with the tide it must have some communication with the sea. The rocks of the island are principally calcareous and in a very advanced state of decomposition. The beaches were covered with dead shells of the genera buccinum, bulla, murex, trochus, and haliotis; but we found none with the living animal in them. Of the feathered tribe a hawk and a pigeon were the only land-birds seen; but boobies, terns, and sandpipers were very numerous about the shores. Mr. Cunningham was fully employed during the short time that we were on shore, and excepting the pleasing interest created in our minds by landing on an island which has been so seldom before seen, and which from Vlaming’s account bears a prominent place in the history of this part of the coast, he was the only one of the party that derived any advantage from our visit. Of the productions of this island he makes the following brief remarks: “It is surprising that an island, situated at so short a distance from the south-west coast, should bear so small a feature of the characteristic vegetation of King George’s Sound as not to furnish a plant of its several genera of Proteaceae or Mimoseae, and but a solitary plant of Leguminosae. It would therefore seem that these families are confined to the shores of the main, particularly about King George’s Sound, where we have just left them in the greatest luxuriance and profusion. Among the botanical productions of this island there is no plant of so striking a feature as the callitris, a tree of about twenty-five feet high, with a short stem of three feet in diameter; it much resembles the Pinus cedrus, or cedar of Lebanon, in its robust horizontal growth; it is found abundantly over the island, and within a few yards of the sea-beach. The island is formed by a succession of small hills and intervening valleys; and although the soil is very poor, being principally a mixture of quartzose sand and a large proportion of marine exuviae, yet this tree grows to a considerable size, but covering the surface of the island, gives it a monotonous appearance which is however occasionally relieved by a spreading undescribed species of melaleuca (allied to Melaleuca armillaris, Smith) and the more elegant pittosporum, an arborescent species, also undescribed. In fact, these three trees constitute the timber of the island. The ground is in some parts profusely clothed with Spinifex hirsutus, Labil., in which I detected a new species of xerotes, a round bushy plant growing in large bodies.
“No fresh water has ever been discovered upon this island: indeed the loose filtering nature of the soil is not tenacious enough to retain that element at the surface. The woods are abundantly stocked with a small species of kangaroo of which we saw only the traces; nor did we see the animal, on account of whose numbers and resemblance to a rat the island received its name from Vlaming in 1619. M. Peron says that it forms a new genus, and of a very remarkable character.* Rottnest Island does not appear ever to have been inhabited or even visited by the natives from the main; probably on account of the stormy nature of the weather, and the prevalence of westerly winds, which would be quite sufficient to deter them from venturing to sea in such fragile vessels as they possess.”**
(*Footnote. Peron volume 1 page 189.)
(**Footnote. Cunningham manuscripts.)
January 15.
On our return to the brig, we passed over a clear sandy bottom that would have afforded better anchorage than where we had brought up; for the vessel was not only exposed to a considerable swell but the ground was so foul that in weighing the anchor the following morning one of the flukes hooked a rock and broke off, besides which the cable was much rubbed.
As Swan River had been very minutely examined in Baudin’s voyage by MM. Heirisson and Baily, the former an enseigne de vaisseau, the latter a mineralogist, an account of which is fully detailed in De Freycinet’s and Peron’s respective accounts of that voyage,* without their finding anything of sufficient importance to induce me to risk leaving the brig at anchor off Rottnest Island for so long a time as it would necessarily take to add to the knowledge of it that we already possess, I did not think it advisable to delay for such a purpose, and therefore as soon as we were underweigh steered for the mainland and continued to run northerly along the shore at the distance of six miles from it. At noon our latitude was 31 degrees 37 minutes 32 seconds. The coast is formed by sandy hillocks, or dunes, of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, here and there sprinkled with shrubs, but in many parts quite bare: behind this frontier a second range of hills was occasionally seen on which the trees appeared to be of moderate size: the shore is rocky for two miles off and in many parts the sea broke. At half-past three o’clock we were abreast of a low, sandy projection, supposed to be Captain Baudin’s Cape Leschenault. The appearance of the coast to the northward on this cape differed from what we passed in the morning, in that the coast hillocks are more bare of vegetation; there appeared to be several ridges behind the coast dunes, but they were all equally unproductive of vegetation. Lancelin Island was not distinctly made out but the two small rocky lumps on the bare sandhills that M. De Freycinet mentions, were seen and thought to be very remarkable. At seven o’clock, having reached in my plan the latitude 31 degrees 0 minutes 30 seconds, and longitude 115 degrees 0 minutes 0 seconds, we hauled off shore for the night.
January 16.
And at six o’clock a.m. stood towards the land again. At half-past ten o’clock we were so near to it as to see the beach: at noon the latitude was observed to be 30 degrees 52 minutes 13 seconds, its longitude being 114 degrees 56 minutes 45 seconds, at which time we were on the parallel of the two rocky lumps seen the last evening. Hence we steered north on a parallel direction with the coast and ran forty-five miles, passing the different projections of the beach at the distance of four or five miles, and sounding in between nineteen and twenty-five fathoms. At four o’clock we were abreast of a bare sandy point which appeared to be the north head of Jurien Bay, in which two rocky islets were seen, fronted by reefs, on which the sea in many parts was breaking violently. To the southward of the point the coast hills are rather high and principally formed of very white sand, bearing a strong resemblance, from the absence of vegetables, to hills covered with snow. Here and there however a few shrubs partially concealed the sand, and gave a variety to the scene which was dismally triste. The country to the northward bears a different character; the shore is very low and sandy and continues so for some distance in the interior towards the base of a range of tolerably-elevated hills, on which the French have placed three remarkable pitons, but these, perhaps from our being too close in shore, we did not discover.
(*Footnote. See De Freycinet page 175 et seq and Peron volume 1 page 178 et seq.)
This range extends in a North by West and South by East direction, and appears to be rocky. In the middle ground some trees were noticed and vegetation appeared to be more abundant than in the space between the bare sandy point and Cape Leschenault. In Jurien Bay towards its south part near the shore is a small hillock, on which some trees of a moderate size were seen; they are thus noticed because the existence of trees hereabout is so rare as to be deserving of record. No native fires were seen between this part and Rottnest Island, nor was there any other indication of the coast being inhabited; it is however likely to be as populous as any other part, for the hills in the interior, which we occasionally got a glimpse of, seemed to be wooded, and would therefore furnish subsistence to natives from hunting, even if the seashore failed in supplying them with fish. Between the bare sandy point and Island Point there is a deep bay, the shores of which are fronted by a reef partly dry, extending from the shore two miles.
At seven o’clock we were about a mile and a half from a reef that nearly crossed our course; and as it was time to haul off for the night we shortened sail and brought to the wind, then blowing a strong squally breeze from south; but notwithstanding this succession of bad weather, the mercury in the barometer had ranged steadily between 29.90 and 29.92 inches.
January 17.
At daybreak we steered in for the land but ran twenty-two miles before it was seen. At nine o’clock it bore between North-East and South-East, and at a quarter after nine heavy breakers were seen in the South-East at the distance of five miles. The weather was now fine and the wind South-South-East, but still blew strong; the horizon was so enveloped by haze that the land, although not more than seven miles from our track, was very indistinctly seen: it seemed to be formed of sandhills, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, slightly studded with a scrubby vegetation; in the interior we perceived a range of hills of tabular form which are probably very high. At ten o’clock we passed another patch of breakers at the distance of about a mile and a half; but these appeared to have no connexion with those seen at nine o’clock. Our soundings were between fifteen and seventeen fathoms, and our distance from the beach from six to seven miles. At noon the wind veered back to South-South-West and blew hard: we were at this time in 29 degrees 5 minutes 1 second South and by chronometers in 114 degrees 40 minutes 30 seconds East; by which we found that a current had set us during the last twenty-four hours to the North-North-West at one mile per hour. At half-past twelve o’clock more breakers were seen bearing North-West 1/2 North, when we hauled off West-North-West in order to ascertain the distance between the land and the Abrolhos bank which, in Van Keulen’s chart, is placed abreast of this part of the coast.
At half-past four o’clock the masthead man was cautioned to look out for breakers and in less than half an hour afterwards he reported some bearing North-West by North. On going to the masthead I saw them distinctly for they were not more than four miles off, and on looking round the horizon towards the westward, distinctly saw the island of Frederick Houtman’s Abrolhos, which for some time the masthead man persisted was only the shadow of the clouds; but a small hummock being soon afterwards descried upon the summit of the largest, confirmed my conjectures. The group appeared to consist of three islands, all low and of small size. Beyond and around them the sea was smooth and to the southward another patch of breakers was observed. Preparations were now made to tack off, but I had scarcely reached the deck when the lookout man reported rocks under our lee bow, upon which the helm was immediately put up; and when the vessel’s head was round upon the opposite tack the following bearings were taken:
Island of the Abrolhos: eight miles off, between West and South 75 degrees West.
Breakers: four miles off, North-North-West North.
Another patch: seven miles off, South-West.
And the small rock patch, half a mile off, West.
This last I did not see myself but two men perceived it distinctly from the masthead, and it is from their accounts that I am induced to give it a place upon the chart. The position of the vessel when we saw the breakers was in latitude 28 degrees 53 minutes and in longitude 114 degrees 2 minutes, and from the short interval between our obtaining sights for the chronometer and the meridional observation at noon, the position may be considered to be tolerably correct. After taking the bearings and before sail was made we sounded in twenty-five fathoms, fine shelly sand; but as we stood to the eastward the water gradually deepened to twenty-nine and thirty fathoms.
January 18.
The next morning at daylight the land was out of sight but at five o’clock was distinguished, forming a range of flat-topped land, probably about one thousand feet high. At the northern end of the range were four or five hills standing apart from each other, of which, in the view we then had of them, the northernmost was flat-topped, and the others peaked; at the south end of the range were three other distinct hills, the centre being peaked and the other two flat-topped. Near the centre of the main range was another summit that was remarkable for its form.
This range was seen by Captain Hamelin of the Naturaliste, and is thus noticed by M. De Freycinet in his account of the voyage. “Entre les paralleles de 29 degres et 28 degres 20 minutes, la terre est tres haute; on y remarque deux montagnes bien reconnoisables par leur forme qui approche de celle de la Grange, sur la cote de Saint-Domingue, ou de la Montagne de la Table au Cap de Bonne-Esperance; une autre ressemble un peu au Pouce, de l’Ile-de-France. La terre est aride, bordee de falaises rougeatres; on y voit peu de sable comparativement aux terres plus au sud.”*
(*Footnote. De Freycinet page 181.)
We sought in vain for the resemblance to the Pouce, but as all the hills were flat-topped of course they were similar to the Table Land of the Cape of Good Hope, but probably inferior to it in point of height.
This range I called after Captain Moresby, R.N. C.B., in grateful recognition of the prompt assistance rendered by him to the wants and repairs of our vessel, during her late visit to Mauritius. The summit in the centre was called Mount Fairfax; the group of hills at the north end were named Menai Hills, and the three at the south end of the range were distinguished by the name of Wizard Hills; Mount Fairfax is in latitude 28 degrees 45 minutes 20 seconds, longitude 114 degrees 38 minutes 45 seconds. The shore in front of these hills is sandy and there was an appearance of two openings in the beach that were probably the outlets of mountain-streams. The country also appeared much better wooded than in other parts, and as large smokes were seen in the valleys the place most likely at the time of our passing frequented by natives.
Hence the coast trends to the North-West by North towards a patch of bare sand, which is remarkable because the coast is not so sandy as it is more to the south. At ten o’clock a very thick haze spread over the land and so enveloped it that nothing could be distinguished. At noon, the brig being in 28 degrees 25 minutes 42 seconds South, and 114 degrees 7 minutes 0 seconds East, the haze partially cleared away and showed that the coast had changed its character, being now steep, and in some parts cliffy, but still occasionally studded with spots of bare sand. In the interior a rocky, flat-topped hill was seen; it is probably the Mount Naturaliste of the French. The coast trends here in a North by West direction.
The passage or channel between the Abrolhos Bank and the coast has been distinguished by the name of Vlaming’s ship, The Geelvink, since she was the first vessel that passed them (Anno 1697). Captain Hamelin in the Naturaliste also passed within them, imagining that he perceived them to the eastward, but what he saw must have been the summit of Moresby’s Flat-topped Range.*
(*Footnote. So M. De Freycinet also thinks, for he says: “quelques personnes n’osent assurer que nous ayons vu les Abrolhos; d’autres, et je suis de ce nombre, peusent que ce que nous avons pris pour ce groupe d’iles est une portion du Continent.” Freycinet page 180.)
The soundings of the coast upon our track between Rottnest Island and the Abrolhos have been gradually of a gravelly nature, mixed sometimes with shelly sand, and were generally coarser as we approached the shore. In some parts, particularly near Cape Naturaliste and Rottnest Island, the bottom appeared to be a bed of small water-worn quartzose pebbles not larger than a pin’s head. Off Moresby’s Flat-topped Range the bottom is of a soft dark-gray-coloured sand of a very fine quality that would afford good anchorage was it not for the constant swell that pervades this stormy coast; the water was however much smoother than in other parts, which might have been occasioned either by the Abrolhos bank’s breaking the sea, or from the temporary cessation of the wind, for it was comparatively light to what it had been since our leaving Rottnest Island.
A large patch of bare sand terminates the sandy shores of this coast in latitude 27 degrees 55 minutes. A steep cliff then commences and extends for eight miles to the Red Point of Vlaming; behind which is a bight, called by the French Gantheaume Bay; in the south part of which there appeared a small opening. This bay did not seem to be so well calculated for taking shelter in from southerly gales, as Van Keulen’s chart indicates; since it is exposed to winds from South-West by South, from which quarter it must frequently blow. The country appeared very rocky; the slight vegetation covering its surface gave it a greenish hue, but no trees were seen near the shore which is fronted by a sandy beach; the depth of the bight is probably five or six miles. The cliffs of Red Point partake of a reddish tinge and appear to be disposed nearly in horizontal strata. In the centre and about halfway between the base and summit of the cliffs is a remarkable block of stone, of very white colour, that at a distance appeared to be either a fort or house: some black marks on its face took our attention and resembled characters of a very large size, as if they had been painted for the purpose of attracting the attention of vessels passing by; but a closer examination with the telescope prove them to be only the shadows of the projecting parts of the surface.
At half-past seven o’clock we hauled off for the night and, standing off and on, sounded in between thirty-three and thirty-five fathoms.
January 19.
At daylight the next morning the land bore from East to East-South-East but the morning and forenoon were so hazy that it was very indistinctly seen; at noon a partial clearing away of the haze exposed to our view a long range of high and precipitous cliffs, the base of which was washed by the sea, breaking upon it with a tremendous roar, and heard distinctly by us. The wind falling in the afternoon induced me to stand off shore, when we soon lost sight of the land. At noon we were in latitude 27 degrees 5 minutes 18 seconds. At one o’clock the depth was forty-five fathoms fine gray sand. No land was seen during the rest of the day; for although the sky was beautifully clear and serene, the atmosphere for fifteen degrees above the horizon was enveloped in a thick hazy mist that caused an extraordinary dampness in the air, and from the unfavourable state of the weather we did not attempt to make it again.
January 20.
The next morning we saw that part of Dirk Hartog’s Island which lies in 25 degrees 56 minutes, and when we had reached within four miles of the shore steered to the northward parallel to the beach, but the haze was still so great as to render the land very indistinct. We saw enough of it however to be convinced of its perfect sterility. The coast is lined with a barrier of rocks on which the sea was breaking high with a roar that was heard on board although our distance from the shore was at least three miles.
The warmth of the weather now began rapidly to increase; the thermometer at noon ranged as high as 79 degrees.
At one o’clock Cape Inscription, the north-westernmost point of Dirk Hartog’s Island, was distinguished and the sea-breeze veered as far as South-West by West, which was two points more westerly than we had hitherto had it. At two o’clock the brig passed round the cape and, as there was an appearance of good shelter in the bay to the eastward of it, we hauled in and at half-past three o’clock anchored in twelve fathoms fine gravelly soft sand; the west point of Dirk Hartog’s Island (Cape Inscription) bearing North 82 degrees West, and the low sandy point that forms its north-east end South 53 degrees West, at a mile and a half from the shore.
As we hauled round the cape and were passing under the lee of the land the breeze became so suddenly heated, by its blowing over the arid and parched surface of the coast, that my seaweed hygrometer, which had been quite damp since we left Rottnest Island, was in ten minutes so dried as to be covered with crystals of salt; and in this state it continued during our stay.
Upon rounding the cape two posts were descried upon its summit, which we conjectured to be those on which the French had affixed a record of their visit, as well as the more ancient one of the Dutch navigators, Dirk Hartog and Vlaming; for they were very conspicuously placed and appeared to be in good preservation.
We had not anchored five minutes before the vessel was surrounded by sharks, which at once impressed us with the propriety of Dampier’s nomenclature. One that was caught measured eleven feet in length but the greater number were not more than three or four feet long. They were very voracious and scared away large quantities of fish, of which, however, our people during the evening caught a good supply.
January 21.
The following morning we landed at the Cape and with eager steps ascended the rocky face of the hill to examine the interesting memorials that were affixed to the post; but found to our great mortification that they had been removed; the only vestige that remained was the nails by which they had been secured. One of the posts was about two feet high and evidently made of the wood of the callitris, that grows upon Rottnest Island; it appeared to have been broken down; the other was still erect and seemed to have been either the heel of a ship’s royal-mast or part of a studding-sail boom; upon one side of it a flag had been fastened by nails. A careful search was made all round but, as no signs of the Dutch plate or of the more recent French inscription were seen, it was conjectured that they had been removed by the natives; but since our return to England I have learnt that they are preserved in the Museum of the Institute at Paris, where they had been deposited by M. De Freycinet upon his return from his late voyage round the world. After this disappointment we returned to the sea-beach, whilst Mr. Cunningham botanised along the summit of the ridge; and before he rejoined us we had been fortunate enough to find two very fine turtles, and a large quantity of turtle-eggs. The animals had been left by the tide in holes of the rocks, from which we had some difficulty in extricating them. During our absence from the vessel our people had been very successful with the hook and line, having caught about five or six dozen snappers, besides some of the genus tetradon.
This seasonable supply and the probability of our procuring more turtles from the beach induced me to remain here a few days to perform some trifling repairs that could not be effected at sea. We were also prevented from moving, from the unfavourable state of the weather; for it was blowing a gale of wind all the time we remained; but as our people were living upon fresh food the time was not considered as lost.
January 22.
The next morning fifty turtles were turned, but as we could not convey them all on board forty were left on shore upon their backs for the night: upon landing the next morning they were all found dead, having killed themselves by their exertions to escape, and from their exposure to the heat of the sun which was so great during the day that I did not send any of the people on shore. We found, however, no difficulty in procuring more, some of which weighed four hundredweight.
The shore of this bay is fronted by a rocky reef covered with shell-fish, of which the principal sorts were species of trochus, chama, conus, voluta, cypraea, buccinum, ostrea, mytilus, and patella; among the latter was the large one of King George’s Sound. Upon the beaches to windward of the cape we found varieties of sponge and coral; and beche de mer were observed in the crevices of the rocks but were neither large nor plentiful. Mr. Cunningham saw two land snakes, one of which was about four feet in length; the colour of its back was black and the belly yellow; the only quadruped seen was a small opossum. A seal of the hair species, like those of Rottnest Island, was seen on the rocks, probably of the same description that Dampier found in the maw of the shark;* and also what was found by the French on Faure Island, which M. Peron supposed to be an herbivorous animal and described as a dugong.**
(*Footnote. Dampier volume 3 page 87.)
(**Footnote. Peron volume 2 page 227 et seq and De Freycinet page 201.)
January 24.
On the 24th Mr. Roe visited the Cape to fix on the post a memorial of our visit; an inscription was carved upon a small piece of wood in the back of which was deposited another memorandum written upon vellum; the wood was of the size of the sheave-hole of the larger post, into which it was fixed, and near it Mr. Roe piled up a heap of stones. After this was accomplished the party walked for some distance along the beach to the south-west of the cape, where they found the remains of two or three whales that had been lately wrecked; a small piece of putrefied flesh was also seen, about two or three feet long, one side of which was covered with red hair, it was however too far gone to ascertain to what animal it belonged.
On examining into the state of our dry provisions it was mortifying to find that the rats and cockroaches had destroyed an incredible quantity, particularly of our biscuit and flour. In one of the casks of the latter more than two-thirds of its contents was deficient. The biscuit was completely drilled through and the greater part would not have been thought fit to eat if we had possessed any of a better quality; I still however hoped to have a sufficiency on board to complete the survey of the north-west coast before our return to Port Jackson, which I now found would of necessity be at least four or five weeks before the time I had fixed upon when we left the Mauritius. As it would take up a great portion of the time we had now left to make a more extensive examination of Shark’s Bay than what the French have already performed, and would entirely prevent my going upon the north-west coast again; it was determined that we should not delay here, but pass on and resume our examination of the coast at Cape Cuvier, the northern head of the bay. The only part of Shark’s Bay that seems to be at all interesting, and to require further examination, is the eastern side of the bay immediately opposite to the Islands of Dorre and Bernier; but from the very intricate and shoal nature of its approach it is very doubtful whether even a sight of the land in that direction could be procured.
The rocks of Dirk Hartog’s Island are of a very remarkable formation, consisting of a congeries of quartzose sand, united in small circular kernels by a calcareous cement in which some shells were found embedded. The geological character of this rock is more fully treated upon in the Appendix by my friend Dr. Fitton.
“Upon the summit of the cliffs there are a few low shrubs, at this time much parched up, but among them Mr. Cunningham found a tolerably rich harvest. In his collection were the following plants, which were originally brought to Europe by Dampier; namely, Trichinium incanum, Br.; Diplolaena dampieri, Desf.; solanum, a thorny ferruginous species without fructification (Solanum dampieri ?) Dampiera incana, Br.; and a cordate melaleuca, figured by Dampier*: a beautiful loranthus (teretifolius, Cunningham) grew on the branches of an undescribed acacia (Acacia ligulata, Cunningham manuscript):”…”many were the wrecks of most interesting plants, and especially those of soft herbaceous duration, which had some time since fallen a sacrifice to the apparent long-protracted drought of the season; but it was impossible, amidst the sad languor of vegetation, not to admire the luxuriant and healthy habit of an undescribed species of pittosporum (oleifolium, Cunningham manuscript) which formed a small robust tree, ten feet high, laden with ripe fruit. We could perceive no traces either of remains of fires, or otherwise of natives, in the whole length of our walk along the edge of the cliffs or the plains, but we saw two snakes of very distinct kinds, each exceeding five feet in length; the one black with a yellow belly, the other green and black, but they quickly escaped into holes, leaving a serpentine impression of their bodies upon the sand. These marks were seen and remarked near the edge of all the holes, which were very numerous upon the surface of the island, before I discovered that they were the tracks of reptiles, from which it may be inferred that these animals are very abundant. The only bird seen was a solitary species of loxia, but upon a steep ledge of rocks I observed one of those nests of which frequent mention has been already made: I examined and found it built upon the pinnacle of some large rocks, very strongly constructed of long sticks; it was about five feet high and exceeded four feet in diameter, with a very slight cavity above; and seemed to have been very recently inhabited. The rocks that formed its base were ornamented with a prostrate capparis, or calyptranthus (Calyptranthus orbicularis, Cunningham manuscript) which afforded me good flowering specimens. In my walk I started a small black kangaroo: it was feeding upon the seeds of a small acacia and, upon perceiving my approach, fled across the down without reaching a single bush or rock large enough to conceal itself as far as the eye could discern it, so bare and destitute of vegetation are these arid, sandy plains.”* The heat of the weather was so great as not to allow of any communication with the shore, excepting between daybreak and eight o’clock. Mr. Cunningham’s visits were therefore necessarily much confined: this precaution I found it absolutely requisite to take to prevent the people from being exposed to the very great heat of the sun, which on shore must have been at least twenty degrees more powerful than on board, where the thermometer ranged between 71 1/2 degrees at midnight, and 85 and 87 degrees at noon. The barometer ranged between 29.76 and 29.99 inches, and stood highest when the wind was to the eastward of south, with which winds the horizon was much clearer, and the air consequently drier than when the wind blew from the sea.
(*Footnote. Cunningham manuscript.)
As an anchorage during the summer months Dirk Hartog’s Road has everything to recommend it, excepting the total absence of fresh water which, according to the French, was not found in any part of Shark’s Bay; the anchorage is secure and the bottom clear of rocks. There is also an abundance of fish and turtle, and of the latter a ship might embark forty or fifty every day, for they are very sluggish and make no effort to escape, perhaps from knowing the impossibility of their scrambling over the rocky barrier that fronts the shore, and dries at half ebb. Of fish we caught only two kinds; the snapper, a species of sparus, called by the French the rouge bossu, and a tetradon which our people could not be persuaded to eat, although the French lived chiefly upon it. There are some species of this genus that are poisonous but many are of delicious flavour: it is described by M. Lacepede in a paper in the Annal. du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle (tome 4 page 203) as le Tetrodon argente (Tetrodon argenteus).
January 26.
On the 26th we sailed and passed outside of Dorre and Bernier’s Islands; nothing was seen of the reef that lies in mid-channel on the south side of Dorre Island: a rippling was noticed by Mr. Roe in an East by South direction from the masthead at twenty minutes before one o’clock but, if the position assigned to it by the French is correct, we had passed it long before that time. At six o’clock Kok’s Island, the small rocky islet that lies off the north end of Bernier’s Island, bore North 83 degrees East, distant seven miles.
January 27.
The following morning at daylight the land was seen in the North-East and at half-past eight o’clock we resumed our course and passed Cape Cuvier, a reddish-coloured rocky bluff that presents a precipitous face to the sea. The coast thence takes a North by East direction; it is low and sandy and fronted by a sandy beach, occasionally interrupted by projecting rocky points; those parts where patches of bare sand were noticed are marked upon the chart.
At one o’clock we were near a low sandy projection round which the coast extends to the East-North-East and forms a shallow bay. This projection was called after Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar, Bart., the late Governor of the Mauritius.
Farther on, in latitude 23 degrees 10 minutes 30 seconds, is a projection which, at Mr. Cunningham’s request, was called after Mr. William Anderson of the apothecaries’ garden at Chelsea. The coast to the northward of Point Anderson is higher than to the southward and falls back to the North-East, but was very imperfectly seen on account of the thick haze that enveloped it. At a quarter before seven o’clock we hauled to the wind for the night with a fresh gale from the southward.
January 28.
The next morning was cloudy and the horizon tolerably clear; but towards noon a light haze began to spread, which by sunset was so thick as entirely to conceal the land. The mercury fell as low as 29.76 inches and, although the thermometer was at 79 degrees and the sun powerful, yet the atmosphere was so charged with moisture that the decks and everything out of the immediate influence of the sun were quite damp. This extraordinary and constant humidity appeared only to occupy the atmosphere for the sky was always beautifully clear and serene.
During the night the gale blew strong from the southward with a high topping sea from the South-West; and being occupied in shifting the main topsail which had split during the night, we stood off until three o’clock before we tacked towards the shore.
January 29.
At eight o’clock being in latitude 22 degrees 19 minutes 23 seconds, the land was visible from North-East to South 35 degrees East at the distance of five or six leagues: by its outline which, from the glare of the sun was the only part at all discernible, it seemed to be of moderate height, very level, and offering no particular mark that could be set with any chance of recognition to obtain a cross bearing. As there is every reason to believe that this part of the coast is what was taken by former navigators for Cloates Island,* I have named the southernmost point of the high land Point Cloates.
(*Footnote. See volume 1.)
At noon we were in latitude 21 degrees 57 minutes 5 seconds, having experienced a current of twenty-three miles to the north since yesterday at noon. The northern extreme, Vlaming’s Head, bore North-East by East 1/2 East and the south extreme South 7 degrees West; and in the bearing of between South 32 degrees to 82 degrees East the land is higher than in other parts and declines very gradually towards the extreme.
As the brig approached the land breakers were seen to extend the whole length of the shore, which is fronted by a sandy beach: the land is of moderate height but the summit is rather more rugged than that to the southward where the outline is perfectly level. At half-past three o’clock Vlaming Head bore south six miles and three quarters off: at four o’clock the latitude, by the moon’s meridional altitude, was found to be 21 degrees 38 minutes 27 seconds, at which time sights were taken for the chronometer, which made the longitude of the head 114 degrees 2 minutes 16 seconds: the situation assigned to it on our first voyage was 114 degrees 1 minute 47 seconds; the mean of the two, 114 degrees 2 minutes 2 seconds, may therefore be considered its true situation.
From the above observation for the latitude of the North-West Cape agreeing nearly with those of our former voyage, I was induced to think that there might be some land more to the northward that the French saw and took for the cape; for they have placed it in 21 degrees 37 minutes 7 seconds South, which is nearly 10 minutes too northerly. Captain Horsburgh, in the supplement to his Directory, notices some islands seen by the San Antonio in 1818, called Piddington’s Islands, that are said to lie in the latitude of 21 degrees 36 minutes, but after steering seventeen miles to the North-East from the above situation, without seeing anything like land, there remained no doubt in my mind that the French must have been deceived and that Piddington’s Islands are some of the low, sandy islets to the eastward of Muiron Island.
January 30.
Having steered through the night on a north-east course, Barrow’s Island came in sight the next morning, when it was about five leagues off; at eight o’clock it bore between South 27 East and North 87 degrees East. From noon to three p.m. we had calm, dull, and cloudy weather; and although the thermometer did not range higher than 87 degrees, the heat was extremely oppressive, and occasioned the death of three of our turtles. At three o’clock a breeze springing up from the westward enabled us to steer to the northward round the Montebello Islands, in doing which we saw nothing of Hermite Island, which the French have laid down as the westernmost island of that group. There is certainly no land to the westward of Trimouille Island; and the error can only be accounted for by Captain Baudin’s having seen the latter at two different periods; indeed this conjecture is in some measure proved, since there is a considerable reef running off the north-west end of that island, which in the French chart is attached to Hermite Island; this reef might not have been seen by him at his first visit, and when he made the land again and observed the reef he must have concluded it to have been a second island.
After steering a north course until seven o’clock and deepening the water to sixty-five fathoms, we gradually hauled round the north end of the Montebello Isles; and at eleven p.m. steered East; but at two o’clock, having decreased the depth from seventy-two to forty-one fathoms, we steered off to the northward until daylight, and then to the East-South-East, in order to anchor in the Mermaid’s Strait to the eastward of Malus Island, to take some stones on board as ballast, for the brig was so very light and leewardly that it would have been running a great risk to approach the land, as she then was. But in this we were disappointed, for after an interval of close sultry weather, and a severe thunderstorm, a gale of wind set in from the South-West, during which the barometer fell as low as 29.36 inches. The gale then veered gradually round to the North-West, and obliged us to make sail off the coast, and by the time it moderated we were so far to leeward of Dampier’s Archipelago that I was constrained to alter my plan and give up the idea of taking ballast on board. I therefore determined upon making Rowley’s Shoals, for the purpose of fixing their position with greater correctness, and examining the extent of the bight round Cape Leveque, which we were obliged to leave unexplored during the earlier part of this voyage.
1822. February 4.
The first of these objects was effected on the 4th; on which day we passed round the south end of the Imperieuse (the westernmost) Shoal; which we now found to extend nearly four miles more to the southward than had been suspected in 1818, at which period we steered round its north end.
A large patch of dry rocks was also seen on the north-east end of the reef about ten miles from the vessel’s track, and Mr. Roe, from the masthead, thought that the east side of the shoal did not appear to be so steep as the western side.
From noon we steered east to make the shoal seen by the Good Hope, but having sailed in that direction as far as latitude 17 degrees 42 minutes 51 seconds and longitude 119 degrees 32 minutes 4 seconds, without seeing any signs of it for ten miles on either side of our course, we hauled to the wind for the night and sounded in one hundred and forty-five fathoms speckled sand and broken shells.
February 5.
At seven o’clock the following morning we were steering east when broken water was reported bearing from East to East-South-East, but it turned out to be a rippling which we passed through. These ripplings have been frequently noticed in the vicinity of the reefs, but we have been very little affected by the tides by which they must be occasioned. At noon we were by observation in 17 degrees 43 minutes 41 seconds and longitude 119 degrees 41 minutes 52 seconds, when we sounded in one hundred and twenty fathoms, speckled sand mixed with broken shells and stones; and at twenty miles farther to the eastward sounded again on the same depth.
February 6.
At eight o’clock the next morning, having steered through the night North-East by East, we were in ninety fathoms, sand, broken shells, and large stones.
February 8.
On the morning of the 8th the land was seen in the South-East and soon afterwards the brig passed round Cape Leveque at the distance of a mile and a half. On our way towards Point Swan we saw from the masthead a line of strong tide-ripplings, extending from the point in a North-West by West direction; within which we at first attempted to pass but, finding that they were connected to the point, hauled up to steer through them where they seemed to be the least dangerous. As we approached the noise was terrific and, although we were not more than two minutes amongst the breakers, yet the shocks of the sea were so violent as to make me fear for the safety of our masts. A smaller vessel would perhaps have been swamped; for although the sea was in other parts quite smooth and the wind light, yet the water broke over the bows and strained the brig considerably.
We then steered between Point Swan and two rocky islands lying five miles from the shore over a space which, at our last visit, appeared to be occupied by an extensive reef, but we were then probably deceived by tide-ripplings.
It was my intention to have brought up under the lee of the point, where Dampier describes his having anchored in twenty-nine fathoms clear sandy ground; but upon rounding the projection, the wind suddenly fell and, after a light squall from South-West we had a dead calm; the depth was thirty fathoms coral bottom and therefore not safe to anchor upon; this was unfortunate for the sudden defection of the wind prevented our hauling into the bay out of the tide, which was evidently running with considerable rapidity and drifting us, without our having the means of preventing it, towards a cluster of small rocks and islands through which we could not discover any outlet, and which were so crowded that in the dangerous predicament in which we found ourselves placed they bore a truly awful and terrific appearance. At this time I was at my usual post, the masthead, directing the steerage of the vessel; but as the brig was drifting forward by a rapid sluice of tide towards some low rocks, about a quarter of a mile off, that were not more than two feet above the water’s edge, and upon which it appeared almost inevitable that we must strike, I descended to the deck, under the certain conviction that we could not escape the dangers that were strewed across our path unless a breeze should spring up, of which there was not the slightest appearance or probability.
Happily however the stream of the tide swept us past the rocks without accident and, after carrying us about half a mile farther, changed its direction to south-east and drifted us towards a narrow strait separating two rocky islands, in the centre of which was a large insulated rock that seemed to divide the stream. The boat was now hoisted out and sent ahead to tow, but we could not succeed in getting the vessel’s head round. As she approached the strait the channel became much narrower, and several islands were passed at not more than thirty yards from her course. The voices of natives were now heard and soon afterwards some were seen on either side of the strait, hallooing and waving their arms; we were so near to one party that they might have thrown their spears on board; they had a dog with them which Mr. Cunningham remarked to be black. By this time we were flying past the shore with such velocity that it made us quite giddy; and our situation was too awful to give us time to observe the motions of the Indians; for we were entering the narrowest part of the strait, and the next moment were close to the rock which it appeared to be almost impossible to avoid; and it was more than probable that the stream it divided would carry us broadside upon it, when the consequences would have been truly dreadful; the current, or sluice, was setting past the rock at the rate of eight or nine knots, and the water being confined by its intervention fell at least six or seven feet; at the moment, however, when we were upon the point of being dashed to pieces, a sudden breeze providentially sprung up and, filling our sails, impelled the vessel forward for three or four yards: this was enough, but only just sufficient, for the rudder was not more than six yards from the rock. No sooner had we passed this frightful danger than the breeze fell again and was succeeded by a dead calm; the tide however continued to carry us on with a gradually decreasing strength until one o’clock, when we felt very little effect from it.
From the spot we had now reached the coast from Cape Leveque appeared to trend to the southward but was not visible beyond the bearing of South-West; there was however some land more to the southward that had the appearance of being an island; it was afterwards found to be a projection, forming the east head of a bay, and was subsequently called after my friend Mr. Cunningham, to whose indefatigable zeal the scientific world is considerably indebted for the very extensive and valuable botanical collection that has been formed upon this voyage.
We had a dead calm until high-water during which, as the brig continued to drive with the tide to the southward in from twenty to twenty-four fathoms, over a rocky bottom, I was undetermined what course to pursue in order to preserve the situation which we had so unexpectedly reached, and to prevent the ebb-tide from carrying us back through the strait: the bare idea of this impending danger reconciled me to determine upon sacrificing an anchor, for, from the nature of the bottom, it seemed next to impossible that we could recover it, if once dropped. Just, however, as the tide was beginning to turn, a breeze sprang up from the westward and at once put an end to our fears and anxieties; all sail was made towards Point Cunningham beyond which no land was visible; but the tide being adverse and the evening near at hand, we anchored in the bight to the north-west of the Point which bore South 32 1/2 degrees East seven miles and a half.
February 9.
The next day I remained at the anchorage and despatched Mr. Roe to examine the coast round Point Cunningham; Mr. Baskerville in the meantime sounded about the bay between the brig and the western shore and found very good anchorage in all parts: at about one mile to the westward of our situation the bottom was of mud, and the depth nine and ten fathoms: the land appeared a good deal broken, like islands, but from the vessel the coast seemed to be formed by a continuity of deep bays that may perhaps afford good anchorage. On one of the sandy beaches at the back of the bay near Park Hillock, so-called from its green appearance and being studded with trees, eight or ten natives were observed walking along the beach close to the low water mark, probably in search of shell-fish; some of them were children, and perhaps the others were women, except two or three who carried spears; a dog was trotting along the beach behind them.
After dark, according to a preconcerted plan, port fires were burnt every half hour for Mr. Roe’s guidance, and before midnight the boat came alongside. Mr. Roe informed me that there was good anchorage round the point; and where he landed at Point Cunningham there was plenty of fresh water; but he saw nothing like land to the South-East; the coast trended from Point Cunningham to the south, and was of low wooded sandy land. The heat was excessive; the thermometer at noon, out of the influence of the sun, stood at 120 degrees, and when they landed at Point Cunningham Mr. Roe thought the heat was increased at least 10 degrees. At this place he obtained an indifferent meridian altitude which placed it in 16 degrees 40 minutes 18 seconds South.
In the meantime Mr. Cunningham, who had accompanied him, botanised with success. The traces of natives, dogs, turtle-bones, and broken shells, were found strewed about; and several fireplaces were noticed that had very recently been used; a fresh-water stream was running down the rocks into the sea, and at the back of the beach was a hollow, full of sweet water. Near the fireplaces Mr. Roe picked up some stones that had been chipped probably in the manufacture of their hatchets.
The soil was of a red-coloured earth of a very sandy nature; and the rocks were two sorts of sandstone, one of a deep red colour, the other whitish, and harder. After leaving Point Cunningham they pulled round the rocks, which extended for some distance off the point, and then entered a bay, all over which they found good anchorage; a low distant point formed the south extreme, but it was too late to reach it and at high-water they landed at a bright red, cliffy point.
At half-past five o’clock they re-embarked on their return and, although the tide was in their favour, were six hours before they reached the vessel; from which Mr. Roe calculated the distance to be nearly twenty miles, and by the survey subsequently made it was found to be seventeen.
February 11.
We did not leave this anchorage until the 11th and then had some difficulty in doing it, on account of the shoalness of the water upon the sandbank that fronts the bay; indeed we were obliged to anchor until the tide rose high enough to permit our crossing it. At two o’clock we again got underweigh and crossed the bank, when the wind falling calm we anchored with Point Cunningham bearing South 17 degrees East three and a half miles.
February 12.
The following morning I sent Mr. Roe to the point to take some bearings; the boat left the brig at half-past three o’clock but did not succeed in reaching the land before the sun rose; at which time the horizon, from being clearer, would have presented a more distinct view of distant objects. The group of islands to the eastward was observed to extend no farther to the southward than the bearing of North 88 degrees East, and beyond this was an open, boundless sea. The station whence this bearing was taken was on the north-west trend of the point.
On their first landing Mr. Roe and Mr. Baskerville, with one of the boat’s crew, ascended the summit and, whilst employed in looking round, heard the voices of natives among the trees about thirty yards off; but as they could not see them they very properly descended, and carried on their operations in the vicinity of the boat; they were onshore for two or three hours afterwards, but the natives did not make their appearance. The foot-marks of men and boys were evident on the sand below the high-water mark, and the remains of fireplaces, and where the natives had been manufacturing spears, were of recent date. The gentlemen brought off a few shells and some insects, among which was a beautiful sphynx; besides which one of the boat’s crew caught a species of vampyrus, apparently similar to the flying fox of Port Jackson. Of shells there was not a great variety; a chama (Tridacna gigas, Lam.) a pinna, and the trochus (caerulescens) of Dirk Hartog’s Island; but at one of the fireplaces they found a very large voluta that seemed to have served the purpose of a water-vessel; it was fifteen inches long and ten inches in diameter.
The shores appear to abound with shellfish, although Dampier thought that shells hereabouts were scarce. We could easily have completed our water at this point, but from the place appearing to be populous and, as the vessel could not be anchored sufficiently near the shore to have protected the boat’s crews, it was feared that our work might be impeded by the natives.
The boat returned at ten o’clock while we were getting underweigh; but the wind being at South-East it was one o’clock before we weathered Point Cunningham, when the tide was urging us forward rapidly. In steering round the point we found ourselves passing through some light coloured water and, before we could extricate the brig, were in three and a half fathoms; the anchor was immediately dropped underfoot and, with the assistance of the sails, which were kept full, the vessel was retained whilst the whale-boat was veered astern, and ascertained that the shoalest part had been already passed; therefore the anchor was again weighed, and eventually dropped in the bay to the south of Point Cunningham in fourteen fathoms and three quarters, fine speckled sand and stones.
In the direction of North 63 degrees West and at a mile and a half from the anchorage was a remarkable flat-topped hill which was called at Mr. Cunningham’s wish, Carlisle Head, and the bay in which we anchored, Goodenough Bay, in compliment to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Carlisle. At this part Mr. Cunningham found a new species of velleia (of the natural order Goodenoviae).
We were now suffering much from the extreme heat and closeness of the weather; the thermometer ranged night and day between 85 and 89 degrees, and when the breeze was light or the weather calm the air was insufferably hot and close, and affected us all very much, but happily without any very serious consequences.
In the evening four natives armed with spears were seen sitting in the shade upon the sandy beach under Carlisle Head, attentively watching us; but upon being joined by three others, who came towards them from Point Cunningham, got up and walked away. We have yet to learn how far these people may be confided in, for we were not at a very great distance from Hanover Bay where we so nearly paid dear for trusting ourselves amongst them unarmed.
February 13.
We remained at the anchorage in Goodenough Bay until the following morning, when we weighed to a very light breeze from south-east, the only direction from which we experienced any wind; the breeze generally blew strong at night, whilst during the day it was light, or nearly calm; so that during the night we were very insecurely placed if the anchorage was at all suspicious, and in the day were either delayed very much or entirely prevented from weighing.
Thus it was with us on this day; soon after we weighed it fell calm and the tide, drifting us rapidly to the southward over rocky ground, carried us close to a reef of dry rocks to the northward of Foul Point without our being able to avoid it. At a little before five o’clock the flood-tide was nearly expended and obliged us to drop the chain-cabled anchor at the distance of three miles from Foul Point, upon a bottom of rotten yellow-coloured rock that crumbled away upon being touched, but from the noise that the chain made in dragging over the ground there was reason to apprehend it was very rocky; and consequently great fears were entertained for the safety of our anchor.
Our situation was in the outer part of a bay, the southern head of which bore South 22 degrees East, and which, from the loss and perplexity we met with in it, was afterwards called Disaster Bay, and its south extreme, off which is a small rocky island, was named Repulse Point.
During the afternoon we had another instance of mirage which proved useful so far that it indicated to us the trend of the land to the south-eastward, in which direction nothing had previously been seen; it appeared to be very low and level, and similar to the character of the coast on the southward of Cape Leveque. At sunset when the haze cleared off and the appearance of the land gradually sank below the horizon we were instantly relieved from the oppressive heat we had experienced during the day, for the thermometer had indicated a temperature of 91 degrees and, when exposed to the influence of the sun, rose to 120 degrees.
Three natives were noticed as we passed along the shore; they were walking upon a sandy beach abreast of us but very soon disappeared among the trees and bushes which here grow close down to the waterside; they were armed with spears and appeared to be watching our movements; for they moved along in the direction of our course and did not afterwards make their appearance during the evening.
February 14.
The next morning whilst the ebb-tide lasted we had a light breeze but, at noon, as the weather was calm and the brig could not be got underweigh, either with safety or utility, the boats were despatched in different directions to improve our knowledge of the place.
At low water a considerable sandbank was exposed to our view, that had not previously been seen; it fronts the bay and is dry at low tide for some extent, it is also shoal some distance to the northward, as our boat had only four feet in passing over it. In the afternoon, as there was every appearance of fine weather and no likelihood of a breeze, Mr. Baskerville and Mr. Cunningham set off in a boat to visit Repulse Point, in order to make what observations they could upon the further trend of the land; but no sooner had they left the vessel than a breeze sprung up and freshened to a gale in which our cable parted; and as there was no chance of dropping another anchor with a prospect of recovering it, we were obliged to return to our former anchorage in Goodenough Bay; but, owing to the tide being contrary, the brig did not reach it until nearly sunset. Our alarm and anxieties were now raised to a great pitch for the safety of Mr. Baskerville and his companions: signals of recall had been hoisted and several guns fired before the cable parted, but the boat was too far off to notice either: as soon as it was dark signal guns were fired and port fires burnt every ten minutes to guide its return.
Happily these signals at last had the desired effect, for at ten o’clock the boat came alongside. Mr. Baskerville had failed in reaching Repulse Point but obtained some useful information as to the trend of the land round the point, which still appeared to extend to the southward; they had not been able to land, but had encountered much danger from the small size of the boat, which shipped a great deal of water, so that by the time it arrived they were completely drenched with the spray of the sea. They had only observed our signals for a few minutes before their arrival; for the flashes of the guns and the lights of the port-fires were so confused with lightning and the fires of the natives on the shore that they could not be distinguished from each other. Soon after they arrived on board heavy rain commenced, and fell during the greater part of the night.
February 15.
The ensuing day the weather was still squally and unsettled. In the afternoon the launch and another boat were sent in search of our lost anchor but returned at night without success; for the tide was so strong that the buoy did not watch. The next morning it was again intended to resume the search, but the weather clouded in and threatened to be so bad that all further attempts were abandoned.
This succession of bad weather, and our having only one anchor left, made me feel the necessity of leaving this part, and giving up for the present the examination of this interesting place; and as we wanted both wood and water, which we had found no opportunity of obtaining here on account of the tempestuous state of the weather, it was purposed we should go to Port George the Fourth, which place would afford both security for the vessel and facility for procuring these articles. This delay might also be made serviceable by employing a part of the crew at the same time in the boats in examining the islands in Rogers Strait, and tracing the continuation of the mainland behind the islands that form the south-east coast of Camden Bay, of which we knew nothing. After doing this I hoped to be able to continue the examination of the deep bay behind Montgomery’s Islands, and connect that part with the gulf or strait behind the Buccaneer’s Archipelago in which we now were; but our loss of anchors made all this very dangerous and, indeed, nothing could be done without very fine weather, of which there was at present unfortunately no appearance.
But a greater and more serious hindrance was that our provisions were very much reduced in quantity, and that we had not more than enough to last, upon a full allowance, for the voyage to Port Jackson; the hope however of procuring more information of this part of the coast was so inviting that I did not despair of effecting something in a fortnight worth the delay. We had dry provisions and water on board for about ten weeks, so that with fine weather we could have retarded our departure for ten or twelve days without much risk.
February 16.
Our quitting this place being determined upon we did not lose any time; but from various delays of calm weather and adverse tides could not succeed in getting out to sea until the 18th.
It was impossible to go out by the dangerous channel through which we entered; but as Sunday Strait, through which the brig had been drifted before we went to Mauritius, appeared free from danger, we directed our course to it.
February 17.
And, after being underweigh all the night near its inner entrance, during which we had once nearly struck on a reef of rocks, found ourselves at daylight drifting through it with a rapid ebb-tide without a breath of wind. The tide however lasted long enough to carry us out, and when the flood commenced, which would have drifted us back again, a fresh breeze sprang up from the westward and very soon carried us clear of the influence of the tide.
With respect to the opening we had now left there were many conflicting opinions among us, but I have every reason to think that the land from Cape Leveque to Point Gantheaume is an island and that there is also a communication between Cygnet and Collier’s Bays, behind the islands of the Archipelago, where it is also probable there is an opening trending to the south-east. The great rise and fall of the tides in the neighbourhood of Point Gantheaume gives a plausibility to this opinion; and the only thing that I know against it is the trifling depth of the water between that point and Cape Villaret. This however may be caused by the numerous banks and channels existing there, and which, of themselves alone, are indicative of the opening being something more than a mere bay.
As sunset approached the eastern horizon was as usual in commotion; heavy dense clouds were collected, from which we had thunder and lightning. At seven o’clock the appearance was more threatening and, as a squall was evidently approaching, the sails were taken in and preparation made to meet it: soon after eight o’clock it passed rapidly over and brought a strong gust of wind, before which we were obliged to scud. After blowing most tempestuously for an hour the wind moderated, and the night passed without any repetition of it; we had however run five miles to leeward: had we been obliged to do this last night when underway in Cygnet Bay, or been drifted back this evening by the ebb-tide, we should have been very dangerously placed, from being surrounded by islands and blinded by the darkness of the night. Whilst this squall lasted the barometer was in no way affected, but the thermometer fell two degrees, having stood all the afternoon at 89 3/4 degrees.
February 18.
During the remainder of the night we stood off and on and experienced a current setting in the direction of North 52 degrees West one mile per hour. At eight o’clock the next morning (18th) Adele Island was seen; and in the afternoon we passed at a mile and a half from the western side of the reef which surrounds it. This island is low and sandy and covered with small bushes; it is about two or three miles in length; a dry sand extends for five miles from its south end, and as far as one mile from its north-west point; but the covered part of the reef is more extensive, and appeared rocky. At the distance of three miles and a half, in a north-west direction from its north end, are two dry sandbanks which are probably covered at high-water. Light-coloured water extended for three miles to the westward and for fourteen miles to the north-west; but the water is probably deep enough over it for any vessel to pass: we steered over the tail within the coloured water, but had no bottom with forty-five fathoms. In many parts near the island the rocks must be very little below the surface of the water, for the sea occasionally broke upon them.
We then steered to the East and East-North-East and at night made short trips on either tack. The weather was extremely sultry during the afternoon, the thermometer being at 89 degrees, and when exposed to the sun the mercury rose to 125 degrees. Towards sunset large flights of boobies, terns, and other sea-birds passed by, flying towards the islands. One or two stopped to notice us and flew round the brig several times.
February 19.
The night was fine with light south-west winds; but we had lightning in the North-East, from which quarter at daylight the weather clouded in; and, from the increasing dampness of the atmosphere, indicated rain.
At noon we were in 15 degrees 12 minutes 15 seconds South and 7 minutes 1 second east of the anchorage in Cygnet Bay. The wind was from the southward with dull cloudy weather. Large flights of birds were about the vessel, preying upon small fish swimming among the seaweed, of which we passed a great quantity. As the evening approached the weather clouded in and threatened us with another squall from the eastward. The thermometer stood at 88 degrees, and the barometer at 29.81 inches: half an hour before sunset the clouds, which had collected in the eastern horizon, began to thicken and approach us with loud thunder and vivid lightning: all the sails, except the topsails which were lowered, were furled just in time to avoid any bad effects from the squall, which commenced with a strong gust from East-South-East and East; it lasted about an hour, during the latter part of which we had very heavy rain. At eight o’clock the wind fell to a calm and was afterwards baffling and light from north to east and south-east.
February 20.
At daylight (20th) the morning was dull and cloudy: a bank of heavy threatening clouds, rising from the eastward, induced my steering to the westward to await the issue of this weather, so unfavourable for our doing any good upon the coast, as well as increasing the danger of navigating among reefs and islands where the tides were so strong. The next morning at daylight we had a squall with rain and wind from the eastward after which a fresh breeze set in from the same quarter: as this weather appeared likely to last I very unwillingly determined upon leaving the coast and returning immediately to Port Jackson.
February 21 to 24.
From the 21st until the 24th we had moderate winds between north and south-east which gradually drew us out of the influence of the damp, unwholesome weather we so lately experienced. Our course was held to the northward of Rowley’s Shoals which, upon passing, we found a strong current setting towards them at the rate of one mile an hour. This indraught increases the danger of navigating near this part but I do not recollect having experienced any when we passed them in June, 1818. The current, therefore, that we felt, may be only of temporary duration, and probably caused by the variable state of the wind.
1822. February 24 to March 3.
Between the 24th of February and the 3rd of March we had light and variable winds from all directions but, being more frequent from the eastward than from any other point of the compass, I became reconciled to the step I had taken of leaving the coast, since it would not have been possible to have reached Port George the Fourth to effect any good.
The thermometer now ranged between 87 and 89 degrees and the weather was consequently extremely oppressive and sultry.
March 3 to 11.
On the 3rd at noon we were in latitude 18 degrees 45 minutes 18 seconds and longitude 111 degrees 4 minutes 15 seconds when a breeze sprang up from the South-east and carried us within the influence of the trade, which blew steadily between South-South-east and South by East and advanced us on our passage but carried us considerably to the westward. On this course we were accompanied by immense shoals of albicores (Scomber thynnus, Linn.) but they were of small size; very few measured more than twenty inches in length, and the average weight about ten pounds: The meat was very good and tender and as a great number of the fish were caught, proved a grateful relief to our salt diet. The atmosphere was very damp and before the vessel entered the trade we had lightning every night, but it ceased the moment that we were within its limits. Tropic and other oceanic birds, some of a dark brown colour, hovered about us and were our daily companions, particularly the latter which preyed upon the small fish that were pursued by the albicores.
March 11 to 14.
From the 11th to the 14th the trade ceased and the interval was supplied by a northerly wind, veering round to west, which enabled us to make up for the ground we had lost by its having been so much from the southward. After this we had variable breezes between South and East-South-East but the current, which before had been setting us to the north-west, now set to the north-east; this change was probably occasioned by the south-westerly swell.
On the 14th we were in 27 degrees 49 minutes South, and 101 degrees 1 minute East. Some tropic birds were seen this morning but as yet neither albatrosses nor pintadoes had made their appearance. During the short cessation of the trade the atmosphere was very dry until the south-easterly winds returned, when it became more humid; but as we approached the southern limit of this South-East wind, which may be considered to bear more of the character of a periodical wind than the trade, the atmosphere became altogether drier; it carried us as far as 32 degrees 40 minutes South and 96 degrees 42 minutes West before it veered to the northward of east when, after a calm, we had north-easterly winds and fine weather of which we made good use.
The first albatross was seen in 31 1/4 degrees South and was flying about the brig at the same time with a tropic bird, which is a remarkable occurrence, for I never saw the latter bird before so far without the tropic; but here was one nearly five hundred miles to the southward of it, and at least three hundred leagues from the nearest land; an albatross (Diomedea exulans, Linn.) was shot, but did not measure more than nine feet nine inches across the tips of the wings.
February 25.
On the 25th of February we examined our water and found the casks so much damaged by rats that instead of having thirteen tons we had only nine on board, but as this was thought to be sufficient for our voyage the daily issue was not reduced.
March 28.
On the 28th of March however it was found necessary to make a considerable reduction in the allowance.
April 13.
On the 13th of April the north-west end of Van Diemen’s Land came in sight but it was not until the 15th that we entered Bass Strait by the passage between King’s and Hunter’s Islands. Off Cape Howe we boarded a trading brig belonging to Port Jackson bound to Van Diemen’s Land, from which we obtained pleasing and satisfactory news of our friends at Sydney, as also the gratifying intelligence of the promotion of myself to the rank of commander, and of Messrs. Bedwell and Roe to that of lieutenant. The promotion of the latter gentleman was under circumstances of the most flattering nature, and here not only offers a most satisfactory proof of the approbation bestowed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty upon my zealous assistant, but precludes me from the otherwise pleasing task of giving my humble testimonial of his conduct and merits.
Between Cape Howe and Port Jackson we experienced much bad weather, which delayed our arrival so long that we had expended all our bread and were reduced to a very small proportion of water:
April 25.
We however succeeded in effecting our arrival at Sydney by the 25th, after an absence of 344 days.
CHAPTER 5.
The Bathurst sails for England.
Remarks upon some errors in the hydrography of the south coast of Van Diemen’s Land.
King George the Third’s Sound.
Passage to the Cape of Good Hope.
Cross the Atlantic, and arrive at Plymouth Sound. Observations upon the voyages, and conclusion.
1822. April 25 to September 25.
Upon an examination of the brig’s defects after our arrival at Port Jackson her stern and cut-water were found so defective as to require a considerable repair; but from the difficulty of procuring seasoned wood, so long a time elapsed before it was effected that we were not ready for sea until the beginning of September, when other delays of minor importance detained us until the 25th.
At Port Jackson I found orders from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to return to England in the Bathurst when the survey should be completed; but as we were in want of many things that the colony could not furnish, and as we should be detained until the month of February before the monsoon would allow of our going upon the coast; it was deemed most advantageous for the public service to return without making another voyage. Accordingly on the 25th September we sailed from Sydney with the intention of proceeding to the north through Torres Strait, and calling at the Mauritius on our way; but no sooner had we put to sea than a hard gale set in from the north which induced me to bear up and either to go round Van Diemen’s Land to the westward, if the wind should favour such a proceeding, or, by doubling the south end of New Zealand to make the eastern passage round Cape Horn.
1822. October 6.
Having reached the south-east end of Van Diemen’s Land on the 6th of October, and a fresh north-easterly wind setting in at the same time, I determined upon adopting the first plan; and therefore proceeded round the south side of the island, in doing which I had the opportunity of verifying some observations formerly taken by which it appeared that the coast between Storm Bay and the South-west Cape was very erroneously laid down both by Captain Flinders and the French expeditions under d’Entrecasteaux and Baudin.
On my voyage to Macquarie Harbour in 1819 I found so many errors in the bearings that were taken as induced me to suspect an original error, and on this occasion a very considerable one was detected.
When Captain Flinders passed round Van Diemen’s Land in the Norfolk he obtained a meridional supplementary altitude of the sun to the south, his vessel being under the land, which made the South-west Cape in 43 degrees 29 minutes South; but finding the next day that his instrument was 2 minutes 40 seconds in error to the north he assigned to the cape a position of 43 degrees 32 minutes. In the Introduction to his voyage* he makes some remarks in a note upon the positions assigned to it by Captains Cook and Furneaux; the latter officer placed it in 43 degrees 39 minutes, in which I also found it to be by its transient bearing from the South Cape. By a series of bearings carried along the coast its position is thirty-three miles West 3 degrees South true, from the South Cape.
(*Footnote. Flinders volume 1 Introduction page 179.)
All parts of the coast in this interval are proportionally in error as to latitude but tolerably well placed in reference to the coast. The subjoined are the positions now assigned to the following places, namely:
COLUMN 1: NAME OF PLACE.
COLUMN 2: LATITUDE.
COLUMN 3: LONGITUDE ACCORDING TO CAPTAIN FLINDERS’ SURVEY.
South Cape : 43 degrees 38 minutes : 146 degrees 56 minutes.
Mewstone : 43 degrees 46 minutes : 146 degrees 31 1/2 minutes.
South-west Cape : 43 degrees 39 minutes : 146 degrees 12 minutes.
The south-east cape of Bruny Island, Tasman’s Head, is also placed too much to the southward in Captain Flinders’ chart as well as in that of Baudin. From the Mermaid it was set in a line with the south-east cape on the bearing of North 56 degrees East (the vessel’s head being to the eastward); and on this occasion (the brig’s head being to the westward) it bore, when in the same line, North 53 degrees East. The variation in the latter case was 9 degrees East, but in the former no more than 6 degrees was allowed, and Captain Flinders found even 4 degrees sufficient.
I passed outside the Mewstone and took its bearing as it came on with the points of the land between the south-west and the south-east capes, by which I satisfied myself beyond a doubt of the correctness of my observations and of the error into which Captain Flinders had fallen, and which must either be attributed to the imperfection of his instrument or to his reading off the altitude 10 minutes in error; and as there is just that difference between it and the position assigned by Captain Furneaux, which is also confirmed by my observation, the probability is in favour of the last conjecture.
After leaving the coast of Van Diemen’s Land we had much damp, unwholesome weather, and a succession of heavy westerly gales, in which the brig was occasionally much pressed.
1822. November 8-31.
And it was not until the 8th of November that we made Bald Island, which is to the eastward of King George’s Sound. We were now much in need of a place to caulk the bends, as well as to repair some temporary damage to the rigging and complete our wood and water. I therefore seized the opportunity of our being near the sound and, steering into it, anchored off the sandy bay within Seal Island and immediately commenced operations. We were however much delayed by hard westerly gales, which not only prevented the carpenter’s caulking, but also delayed our watering, since the boat could not pull to the shore; but as the anchorage was well sheltered we suffered no further inconvenience than the delay.
A few days after our arrival we were surprised by the appearance of a strange vessel beating into the sound; she proved to be an American schooner on a sealing voyage and was coming in for the purpose of careening and cleaning the vessel’s bottom in Oyster Harbour. The natives also made their appearance and some of them being our old friends, immediately recognised us.
As there was no wood convenient to our anchorage I moved the vessel to the entrance of Princess Royal Harbour, near the northern head of which, at the south end of the long sandy beach, the trees were growing in abundance close to the beach: it was at this place also that Captain Flinders obtained his wood; and excepting the entrance of Oyster Harbour it is the most convenient place in the whole sound.
Whilst at this last anchorage we were visited by the natives, many of them strangers; they were accompanied by our old friend Coolbun, the native that, upon our former visit, was so noisy in explaining to his companions the effect of the shot that was fired. On one occasion, when they were on board, an immense shark was hooked, but broke the hook and escaped, which was a great disappointment to them, for they evidently anticipated a luxurious meal. After this they went on shore, when the breeze blew so fresh as to make some seasick, very much to the amusement of those who did not suffer, particularly one of the older men. On this occasion the names of several of the natives were obtained, which have been inserted with a few additional words at the end of the list obtained from them during our former visit.* Our friend Jack did not make his appearance, nor did the natives at all seem to understand for whom we were enquiring.
(*Footnote. See above.)
As soon as our wood was completed the brig was moved to an anchorage off the watering bay which proved a more convenient place than under Seal Island, as it was better sheltered and nearer to the watering-place. After riding out a heavy gale from the westward at single anchor without any accident and as soon as our water was completed, we again anchored for a day under Seal Island, but were obliged to make two attempts before we succeeded in getting out to sea.
Whilst at the anchorage off Princess Royal Harbour I went to Oyster Harbour to procure flowering specimens of a tree which had hitherto been a subject of much curiosity to botanists: at our former visits the season was too far advanced; and Mr. Brown was equally unfortunate. The plant resembles xanthorrhoea, both in its trunk and leaves, but bears its flower in a very different manner; for, instead of throwing out one long flower scape, it produces eighteen or twenty short stalks, each terminated by an oval head of flowers. I recollected having seen a large grove of these trees growing at a short distance from the outer beach on the east side of the entrance of the harbour; and on going there found the decayed flowers and seeds sufficiently perfect to throw a considerable light upon this singular plant;* several were procured and brought to England. A drawing of this tree is given in the view of King George’s Sound in Captain Flinders’ account of the Investigator’s voyage.** In the list of the plants collected by me upon this occasion was a splendid species of anigosanthus, which proved to be quite new, and had escaped the observation both of Mr. Brown and of Mr. Cunningham. Living plants of various genera were also procured: among which were several of the remarkable Cephalotus follicularis (Brown) which however alone survived the voyage, and are now growing in the royal gardens at Kew.
(*Footnote. More perfect specimens were afterwards collected by Mr. Baxter, and sent, through Mr. Henchman his employer, to my friend Mr. Brown, the original discoverer of the tree in Captain Flinders’ voyage, and the author of the paper in the appendix at the end of the volume relating to it.)
(**Footnote. Flinders volume 1 page 60.)
December 1 to February 9, 1823.
Having effected our departure from King George’s Sound we proceeded on our way towards Simon’s Bay at the Cape of Good Hope, which we reached on the 14th January after a passage of forty-six days without encountering a gale of wind or the occurrence of any event worth recording.
February 9 to April 23.
We left Simon’s Bay on the 9th of February and, after touching at St. Helena and Ascension, crossed the line in 22 degrees 6 minutes West; and on the 7th of April made the Island of Flores, one of the Azores. On the same morning we fell in with two French men of war, a frigate and a corvette, who bore down but, upon showing our colours, hauled their wind and resumed their course without communicating with us. Between this and the Channel we were delayed by a succession of northerly winds. The Lizard Lights were made in the night of the 22nd of April and the following day we anchored in Plymouth Sound; after an absence of more than six years.
It may not be considered irrelevant here to make a few brief observations upon what has been effected by these voyages, and what yet remains to be done upon the northern coasts of Australia. Beginning with the north-eastern coast, I have been enabled to lay down a very safe and convenient track for vessels bound through Torres Strait, and to delineate the coastline between Cape Hillsborough, in 20 degrees 54 minutes South, and Cape York, the north extremity of New South Wales; a distance of six hundred and ninety miles. As my instructions did not authorise my delaying to examine any part of this coast I could not penetrate into the many numerous and extensive openings that presented themselves in this space; particularly in the neighbourhoods of Cape Gloucester, Upstart, and Cleveland; where the intersected and broken appearances of the hills at the back are matters of interesting enquiry and research.
My instructions at first confined me between Cape Arnhem and the North-west Cape, but were subsequently extended to the western coast. The examination of the northern and part of the north-western coasts, from Wessel Islands to Port George the Fourth, a distance of seven hundred and ninety miles, has been carefully made and, with a few exceptions, every opening has been explored. Those parts in this interval that yet require examination are some inlets on the south side of Clarence Strait, and one of more considerable size to the eastward of Cambridge Gulf, trending in to the south-east: otherways, the coast comprised within these limits has been sufficiently examined for all the purposes of navigation.
The coast also between the North-west Cape and Depuch Island, containing two hundred and twenty miles, has also been sufficiently explored; but between the latter island and Port George the Fourth, a distance of five hundred and ten miles, it yet remains almost unknown. The land that is laid down is nothing more than an archipelago of islands fronting the mainland, the situation of which is quite uncertain. Our examinations of these islands were carried on as far as Cape Villaret, but between that and Depuch Island the coast has only been seen by the French, who merely occasionally saw small detached portions of it. At present however this is conjecture; but the space is of considerable extent and, if there is an opening into the interior of New Holland, it is in the vicinity of this part. Off the Buccaneer’s Archipelago the tides are strong and rise to the height of thirty-six feet. Whatever may exist behind these islands, which we were prevented by our poverty in anchors and other circumstances from exploring, there are certainly some openings of importance; and it is not at all improbable that there may be a communication at this part with the interior for a considerable distance from the coast.
The examination of the western coast was performed during an almost continued gale of wind, so that we had no opportunity of making any very careful observation upon its shores. There can however be very little more worth knowing of them, as I apprehend the difficulty of landing is too great ever to expect to gain much information; for it is only in Shark’s Bay that a vessel can anchor with safety.
With respect to the subjects of natural history that have been procured upon the voyage, it is much to be lamented that the small size of the vessel and our constant professional duties prevented my extending them. Of quadrupeds we saw but few. Birds were very numerous but the operation of skinning and preserving them would have taken up more time than could be afforded. A few insects, some shells, and a small series of specimens of the geology of the parts we landed at were among the only things obtained, excepting the extensive and valuable collection of plants formed by Mr. Cunningham which are now in the possession of Mr. Aiton, of the Royal Gardens at Kew; for which establishment it would seem that they were solely procured. It was in fact the only department of natural history in which any pains were taken and for which every assistance was rendered. A small herbarium was however collected by me, containing nearly five hundred species: they are in the possession of my respected friend Aylmer B. Lambert, Esquire, whose scientific attainments in the field of botany are well and widely known. It is to be hoped however that the few subjects offered to the scientific world in the appendix, through the kindness of my friends, will not be thought uninteresting or unimportant; and that they will serve to show how very desirable it is to increase the comparatively slender knowledge that we possess of this extensive country, which in this respect might still with propriety retain its ancient name of Terra Australis INCOGNITA.
Whilst this sheet was going through the press accounts were received at the Admiralty from Captain J.G. Bremer, C.B. of H.M. Ship Tamar who was despatched by the government in the early part of last year (1824) to take possession of Arnhem’s Land, upon the north coast of the continent, and to form an establishment upon the most eligible spot that could be found for a mercantile depot. Of the proceedings of this expedition the following particulars have been communicated to me by Lieutenant J.S. Roe, my former companion and assistant, who was appointed lieutenant of the Tamar upon her being destined for that service; and which, as the sequel of the voyage I have been describing, cannot be deemed irrelevant or uninteresting, since the place fixed upon by Captain Bremer was discovered during the early part of the said voyage.*
(*Footnote. See volume 1.)
The Tamar arrived at Port Jackson on the 28th of July, 1824; when every facility was rendered by the colonial government to further the object in view. The expedition sailed thence in less than a month with a detachment of the 3rd regiment and forty-five convicts, in addition to the party of Royal Marines that had been embarked before the Tamar left England. The establishment was placed under the command of Captain Barlow of the 3rd regiment. A merchant ship, the Countess of Harcourt, was taken up to convey the stores and provisions, and the Lady Nelson, colonial brig, was also placed at the disposal of the commandant.
Lieutenant Roe, in describing this voyage to me, writes: “We had a very favourable passage to the northward, and in less than three weeks cleared Torres Strait by the route you recommended to Captain Bremer, without encountering any accident. We nevertheless saw several shoals that, in our former voyages in the Mermaid and Bathurst, were not noticed; by reason of the greater altitude of the Tamar’s masthead affording a much more extensive view on either side of our course.” The particulars of these discoveries of Lieutenant Roe are given in the Appendix, under the description of the North-East Coast, in the order in which they occur.
Having cleared Torres Strait the Tamar anchored in Port Essington. Lieutenant Roe then says, “Having brought the ship to anchor off Table Point in Port Essington, all the boats were hoisted out and the marines landed, when, an union-jack being fixed upon a conspicuous tree near the extremity of the point, formal possession was taken of the north coast of Australia, between the meridians of 129 and 136 degrees East of Greenwich. The marines fired three volleys, and the Tamar a royal salute, upon the occasion.
“Our first object being to find water, parties were despatched in various directions for that purpose; but after traversing many miles of country, and coasting a great deal of the port, only one place was discovered (the low sandy east point of entrance to Inner Harbour) where any was to be procured, and it was then only obtained by digging deep holes in the sand. A large Malay encampment had recently removed from this spot, leaving their fireplaces and temporary couches, and large piles of firewood to season, in readiness for their next visit. No natives were seen, not even at our old place in Knockers Bay. The adjoining country was found to be very good forest land, well timbered, but parched with drought, which was by no means in favour of our views. Having buried a sealed bottle upon the sandy point, containing an account of our proceedings, we named it Point Record,* and sailed at the expiration of two days for Apsley Strait.
(*Footnote. Point Record is the low sandy point on the left of the picture in the view of Port Essington, volume 1.)
“Light winds retarded our arrival off Cape Van Diemen until the 24th, and it was not before the 26th that we brought up close to Luxmoore Head, in St. Asaph Bay. Possession was here taken in a similar manner and with the same forms as at Port Essington, and we commenced a strict search for water in every direction in the neighbourhood of the head, which appeared so desirable and commanding a position, that it was with great reluctance we eventually gave up all idea of settling there, on not finding fresh water in its neighbourhood.
“At the expiration of five or six days a small river and plenty of water was discovered on Melville Island abreast of Harris Island; and an eligible situation for the intended new settlement being discovered near it, the ships were removed thither on the 2nd of October, and parties landed to commence immediate operations with the axe and saw. The projection of land fixed upon for the site of a town, was named after the commandant (Captain Barlow). The cove in which the ships were at anchor was named King’s Cove by Captain Bremer, after yourself, as the original discoverer of the strait; and that part of Apsley Strait, between Luxmoore Head and Harris Island,* received the name of Port Cockburn, in honour of Vice Admiral Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B., one of the Lords of the Admiralty.
(*Footnote. Harris Island was named by me after my friend John Harris, Esquire, formerly surgeon of the 102nd Regiment, who has served so long and so faithfully in various offices under the government of New South Wales.)
“All disposable hands being employed on shore in clearing Point Barlow of wood and other impediments, we were speedily enabled to commence the erection of a fort, seventy-five yards in length by fifty wide; to be built of the trunks of the felled trees, and to be surrounded by a ditch ten feet wide and deep. On the memorable 21st of October, our quarter-deck guns were landed and mounted, the colours were hoisted for the first time, and the work was named Fort Dundas, under a royal salute from itself.
“From this time the place began to assume the appearance of a fortified village; quarters were constructed within the walls of the fort for the accommodation of the officers belonging to the establishment, and about thirty huts of various kinds were erected, and thatched with rushes for the soldiers and convicts. A deep well was sunk near the fort; a good substantial wharf ran out into the water; and, as soon as a commissariat storehouse was finished, all the provisions were landed from the Countess of Harcourt and secured there.
“The soil in the neighbourhood of the settlement being exceedingly good, gardens were cleared and laid out, and soon produced all kinds of vegetables. In our stock we were rather unfortunate, for of six sheep that were landed for the purpose of breeding, five died, supposed from the effect produced by eating some pernicious herb in the woods: pigs, ducks, and fowls seemed however in a fair way of doing well, and had increased considerably since they were landed; but great inconvenience was experienced for want of some horses or draught oxen, which would not only have materially expedited the work in hand, but would have spared the men much laborious fatigue and exposure to the effects of a vertical sun: all difficulties and obstacles were however met and overcome with the greatest zeal and perseverance, and the works proceeded with such spirit and alacrity, that we were enabled to sail for Bombay on the 13th of November, without exposing the new settlement either to the jealousy of the Malays, or the mischievous attack of the natives. No traces of the former people were observed at this place, nor any of the trepang that would be their sole inducement for visiting it. Not one native made his appearance before the early part of November when, as if by signal, a party of about eighteen on each shore communicated with us on the same day and were very friendly, although exceedingly suspicious and timid. They would not venture within the line of the outer hut and always came armed, but laid aside their spears and clubs whenever friendly signs were made. On the second day of their visit I was greatly astonished to see amongst them a young man of about twenty years of age, not darker in colour than a Chinese but with perfect Malay features and like all the rest entirely naked: he had daubed himself all over with soot and grease, to appear like the others, but the difference was plainly perceptible. On perceiving that he was the object of our conversation, a certain archness and lively expression came over his countenance, which a native Australian would have strained his features in vain to have produced. The natives appeared to be very fond of him. It seems probable that he must have been kidnapped when very young, or found while astray in the woods.*
(*Footnote. At our visit to this place in 1818 and during our communication with the natives a boy of the above description was noticed among them; he was brought down upon the shoulders of one of the Indians, in which position he is represented in the view. See volume 1.)
“These Indians made repeated signs for hatchets, which they called paaco-paaco, and although they had stolen two or three on their first appearance, it was considered desirable to gain their goodwill by giving them more, and three were accordingly presented to individuals among them who appeared to be in authority. They were of course much pleased, but the next day several axes, knives, and sickles were taken by force from men employed outside the settlement, upon which they were made to understand that until these articles were restored no more would be given. This arrangement being persevered in by us, they determined upon seizing these implements on every occasion that presented itself; so that it was found necessary to protect our working parties in the woods by a guard; the result of which was that the natives threw their spears whenever resistance was offered, and the guard was obliged to fire upon the aggressors.
“Open acts of hostility having now been committed, and the natives increasing daily in numbers to upwards of one hundred round the settlement, a good lookout was kept upon them; but not sufficiently to prevent about sixty of them surprising five of the marines in a swamp cutting rushes, and throwing their spears amongst them: their salute was immediately returned, and they disappeared without any damage having been done on either side; at the same minute however reports of musketry were heard at our watering-place and garden and proved to be in repelling an attack that about forty natives had made upon our jolly-boat watering and two men cutting grass. One of the natives was shot dead at ten yards’ distance while in the act of throwing his spear; and our people thought that several others were wounded as they disappeared making most strange noises, and have not been near us since. One of the spears thrown upon the last occasion had sixteen barbs to it but, in general, they were merely scraped to a sharp point without even one barb, and were not thrown with anything like precision or good aim, which accounts for none of their weapons having taken effect, although discharged at our people at the distance only of a few yards.”
Soon after this the Tamar left Fort Dundas for the India station and despatched the Countess of Harcourt upon her ulterior destination. The settlement was left in a very forward state and consisted altogether of one hundred and twenty-six individuals of whom there were 3 or 4 women and forty-five convicts; the remainder were composed of detachments of the 3rd regiment (the Buffs) and of the marines, the latter under the command of Lieutenant Williamson. The Lady Nelson was left with Commandant Barlow.
Such is the state of the settlement of Fort Dundas, which at some future time must become a place of considerable consequence in the eastern world. The soil and climate of Melville and Bathurst Islands are capable of growing all the valuable productions of the East, particularly spices, and many other equally important articles of trade: it is conveniently placed for the protection of ships passing to our Indian possessions from Port Jackson, and admirably situated for the purposes of mercantile speculation.
Such, then, are the first fruits of the voyages I have had the honour to direct. Much, however, of the coast yet remains to be examined; and although, for the general purposes of navigation, it has been quite sufficiently explored, yet there are many spaces upon the chart left blank that would be highly interesting to examine and really important to know. We have but a slight knowledge also of the natural history of the continent; slight however as it is, no country has ever produced a more extraordinary assemblage of indigenous productions; no country has proved richer than Australia in every branch of natural history; and it has besides, this advantage, that as the greater part is yet entirely unknown, so much the more does it excite the interest of the geographer and naturalist.
The examination of its vast interior can only be performed by degrees: want of navigable rivers will naturally impede such a task, but all these difficulties will be gradually overcome by the indefatigable zeal of our countrymen, of whose researches in all parts of the world the present times teem with such numerous examples.
APPENDIX A.
Previously to entering into the detail of the following coast-directions, in which it has been attempted, for the sake of a more easy reference, to collect all the nautical information under one general head, it may be proper to premise that Captain Flinders, in the account of his voyage,* has given two very useful chapters upon the winds and weather that may be experienced upon the various coasts of this continent; as well as information respecting its general navigation and particular sailing-directions for the outer passage from Port Jackson through Torres Strait, by entering the reefs at Murray Island. From these chapters Captain Horsburgh has arranged, in his valuable work on the Hydrography etc. of the Indian Ocean, a set of sailing-directions and other nautical information** that will be found useful for the navigation of the southern and eastern coasts of this continent.
(*Footnote. Volume 1 book 1 chapter 11 and volume 2 book 2 chapter 11.)
(**Footnote. Horsburgh’s Indian Directory volume 2 pages 493 and 515.)
APPENDIX A. SECTION 1.
OF THE WINDS AND CURRENTS, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PORTS, ISLANDS, AND COAST BETWEEN PORT JACKSON AND BREAKSEA SPIT.
EAST COAST.
The south-east trade cannot be said to blow home upon that part of the coast of New South Wales, which lies between Breaksea Spit and Port Jackson, except during the summer months when winds from that quarter prevail and often blow very hard; they are then accompanied by heavy rains and very thick weather: generally however from October to April they assume the character of a sea-breeze and, excepting during their suspension by south-easterly or westerly gales, are very regular. In the month of December strong south-easterly gales are not uncommon; and in February and March they are very frequent.
In the month of December hot winds from the north-west will sometimes last for two or three days, and are almost always suddenly terminated by a gust of wind from the southward. The most prevailing winds, during all seasons, are from the south, and are probably oftener from the eastward of that point than from the westward. The current always sets to the southward, and has been found by us on several occasions to set the strongest during a South-East gale. The general course of the current is in the direction of the coast, but this is not constant; for, between Port Stevens and to the southward of Port Jackson, it sometimes sets in towards it. In a gale from the South-East in the month of December 1820, it must have been setting as much to the westward as South-West. This should be attended to, particularly in south-easterly gales, and an offing preserved to provide against the wind’s veering to East-South-East and East by South, which is often the case; and then the current, setting upon the weather-bow, will place the vessel, in a dark night, in considerable danger. The rate of the current is generally about one mile per hour, but it sometimes though rarely runs at the rate of nearly three knots.
To the eastward in the space between New South Wales and New Caledonia the current sets to the North-West, which carries a great body of water into the bight between the former and New Guinea; but as Torres Strait offers but a very inconsiderable outlet the stream is turned, and sets to the southward until it gradually joins the easterly current which, from the prevalence of westerly winds, is constantly running between Van Diemen’s Land and Cape Horn.
The tides in this interval are of little consequence and in few places rise higher than six feet at the springs, excepting where they are affected by local circumstances.
There are but few places of shelter upon the east coast between Port Jackson and Breaksea Spit: Captain Flinders points out Broken Bay, Port Hunter for small craft, Port Stephens, Shoal Bay for vessels not exceeding fifty tons, and Glass House (Moreton) Bay. There are however other anchorages that might be resorted to in the event of being thrown upon a lee shore, which are equally good with Port Hunter, Shoal Bay, and Glass House Bay.
There is an anchorage behind Black Head to the north of Point Stevens which Lieutenant Oxley discovered to be an island; Port Macquarie also affords shelter for small vessels; and on the north side of Smoky Cape there is good shelter from southerly or south-easterly winds: but the whole of these, excepting Broken Bay, are only attainable by small vessels. A large ship must keep an offing; and as the coast is not at all indented the wind must blow very hard, and the ship sail very badly, to be placed in danger. Wide Bay however is a very good port, and affords a safe and secure shelter; the anchorage being protected by a reef which fronts it.
PORT JACKSON.
The Lighthouse, or Macquarie Tower, is in latitude 33 degrees 51 minutes 11 seconds South and longitude 4 minutes 29.8 seconds east of Sir Thomas Brisbane’s Observatory at Sydney, or 151 degrees 19 minutes 45 seconds East of Greenwich. It is a revolving light and may be seen at the distance of ten leagues. The Inner South Head bears from it North 20 degrees West* and is distant about two thousand five hundred yards. The North Head bears from the Inner South Head North 53 degrees East by compass, about two thousand four hundred and forty yards; and the narrowest part of the entrance, which is between the Inner North and South Heads, is a little more than eight hundred yards, so that there is abundance of room to work in should the wind blow out of the Port. On arriving off the lighthouse, steer in between the North and South Heads until you are past the line of bearing of the Outer North, and the Inner South Heads: then haul round the latter, but avoid a reef of rocks that extends for two hundred yards off the point, and steer for Middle Head, a projecting cliff at the bottom of the bay, until the harbour opens round the Inner South Head; you may then pass on either side of the Sow and Pigs; but the eastern channel, although the narrowest, is perhaps the best; but this, in a great measure, depends upon the direction of the wind. The eastern channel is the deepest. The Sow and Pigs, or Middle Ground, is the only danger in Port Jackson: it is a bank of sand and rocks, of about eight hundred yards in length, by about three hundred and fifty in breadth: its length being in the direction of the harbour; a very small portion of it is dry, and consists of a few rocks, upon which the sea almost always breaks; they are situated upon the outer end of the shoal, and are in the line of bearing of the Outer North and the Inner South Heads. The south-western tail of the bank is chiefly of sand, with rocks scattered about it; but, on the greater portion of it, there is twelve feet water; it gradually deepens to three and a quarter fathoms, which is beyond the rocky limits of the shoal. To sail through the Western Channel, which is from one-third to half a mile wide, steer towards George’s Head, a high rocky head, about three quarters of a mile above Middle Head, keeping it in sight upon the larboard bow, and the sea horizon open between the points of entrance, until you are within the line of bearing between a small sandy beach on the western shore and Green Point; the latter is a grassy mound, the south head of Camp Cove. Then steer for George’s Head, and gradually round it: when you have passed the line of bearing between it and Green Point, and opened the sandy beach of Watson’s Bay, steer boldly up the harbour. In rounding Point Bradley, there is a rocky shelf that runs off the point for perhaps one hundred yards. Pass on either side of Pinch-gut Island, and, in hauling into Sydney Cove, avoid a rocky reef that extends off Point Bennelong for rather more than two hundred yards into the sea.
To sail through the Eastern Channel, or to the eastward of the Sow and Pigs, haul round the Inner South Head until the summit of the Inner North Head is in a line with the inner trend of the former, bearing by compass North 23 1/2 degrees East; then steer South-South-West until you have passed Green Point, when the course may be directed at pleasure up the harbour.
In turning to windward, go no nearer to the Sow and Pigs than three and a quarter fathoms, unless your vessel is small; nor within two hundred yards of the shore, for although it is bold in most parts close to, yet there are some few straggling rocks off the south point of Watson’s Bay, and also some round Shark’s Island. There is good anchorage in all parts of the harbour, when within Middle and the South Heads. There is also anchorage in North Harbour, but not to be recommended, for the swell sometimes rolls into the mouth of the harbour; no swell can, however, affect the anchorage between Middle Head and the Sow and Pigs.
SYDNEY COVE is nearly half a mile deep, and four hundred yards wide, and will contain more than twenty ships swinging at their moorings. The shores are bold to, and, excepting the rocky shoals that extend off Point Bennelong and Point Dawes, ships may approach very near.
On the eastern side of the cove is a convenient place for heaving down: it belongs to the government, but merchant ships may use it, by paying a small sum according to the length of time it is engaged. Wood and water are easily obtained from the north shore of the port; the former may be cut close to the beach; the latter is collected in tanks, and, excepting during a very dry season, is always abundant.
The tide rises occasionally at the springs as much as eight feet, but six feet is the general rise; it is high water at Sydney Cove at half past eight o’clock, but at the heads, it precedes this time by a quarter of an hour. The variation of the magnetic needle observed on shore by Lieutenant Roe:
at Sydney Cove in 1822, to be 8 degrees 42 minutes East,
at Garden Island 9 degrees 6 minutes East,
at Camp Cove 9 degrees 42 minutes East.
As all navigators are, or ought to be, supplied with Captain Horsburgh’s Indian Directory, it has not been thought necessary to descant further upon the nature of the winds and currents of the east coast; since this subject has been so fully treated upon, in the above valuable book, in the section that commences at page 501.
Captain Horsburgh has also described the entrance of Botany Bay at page 502, and of Broken Bay, at page 505. According to Lieutenant Jeffreys, R.N., who commanded the hired armed transport Kangaroo, the latter harbour has a bar stretching across from the south to the north head, on which there is not less than five fathoms water.
PORT HUNTER is situated fifty-nine miles North 22 degrees East (true) from the entrance of Port Jackson. There is a lighthouse at its southern entrance, and pilots are established who come off to vessels that arrive. The entrance is round the Nobby (latitude 32 degrees 56 minutes, longitude 151 degrees 43 1/4 minutes) an insulated rock: and the passage is indicated by keeping two lights, that are placed at a distance from each other at the wharf, in a line: the anchorage is about two hundred yards from the wharf in three fathoms. The shoals on the west side are dangerous, and several vessels have been wrecked upon them in going in. The above information is from a plan drawn by Lieutenant Jeffreys, in the Hydrographical Office at the Admiralty: it was drawn in the year 1816; since which a portion of the labour of the convicts has been employed in building a breakwater, or pier, from the south entrance to the Nobby Rock, which will tend to direct the stream of tide through the channel, and also protect it from the surf and swell, which, during a south-east gale, must render the harbour of dangerous access. The town was formerly called King’s Town, but it has since been changed to that of Newcastle, and the appellation of the Coal River has partly superseded the more legitimate name of Port Hunter.
PORT STEPHENS is easy to enter, but not to sail from, unless the wind is fair, on account of the shoals that are near its entrance. Point Stephens is in latitude 32 degrees 46 1/2 minutes, longitude 152 degrees 9 minutes 45 seconds.
BLACK HEAD is an island, behind which there is very good anchorage; the head is in latitude 32 degrees 38 minutes 20 seconds. Between Black Head, and the hills called the Brothers, are WALLIS’ Lake, in latitude 32 degrees 11 minutes 50 seconds, HARRINGTON’S Lake, in 32 degrees 0 minutes, and FARQUHAR’S Lake, in latitude 31 degrees 54 minutes; they were discovered by Lieutenant Oxley on his return from his land journey in 1819; they have all shoal entrances, and are merely the outlets of extensive lagoons, which receive the streams from the hills, and occupy a considerable space between the coast and the mountains.
In latitude 31 degrees 47 minutes 50 seconds, and at the distance of two miles and a quarter from the shore, is a dangerous reef, on which the sea constantly breaks; it was named by Lieutenant Oxley, who discovered it, the MERMAID’S REEF; it is about a quarter of a mile in extent, and bears South 85 degrees East from the South Brother; a small detached portion of the reef is separated from the principal rock, within which there appeared to be a narrow navigable channel. A quarter of a mile without the latter we found sixteen fathoms water. Round the point under the North Brother Hill, is CAMDEN HAVEN, the particulars respecting its entrance (in latitude 31 degrees 41 minutes, longitude 152 degrees) are