equidistant fromboth shores, there are three small, rocky islets near together, calledthe _Pages_, whose situation is in latitude 35° 46½' and longitude 138°21' east; these are the sole dangers in Back-stairs Passage, and two ofthem are conspicuous. Our soundings in beating through were from 8 to 23fathoms; and in a strong rippling of tide like breakers there was from 10to 12, upon a bottom of stones and shells. 

At eight in the evening we tacked from Cape Willoughby; and having passedto windward of the Pages, stretched on east and north-eastward until fourin the morning [THURSDAY 8 APRIL 1802]. Land was then seen under the lee, and a tack made off shore till daylight, when we stood in with the windat east-south-east. At nine the land was distant five miles, and of avery different aspect to that of Cape Jervis. As far as six leagues fromthe cliffy southern extremity of the Cape the land is high, rocky andmuch cut by gullies or ravines; a short, scrubby brush-wood covers theseaward side, and the stone appeared to be slaty, like the oppositecliffs of Kangaroo Island. But here the hills fall back from the sea, andthe shore becomes very low with some hummocks of sand upon it; and thesame description of coast prevailed as far as could be seen to theeastward. 

Our situation at nine o'clock, when we tacked to the south, was asfollows;

Longitude by time keepers, 138° 47½'Cape Jervis, two southern parts, bore S. 84 W. A round hummock, N. 85 W. A rocky islet, under the land, N. 62 W. Furthest visible part of the sandy coast, S. 87 E. 

Before two in the afternoon we stretched eastward again, and at four awhite rock was reported from aloft to be seen ahead. On approachingnearer it proved to be a ship standing towards us, and we cleared foraction, in case of being attacked. The stranger was a heavy-looking ship, without any top-gallant masts up; and our colours being hoisted, sheshowed a French ensign, and afterwards an English jack forward, as we dida white flag. At half-past five, the land being then five miles distantto the north-eastward, I hove to, and learned, as the stranger passed toleeward with a free wind, that it was the French national ship _LeGéographe_, under the command of captain NICOLAS BAUDIN. We veered roundas Le Géographe was passing, so as to keep our broadside to her, lest theflag of truce should be a deception; and having come to the wind on theother tack, a boat was hoisted out, and I went on board the French ship, which had also hove to. 

As I did not understand French, Mr. Brown, the naturalist, went with mein the boat. We were received by an officer who pointed out thecommander, and by him were conducted into the cabin. I requested captainBaudin to show me his passport from the Admiralty; and when it was foundand I had perused it, offered mine from the French marine minister, buthe put it back without inspection. He then informed me that he had spentsome time in examining the south and east parts of Van Diemen's Land, where his geographical engineer, with the largest boat and a boat's crew, had been left, and probably lost. In Bass Strait captain Baudin hadencountered a heavy gale, the same we had experienced in a less degree onMarch 21 in the Investigator's Strait. He was then separated from hisconsort, _Le Naturaliste_; but having since had fair winds and fineweather, he had explored the South Coast from Western Port to the placeof our meeting without finding any river, inlet or other shelter whichafforded anchorage. I inquired concerning a large island said to lie inthe western entrance of Bass Strait; but he had not seen it, and seemedto doubt much of its existence. 

Captain Baudin was communicative of his discoveries about Van Diemen'sland; as also of his criticisms upon an English chart of Bass Straitpublished in 1800. He found great fault with the north side of thestrait, but commended the form given to the south side and to the islandsnear it. On my pointing out a note upon the chart, explaining that thenorth side of the strait was seen only in an open boat by Mr. Bass, whohad no good means of fixing either latitude or longitude, he appearedsurprised, not having before paid attention to it. I told him that someother and more particular charts of the Strait and its neighbourhood hadbeen since published; and that if he would keep company until nextmorning, I would bring him a copy, with a small memoir belonging to them. This was agreed to, and I returned with Mr. Brown to the Investigator. 

It somewhat surprised me that captain Baudin made no enquiries concerningmy business upon this unknown coast, but as he seemed more desirous ofcommunicating information, I was happy to receive it; next morning[FRIDAY 9 APRIL 1802], however, he had become inquisitive, some of hisofficers having learned from my boat's crew that our object was alsodiscovery. I then told him, generally, what our operations had been, particularly in the two gulphs, and the latitude to which I had ascendedin the largest; explained the situation of Port Lincoln, where freshwater might be procured; showed him Cape Jervis, which was still insight; and as a proof of the refreshments to be obtained at the largeisland opposite to it, pointed out the kangaroo-skin caps worn by myboat's crew, and told him the name I had affixed to the island inconsequence. At parting the captain requested me to take care of his boatand people in case of meeting with them; and to say to Le Naturalistethat he should go to Port Jackson so soon as the bad weather set in. Onmy asking the name of the captain of Le Naturaliste, he bethought himselfto ask mine; and finding it to be the same as the author of the chartwhich he had been criticising, expressed not a little surprise, but hadthe politeness to congratulate himself on meeting me. 

The situation of the Investigator, when I hove to for the purpose ofspeaking captain Baudin, was 35° 40' south and 138° 58' east. No personwas present at our conversations except Mr Brown; and they were mostlycarried on in English, which the captain spoke so as to be understood. Hegave me, besides what is related above, some information of his losses inmen, separations from his consort, and of the improper season at which hewas directed to explore this coast; as also a memorandum of some rocks hehad met with, lying two leagues from the shore, in latitude 37° 1', andhe spoke of them as being very dangerous. 

I have been the more particular in detailing all that passed at thisinterview from a circumstance which it seems proper to explain anddiscuss in this place. 

At the above situation of 35° 40' south and 138° 58' east, the_discoveries_ made by captain Baudin upon the South Coast have theirtermination to the west; as mine in the Investigator have to theeastward. Yet Mons. Peron, naturalist in the French expedition, has laida claim for his nation to the discovery of all the parts between _WesternPort_ in Bass Strait, and _Nuyts' Archipelago_; and this part of NewSouth Wales is called _Terre Napoléon_. My Kangaroo Island, a name whichthey openly adopted in the expedition, has been converted at Paris into_L'Isle Decrés_; Spencer's Gulph is named _Golfe Bonaparte_; the Gulph ofSt. Vincent, _Golfe Josephine_; and so on along the whole coast to CapeNuyts, not even the smallest island being left without some similar stampof French discovery. *

[* The most remarkable passages on the subject are the following, underthe title of _Terre Napoléon_. 

"De ce grand espace (the south coast of Terra Australis), la partie seulequi du Cap Leuwen s'étend aux îles St. Pierre et St. François, écoitconnue lors de notre départ d'Europe. Découverte par les Hollandois en1627, elle avoit été, dans ces derniers temps, visitée par VANCOUVER etsurtout par DENTRECASTEAUX; mais ce dernier navigateur n'ayant pului-même s'avancer au-delà des îles St. Pierre et St. François, quiforment la limite orientale de la terre de Nuyts, et les Anglois n'ayantpas porté vers le Sud leurs recherches plus loin que le port Western, ilen résultoit que toute la portion comprise entre ce dernier point et laterre de Nuyts étoit encore inconnue au moment où nous arrivions sur cesrivages. " p. 316. That is on March 30, 1802. M. Peron should have said, not that the south coast from Western Port to Nuyts' Land was thenunknown; but that it was unknown _to them_; for captain Grant of the LadyNelson had discovered the eastern part, from Western Port to thelongitude 140¼°, in the year 1800, before the French ships sailed fromEurope; and on the west I had explored the coast and islands from Nuyts'land to Cape Jervis in 138° 10', and was, on the day specified, at thehead of the Gulph of St. Vincent. 

"Dans ce moment, le capitaine Anglois nous héla, en nous dernandant sinous n'étions pas l'un des deux vaisseaux partis de France pour faire desdécouvertes dans l'hemisphère Austral. Sur notre réponse affirmative, ilfit aussitôt mettre une embarcation a la mer, et peu d'instans après nousle reçûmes à bord. Nous apprîmes que c'étoit le capitaine FLINDERS, celui-là même qui avoit déja fait la circonnavigation de la terre deDiémen; que son navire se nommoit _the Investigator_; que, parti d'Europedepuis huit mois dans le dessein de compléter la reconnoissance de laNouvelle Hollande et des archipels du grand Océan équatorial, il setrouvoit, depuis environs trois mois, à la terre de Nuyts; que, contrariépar les vents, il n'avoit pu pénétrer, comme il en avoit eu le projet, derrière les îles St. Pierre et St. François; que, lors de son départd'Angleterre, " etc. P. 324, 325. 

"En nous fournissant tous ces détails. M. FLINDERS se montra d'une granderéserve sur ses opérations particulières. Nous apprimes toutefois parquelques-uns de ses matelots, qu'il avoit eu beaucoup à souffrir de cesmêmes vents de la partie du Sud qui nous avoient êtê si favorables, et cefut alors sur-tout que nous pûmes apprécier davantage toute la sagesse denos propres instructions. Après avoir conversé plus d'une heure avec_nous_, " (no person except Mr. Brown was present at my conversation withcaptain Baudin, as I have already said), "le capitaine FLINDERS repartitpour son bord, promettant de revenir le lendemain matin nous apporter unecarte particulière de la rivière _Dalrymple_, qu'il venait de publier enAngleterre. Il revint en effet, le 9 avril, nous la remettre, et bientôtaprès nous le quittâmes pour reprendre la suite de nos tra vauxgéographiques. " p. 325. 

"L'île principale de ce dernier groupe" (their _Archipel Berthier_) "sedessine sous la forme d'un immense hamaçon. " (Thistle's Island seems tohe here meant. ) "Indépendamment de toutes ces îles, il en existe encoreplus de vingt autres disséminées aux environs de la pointe occidentale dugolfe et en déhors de son entée: chacune d'elles fut désignée par un deces noms honorables dont notre patrie s'enorgueillit à juste titre. " p. 327. 

_Voyage de Découverte aux Terres Australes_, rédigé par M. F. Peron, Naturaliste de l'expédition, etc. Paris, 1807. ]

It is said by M. Peron, and upon my authority too, that the Investigatorhad not been able to penetrate behind the Isles of St. Peter and St. Francis; and though he doth not say directly that no part of the beforeunknown coast was discovered by me, yet the whole tenor of his Chap. XVinduces the reader to believe that I had done nothing which couldinterfere with the prior claim of the French. 

Yet M. Peron was present afterwards at Port Jackson when I showed one ofmy charts of this coast to captain Baudin, and pointed out the limits ofhis discovery; and so far from any prior title being set up at that timeto Kangaroo Island and the parts westward, the officers of the Géographealways spoke of them as belonging to the Investigator. The firstlieutenant, Mons. Freycinet, even made use of the following oddexpression, addressing himself to me in the house of governor King, andin the presence of one of his companions, I think Mons. Bonnefoy:"Captain, if we had not been kept so long picking up shells and catchingbutterflies at Van Diemen's Land, you would not have discovered the SouthCoast before us. "

The English officers and respectable inhabitants then at Port Jackson cansay if the prior discovery of these parts were not generallyacknowledged; nay, I appeal to the French officers themselves, generallyand individually, if such were not the case. How then came M. Peron toadvance what was so contrary to truth? Was he a man destitute of allprinciple? My answer is, that I believe his candour to have been equal tohis acknowledged abilities; and that what he wrote was from over-rulingauthority, and smote him to the heart; he did not live to finish thesecond volume. 

The motive for this aggression I do not pretend to explain. It may haveoriginated in the desire to rival the British nation in the honour ofcompleting the discovery of the globe; or be intended as the forerunnerof a claim to the possession of the countries so said to have been firstdiscovered by French navigators. Whatever may have been the object inview, the question, so far as I am concerned, must be left to thejudgment of the world; and if succeeding French writers can see and admitthe claims of other navigators as clearly and readily as a late most ableman of that nation* has pointed out their own in some other instances, Ishall not fear to leave it even to their decision. 

[* M. DE FLEURIEU. ]

CHAPTER IX. 

Examination of the coast resumed. Encounter Bay. The capes Bernouilli and Jaffa. Baudin's Rocks. Differences in the bearings on tacking. Cape Buffon, the eastern limit of the French discovery. The capes Northumberland and Bridgewater of captain Grant. Danger from a south-west gale. King's Island, in Bass' Strait: Anchorage there. Some account of the island. Nautical observations. New Year's Isles. Cape Otway, and the north-west entrance to Bass' Strait. Anchorage in, and examination of Port Phillip. The country and inhabitants. Nautical observations. 

[SOUTH COAST. ENCOUNTER BAY]

FRIDAY 9 APRIL 1802

I returned with Mr. Brown on board the Investigator at half past eight inthe morning, and we then separated from Le Géographe; captain Baudin'scourse being directed to the north-west, and ours to the southward. Wehad lost ground during the night, and the wind was very feeble at east, so that the French ship was in sight at noon, and our situation was asfollows:

Latitude observed, 35° 44'Longitude by time keepers, 138 53Cape Jervis bore N. 82½ W. Hummock at the east end of the high land, N. 4½ E. Nearest sandy hillock, dist. 3 or 4 leagues, N. 65 E. 

At the place where we tacked from the shore on the morning of the 8th, the high land of Cape Jervis had retreated from the waterside, the coastwas become low and sandy, and its trending was north-east; but afterrunning four or five leagues in that direction it curved round to thesouth-eastward, and thus formed a large bight or bay. The head of thisbay was probably seen by captain Baudin in the afternoon; and inconsequence of our meeting here, I distinguished it by the name ofENCOUNTER BAY. The succeeding part of the coast having been firstdiscovered by the French navigator, I shall make use of the names indescribing it which he or his country men have thought proper to apply;that is, so far as the volume published enables me to make them out; butthis volume being unaccompanied with charts, and containing few latitudesand longitudes by which the capes and bays can be identified, I must beexcused should any errors be committed in the nomenclature. 

There was no wind from noon to two o'clock; and it appeared by the leadthat the ship was drifted to the west-north-west, probably by a floodtide. On a breeze springing up from the southward we stretched in for theshore; and at six in the evening it was four miles distant, being sandyand generally very low; but there were several hillocks upon it highenough to be seen four or five leagues from a ship's deck, and one ofthem, more bluff than the rest, and nearly destitute of vegetation, boreN. 17° E. Next day [SATURDAY 10 APRIL 1802] at noon our situation waswithin three miles of the land, but very little advanced beyond that ofthe preceding day, our latitude being 35° 49 1/3', and the bluff hummockin sight bearing N. 22° W. 

A tide or current setting along the shore appeared to retard usconsiderably, for at sunset we were not so much as two miles from thenoon's place; the hummock then bore N. 25° W. , and the furthest part ofthe coast south-east-by-east from the mast head. 

An amplitude taken in the morning, with the ship's head west-by-south, gave 5° 11' _east_ variation; and in the afternoon, when the land wasonly three miles distant and the head south-east, azimuths with the samecompass gave 0° 50' _west_. These, corrected to the meridian in the modeI have adopted, will be severally 1° 57' and 1° 30' east; and the mean 1°44'. The variation had therefore _decreased_ considerably since leavingKangaroo Island, contrary to the natural order; which proves that thequick increase on passing Yorke's Peninsula, was owing to some peculiarattraction, either in that or the neighbouring lands. Whilst beatingthrough the Back-stairs Passage, I had observed an amplitude when theship's head was south-south-west, which gave the extraordinary variationof 2° 41' east, or reduced to the meridian, 1° 27' east; although we werethen not so much as four miles from the anchorage where it had been found4° 13' east. Another amplitude was observed at eight leagues to the eastof Cape Willoughby, when the head was north-east-half-east, and gave 2°5' east variation, or reduced, 4° 36'. This last is correspondent withwhat was observed near Kangaroo Head and in the Gulph of St. Vincent; butthe variation of 1° 27' in the passage is totally irregular, and must Ithink be ascribed to an attraction either in Cape Jervis to thenorth-east, or in the east end of Kangaroo Island to the south-east, orto both. When the great variation Of 4° 36' was obtained, both theselands were to the west; and when afterwards the 1° 57' and 1° 30' wereobserved, the nearest land was again to the eastward of the ship; andnearest in the last case. 

The winds continued to be light and unfavourable; but by taking advantageof the changes in direction, and keeping further from the land, out ofthe tide or current, we had gained eight leagues by noon of the 11th[SUNDAY 11 APRIL 1802]. About twenty miles of coast beyond what had beenset as the furthest extreme on the preceding day, was then in sight(Atlas Plate V. ); and our situation and bearings were as follow:

Latitude by corrected log, 36° 11'Longitude by time keepers. 139 29½Northern extreme, from the mast head, N. 10 E. Nearest part, distant 7 or 8 miles, N. 59 E. A broad patch of white sand, N. 78 E. Southern extreme, from the mast head, S. 66 E. 

At one o'clock we bore away along the coast with a light breeze from thenorth-eastward; and having run five leagues, tacked to seaward soon afterdark. Next morning [MONDAY 12 APRIL 1802] we again followed the coast atthe distance of from five to three miles; and at noon a somewhatprojecting part, which appears to be the _Cape Bernouilli_ of the Frenchnavigators, was three or four miles distant to the east. Its latitude is36° 33' and longitude 139° 51'; and about six miles to thesouth-south-east there are two low, black rocks lying close under theshore. 

[SOUTH COAST. TOWARDS CAPE NORTHUMBERLAND. ]

From Encounter Bay to this slight projection the coast is little elsethan a bank of sand, with a few hummocks on the top, partially coveredwith small vegetation; nor could anything in the interior country bedistinguished above the bank. The shore runs waving betweeneast-south-east and south-south-east; but to form what is called CapeBernouilli it trends south, and then curves back south-eastward into abight. The land then becomes better clothed with bushes and small trees;and it also differs from the more northern part in that some littlerisings of back land were visible. 

Our soundings were more shallow along this part of the coast than before. The depth in passing Cape Bernouilli was from 8 to 12 fathoms; and ontacking out of the southern bight, at half past five in the evening, itwas no more than 6, at three miles from the shore. We then saw landextending as far out as S. 29° W. , which was the south head of the bight, and appears to be the _Cape Jaffa_ of the French; but I do not find thatthey have given any name to the bight or bay, although much moredeserving than some other sinuosities in the coast on which that honouris conferred. 

This evening the variation from azimuths was 1° 25' east, taken when theship's head was S. S. E. ½ E. ; which being corrected upon the sameprinciple as before, is 3° 0' east, and showed the variation to be nowincreasing, according to the regular order. 

During the night, we worked up successfully against a south-south-eastwind, for at six in the morning [TUESDAY 13 APRIL 1802] the low, outerextreme of Cape Jaffa bore N. 15° E. , six or seven miles. The shore issandy, but rises from the beach to a moderate elevation, and is then wellclothed with small wood. About three leagues to the south of the cape isa cluster of low rocks, apparently the same of which captain Baudin hadgiven me information; they do not, however, lie exactly in the situationexpressed in his memorandum, and are not more than two miles from theland. We called them _Baudin's Rocks_; and since no name is applied tothem in M. Peron's account of their voyage, the appelation is continued. 

Four miles beyond the rocks is a point of moderate elevation; sandy, butmostly overspread with bushes. This is their _Cape Lannes_; and on itsnorth side is a small bay, called the _Baye de Rivoli_, with a sandyshore and open to west winds. The bearings of these places, and oursituation at noon, half an hour after tacking from Baudin's Rocks, wereas under;

Latitude, observed to the north 37° 7¼'Longitude by time keepers, 139 41Cape Jaffa, extreme, N. 2 E. Baudin's Rocks, distant 3 miles, N. 70 E. Rivoli Bay, about the middle, S. 72 E. Cape Lannes, distant 4 or 5 miles, S. 46 E. Furthest extreme of the coast, S. 38 E. 

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL 1802

For the last two days there had been a little current in our favour, andnotwithstanding that the winds had been mostly adverse, we made someprogress along the coast; but on opening out the land beyond Cape Lannes, the current took a northern direction, and at noon of this day we were nofurther advanced than to have that cape bearing N. 86° E. At the distanceof nine or ten miles. The furthest part of the coast then visible was apeaked sandy hummock, bearing S. 68½° E. In the night, the wind came moreoff the land, and permitted us to make an advantageous tack to thesouthward; and at noon next day [THURSDAY 15 APRIL 1802], when we hadreached in again with the coast, our situation was in

Latitude observed, 37° 23½'Longitude by time keepers, 139 50Cape Lannes, west extreme, bore N. 13 W. The peaked sandy hummock, dist. 5 miles, N. 29 E. Furthest extreme, S. 59 E. 

In the evening we got sight of a projecting and somewhat elevated partwhich lies ten leagues to the south-eastward of Cape Lannes, and appearsto be the _Cape Buffon_ of the French navigators. The intermediate coastis similar to that between Encounter Bay and Cape Bernouilli, with thesole difference that the hummocks upon the sandy bank are somewhathigher: nothing inland appeared above them. 

The wind was again favourable in the night for making a long stretch tothe southward; and it was prolonged to the next day at noon [FRIDAY 16APRIL 1802], when our distance from the coast was judged to be tenleagues; but no part of it was in sight, and we had then got out ofsoundings, there being no bottom at 200 fathoms. The latitude was 37° 57'south, and longitude from six sets of distances of stars east and west ofthe moon, 139° 39', but by the time keepers corrected, 139° 45' east. Notmore than seven or eight leagues from this situation, there should lie anisland according to the account given by captain Turnbull of theBritannia south whaler, who saw it in his passage out to Port Jackson. Having thick weather at the time, he was not able to ascertain itslatitude or longitude, otherwise than by the log; and as it was not insight from our mast head, its position must be considered as veryuncertain. 

The variations observed this day, with the same compass always on thebinnacle, were as under:

By morning's amplitude, ship's head S. E. By S. 2° 39' east. By morning's azimuth, ship's head S. S. E. 2 2By evening's azimuth, ship's head N. E. 2 2

The mean, reduced to the meridian, will be 4° 5' east. Nine leagues tothe north, and half the distance nearer to the land, an amplitude hadbeen taken with the ship's head in the meridian, which gave 4° 8' east. 

On the three preceding days many tacks had been made from the shore, andI had frequently taken bearings just before the helm was put down; and sosoon as the ship was round and the compass steady, they were again taken. Differences always took place; and without any exception the bearingsrequired a _greater_ allowance of variation to the right after tacking, when the head was _westward_, than before, when eastward; agreeing withthe differences so frequently found in the azimuths and amplitudes, whichhad always been to show a greater east or less west variation when thehead was on the west side of the meridian. The least average differencein any one of five sets of bearings was 5°, the greatest 6½°, and themean 5° 54'; and according to the system adopted in correcting thevariations, explained in the Appendix No. II. To the second volume, themean difference arising from the five changes in the direction of theship's head, should be 5° 33'. 

The eastern wind died away at noon of the 16th, and the ship scarcely hadsteerage way until after midnight; a breeze then sprung up from thenorth-westward, and we steered north-east to make the land near CapeBuffon. At half-past seven [SATURDAY 17 APRIL 1802] the cape bore N. 1°W. Seven miles, and was ascertained to be in nearly 37° 36' south and140° 10' east. There is a bight in the coast on its north side where theland was not distinctly seen all round, owing probably to its being a lowbeach. At nine o'clock we bore away southward, keeping at the distance oftwo or three miles from the shore. It was the same kind of hummock-toppedbank as before described; but a ridge of moderately high hills, terminated to the southward by a bluff, was visible over it, three orfour leagues inland; and there was a reef of rocks lying in front of theshore. At noon, two larger rocks were seen at the southern end of thereef, and are those called by the French the _Carpenters_. They lie oneor two miles from a sandy projection named by them _Cape Boufflers_; andhere a prior title to discovery interferes. 

On arriving at Port Jackson I learned, and so did captain Baudin, thatthis coast had been before visited. Lieutenant (now captain) James Grant, commander of His Majesty's brig Lady Nelson, saw the above projection, which he named _Cape Banks_, on Dec. 3, 1800; and followed the coast fromthence through Bass Strait. * The same principle upon which I had adoptedthe names applied by the French navigators to the parts discovered bythem will now guide me in making use of the appellations bestowed bycaptain Grant. 

[* See _A Voyage in the Lady Nelson to New South Wales_, by James Grant. London, 1803. This voyage was published four years previously to M. Peron's book; but no more attention was paid at Paris to captain Grant'srights than to mine; his discoveries, though known to M. Peron and theFrench expedition in 1802, being equally claimed and named by them. ]

The termination to the west of that part of the South Coast discovered bycaptain Baudin in Le Géographe has been pointed out; and it seems properto specify its commencement _to the east_, that the extent of his _TerreNapoléon_ may be properly defined. The beginning of the land which, ofall Europeans, was first seen by him, so far as is known, cannot beplaced further to the south-east than Cape Buffon; for the land is laiddown to the northward of it in captain Grant's chart, thoughindistinctly. The Terre Napoléon is therefore comprised between thelatitudes 37° 36' and 35° 40' south, and the longitudes 140° 10' and 138°58' east of Greenwich; making, with the windings, about fifty leagues ofcoast, in which, as captain Baudin truly observed, there is neitherriver, inlet nor place of shelter, nor does even the worst parts ofNuyts' Land exceed it in sterility. 

At noon of the 17th we were in

Latitude observed, 37° 47½'Longitude by time keepers, 140 16½Cape Buffon bore N. 26 W. Reef of rocks, (nearest part dist. 2½ miles) N. 51° to S. 42 E. Hills behind the coast, N. 38 to N. 79 E. Sandy hummock on _West_* Cape Banks S. 44 E. 

[* The addition of West is made to the name, to distinguish it from CapeBanks on the East Coast, named by captain Cook. It is to be regretted, that navigators often apply names in so careless a manner as to introduceconfusion into geography. ]

In the afternoon the wind veered to the southward, and we tacked from theshore, not being able to weather the Carpenters at the south end of thereef. A long swell rolled in at this time, and seemed to announce a galefrom the southward, yet the wind died away in the night, and at daybreak[SUNDAY 18 APRIL 1802] a light breeze sprung up at north-west, andenabled us to close in with the land. We passed the Carpenters at thedistance of four miles; but at two in the afternoon the wind again diedaway. A cliffy point, which proved to be the _Cape Northumberland_ ofcaptain Grant, was then in sight, as also were two inland mountains lyingto the north-east; the nearest is his _Mount Schanck_, of a flat, table-like form; the further one, Mount Gambier, is peaked. The followingbearings were taken whilst lying becalmed. 

West C. Banks, sandy hummock, dist. 2 leagues, N. 2° W. Mount Schanck, N. 70 E. Cape Northumberland, dist. 3 or 4 leagues, S. 82 E. 

The long swell from the southward still prevailed, and the barometer wasfast falling; but at seven in the evening a breeze sprung up once morefrom the north-west, and after stretching a little off from the shore, welaid to for the greater part of the night. At daylight [MONDAY 19 APRIL1802] the wind was at north-north-west, and blew fresh, with squallyweather. We reached in for the land; and at eight, C. Northumberland, dist. 6 or 7 miles, bore N. 32° W. Mount Schanck, N. 1 W. Furthest extreme, obscured by haze, S. 66 E. 

Close to Cape Northumberland are two pointed rocks resembling the backfins of sharks; and on its eastern side were heavy breakers, extendingmore than a mile from the shore. The situation of the cape, as near as itcould be ascertained, is in 38° 2' south and 140° 37½' east. 

Beyond Cape Northumberland the coast was found to trend east-by-north, but curved afterwards to east-by-south; it was higher than we had latelyseen and not so barren; nevertheless, the shrubs and small trees did notmore than half cover the sandy surface. We pursued the round of the coastat the distance of four or five miles, having three reefs in thetop-sails on account of the squally weather. At ten o'clock, in a clearinterval, land was seen bearing S. 51° E. ; and a thick squall with raincoming on, in which the wind shifted suddenly from north-north-west tosouth-west, we were forced to haul close up and let out the third reefsin order to weather the coast. A constant succession of rainy squallsprevented us from knowing how the land lay for some time, nor could anobservation for the latitude be obtained; but at half-past noon ouranxiety was relieved by distinguishing the furthest extreme, a bold, cliffy, cape, bearing S. 72½° E. , broad on the lee bow. 

[SOUTH COAST. OFF CAPE BRIDGEWATER. ]

This high projection was the _Cape Bridgewater_ of captain Grant. A hillupon it slopes to the edge of the cliffs in which the cape is begirttoward the sea; and on the land side it descends so low that theconnection of the hill with the main could not be clearly discerned. Tothe northward, and nearly in a line with the first, are two other hillsalmost equal to it in elevation. As we passed Cape Bridgewater, a secondcliffy head opened at S. 73½° E. , and a further round the last at N. 83°E. These are the _Capes Nelson_ and _Sir W. Grant_, though differingconsiderably in relative position from what they are laid down in captainGrant's chart. 

At two o'clock, the weather having become somewhat finer, I ventured tobear away along the coast; and presently a small island with two hummockson it and a rock nearer to the shore were visible: these are _Lawrence'sIsles_. The bearings of the land at four were, C. Bridgewater, top of the hill, dist. 4 leagues, N. 44° W. Cape Nelson, the south-west extreme, N. 21 W. Cape Sir W. Grant, east part of the cliffs, N. 12 E. Lawrence's double Isle, dist. 3 leagues, N. 25 E. 

Before six we hauled the wind off shore; having set the double isle at N. 43° W. , six or seven miles, and seen the land indistinctly as far aseast-north-east. 

During the night there were squalls of wind with hail and rain, buttolerably moderate weather in the intervals. At daylight [TUESDAY 20APRIL 1802], we bore away for the land; and at half past seven, the

Hill on Cape Bridgewater bore N. 66° W. Lawrence's double isle, N. 53 W. A cliffy, flat-topped isle, west extreme, N. 16 E. 

This last is _Lady Julia Percy's Isle_; and when it bore N. 64° E. Fivemiles, we steered eastward along the coast. At some distance inland, tothe northward of Lady Percy's Isle, a round hill was distinguished; butthe shore was scarcely perceptible through the squalls and haze: whatlittle of it could be seen, appeared to be sandy and of moderateelevation. 

At eleven, the land was perceived to the eastward, and we hauled upeast-south-east. Our latitude at noon, from an indifferent doublealtitude, was 38° 33½' and it is upon this uncertain observation, thatthe correctness of the neighbouring lands in the chart principallydepend; I do not, therefore, specify here either the latitudes orlongitudes. The coast was seen to leeward at times, and appeared to hemoderately high; we ran along it at the distance of five, and from thatto eight miles, clewing down the treble-reefed top sails occasionally, and setting them after the squalls were passed. At two o'clock, the landappeared to be trending south-east, which obliged us to haul up to thewind and take in close reefs; and the gale increasing, the fore and mizentop sails were handed. 

It was seldom that the weather would allow of any thing beingdistinguished beyond two miles; and when the night came on we were quiteuncertain of the trending of the coast. At eight o'clock, by favour ofmoon light and a short cessation of rain, land was perceived on the leebeam; it seemed to be a head of considerable elevation, and was judged tobe from three to six miles off. The fore and mizen top-sails and reefedmain-sail were immediately set, notwithstanding the danger to the masts;and there being much sea running, the ship was kept one point from thewind to make her go through the water. We had no chance of clearing theland on the other tack, and therefore our sole hope was that the coastmight not trend any further to the southward. 

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 1802

At two in the morning the strength of the gale obliged us to take in thefore and mizen top sails and main sail; and we had soundings in 45fathoms, small stones. Our anxiety was great until daylight, when it wasdissipated by not finding any land near us; and in the course of themorning the wind moderated, the barometer began to ascend, and theweather became even fine. Our latitude at noon was 39° 10½' and longitude144° 22'; the last being 22' more than given by the log. High land wasthen visible astern, extending from about N. 50° to 17° W. , at thesupposed distance of twelve or fifteen leagues. 

[SOUTH COAST. BASS' STRAIT. ]

We were now entered into Bass' Strait; and the subsiding of the sea mademe suspect that the large island, concerning which I had made inquiry ofcaptain Baudin, was to windward. The south part of this island wasdiscovered by Mr. Reid in a sealing expedition from Port Jackson; andbefore quitting New South Wales in 1799, I had received an account of itslying to the north-west of Hunter's Isles. It afterwards appeared thatthe northern part was seen in January 1801 by Mr. John Black, commanderof the brig Harbinger, who gave to it the name of KING'S ISLAND. * Of thisI was ignorant at the time; but since it was so very dangerous to explorethe main coast with the present south-west wind, I was desirous ofascertaining the position of this island before going to Port Jackson, more especially as it had escaped the observation of Captain Baudin. 

[* _Grant's Voyage to New South Wales_, page 86. ]

Our soundings in the afternoon, and until four in the morning [THURSDAY22 APRIL 1802] when we tacked to the westward, were from 35 to 28fathoms, sand and shells. At eight o'clock, land was seen to thesouth-west; and at noon our

Latitude observed was 39° 31¼'Longitude by time keepers, 144 16King's Island, south extreme, bore S. 18 W. King's Island, a middle hummock, S. 37 W. King's Island, northern extreme, S. 74 W. High main land from the mast head, N. 23 W. 

We tacked to the south-south-east at three o'clock, working up for King'sIsland, which was distant about five or six leagues directly to windward. In the night we lay up south, parallel with the east side of the island;but the soundings having diminished to 16 fathoms, I feared we might beapproaching a reef of rocks lying off the south-east end, of which Mr. Reid had spoken. We therefore tacked to the northward at eleven o'clock;and after beating until three in the following afternoon [FRIDAY 23 APRIL1802], got to an anchor in 9 fathoms, fine sand, under the north-east endof King's Island; the nearest part of the shore being distant a shorthalf mile, and the extremes bearing S. 37° E. And N. 69° W. 

A boat was immediately hoisted out, and I landed with the botanicalgentlemen. On stepping out of the boat I shot one of those littlebear-like quadrupeds called _Womat_; and another was afterwards killed. Aseal, of a species different to any yet seen by us, was also procured;its phippers behind were double when compared to the common kinds ofseal, and those forward were smaller, and placed nearer to the head; thehair was much shorter, and of a blueish, grey colour; the nose flat andbroad; and the fat upon the animal was at least treble the usualquantity. I never saw the sea elephant, and possibly this might have beena young female; but there was no appearance of any trunk. A top-maststudding-sail boom, not much injured, was lying near the landing-place;and as I afterwards learned that the wreck of a vessel had been foundupon the west side of the island, this boom had probably drifted fromthence. 

The north-east part of King's Island extends south-east-by-east, three orfour leagues. The shore is mostly of sand, and behind the beach it waswashed or blown up in great ridges, but partly overspread with a kind ofdog grass which kept the sand together. In general the land is low; butsome little eminences appeared at a distance, and at the north end of theisland there is a short range of hills, moderately high and covered withwood. Granite seemed to be the basis of the shore where we landed. Behindthe front ridges of sand was a brush wood, so thick as to be almostimpenetrable; but whilst I was occupied in taking bearings, the botanistsfound some openings in the brush, and picked up so many plants as to makethem desirous of a further examination. We returned on board at dusk, with our womats, the seal and a kangaroo; the last being of a middle sizebetween the small species of the lesser islands and the large kind foundat Kangaroo Island and on the continent. It appeared indeed, all alongthe South Coast, that the size of the kangaroo bore some proportion tothe extent of land which it inhabited. 

SATURDAY 24 APRIL 1802

In the morning the wind blew fresh from the southward. A boat was sent onshore with Mr. Brown and his party; and at eleven o'clock, when theyreturned, we got under way. 

A small lake of fresh water was found at a little distance behind thesandy ridges in front of the shore. This was surrounded by a goodvegetable soil; and the number of plants, collected near it was greaterthan had before been found upon any one island. The small lake is too farfrom the sea side for a ship to obtain water from it conveniently; buttwo little streams which drained from the sand hills made it probablethat fresh water might have been obtained anywhere at this time bydigging. The water of these rills was tinged red, similar to thatobtained at King George's Sound and to the pools I had before seen atFurneaux's Islands; and as the stone in these places is granite, andwater so discoloured was not found any where else, it seems very probablethat the discolouring arises from the granite and granitic sand. 

Two more womats were killed this morning; and a skull was picked up whichwas thought to be of a small dog, but more probably was that of anopossum. 

From the observations taken whilst beating up to the anchorage, the topof the highest hill at the north end of King's Island will be in_latitude_ 39° 36½' south, and _longitude_ 143° 54' east. The _variation_of the compass, taken on the binnacle with the ship's head at south, was7° 59' east; but ten leagues to the eastward it was 11° 52', with thehead west-south-west, or reduced to the meridian, 8° 43' east. The_tides_ set one mile and a half an hour past the ship, northwest-by-westand south-east-by-east, nearly as the coast lies; that from the eastwardrunning nearly eight hours, and turning about two hours after the moonhad passed the meridian; but, which tide was the flood, or what the rise, we did not remain long enough to determine. 

The time was fast approaching when it would be necessary to proceed toPort Jackson, both on account of the winter season, and from the want ofsome kinds of provisions. Before this took place I wished to finish asmuch of the South Coast as possible, and would have recommenced at CapeBridgewater had the wind been favourable; but it still blew fresh fromthe southward, and all that part remained a lee shore. I determined, however, to run over to the high land we had seen on the north side ofBass' Strait, and to trace as much of the coast from thence eastward asthe state of the weather and our remaining provisions could possiblyallow. 

In steering north-north-west from King's Island, two small isles wereseen lying off the north-west side; the first opening from the northernextreme at S. 50°, and the second being clear of it at S. 36° W. Theseare the same which Mr. Black named New Year's Isles; and his Harbinger'sReefs were seen to extend, in patches, nearly two leagues from the northend of King's Islands; but there is, as I afterwards learned, one or morepassages between the reefs, and another between them and the island. *

[* The New Year's Isles form a small roadsted, in which the brigHarrington from Port Jackson, commanded by Mr. W. Campbell, had rode outthe south-west gale; and was lying there at this time, engaged in asealing speculation. Bass' Strait had not been discovered much above twoyears, and it was already turned to purposes of various utility; a strongproof of enterprising spirit in the colonists of New South Wales. ]

At three in the afternoon the northern land was in sight, and the highesthills of King's Island were sinking below the horizon as seen from thedeck. Their distance was twenty-five miles; and consequently theelevation of them is between four and five hundred feet above the levelof the sea. At five o'clock a bluff head, the most projecting part of thenorthern land, was distant three or four leagues; it was Captain Grants'

Cape Otway, and bore N. 54° W. The extremes of the land, N. 58 W. To 23° E. 

We then hauled to the wind and stood off and on; at daylight [SUNDAY 25APRIL 1802] bore away for the land with a moderate breeze from thesouthward; and at eight o'clock, when Cape Otway bore N. 69° W. Ten mileswe steered north-eastward along the shore. On the west side of Cape Otwaythe coast falls back somewhat to the north, and projects again at thedistance of ten or eleven miles, where it is not, as I think, more thanthree leagues to the east of the headland seen under the lee at eight inthe evening of the 20th. From Cape Otway, eastward, the shore trendseast-north-east about three leagues, to a projection called Cape Patton, and according to Captain Grant a bay is formed between them; but at threeleagues off nothing worthy of being called a bay could be perceived. Beyond Cape Patton the coast took a more northern direction to a pointwith a flat-topped hill upon it, and further than this it was notvisible. 

The whole of this land is high, the elevation of the uppermost partsbeing not less than two thousand feet. The rising hills were covered withwood of a deep green foliage, and without any vacant spaces of rock orsand; so that I judged this part of the coast to exceed in fertility allthat had yet fallen under observation. 

Cape Otway lies very nearly in latitude 38° 51' south and longitude 143°29' east. The width of the north-west entrance to Bass' Strait, betweenthis cape on the north and King's Island to the south, is thereforesixteen leagues; and with the trifling exception of the Harbinger'sReefs, which occupy not quite two leagues of the southern part, thepassage is free from danger. In such parts of it as we got soundings thedepth was between 38 and 50 fathoms. 

At noon, the wind had veered to the south-east, which being directly uponthe shore, I did not think it prudent to follow the land too closely; andwe therefore kept up nearly to the wind. In the course of the afternoon, land came in sight to the eastward; and the bearings taken at sunset werethese:

Furthest extreme towards C. Otway, S. 73° W. Furthest connected part to the northward, N. 18 W. Two small distant peaks, N. 1 W. Bluff head, like the N. End of an island, N. 63 E. Extreme of the eastern land, N. 83 E. 

Between the first and last of these bearings there was a deep bightformed, at the head of which no other land than the two small peaks couldbe perceived. 

MONDAY 26 APRIL 1802

In the morning we kept close to an east-south-east wind, steering for theland to the north-eastward; and at nine o'clock captain Grant's CapeSchanck, the extreme of the preceding evening, was five leagues distantto the N. 88° E. , and a rocky point towards the head of the bight bore N. 12° E. On coming within five miles of the shore at eleven o'clock wefound it to be low, and mostly sandy, and that the bluff head which hadbeen taken for the north end of an island was part of a ridge of hillsrising at Cape Schanck. We then bore away westward in order to trace theland round the head of the deep bight; and a noon, the situation of theship and principal bearings were as under:

Latitude observed, 38° 22'Longitude by time keepers, 144 31½Cape Schanck, S. 68° E. The rocky point, distant 6 or 7 miles, N. 48 E. Highest of two inland peaks, N. 15 W. A square-topped hill near the shore, N. 28 W. Extr. Of the high land towards C. Otway, S. 56 W. 

On the west side of the rocky point there was a small opening, withbreaking water across it; however, on advancing a little more westwardthe opening assumed a more interesting aspect, and I bore away to have anearer view. A large extent of water presently became visible withinside; and although the entrance seemed to be very narrow, and there werein it strong ripplings like breakers, I was induced to steer in athalf-past one, the ship being close upon a wind and every man ready fortacking at a moment's warning. The soundings were irregular between 6 and12 fathoms until we got four miles within the entrance, when they shoaledquick to 2¾. We then tacked; and having a strong tide in our favour, worked to the eastward between the shoal and the rocky point, with 12fathoms for the deepest water. In making the last stretch from the shoalthe depth diminished from 10 fathoms quickly to 3, and before the shipcould come round, the flood tide set her upon a mud bank and she stuckfast. A boat was lowered down to sound, and finding the deep water lie tothe north-west, a kedge anchor was carried out; and having got the ship'shead in that direction, the sails were filled and she drew off into 6 and10 fathoms; and it being then dark, we came to an anchor. 

[SOUTH COAST. PORT PHILLIP. ]

The extensive harbour we had thus unexpectedly found I supposed must beWestern Port, although the narrowness of the entrance did by no meanscorrespond with the width given to it by Mr. Bass. It was the informationof captain Baudin, who had coasted along from thence with fine weather, and had found no inlet of any kind, which induced this supposition; andthe very great extent of the place, agreeing with that of Western Port, was in confirmation of it. This, however, was not Western Port, as wefound next morning [TUESDAY 27 APRIL 1802]; and I congratulated myself onhaving made a new and useful discovery; but here again I was in error. This place, as I afterwards learned at Port Jackson, had been discoveredten weeks before by lieutenant John Murray, who had succeeded captainGrant in the command of the Lady Nelson. He had given it the name of PORTPHILLIP, and to the rocky point on the east side of the entrance that of_Point Nepean_. 

Our situation was found in the morning to be near two miles from thesouth shore, and the extreme towards Point Nepean bore N. 83° W. , twoleagues. About three miles to the north-by-west were some dry rocks, withbushes on them, surrounded with mud flats; and they appeared to form apart of the same shoal from which we had three times tacked in 2½ and 3fathoms. The mud bank where the ship had grounded is distinct from themiddle shoal; but I am not certain that it is so from the south shore, from which it is one mile distant. The Bluff Mount (named _Arthur's Seat_by Mr. Murray, from a supposed resemblance to the hill of that name nearEdinburgh) bore S. 76° E. ; but from thence the shore trended northward sofar that the land at the head of the port could not be seen even fromaloft. Before proceeding any higher with the ship I wished to gain someknowledge of the form and extent of this great piece of water; andArthur's Seat being more than a thousand feet high and near thewater-side, presented a favourable station for that purpose. 

After breakfast I went away in a boat, accompanied by Mr. Brown and someother gentlemen, for the Seat. It was seven or eight miles from the ship;and in steering nearly a straight course for it we passed over thenorthern skirt of the shoal where the ship had touched; but afterwardshad from 7 to 5 fathoms nearly to the shore. Having observed the latitudethere from an artificial horizon, I ascended the hill; and to my surprisefound the port so extensive, that even at this elevation its boundary tothe northward could not be distinguished. The western shore extended fromthe entrance ten or eleven miles in a northern direction to the extremityof what, from its appearance, I called _Indented Head_; beyond it was awide branch of the port leading to the westward, and I suspected mighthave a communication with the sea; for it was almost incredible that sucha vast piece of water should not have a larger outlet than that throughwhich we had come. 

I took an extensive set of bearings from the clearest place to be foundon the north-western, bluff part of the hill; and we afterwards walked alittle way back upon the ridge. From thence another considerable piece ofwater was seen, at the distance of three or four leagues; it seemed to bemostly shallow; but as it appeared to have a communication with the seato the south, I had no doubt of its being Mr. Bass's Western Port. 

Arthur's Seat and the hills and vallies in its neighbourhood weregenerally well covered with wood; and the soil was superior to any uponthe borders of the salt water which I have had an opportunity ofexamining in Terra Australis. There were many marks of natives, such asdeserted fire-places and heaps of oyster shells; and upon the peninsulawhich forms the south side of the port a smoke was rising, but we did notsee any of the people. Quantities of fine oysters were lying upon thebeaches, between high and low water marks, and appeared to have beenwashed up by the surf; a circumstance which I do not recollect to haveobserved in any other part of this country. 

WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL 1802

We returned on board at dusk in the evening; and at daylight the anchorwas weighed with the intention of coasting round the port with the ship. The wind was at north-east, but the flood tide was in our favour; andhaving made a stretch toward the middle shoals, we tacked and raneast-south-east along their south side, until past eight, when, the floodhaving ceased, we came to in 7 fathoms. At slack water in the afternoonwe again steered eastward, but were soon obliged to anchor for want ofwind; and I found that this slow mode of proceeding was not at all suitedto the little time for which we had provisions remaining, besides thatthere was much probability of getting frequently aground; the plan ofexamining the port with the ship was therefore abandoned. 

Having left orders with Mr. Fowler, the first lieutenant, to take theship back to the entrance, I went in a boat early next morning [THURSDAY29 APRIL 1802] with provisions for three days, in order to explore asmuch of the port as could be done in that time. Round the east end of themiddle shoals I carried 6 and 7 fathoms; and keeping north-eastward, had8 and 9 fathoms at a mile or more from the shore, and 4 close past thesecond rocky point above Arthur's Seat. The wind being at north-west, Iwas obliged to land behind some rocks more than two miles short of thethird point, but walked to it with my surveying instruments. This wasnine miles from the Seat, and the furthest part of the shore seen fromthence; further on the shore falls back more eastward, in long sandybeaches, and afterwards curves to the north-west; but it was lost tosight long before joining the land on the west side of the port. Aftertaking angles and observing for the latitude and longitude, I rowed towindward for Indented Head, five leagues off. At the end of the firstmile and a half the depth was 11 fathoms, but afterwards no bottom at 12until within two miles of the western shore, where it was 9 fathoms. Welanded at nine o'clock at night, near the uppermost part which had yetbeen seen. 

FRIDAY 30 APRIL 1802

In the morning a fire was perceived two hundred yards from the tent; andthe Indians appeared to have decamped from thence on our landing. WhilstI was taking angles from a low point at the north-easternmost part ofIndented Head, a party of the inhabitants showed themselves about a milefrom us; and on landing there we found a hut with a fire in it, but thepeople had disappeared, and carried off their effects. I left some stripsof cloth, of their favourite red colour, hanging about the hut, andproceeded westward along the shore to examine the arm of the port runningin that direction. 

Three natives having made their appearance abreast of the boat, we againlanded. They came to us without hesitation, received a shag and sometrifling presents with pleasure, and parted with such of their arms as wewished to possess without reluctance. They afterwards followed us alongthe shore; and when I shot another bird, which hovered over the boat, andheld it up to them, they ran down to the water-side and received itwithout expressing either surprise or distrust. Their knowledge of theeffect of fire-arms I then attributed to their having seen me shoot birdswhen unconscious of being observed; but it had probably been learned fromMr. Murray. 

At noon I landed to take an observation of the sun, which gave 38° 7' 6"for the latitude; my position being nearly at the northern extremity ofIndented Head. Some bearings were taken from the brow of a hill a littleway back; and after a dinner of which the natives partook, we left themon friendly terms to proceed westward in our examination. The waterbecame very shallow abreast of a sandy point, whence the shore trendsnearly south-west; and there being no appearance of an opening to the seathis way, I steered across the western arm, as well to ascertain itsdepth as with the intention of ascending the hills lying behind thenorthern shore. Two of the peaks upon these hills had been set from theship's deck at sunset of the 25th, at the distance of thirty-seven miles;and as their elevation must consequently be a thousand feet, or more, Iexpected to obtain from thence such a view of the upper parts of the portas would render the coasting round it unnecessary. 

The width of the western arm was found to be six miles; and the soundingsacross augmented regularly to 6 fathoms in mid channel, and thendecreased in the same way; but there was less than 3 fathoms at two milesfrom the northern shore. That side is indeed very low and marshy, withmud banks lying along it; and we had difficulty in finding a dry place topitch the tent, and still more to procure wood wherewith to cook theducks I had shot upon the banks. 

SATURDAY 1 MAY 1802

At day dawn I set off with three of the boat's crew for the highest partof the back hills called _Station Peak_. Our way was over a low plain, where the water appeared frequently to lodge; it was covered withsmall-bladed grass, but almost destitute of wood, and the soil was clayeyand shallow. One or two miles before arriving at the feet of the hills weentered a wood where an emu and a kangaroo were seen at a distance; andthe top of the peak was reached at ten o'clock. My position was then 21'of latitude from Point Nepean, in the direction of N. 28° 30' W. , and Isaw the water of the port as far as N. 75° E. , at the distance of sevenor eight leagues; so that the whole extent of the port, north and south, is at least thirty miles. The extremity of the western arm bore S. 15°45' W. , which makes the extent, east and west, to be thirty-six miles;but there was no communication with the sea on that side, nor did thewestern arm appear to be navigable beyond seven miles above where I hadcrossed it. Towards the interior there was a mountain bearing N. 11° E. , eleven leagues distant; and so far the country was low, grassy and veryslightly covered with wood, presenting great facility to a traveller ofpenetrating inland. 

I left the ship's name on a scroll of paper, deposited in a small pile ofstones upon the top of the peak; and at three in the afternoon reachedthe tent, much fatigued, having walked more than twenty miles withoutfinding a drop of water. Mr. Lacy, the midshipman of the boat, hadobserved the latitude at the tent from an artificial horizon to be 38° 2'22"; and Station Peak bore from thence N. 47° W. 

In the evening we rowed back to Indented Head, and landed there soonafter dark. Fires had been seen moving along the shore, but the peopleseemed to have fled; though we found two newly erected huts with fires inthem, and utensils, which must have belonged to some of the people beforeseen, since there was boiled rice in one of the baskets. We took up ourquarters here for the night, keeping a good watch; but nothing was seenof the Indians till we pushed off from the shore in the morning [SUNDAY 2MAY 1802], when seven showed themselves upon a hill behind the huts. Theyran down to examine their habitations, and finding every thing as theyhad left it, a little water excepted of which we were in want, theyseemed satisfied; and for a short time three of them followed the boat. 

Along the north-east and east sides of Indented Head I found the water tobe shoal for nearly a mile off; but on approaching the entrance of whatMr. Murray called Swan Harbour, but which I have taken the liberty toconverting into _Swan Pond_, it became somewhat deeper. Seeing swansthere, I rowed into it after them, but found the place full of mud banks, and seldom more than three or four feet in depth. Three of the birds werecaught; and at the south side of the entrance, upon the sandy peninsula, or island as it is when the tide is in, I shot some delicate teal, andfound fresh water in small ponds. 

The ship was lying about three miles within the mouth of the port, nearto the south shore; and after I had taken bearings at two stations on thesandy peninsula, we steered a straight course for her, sounding all theway. It appeared that there was a passage up the port of a mile widebetween the middle banks and the western shore, with a depth in it from 3to 4½ fathoms. On the western extremity of the banks I had 2½ fathoms, and afterwards 5, 7, 4, 7, 8, 9, 9 to the ship. 

Lieutenant Fowler had had a good deal of difficulty in getting back tothe entrance of the port; owing in part to the western winds, and partlyfrom the shoals, which do not seem to lie in any regular order. He hadtouched upon one of these, where there was ten feet on one side of theship, and on the other 5 fathoms. This seems to have been a more easternpart of the same shoal upon which we had before grounded; but no dangeris to be feared from these banks to a flat-floored ship. 

I find it very difficult to speak in general terms of Port Phillip. Onthe one hand it is capable of receiving and sheltering a larger fleet ofships than ever yet went to sea; whilst on the other, the entrance, inits whole width, is scarcely two miles, and nearly half of it is occupiedby the rocks lying off Point Nepean, and by shoals on the opposite side. The depth in the remaining part varies from 6 to 12 fathoms; and thisirregularity causes the strong tides, especially when running against thewind, to make breakers, in which small vessels should be careful ofengaging themselves; and when a ship has passed the entrance, the middleshoals are a great obstacle to a free passage up the port. These shoalsare met with at four miles directly from the entrance, and extend aboutten miles to the east-south-east, parallel with the south shore; they donot seem, however, to be one connected mass, for I believe there are twoor three deep openings in them, though we had not time to make anexamination. 

No runs of fresh water were seen in any excursions; but Mr. CharlesGrimes, surveyor-general of New South Wales, afterwards found several, and in particular a small river falling into the northern head of theport. Mr. Grimes was sent by governor King, in 1803, to walk round, andsurvey the harbour; and from his plan I have completed my chart of PortPhillip. The parts of the coast left unshaded are borrowed from him, andthe soundings written at right angles are those of his companion, lieutenant Robbins. 

The country surrounding Port Phillip has a pleasing, and in many parts afertile appearance; and the sides of some of the hills and several of thevallies are fit for agricultural purposes. It is in great measure agrassy country, and capable of supporting much cattle, though bettercalculated for sheep. To this general description there are probablyseveral exceptions; and the southern peninsula, which is terminated byPoint Nepean, forms one, the surface there being mostly sandy, and thevegetation in many places little better than brush wood. Indented Head, at the northern part of the western peninsula, had an appearanceparticularly agreeable; the grass had been burned not long before, andhad sprung up green and tender; the wood was so thinly scattered that onemight see to a considerable distance; and the hills rose one over theother to a moderate elevation, but so gently that a plough might everywhere be used. The vegetable soil is a little mixed with sand, but good, though probably not deep, as I judged by the small size of the trees. 

The most common kinds of wood are the _casuarina_ and _eucalyptus_, towhich Mr. Grimes adds the _banksia_, _mimosa_ and some others; but thetimber is rarely sound, and is not large. 

Were a settlement to be made at Port Phillip, as doubtless there will besome time hereafter, the entrance could be easily defended; and it wouldnot be difficult to establish a friendly intercourse with the natives, for they are acquainted with the effect of fire-arms and desirous ofpossessing many of our conveniences. I thought them more muscular thanthe men of King George's Sound; but, generally speaking, they differ inno essential particular from the other inhabitants of the South and EastCoasts except in language, which is dissimilar, if not altogetherdifferent to that of Port Jackson, and seemingly of King George's Soundalso. I am not certain whether they have canoes, but none were seen. 

In the woods are the kangaroo, the emu or cassowary, paroquets, and avariety of small birds; the mud banks are frequented by ducks and someblack swans, and the shores by the usual sea fowl common in New SouthWales. The range of the thermometer was between 61° and 67°; and theclimate appeared to be as good and as agreeable as could well be desiredin the month answering to November. In 1803, colonel Collins of themarines was sent out from England to make a new settlement in thiscountry; but he quitted Port Phillip for the south end of Van Diemen'sLand, probably from not finding fresh water for a colony sufficientlynear to the entrance. 

Point Nepean is in _latitude_ 38° 18' south. The _longitude_ from twelvesets of distances taken by lieutenant Flinders in the port, and sixothers by me ten days before arriving, the particulars of which are givenin Table V. Of the Appendix to this volume, is 144° 30½' east; but theseobservations being mostly on one side of the moon, the correctedlongitude by time keepers, 144° 38' east, is preferred. 

No observations were taken in the port for the _variation_ of thecompass; but at seven leagues to the south-south-west of Point Nepean, azimuths gave 3° 41' when the ship's head was at N. E. By E. ½ E. , and anamplitude at N. N. E. ½ E. , 6° 48' east. The mean of these, corrected tothe meridian, will be 7° 30', or half a degree less than at King'sIsland; I therefore take the variation in Port Phillip to have beengenerally, 7°, though at some stations it seemed to have been no morethan 6° 30' east. 

The rise of _tide_ is inconsiderable in the upper parts of the port; nearthe entrance it is from three to six feet. By the swinging of the ship, which, however, varied at different anchorages, it appeared to be highwater _two hours and a half after_ the moon's passage; but at PointNepean the time of high water by the shore is said by Mr. Grimes to beonly _one hour after_ the moon. At Western Port, Mr. Bass found highwater to take place half an hour after the moon's passage, and the tideto rise from ten to fourteen feet. This great increase, in a place sonear, seems extraordinary; but may perhaps be accounted for by themeeting of the tides from two entrances, whilst Port Phillip has onlyone, and that very narrow. 

CHAPTER X. 

Departure from Port Phillip. Cape Schanck. Wilson's Promontory, and its isles. Kent's Groups, and Furneaux's Isles. Hills behind the Long Beach. Arrival at Port Jackson. Health of the ship's company. Refitment and supply of the ship. Price of provisions. Volunteers entered. Arrangement for the succeeding part of the voyage. French ships. Astronomical and nautical observations. 

[SOUTH COAST. BASS' STRAIT. ]

MONDAY 3 MAY 1802

On the 3rd of May at daylight the anchor was weighed to go out of PortPhillip with the last half of the ebb; and the wind being from thewestward, we backed, filled and tacked occasionally, dropping out withthe tide. When the entrance was cleared, and five miles distant, Mr. Westall took a view of it (Atlas Plate XVII, View 13. ), which will be anuseful assistance in finding this extensive but obscure port; and ateleven o'clock, when we bore away eastward to pass Cape Schanck, hesketched that cape and the ridge of hills terminating at Arthur's Seat(View 14). Cape Schanck is a cliffy head, with three rocks lying off, theoutermost of which appears at a distance like a ship under sail: thelatitude is 38° 29' or 30' south, and longitude 144° 53' east. It willalways be desirable for vessels to get sight of this cape before they runfar into the great bight for Port Phillip; and if the wind blow strongfrom the southward it will be unsafe to run without having seen it. 

Cape Schanck is also an excellent mark for ships desiring to go intoWestern Port, of which it forms the west side of the principal entrance;but as there are many breakers and shoals on that side, which extendalmost to mid-channel, it will be necessary to give the cape a wide berthby keeping over to Phillip Island on the starboard hand. 

At noon, Cape Schanck bore N. 36° W. Five or six miles; the breeze wasfresh from the westward, with cloudy weather, and we steered for PointGrant, at the east side of the entrance into Western Port. There is asquare-topped rock surrounded with a reef lying off the point; but theLady Nelson has passed between them, with 3 fathoms water. On reachingwithin a mile of this reef, at one o'clock, I set

C. Schanck, distant 9 or 10 miles, at N. 85° W. A cliffy head up the entrance, distant 5 miles, N. 16 W. Square-topped rock, N. 85 E. Cape Wollamai, S. 80½ E. 

We then steered eastward along the south side of Phillip Island, andpassed a needle-like rock lying under the shore. Cape Wollamai is theeast end of the island, and forms one side of the small, eastern entranceto the port; and at three o'clock when it bore, N. 14° E. , five or sixmiles, its longitude was ascertained by means of the time-keepers to be145° 25' east: the latitude deduced from bearings is 38° 33' south. _Wollamai_ is the native name for a fish at Port Jackson, calledsometimes by the settlers light-horseman, from the bones of the headhaving some resemblance to a helmet; and the form of this cape bearing alikeness to the head of the fish, induced Mr. Bass to give it the name ofWollamai. 

We ran south-eastward along the shore, at the rate of six or seven knots, until sunset; when a steep head, supposed to be the Cape Liptrap ofcaptain Grant, was seen through the haze, and our bearings of the landwere, Cape Wollamai, distant six leagues, N. 49° W. A low projection, distant seven miles, N. 21 E. Cape Liptrap, S. 50 E. 

We soon afterwards hauled to the wind off shore, under treble-reefedtop-sails; and the gale increasing, with much swell from thesouth-westward, the close reefs were taken in. At midnight, tacked to thenorthward, and stood off and on till daybreak [TUESDAY 4 MAY 1802]; thewind being strong at west, and weather squally with rain. We then boreaway for the land, which was seen to leeward; and at seven, the bearingsof the principal parts were as under:

Land indistinct, apparently C. Liptrap, N. 5° W. Wilson's Promontory, south extreme, S. 85 E. A peaked I. (Rodondo of captain Grant), S. 71 E. 

Besides Rodondo, which lies about six miles to the south-by-east of thepromontory, I distinguished five or six less conspicuous isles, lyingalong the south and west sides of this remarkable headland; these arecalled Glennie's Isles. To the N. 88° E. From Rodondo, and distant abouttwo leagues, was a small island which appears to have been one ofMoncur's Isles; and in steering south-eastward we got sight of theDevil's Tower, and of the high island and rocks named Sir Roger Curtis'Isles. These names were given by captain Grant in 1800; but he was notthe discoverer of the places to which they are applied. They are all laiddown upon my chart of 1799, on the authority of Mr. Bass; and when it isconsidered that this enterprising man saw them from an open boat, in verybad weather, their relative positions to Wilson's Promontory will bethought surprisingly near the truth. Unfortunately the situation of thepromontory itself, owing to some injury done to his quadrant, isconsiderably in error, being twelve or fourteen miles wrong in latitude. A reef is mentioned by captain Grant as lying to the southward betweenRodondo and Moncur's Isles; and a rock, level with the water, was seen inthe same situation by the ships Gato and Castle of Good Hope, from whichlast it received the appropriate name of _Crocodile Rock_. This also wasseen by Mr. Bass, and laid down in its relative situation; but in theInvestigator I was not sufficiently near to get sight of this importantdanger. 

We continued to steer south-eastward, round all these islands, having afresh gale at west-south-west with squally weather; and at noon oursituation was in

Latitude observed, 39° 35'Longitude by time keepers, 146 30Rodondo bore N. 15 W. Sir R. Curtis' Island, the peak, dist. 7 miles, N. 46 E. (The Devil's Tower being nearly on with the north side. )Two pointed rocks, N. 57° and 62 E. 

Wilson's Promontory was no longer visible; but from the best bearings Ihad been able to obtain in such blowing weather, its south-easternextremity lies in latitude 39° 11½' south, and longitude 146° 24' east. 

Not seeing any more islands to the southward from the masthead, we boreaway east soon after noon to make Kent's Groups; and before three o'clockthey both came in sight, as did an island to the northward, which seemsto have been one of the small cluster discovered by Mr. John Black, andnamed Hogan's Group. The longitude by time keepers at this time was 146°58' east, and the following bearings were taken:

Sir R. Curtis' Island, the peak, N. 71° W. Hogan's highest Island, from the mast head, N. 5 E. Kent's large Group, south end of the eastern I. N. 70 E. Small Group, dist. 6 or 7 miles, hiding thenorth-west end of the large group, N. 52° to 45 E. 

In steering past the south sides of the two groups at the distance offour to six miles, I was enabled to correct their positions; and alsothat of the pyramid, which was set at S. 4½° E. Ten miles at fouro'clock. When these lands had been laid down in the Francis and Norfolkin 1798, it was without the assistance of a time keeper, and thereforeliable to considerable errors in longitude. 

At five in the evening I thought myself fortunate to get a sight ofFurneaux's great island through the haze; and also of a small, craggyisle which had been before fixed relatively to the inner Sister. Toobtain the positions of these places by our timekeepers was to me animportant object; since they were connected with the former survey ofFurneaux's Islands and the north-eastern part of Van Diemen's Land. Thebearings taken at five were, Furneaux's great I. , hills on the west part, S. 48° E. Small craggy isle, S. 69 E. Kent's large Group, extremes, N. 7° to 47 W. Small Group, the largest isle, N. 77 W. A small rock, not seen before, N. 88 E. 

The hills upon Furneaux's great island, which I believe, but could notcertainly ascertain to have been upon the westernmost point, willtherefore lie very nearly S. 48° E. , from the bluff south-west end ofKent's large Group, instead of S. 38° E. , as before marked. This placesthe great island 10' of longitude further east from the group, than wasgiven by my run in the Francis during the night of Feb. 8, 1798. 

We passed to the northward of the small new rock at the distance of threemiles, and I judged it to lie four, or four-and-half leagues from theeastern side of Kent's large Group. No kind of danger was observedbetween them, but it was then nearly dark; and the wind being fresh andfavourable, and not having more than ten days provisions in the ship, Ifelt it necessary to leave this and some other parts of Bass' Strait to afuture examination; and we steered onward, east-north-east for PortJackson. 

WEDNESDAY 5 MAY 1802

At daylight of the 5th the course was altered more northward; and atnoon, land was seen from the mast head to the north-north-west, probablysome of the hills at the back of the Long Beach, and distant not lessthan twenty leagues: our latitude was 38° 32' south and longitude 149°35' east. The wind had then moderated and having shifted to north-west wekept close up to make Cape Howe. At four, hove to and sounded, but nobottom could be had with 90 fathoms; the land extended in patches fromwest-north-west distant twenty-five or more leagues to near the Ram Headat north; and consequently the hills at the back of the Long Beach mustbe of considerable elevation, superior to any other land _near the sea_in the southern, or perhaps any part of New South Wales. 

THURSDAY 6 MAY 1802

On the wind shifting to the east side of north, next day, I tacked to getin with the land; being desirous of running near to as much of the coast, and correcting its longitude in our way to Port Jackson, as could be donewithout loss of time; but at noon the wind veered back, and ournorth-eastern course was resumed. The land could not then be furtherdistant than nine or ten leagues; but no part of it was in sight, norfrom the dullness of the weather could any observation be taken. 

[EAST COAST. PORT JACKSON. ]

FRIDAY 7 MAY 1802

After a squally night the wind fixed at west-by-north; and at daybreak ofthe 7th the land was visible from west to north-west, and our course wasparallel to it (Atlas Plate VIII). At noon, the latitude was 36° 24'south, and longitude 151° 16' east; Mount Dromedary was in sight bearingN. 85° W. , and by the difference of longitude, was distant fifty-twomiles: I estimate its highest south part to lie in 36° 19' south, and150° 11' east. The wind returned to the north-west in the afternoon, andwe lost sight of the land; but becoming fairer afterwards, and thesouthern current not having much strength, by four next day [SATURDAY 8MAY 1802] the heads of Port Jackson were in sight. At dusk the flag-staffupon the South Head bore west-south-west, and our distance from the shorewas seven or eight miles. 

I tried to beat up for the port in the night, being sufficiently wellacquainted to have run up in the dark, had the wind permitted; but wewere still to leeward in the morning [SUNDAY 9 MAY 1802], and Mr. Westallmade a good sketch of the entrance (Atlas Plate XVIII. View 1). At oneo'clock, we gained the heads, a pilot came on board, and soon after threethe Investigator was anchored in Sydney Cove. 

There was not a single individual on board who was not upon deck workingthe ship into harbour; and it may be averred that the officers and crewwere, generally speaking, in better health than on the day we sailed fromSpithead, and not in less good spirits. I have said nothing of theregulations observed after we made Cape Leeuwin; they were littledifferent from those adopted in the commencement of the voyage, and ofwhich a strict attention to cleanliness and a free circulation of air inthe messing and sleeping-places formed the most essential parts. Severalof the inhabitants of Port Jackson expressed themselves never to havebeen so strongly reminded of England as by the fresh colour of manyamongst the Investigator's ship's company. 

So soon as the anchor was dropped, I went on shore to wait upon hisExcellency Philip Gidley King, Esq. , governor of New South Wales, andsenior naval officer upon the station; to whom I communicated a generalaccount of our discoveries and examinations upon the South Coast, anddelivered the orders from the Admiralty and Secretary of State. Theseorders directed the governor to place the brig Lady Nelson under mycommand, and not to employ the Investigator on other service than thatwhich was the object of the voyage; and His Excellency was pleased toassure me that every assistance in the power of the colony to rendershould be given to forward a service so interesting to his government, and to himself. The Lady Nelson was then lying in Sydney Cove; but hercommander, lieutenant Grant, had requested permission to return toEngland, and had sailed six months before. 

Besides the Lady Nelson, there were in the port His Majesty's armedvessel Porpoise, the Speedy, south-whaler, and the Margaret privateer;also the French national ship _Le Naturaliste_, commanded by captainHamelin, to whom I communicated captain Baudin's intention of coming toPort Jackson so soon as the bad weather should set in. Le Géographe'sboat had been picked up in Bass' Strait by Mr. Campbell of the brigHarrington, and the officers and crew were at this time on board LeNaturaliste. 

MAY 1802

The duties required to fit the ship for prosecuting the voyage withsuccess being various and extensive, Cattle Point, on the east side ofSydney Cove, was assigned to us by the governor for carrying on some ofour employments, whilst others were in progress on board the ship and inthe dockyard. On the morning after our arrival we warped to a convenientsituation near the point, and sent on shore the tents, the sailmakers andsails, and the cooper with all the empty casks. Next day the observatorywas set up, and the time-keepers and other astronomical instrumentsplaced there under the care of lieutenant Flinders, who, with Mr. Franklin, his assistant, was to make the necessary observations andsuperintend the various duties carrying on at the same place; and a smalldetachment of marines was landed for the protection of the tents. 

I had found the barricade of the quarter deck to stand so high, as to benot only an obstacle to beating to windward, but a great inconvenience tosurveying the coast; for when the wind was on the side next to the land, there were no means of taking bearings over it but by standing on the topof the binnacle; or otherwise by removing the compass to differentplaces, which I had found could not be done without materially changingthe variation. These inconveniences being stated to the governor, hispermission was obtained to reduce it so low as that it might beoverlooked in all cases; and an order was given that four convictcarpenters, and such other assistance from the dockyard should befurnished as was necessary. 

To supply the place of the cutter we had lost at the entrance ofSpencer's Gulf, I contracted for a boat to be built after the model ofthat in which Mr Bass made his long and adventurous expedition to thestrait. It was twenty-eight feet seven inches in length over all, ratherflat floored, head and stern alike, a keel somewhat curved, and thecut-water and stern post nearly upright; it was fitted to row eight oarswhen requisite, but intended for six in common cases. The timbers werecut from the largest kind of banksia, which had been found more durablethan mangrove; and the planking was of cedar. This boat was constructedunder the superintendance of Mr. Thomas Moore, master builder to thecolony; and proved, like her prototype, to be excellent in a sea, as wellas for rowing and sailing in smooth water. The cost at Port Jackson wasno more than £30. ; but this was owing to some of the materials beingsupplied from the public magazines. 

Whilst these branches of our refitment were going on, a thoroughexamination was made and survey taken of all the ship's stores; as wellfor the purpose of sending away those unserviceable and replacing themwith others so far as they could be obtained, as with a view to enablethe warrant officers to pass their accounts and obtain their pay up tothis time; a precaution which the nature of our voyage rendered morepeculiarly necessary. After the surveys were ended, the seamen wereemployed in stripping and re-rigging the masts, and preparing the hold toreceive a fresh stock of provisions and water; the naturalist and hisassistants, as also the two painters, made excursions into the interiorof the country; and my time was mostly occupied in constructing the faircharts of our discoveries and examinations upon the south coast, for thepurpose of their being transmitted to the secretary of the Admiralty. 

JUNE 1802

On the 4th of June, the ship was dressed with colours, a royal salutefired, and I went with the principal officers of the Investigator to paymy respects to His Excellency the governor and captain-general, in honourof HIS MAJESTY'S birth day. On this occasion, a splendid dinner was givento the colony; and the number of ladies and civil, military, and navalofficers was not less than forty, who met to celebrate the birth of theirbeloved sovereign in this distant part of the earth. 

On the 6th, the Speedy, south-whaler, sailed for England. By Mr. Quested, the commander, I transmitted to the Admiralty an account of myproceedings upon the south coast of Terra Australis; but the charts beingunfinished, were obliged to be deferred to a future opportunity. To theAstronomer Royal I sent Arnold's time keepers, No. 82 and 176, which hadstopped; together with a statement of the principal astronomicalobservations hitherto made, and an account of Earnshaw's two timekeepers, No. 543 and 520, which continued to perform well. 

Captain Baudin arrived in Le Geographe on the 20th, and a boat was sentfrom the Investigator to assist in towing the ship up to the cove. It wasgrievous to see the miserable condition to which both officers and crewwere reduced by scurvy; there being not more out of one hundred andseventy, according to the commander's account, than twelve men capable ofdoing their duty. The sick were received into the colonial hospital; andboth French ships furnished with everything in the power of the colony tosupply. Before their arrival, the necessity of augmenting the number ofcattle in the country had prevented the governor from allowing us anyfresh meat; but some oxen belonging to government were now killed for thedistressed strangers; and by returning an equal quantity of salt meat, which was exceedingly scarce at this time, I obtained a quarter of beeffor my people. The distress of the French navigators had indeed beengreat; but every means were used by the governor and the principalinhabitants of the colony, to make them forget both their sufferings andthe war which existed between the two nations. *

[* These liberal proceedings, which do so much honour to governor Kingand the colonists, are handsomely acknowledged by M. Peron in his accountof the French voyage. ]

JULY 1802

His Excellency, Governor King, had done me the honour to visit theInvestigator, and to accept of a dinner on board; on which occasion hehad been received with the marks of respect due to his rank ofcaptain-general; and shortly afterward, the Captains Baudin and Hamelin, with Monsieur Peron and some other French officers, as also ColonelPaterson, the lieutenant-governor, did me the same favour; when they werereceived under a salute of eleven guns. The intelligence of peace, whichhad just been received, contributed to enliven the party, and renderedour meeting more particularly agreeable. I showed to Captain Baudin oneof my charts of the south coast, containing the part first explored byhim, and distinctly marked as his discovery. He made no objection to thejustice of the limits therein pointed out; but found his portion to besmaller than he had supposed, not having before been aware of the extentof the discoveries previously made by Captain Grant. After examining thechart, he said, apparently as a reason for not producing any of his own, that his charts were not constructed on board the ship; but that hetransmitted to Paris all his bearings and observations, with a regularseries of views of the land, and from them the charts were to be made ata future time. This mode appeared to me extraordinary, and not to beworthy of imitation; conceiving that a rough chart, at least, should bemade whilst the land is in sight, when any error in bearing orobservation can be corrected; a plan which was adopted in thecommencement, and followed throughout the course of my voyage. 

Amongst our employments was that of fitting up a green house on thequarter deck, and sawing plank to make boxes for the reception of suchplants as might be found by the naturalist, and thought worthy of beingtransported to His Majesty's botanic garden at Kew. This green house hadbeen received at Sheerness, and stowed away in pieces; but I saw thatwhen filled with boxes of earth, the upper works of the ship, naturallyvery weak, would be incapable of supporting the weight; and that in badweather, we should be obliged to throw it over board for the safety ofthe ship. I therefore proposed its reduction to two-thirds of the size;and Mr. Brown being of opinion it would then contain all the plantslikely to be collected in any one absence from Port Jackson, it wasreduced accordingly; and the feet lowered down close to the deck. Thisarrangement required an alteration in the tiller, and a short one, withtwo arms, was fitted to the after part of the rudder head; with whichexpedient, and leading the main braces forward, the green house was notlikely to cause much inconvenience to the working of the ship. The plantsalready collected on the South Coast had been landed on our arrival, ingood order; and deposited in the governor's garden until such time as, the objects of the voyage being completed, we should be ready to sail forEngland. 

The ship had never made more than three inches of water in an hour, afterleaving the Cape of Good Hope; so that much caulking was not required, either within or out board. What was found necessary, was finished by themiddle of July, at the same time with the barricading of the quarterdeck; and the masts being then new rigged, and holds nearly completedwith water and provisions, the sails were bent and the ship was painted. On the 21st, the last bag of bread and turn of water were received, thenew whale boat was brought off, and we dropped down the harbour; beingthen ready for going to sea next morning. 

In consequence of the directions given by His Majesty's principalSecretary of State for the Colonies, the Lady Nelson, a brig of sixtytons, commanded by Acting-Lieutenant John Murray, was placed under myorders, as a tender to the Investigator. This vessel was fitted withthree sliding keels; and built after the plan of that ingenious officercommissioner (now vice-admiral) Schanck. When the sliding keels were up, the Lady Nelson drew no more than six feet water; and was thereforepeculiarly adapted for going up rivers, or other shallow places which itmight be dangerous, or impossible for the ship to enter. Mr Murray's crewwas mostly composed of convicts; and having no officer in whom he couldplace entire confidence, I lent to him Mr Denis Lacy, one of my younggentlemen acquainted with the management of a time keeper, to act as hischief mate. 

The price of fresh meat at Port Jackson was so exorbitant, that it wasimpossible to think of purchasing it on the public account. I obtainedone quarter of beef for the ship's company, in exchange for salt meat, and the governor furnished us with some baskets of vegetables from hisgarden; and in lieu of the daily pound of biscuit, each man received apound and a quarter of soft bread, without any expense to government. Butwith these exceptions, I was obliged to leave the refreshment of thepeople to their own individual exertions; assisting them with the paymentdue for savings of bread since leaving the Cape of Good Hope, and thedifferent artificers with the money earned by their extra services inrefitting the ship. Fish are usually plentiful at Port Jackson in thesummer, but not in the winter time; and our duties were too numerous andindispensable to admit of sending people away with the seine, when therewas little prospect of success; a few were, however, occasionally boughtalongside, from boats which fished along the coast. 

In purchasing a sea stock for the cabin, I paid £3 a head for sheep, weighing from thirty to forty pounds when dressed. Pigs were bought at9d. Per pound, weighed alive, geese at 10s. Each, and fowls at 3s. ; andIndian corn for the stock cost 5s. A bushel. 

To complete the ship's provisions, I entered into a contract for 30, 000pounds of biscuit, 8000 pounds of flour, and 156 bushels of kiln-driedwheat; but in the meantime, the ship Coromandel brought out the greaterpart of the twelvemonths' provisions, for which I had applied on sailingfrom Spithead; and the contractor was prevailed upon to annul that partof the agreement relating to flour and wheat. The biscuit cost 33s. Perhundred pounds; and considering that the colony was at short allowance, and that the French ships were to be supplied, it was a favourable price. From two American vessels which arrived, I purchased 1483 gallons of rumat 6s. 6d. Per gallon; which, with what remained of our former stock wasa proportion for twelve months. In other respects our provisions werecompleted from the quantity sent out from England; and the remaining partwas lodged in the public stores, in charge of the commissary, until ourreturn. 

In addition to the melancholy loss of eight officers and men, at theentrance of Spencer's Gulf, and the previous deficiency of four in thecomplement, I found it necessary to discharge the man who had been bittenby a seal at Kangaroo Island, as also a marine, who was invalided; sothat fourteen men were required to complete my small ship's company. MrJohn Aken, chief mate of the ship Hercules, was engaged to fill thesituation of master, and five men, mostly seamen, were entered, butfinding it impossible to fill up the complement with free people, Iapplied to the governor for his permission to enter such convicts asshould present themselves, and could bring respectable recommendations. This request, as every other I had occasion to make to His Excellency, was complied with; and when the requisite number was selected, he gave mean official document, containing clauses relative to these men, wellcalculated to ensure their good conduct. As this document may be thoughtcurious by many readers, it is here inserted; premising, that the mentherein mentioned, with the exception of two, were convicts for life. 

By His Excellency Philip Gidley King, Esq. , captain-general and governor in chief, in andover His Majesty's territory of New South Walesand its dependencies, etc. , etc. , etc. 

"Whereas Captain Matthew Flinders, commander of His Majesty's shipInvestigator, has requested permission to receive on board that ship theundermentioned convicts as seamen, to make up the number he is deficient. I do hereby grant Thomas Toney, Thomas Martin, Joseph Marlow, ThomasShirley, Joseph Tuzo, Richard Stephenson, Thomas Smith, Francis Smith, and Charles Brown permission to ship themselves on board His Majesty'sship Investigator, and on the return of that ship to this port, accordingto Captain Flinders' recommendation of them, severally and individually, they will receive conditional emancipations or absolute pardons, as thatofficer may request. 

"And in the interim I do, by virtue of the power and authority in mevested, grant a provisional-conditional emancipation to the said ThomasToney, etc. ; for the purpose of their being enabled to serve on board HisMajesty's said ship Investigator, whilst in the neighbourhood of thisterritory; which conditional emancipation will be of no effect, in caseany of those named herein do individually conduct themselves so ill, asto put it out of captain Flinders' power to recommend them for aconditional or absolute pardon on his return to this port. 

"Given under my hand and seal at government house Sydney, in New South Wales, this 15th day of July, in the yearof our Lord 1802. (Signed) Philip Gidley King, (L. S. )"

Several of these men were seamen, and all were able and healthy; so thatI considered them a great acquisition to our strength. With respect tothemselves, the situation to which they were admitted was most desirable;since they had thereby a prospect of returning to their country, and thatsociety from which they had been banished; and judging from the number ofcandidates for the vacancies, such was the light in which a reception onboard the Investigator was considered in the colony. When the master wasentered, one of the men, being over the complement, was sent to the LadyNelson, with a reserve of the privilege above granted. 

I had before experienced much advantage from the presence of a native ofPort Jackson, in bringing about a friendly intercourse with theinhabitants of other parts of the coast; and on representing this to thegovernor, he authorised me to receive two on board. _Bongaree_, theworthy and brave fellow who had sailed with me in the Norfolk, nowvolunteered again; the other was Nanbaree, a good-natured lad, of whomColonel Collins has made mention in his _Account of New South Wales_. 

My instructions directed me to consult with Governor King upon the bestmeans of proceeding in the execution of the voyage; they also pointed outmy return to the south coast, as the first step after refitting the shipat Port Jackson; but His Excellency was of opinion, as well as myself, that it would be unsafe to do this in the middle of the winter season;and that to remain six months in port waiting for the fine weather wouldbe a sad waste of time; I had, besides, left very little of importance tobe examined upon the south coast, a circumstance which the instructionshad not contemplated. Upon all these considerations, it was decided toproceed to the northward--examine Torres' Strait and the east side of theGulf of Carpentaria before the north-west monsoon should set in--proceedas I might be able during its continuance--and afterwards explore thenorth and north-west coasts; returning to Port Jackson when, and by suchroute as might be found most advisable, and conducive to the generalpurposes of the voyage. 

It was probable that the north-west monsoon would not set in before thebeginning of November; I therefore intended to examine such parts of theeast coast of New South Wales in my way to the northward, as had beenpassed by Captain Cook in the night, and were not seen in my expeditionwith the Norfolk sloop in 1799. The openings of Keppel and Shoal-waterBays, and the still larger of Broad Sound, I was also anxious to explore;in the hope of finding a river falling into some one of them, capable ofadmitting the Lady Nelson into the interior of the country. Thesedesirable objects I expected to accomplish before the approach of themonsoon would call me into the Gulf of Carpentaria. 

The French ships were in no forwardness for sailing; and it wasunderstood that Captain Baudin intended sending back Le Naturaliste toFrance, by the way of Bass' Strait, so soon as the season should befavourable. He had purchased a small vessel of between thirty and fortytons at Sydney, to serve him as a tender; and he told me that we shouldprobably meet in the Gulf of Carpentaria in December or January. Iunderstood that he meant to return to the south coast, and aftercompleting its examination, to proceed northward, and enter the Gulf withthe north-west monsoon; but it appeared to me very probable, that thewestern winds on the south coast would detain him too long to admit ofreaching the Gulf of Carpentaria at the time specified, or at any timebefore the south-east monsoon would set in against him. 

Before leaving Sydney Cove, I placed in the hands of governor King twocopies of my chart of the south coast of Terra Australis, in six sheets;with three other sheets of particular parts, on a large scale. One copy Irequested him to send with my letters to the secretary of the Admiralty, by the first good opportunity that offered; the other was to remain inhis hands until my return, or until he should hear of the loss of theInvestigator, when it was also to be sent to the Admiralty. 

During our stay of twelve weeks at Port Jackson, there were not many daysfavourable to our pursuits at the observatory, the weather being dull andrainy for the greater part of the time; by watching all opportunitieshowever, a sufficient number of observations were obtained to show therates of the time keepers, and to answer the purposes of geography andnavigation. 

The _Latitude_ of Cattle Point, from thirty meridian altitudes in anartificial horizon, of which fourteen were taken by Mr. Crosley and sevenby me in 1795, and nine by lieutenant Flinders at this time, is 33° 51'45. 6" S. 

_Longitude_ from forty-four sets of distances of the sun and moon, ofwhich the individual results are given in Table VI of the Appendix tothis volume, 151° 11' 49" E. *

[* In 1795 and 1796 I took sixty sets of distances upon Cattle Point, anequal number on each side, which gave the longitude 151° 17' 12"; butthese observations not having been calculated with great nicety, norcorrected for the errors of the lunar and solar tables, the result is notconsidered to be of equal authority with that given above. The presentadmiral D'ESPINOSA, when an officer in the voyage of Malaspina, observedan eclipse of the sun at Port Jackson, and occultations of the first andsecond satellites of Jupiter, from which he deduces the longitude of thetown of Sydney to be 151° 12' 45" east of Greenwich; not differing morethan a minute of longitude from the above forty-four sets of correctedlunar observations. ]

This position of Cattle Point, being reduced to the entrance of PortJackson, will be for the Flag staff on the south head, latitude 33° 51½'south, longitude 151° 16½ east. 

Ramsden's universal theodolite was set up at the observatory, andintended to be used as a transit instrument; but from the unfavourablestate of the weather and my numerous occupations, it was not adjusted tothe meridian; and the rates of the time keepers were therefore deducedfrom equal altitudes, taken with a sextant and artificial horizon in theusual way. Their errors from mean Greenwich time, at noon there July 18, and the mean rates of going in the last fifteen days, which were selectedas the best, were as under:

Earnshaw's No. 543, slow Oh 16' 39. 72" and losing 8. 63" per day. Earnshaw's No. 520, slow 1 18 53. 00 and losing 19. 52 per day. 

The longitude of Cattle Point, given by the time keepers with theKangaroo-Island rates on May 10th, the first day of observation after ourarrival, was by

No. 543 151° 31' 21" eastNo. 520 151 26 49 east. 

The mean is 17' 16" more than deduced from the lunar observations; andwhen rates are used equally accelerating from those at Kangaroo Island, to what were found on first arriving at Port Jackson, the longitude bythe time keepers would still be 14' 57. 4" to the east; so that theyappear to have gone less regularly during this passage than before. Infixing the longitudes of places between the two stations, the timekeepers with their accelerated rates have been used; and the error of 14'57. 4" has been corrected by quantities proportionate to the times ofobservation, between April 6 at Kangaroo Island, and May 9 at PortJackson. 

The mean _dip_ of the south end of the needle at Cattle Point was 62° 52'

Variation of the compass, observed by lieutenant Flinders on GardenIsland in the following year, 8° 51' east. 

No remarks were made at this time upon the _tide_; but it is known to behigh water in Port Jackson about _eight hours and a quarter_ after themoon's passage over and under the meridian; and the usual rise to bebetween four and six or seven feet. When high water takes place betweenthree or four in the afternoon and one or two in the morning, it risesfrom six to eighteen inches higher than the preceding flood; and thefollowing ebb descends a few inches lower than that which preceded thehigh tide. 

The range of the thermometer on board the ship, was from 51° to 69°; andnearly the same on shore. The mercury in the barometer stood from 29. 60to 30. 36 inches; but it was remarkable that it stood lowest in the fineweather, when the wind came from the westward off the land, and washighest in the rainy, squally weather, with the wind from the sea. According to the information communicated by colonel W. Paterson, F. R. S. , commander of the troops at Port Jackson, this relation between themercury and the weather was general here in the winter season, when theeastern winds bring rain with them; and I had frequent occasion to remarkupon the South Coast, that sea winds raised the mercury in the barometer, whilst those from the land, even with fine weather, caused it to descend. 

CHAPTER XI

Of the winds and currents on the south coast of Terra Australis, and in Bass' Strait. Usual progress of the gales. Proper seasons for sailing eastward, and for going westward:best places of shelter in each case, with some instructions for the Strait. 

[SOUTH COAST. WINDS AND CURRENTS]

Before entering upon the second part of the voyage, it seems proper togive an account of the winds and currents which prevailed upon the SouthCoast; and to add thereto such other general information as may be usefulin rendering the navigation more safe and expeditious, both along thecoast and through Bass' Strait. 

The rate and direction of the currents here described, are deduced fromthe daily positions of the ship by astronomical observation, comparedwith those given by a log kept in the common way, but with somewhat morethan common attention. In the observations, however, there may be someerrors, and a log cannot be depended upon nearer than to five miles inthe distance, and half a point in the course for the twenty-four hours;and consequently this account of the currents must be taken as subject tothe sum, or to the difference of the errors in the observations and log;though it is probable they may have been diminished by taking the mediumof several days, which has always been done where it was possible. 

Besides the difficulty there is in obtaining the exact rate and directionof a current, it is known that a continuance of the wind in anyparticular quarter may so far change its rate of moving, and even itsdirection, that at another time it may be found materially different inboth. Of the probability of these changes the commander of a ship mustform his own judgment, from the winds he may have previously experienced;and he will consider what is here said upon both winds and currents, ascalculated and intended to give him a general notion, and no more, ofwhat may usually be expected upon the South Coast. 

(Atlas Plate I. )

Several days before making Cape Leeuwin, I experienced a current settingto the northward, at the rate of twenty-seven miles per day; but at themean distance of forty leagues, west-south-west from the cape, thecurrent ran north-east, twenty-two miles; and when the ship got in withthe South Coast, I found it setting N. 70° E. , at the average rate oftwenty-seven miles per day: this was in the month of December. Onapproaching Cape Leeuwin in May, from the north-westward, the current forfive days was ten miles to the east; but at forty leagues from the cape, it ran N. 35° E. Fifteen miles; and from the meridian of the cape to pastKing George's Sound, the current set east, twenty-seven miles per day, nearly as it had before done in December. Captain Vancouver and admiralD'Entrecasteaux do not speak very explicitly as to the currents; but itmay be gathered from both, that they also experienced a set to theeastward along this part of the South Coast. 

The winds seem to blow pretty generally from the westward at CapeLeeuwin. In the summer time, they vary from north-west in the night, tosouth-west in the latter part of the day, though not regularly; and inthe winter season this variation does not seem to take place. A longswell of the sea, called _ground swell_ to distinguish it from thelesser, variable one of the surface, appears to come at all times fromthe south-westward, which indicates that the strongest and most durablewinds blow from that quarter; and this was partly confirmed by ourexperience, for whenever it blew hard, the wind was at, or near tosouth-west. 

It is from the superior strength and apparent prevalence of this wind, that the currents in the neighbourhood of Cape Leeuwin may be explained. The sea being driven in from the south-west, and meeting with the cape, will necessarily be divided by it, and form two currents, which willfollow the directions of the land; one branch will run northward, alongthe west coast of Terra Australis, and the other eastward along the SouthCoast: our present business is to follow the latter current. 

If a line be drawn from the south-western extremity of New Holland, toKing's Island in Bass' Strait, it will show where the current may beexpected to run strongest; though it will not be equally strong at thoseparts of the line which are distant from the land, as at those in itsimmediate vicinity. In drawing another line, from the north-eastern islesof the Archipelago of the Recherche to Cape Northumberland, we shall havewhat will commonly be the northern boundary of the current; for withinthis line the water does not seem to run in any constant direction, butis moved according as the wind may happen to blow. This was found byadmiral D'Entrecasteaux; and is conformable to my experience, as I shallnow explain. 

It has been said, that the eastwardly current was found in May andDecember to run twenty-seven miles per day, from Cape Leeuwin past KingGeorge's Sound. From thence to a little beyond the Archipelago of theRecherche, keeping in with the shore, I found it to set north-eastthirteen miles; and at a distance from the coast, it rannorth-east-by-east sixteen miles per day, the wind being more from thesouth than from the northward in both cases. 

In coasting from the Archipelago, all round the Great Bight and as farsouth-eastward as to Cape Northumberland, I had no determinate current;it generally followed the impulsion given to it by the winds, and wasinconsiderable. From the middle of January to the middle of April, thewinds were most prevalent from south-south-east to east-north-east;coming more from the land at night, and from the sea in the day time. They seldom had any strength; whereas the winds which occasionally blewfrom the westward were fresh, and sometimes became gales, veering in thatcase, invariably to the south-west. 

On reaching Cape Northumberland I again found the eastwardly current; andfrom thence into Bass' Strait it ran N. 80° E. , at the rate of twelvemiles a day, the wind blowing strong from the south-westward in thelatter part of the time. 

In a subsequent run across the Great Bight in May, from the Archipelagonearly direct for Bass' Strait, the current set upon the average, N. 39°E. Fourteen miles a day; appearing to be much influenced in its northerndirection by the winds blowing strong from the southward. Mr. Dalrymple, in reasoning from the analogy of southern Africa, expected that the windsupon this coast would be found to blow from the northward, or off theshore, _in the winter time_, and this might possibly be the case if closein with the land; but at a distance from it, as just observed, the windswere from the southward. 

Such an accumulation of water forcing itself through Bass' Strait, wouldnaturally lead to the expectation of finding a strong current there, setting to the east; but on the contrary, the set in common cases wasfound to be rather in the opposite direction, the current appearing to bepredominated by the tides, whose superior strength forced it below thesurface. The flood comes from the eastward; and after making high waterat Furneaux's Isles, passes on to Hunter's and King's Islands, where itmeets another flood from the southward; and the high water then madeseems to be nearly at the time that it is low water at Furneaux's Isles. Another flood is then coming from the east, and so on; whence a shipgoing eastward through the Strait, will have more tide meeting thansetting after her, and be commonly astern of her reckoning. This appliesmore especially to the middle of the strait, and is what I there foundwith winds blowing across it; but the bight on the north side, betweenCape Otway and Wilson's Promontory, seems to be an exception, and infact, it lies out of the direct set of the tides. In running from PortPhillip to the Promontory I was set S. 73° E. , thirty-five miles in theday; but it then blew a gale from the west and south-westward. 

Although the eastwardly current be not commonly found at the surface inBass' Strait, it is not lost. Navigators find it running withconsiderable strength, when passing the strait two or three degrees tothe east of Furneaux's Islands; and it was this current so found, whichled admiral Hunter to the first opinion of the existence of an openingbetween New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. 

Every thing in Bass' Strait bespeaks the strongest winds to come from thesouth-west; and there is reason to believe that during nine months of theyear, it generally blows from some point in the western quarter. InJanuary, February, and March, eastern winds with fine weather seem to benot uncommon; but there is no dependence to be had on them at any otherseason. At the eastern side of the strait and of Van Diemen's Land, it isnot unusual to meet a north-east or north wind, though it seldom blowsstrong. The gales usually come from between south-west and south-east, and most frequently from the latter direction; which renders it hazardousto approach the coast between Cape Howe and Wilson's Promontory. 

Thus, speaking generally of the south coast of Terra Australis, it may beconsidered that during the six or eight winter months, the winds blowalmost constantly from some western point; and that gales of wind atsouth-west are frequent. The progress of the gales is usually this: thebarometer falls to 29½ inches, or lower, and the wind rises from thenorth-westward with thick weather, and commonly with rain; it veersgradually to the west, increasing in strength, and the weather begins toclear up so soon as it has got to the southward of that point; atsouth-west the gale blows hardest, and the barometer rises; and by thetime the wind gets to south or south-south-east, it becomes moderate, theweather is fine, and the barometer above 30 inches. Sometimes the windmay return back to west, or something northward, with a fall in themercury, and diminish in strength, or die away; but the gale is not over, although a cessation of a day or two may take place. In some cases, thewind flies round suddenly from north-west to south-west; and the rainy, thick weather then continues a longer time. 

Such is the usual course of the gales along the South Coast and in Bass'Strait; but on the east side of the strait the winds partake of thenature of those on the East Coast, where the gale often blows hardestbetween south and south-east. And is accompanied with thick weather, andfrequently with heavy rain. 

In the four or five summer months, the south-east and east winds appearto be most prevalent all round the Great Bight; but even there, thewestern winds sometimes blow at that time, and usually with considerablestrength. Thus I had a strong south-west wind in the middle of February, near the Investigator's Group, and a gale from the same quarter in March, at the entrance of Spencer's Gulph; which last was felt still moreseverely in Bass' Strait by captain Baudin. At the two extremities of thecoast, that is, in the strait and near King George's Sound, the windsblow sometimes from the west and sometimes from the eastward, in thesummer; but the strongest winds are from the south-west. 

It will hence appear, that the summer is alone the proper time for a shipto come upon, and still more so for exploring the south coast of TerraAustralis; whether she proceed along it from west to east, as I did inthe Investigator, or from east to west, as captain Baudin, seems to bealmost a matter of indifference. From Cape Leeuwin to the end of theArchipelago of the Recherche, and from Cape Northumberland to Bass'Strait, it is perhaps most advantageous to proceed eastward, on accountof the current; but in the intermediate and more considerable part of thecoast, a western route is certainly preferable. It has also this generaladvantage, that the winds which are fair for running along the coast arethose that blow moderately, and are accompanied with fine weather, mostproper for making a survey; whereas those favourable to the oppositeroute frequently blow strong, and render it dangerous to keep in with theland. As to making a survey of the South Coast in the winter season, which had been judged from theoretical analogy to be the most propertime, it appears to be not only a dangerous experiment, but also one fromwhich very little accuracy of investigation could be expected; and withas much ardour as most men for such pursuits, I should very unwillinglyundertake the task. 

[SOUTH COAST. SAILING DIRECTIONS. ]

These observations upon the danger of sailing along the South Coast inthe winter season, are not meant to apply to the commander of a shipdesirous of going eastward through Bass' Strait, and of seeing no more ofthe land than is necessary to assure his situation. The strait may bepassed without more than very common danger, at any time of the year, provided that the navigator be certain of his latitude before approachingthe longitude of 143½°; he should not, however, enter the strait in thenight, unless he have previously seen the land, or be certain both oflatitude and longitude. The parallel of 39°, or 39° 20', according as thewind may incline, is the best for taking a ship between King's Island andCape Otway; and a sight of either, or preferably of both, will point outhis position on the chart. The sole danger to be apprehended here, is theHarbinger's Reefs, two patches lying nearly two leagues out from thenorth end of King's Island; but are so far separated from it, and fromeach other, as to leave practicable passages between them, where theshoalest water found by the Cumberland schooner was 9 fathoms. 

(Atlas Plate VI. )

When the position of the ship at the entrance of the strait isascertained, a course should be shaped for Curtis' Island, which will bevisible ten or eleven leagues from the deck in fine weather; and as thedistance is between forty and fifty leagues, and nothing lies in the way, a part of it may be run in the night, with a good look-out. I wouldafterwards pass on the south side of Kent's Groups, at not a greaterdistance from the largest than two leagues; and then steereast-north-east by compass, if nearly before the wind, or on either sideof that course as the wind may incline; but taking care not to approachthe northern Long Beach. 

In case of meeting with a continuance of foul winds, the most convenientplaces in the strait for anchorage, when going eastward, are these:

1st. Under the north-west end of King's Island, near the New Year'sIsles. Of this anchorage I know only, besides what is given in the chart, that the brig Harrington there rode out a gale from south-west, the heavysea being broken off by the New Year's Isles; and the shelter fromeastern winds must certainly be much more complete. 

2nd. Port Phillip; anchoring just within the entrance, on the south side. When a fair wind comes, a ship can get out of the port by means of thestrong tides. 

3rd. Hunter's Isles, between Three-hummock and Barren Islands; takingcare not to anchor too close to the weather shore, lest the wind changesuddenly. 

4th. The bight between Wilson's Promontory and Cape Liptrap, _in case ofnecessity_; but I would not recommend this place, it being very dangerousshould the wind shift to south-west. 

5th. Kent's large Group for brigs and lesser vessels; in one of the smallsandy coves under the eastern island. 

6th. Furneaux's Isles, between Clarke's and Preservation Islands. If theship be not able to weather Clarke's Island, and pass out to thesouth-eastward when the fair wind comes, she may run through Armstrong'sChannel, with a boat ahead and a good look-out. 

This is all that it seems necessary to say for the information of acommander desirous of going eastward through Bass' Strait; and with thechart in the Atlas, (Plate VI. ), it is all that a man of moderateexperience and judgment will desire. I have not mentioned the entrance tothe strait between King's Island and Hunter's Isles, thinking it not tobe recommendable; both on account of _Reid's Rocks_, which lie in thepassage, and whose position is not well ascertained, and also because Iam not satisfied that Hunter's Isles are placed in the chart at theirtrue distance from King's Island: the difference of longitude is from anapproximation only; but the error, if any, cannot exceed eight or tenmiles, and is in excess. However, with daylight and a good look-out, thestrait may be safely entered by this pass, at any time that a ship cancarry sail upon a wind. I entered this way in the Investigator, duringthe night; but what a ship on discovery may do is not to be given as anexample to others, whose sole objects are expedition and safety. Theoutlet by the pass called Banks' Strait, between Furneaux's Islands andCape Portland, is perfectly safe; but is out of the way for a ship boundto Port Jackson. 

It has been observed that the winds are commonly favourable for making apassage to the _westward_, through Bass' Strait and along the SouthCoast, in the months of January, February, and March. I have no personalexperience of such a passage, further than through the strait, though ithas lately been made several times; but to those who may be desirous ofdoing the same, and are strangers to these parts, the followingobservations may be acceptable. 

The first remark is, that the three months when this passage is most easyto be made, are precisely those in which it is unsafe, if notimpracticable to go through Torres' Strait; and the second, that it willgenerally be of no avail for a ship to be in Bass' Strait before themiddle of December, and if it be the middle of January it will bepreferable. 

Ships coming from Port Jackson, or anywhere from the north-eastward, maytake a departure from Cape Howe in 37° 30½' south and 150° 5' east; butfrom thence, they should not steer a course more westward thansouth-south-west by compass, until in latitude 39° 30'; on account of thedanger to be apprehended from south-east winds upon the Long Beach. Having reached 39° 30' they should steer a true west course, orwest-by-south by compass, leaving the Sisters, the craggy islet, and arock, on the larbord hand. The eastern island of Kent's large Group, which lies in 39° 30' south, 147° 19' east, and may be seen ten, orperhaps twelve leagues from the deck in fine weather, will come in sightahead; and in passing three or four miles on the south side, the smallwestern group will be seen, and is to be passed in the same way; as areCurtis' peaked Isles, which will then be in sight. From Curtis' Isles tothe north end of King's Island, the course is nearly true west, anddistance about forty-two leagues, with nothing in the way; but it isbetter to steer five or six leagues to the north of King's Island, if thewinds permit. Should they hang to the westward of north, the course maybe safely directed for Three-hummock Island; passing afterwards to thenorth or south of King's Island, as the winds may be most favourable. 

In the case of foul winds, which, if the weather be thick or rainy, maybe expected to fix at south-west and blow strong, there are many placeswhere a ship may anchor, to wait a change; but the following appear to bethe most convenient. 

1st. Hamilton's Road, at the east end of Preservation Island. 

2nd. On the south side of the largest Swan Isle, for small vessels, orunder Isle Waterhouse. 

3rd. Port Dalrymple. 

4th. Various places amongst Hunter's Isles. 

5th. Sea-elephant Bay, on the east side of King's Island, where there isfresh water; or under the north-east end of that island, if the wind befrom south-west. 

6th. Western Port, under Phillip Island; anchoring so soon as the ship issheltered. A fair wind for going onward through the strait, will take aship out of this port. 

7th. Port Phillip. 

(Atlas Plate I. )

After clearing Bass' Strait, I think it most advisable to keep at notmore than ten or twenty leagues off the coast, from Cape Otway toKangaroo Island; as the wind may there be expected more favourable, andthe contrary current less strong than in steering a straight coursetoward Cape Leeuwin. But should the wind rise from the north-westward, with thick weather and a descent more than usually rapid in the marinebarometer, a stretch off shore should immediately be made, to prepare fora south-west gale. A look-out must be kept for an island lying to thewest-south-west of Cape Northumberland; it was seen by Mr. Turnbull, commander of the Britannia, south whaler, but the weather being thick, its situation was not well ascertained. According to the best informationI could procure, this island lies in 38¼° south, and about 139½° or ¾east longitude. 

From Kangaroo Island, a straight course may be made for the southernmostpart of the Archipelago of the Recherche; but should the winds come fromthe westward and not blow a gale, or be light and unsteady, I would steermore northward, nearer to the land, in the hope of having them morefavourable. From the Archipelago to Cape Leeuwin it seems best to keep ata distance from the land, unless under the necessity of stopping in thatneighbourhood; for the current runs strong near the shore, and with theadvantage of an offing of twenty or thirty leagues, a ship may lie clearof the cape with a wind which might otherwise keep her beating for manydays. 

There appears to be no place of shelter against western gales, betweenBass' Strait and Kangaroo Island; but there are then, besides variousanchorages under that island, the bays and coves at the entrance ofSpencer's Gulph; and further westward, Coffin's Bay, Petrel Bay in theisland St. Francis, and Fowler's Bay near the head of the Great Bight. Afterwards come Goose-Island Bay, Thistle's Cove, and the lee ofObservatory Island, all in the Archipelago of the Recherche; the covecannot be entered in a gale, but when once secured in the south-westcorner, a ship will be safe; the other two places afford very indifferentshelter from strong winds, and are indeed fit only for a temporaryanchorage in moderate weather. Doubtful-Island Bay and King George'sSound afford complete shelter against western gales; but some little timewould be lost in getting out of them, if a ship waited until an easternwind set in. Some account of all these places will be found in thepreceding pages of this volume; with the exception of Observatory Island, for which D'Entrecasteaux's voyage may be consulted. 

APPENDIX. 

Account of the observations by which the Longitudes of places on thesouth coast of Terra Australis have been settled. 

The lunar distances and other observations taken in the Investigator'svoyage having been ordered by the Commissioners of the Board of Longitudeto be recalculated by a professed astronomer, with every degree ofcorrectness which science has hitherto been able to point out asnecessary, this delicate, but laborious task was assigned to Mr. JohnCrosley, formerly assistant at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich; agentleman who formed part of the expedition as far as the Cape of GoodHope, but whose ill health had then made it necessary to relinquish thevoyage and return to England. The data and results of all theobservations will probably be made public, by order of the Commissioners;but in the mean time, for the satisfaction of the geographer, and moreespecially for that of the seaman, whose life and property may beconnected with the accuracy of the charts. , the _results of the lunardistances_ observed upon each coast are added in the form of an Appendixto the volume wherein that coast is described. It is by these resultsthat the time keepers have been regulated; and the longitudes used in theconstruction of the charts are taken from the time keepers. 

To appreciate the degree of confidence to which these results may beentitled, it is necessary to know under what circumstances theobservations were taken; also the method used in the calculations, andthe corrections which have been applied beyond what is usual in thecommon practice at sea: of these the following is a general statement. 

1st. The instruments used in taking the distances, were a nine-inchsextant by Ramsden, and three sextants of eight inches radius byTroughton, the latter being made in 1801, expressly for the voyage. Onboard the ship, the sextant was necessarily held in the hand, and thedistances were sometimes so taken on shore; but in most of the lattercases, it was fixed on a stand admitting of the sextant being turnedeasily in any direction. The telescopes were of the largest magnifyingpowers which the motion of the ship, or state of the atmosphere couldadmit, and each longitude is the result of a set of observations, mostgenerally consisting of six independent sights. They were taken either bylieutenant Flinders or by myself; those by him being designated in thecolumn of _Observers_ by the letter F, the others by C. 

2nd. Preparatory to the reduction of the apparent to the true distance, the four following corrections have been applied. 

From the _sun's semi-diameter_, as given in the nautical almanack, 3"have been subtracted. In the almanacks of the years comprehending ourobservations, the semi-diameter was stated from Mayer's tables, whichgave it 3" too great; owing to the imperfection of the telescope withwhich Mayer observed. 

The semi-diameters of the sun and moon being less in the vertical, thanin the horizontal direction, on account of the differences in therefraction, they have been reduced proportionally to these differencesand to the angles at the points of contact in measuring the distance. This correction is called _contraction of the semi-diameter_. 

Before using the _moon's horizontal parallax_ in the nautical almanack, where it is calculated for the equator, it has been corrected (printed as'diminished', and corrected in the errata) by a number of secondsdepending upon the latitude of the place, and upon this assumed position:that the earth is a regular spheroid, whose polar axis is to theequatorial axis, as 320 to 321. This, and the preceding correction areunnecessary, unless where great exactness may be required. 

The _refraction_ of the heavenly bodies given in the tables, beingcalculated for a mean height of 50° of Fahrenheit's thermometer, and 29. 6inches of the barometer, it has been corrected for the difference betweenthese means and what was the state of the atmosphere at the time ofobservation. 

3rd. In reducing the apparent to the true distance, Mr. Crosley has usedthe method of Joseph Mendoza de Rios, Esq. , F. R. S. , given with his_Nautical Tables_, second edition, 1809; and the tables from which thecorrections were taken and the computations made, are those of the samevaluable work. 

4th. The reduced distance, found as above, has been corrected to thespheroidal figure of the earth, according to the theory explained in the_Philosophical Transactions_ of the Royal Society of 1797; and for doingwhich, rules are given by Mr. Mendoza with his _Nautical Tables_ of 1801. This calculation is tedious, and the correction, more especially in lowlatitudes, too small to be necessary in common cases. 

5th. In the nautical almanack the distances are given to every threehours, but the irregularities of the moon's motion being such as to causesome inequality in the different parts of this interval, the distance atthe hour preceding, and at the hour following the time of observation, was found by interpolation from the two nearest given on each side; andhaving the distances at Greenwich for each hour, the observed distancecan never fall more than half an hour from one of them; and the moon'sinequalities do not then produce any sensible error in the correspondingtime, as obtained from common proportion. The correction arising fromthis process is seldom so important as to be necessary in seaobservations. 

6th. The longitude deduced from a comparison of the true distance atobservation with the hourly distances at Greenwich, is contained in thefollowing tables under the head of _Longitude from Nautical Almanack_. But as it frequently happened, that the observation was not taken exactlyin the place which it is intended to fix, this longitude is reduced tothat place by the application of the difference shown by the time keepersto have existed between the two situations. In ascertaining thisdifference, the rates of going allowed to the time keepers are generallythose found at the place which is to be fixed; whether applied toobservations taken before arriving, or after quitting that place. This, however, could be done only at those stations where rates had beenobserved; at the intermediate points, where the result of lunar distancesis given principally as an object of comparison with the time keepers, the rates allowed in the reduction are those found at the stationpreviously quitted; but then the difference of longitude is corrected bythe quantity consequent on the following supposition: that the timekeepers altered their rates from those at the previous, to those at thefollowing station, in a ratio augmenting in arithmetic progression. Thedifference of longitude, thus corrected when necessary, is given underthe head of _Reduction by time keepers_; and the longitudes reduced by itto the place intended to be fixed, are taken to be of equal authoritywith those resulting from observations made in the place itself. 

7th. But these longitudes, whether reduced to, or observed in, the placeto be fixed, still require a correction which is of more importance thanany of those before mentioned. The theories of the solar and lunarmotions not having reached such a degree of perfection as to accordperfectly with actual observation at Greenwich, the distances calculatedfrom those theories and given in the almanack become subject to someerror; and consequently so do the longitudes deduced from them. Thequantities of error in the computed places of the sun and moon, have beenascertained at Greenwich as often as those luminaries could be observed;and Mr. Pond, the astronomer royal, having permitted access for thispurpose to the table of errors kept in the Observatory, Mr. Crosley hascalculated the corresponding effects on the longitude, and proportionedthem to the time when our observations were taken. The combined effect ofthe two errors forms a correction to the longitudes obtained from the sunand moon; but when the moon was observed with a star, then the moon'serror alone gives the correction. But it has sometimes happened, thatthere were many days interval between the observations of the moon atGreenwich, and that the errors preceding and following are so extremelyirregular, that no accuracy could be expected in reducing them byproportion; in these unfortunate cases, that part of the error belongingto the moon has been taken absolute, such as it was found on the daynearest to the time of observation; but the sun's error is always fromproportion. These corrections, with the interval in the Greenwichobservations of the moon, are given under their proper heads. 

8th. The longitudes thus computed, reduced to the intended point, andcorrected, are placed under each other; and the mean of the whole istaken to be the true longitude of that point, unless in certain caseswhere it is otherwise expressed. The mean is also given of the longitudes_uncorrected_ for the errors of the sun and moon's places, that thereader may have an opportunity of comparing them; and some sea officerswho boast of their having never been out more than 5', or at most 10', may deduce from the column of corrections in the different tables, thattheir lunar observations could not be entitled to so much confidence asthey wish to suppose; since, allowing every degree of perfection tothemselves and their instruments, they would probably be 12', and mightbe more than 30' wrong. 

In the nautical almanacks for 1811 and 1815, the distances are computedfrom the new tables of _Burg_ for the moon, and of _Delambre_ for thesun; and it is to be hoped that the necessity of correcting for errors inthe distances at Greenwich will have ceased, or be at least greatlydiminished. Should the computed places of the sun and moon be happilyfound to agree with actual observation, and supposing that our resultsmay be taken as the average of what practised observers with goodinstruments will usually obtain when circumstances are favourable, thenlunar observations taken in 1814 and afterwards, may be entitled toconfidence within the following limits:

From one set of distances, consisting of six independent sights, theerror in longitude may be 30' on either side; but will probably notexceed 12'. 

From six sets on one side of the moon, each set consisting as above, theerror may be 20'; but not probably more than 8'. 

Twelve sets of distances, of which six on each side of the moon, are notlikely to err more than 10' from the truth; and may be expected to comewithin 5'. 

The error in sixty sets, taken during three or four lunations, and onehalf on each side of the moon, will not, I think, be wrong more than 5';and will most probably give the longitude exact to 1' or 2', This degreeof accuracy is far beyond what the hopes of the first proposers of thelunar method ever extended, and even beyond what astronomers accustomedonly to fixed observatories will be disposed to credit at this time; butin thinking it _probable_ that sixty sets of lunar distances will comewithin 1' or 2' of the truth, when compared with correct tables, Iconceive myself borne out by the following facts. 

In Port Lincoln, I observed an eclipse of the sun with a refractingtelescope of forty-six inches focus, and a power of about two hundred. Itwas recalculated by Mr. Crosley from Delambre's and Burckhardt's tables, the one made four and the other ten years afterwards. The longitudededuced from the beginning differed only 1' 31. 5" from that at the end, and the mean of both only 1' 17" from _thirty_ sets of lunar distancescorrected for the errors of the tables. 

The Spanish admiral D'Espinosa observed emersions of the first and secondsatellites of Jupiter in 1793, at Port Jackson, and also an eclipse ofthe sun which he recalculated by the tables of Burg. He deduces fromthence the longitude of Sydney Cove to be 151° 12' 45"; and fromforty-four sets of lunar distances by lieutenant Flinders, it would be151° 11' 49" east. 

At Port Louis in the Isle Mauritius, the Abbé de la Caille observed aneclipse of the sun, the transit of mercury over the sun's disk, andvarious occultations of Jupiter's satellites; M. D'Aprés also observedseveral occultations; and this place should therefore be well determined. Its longitude in the Requisite Tables is 57° 29' 15" east; and from_twenty-seven_ sets of distances taken whilst a prisoner there, I madeit, when corrected for the errors of the tables, 57° 29' 57" east. 

In appreciating the degrees of accuracy to which a small or larger numberof lunar distances may be expected to give the longitude, I suppose theobserver to be moderately well practised, his sextant or circle, and timekeeper to be good, and his calculations to be carefully made; and it isalso supposed, that the distances in the nautical almanack are perfectlycorrect. As, however, there may still be some errors, notwithstanding thescience and the labour employed to obviate them, it cannot be too muchrecommended to sea officers to preserve all the data of theirobservations; more especially of such as may be used in fixing thelongitudes of places but little, or imperfectly known. The observationsmay then be recalculated, if requisite; the corrections found to benecessary may be applied; and the observer may have the satisfaction offorwarding the progress of geography and navigation, after havingcontributed to the safety of the ship, and benefit of the particularservice in which he may happen to have been engaged. 

The following tables, set out in the book, are not reproduced in thistext version of _A Voyage to Terra Australis_--refer to the _html_version, available from http://gutenberg. Net. 

Table I. (Reference from Chapter III. , "_Longitude_ from thirty-one setsof distances of the sun east and west of the moon, of which theparticulars are given in Table I. Of the Appendix to this volume")LONGITUDE OF THE OBSERVATORY IN PRINCESS ROYAL HARBOUR, KING GEORGE'SSOUND

Table II. (Reference from Chapter III, "The _longitude_ from sixteen setsof distances of the sun east and west of the moon, of which theindividual results are given in Table II. Of the Appendix to thisvolume")LONGITUDE OF THE SOUTH POINT OF LUCKY BAY, ARCHIPELAGO OF THE RECHERCHE

Table III. (Reference from Chapter V. , "_Longitude_ of the point, deducedfrom twenty-two sets of distances (see Table III of the Appendix to thisvolume)")LONGITUDE OF THE ANCHORAGE IN FOWLER'S BAY

Table IV. (Reference from Chapter VI. , "The _longitude_, from thirty setsof distances of the sun and stars from the moon (see Table IV. Of theAppendix to this volume)")LONGITUDE OF THE TENTS, AT THE HEAD OF PORT LINCOLN

Table V. (Reference from Chapter IX. , "Point Nepean is in _latitude_ 38°18' south. The _longitude_ from twelve sets of distances taken bylieutenant Flinders in the port, and six others by me ten days beforearriving, the particulars of which are given in Table V. Of the Appendixto this volume")LONGITUDE OF POINT NEPEAN AT THE ENTRANCE OF PORT PHILLIP

Table VI. (Reference from Chapter X. , "_Longitude_ from forty-four setsof distances of the sun and moon, of which the individual results aregiven in Table VI of the Appendix to this volume")LONGITUDE OF CATTLE POINT, PORT JACKSON

Table VII. Variations in rate and errors in longitude, made by Earnshaw'stime keepers No. 543 and No. 520, between the Cape of Good Hope and PortJackson. 

END OF VOLUME I