A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume I Part 40

West C. Banks, sandy hummock, dist. 2 leagues, N. 2 W.

Mount Schanck, N. 70 E.

Cape Northumberland, dist. 3 or 4 leagues, S. 82 E.

The long swell from the southward still prevailed, and the barometer was fast falling; but at seven in the evening a breeze sprung up once more from the north-west, and after stretching a little off from the sh.o.r.e, we laid to for the greater part of the night. At daylight [MONDAY 19 APRIL 1802] the wind was at north-north-west, and blew fresh, with squally weather. We reached in for the land; and at eight,

C. Northumberland, dist. 6 or 7 miles, bore N. 32 W.

Mount Schanck, N. 1 W.

Furthest extreme, obscured by haze, S. 66 E.

Close to Cape Northumberland are two pointed rocks resembling the back fins of sharks; and on its eastern side were heavy breakers, extending more than a mile from the sh.o.r.e. The situation of the cape, as near as it could be ascertained, is in 38 2' south and 140 37' east.

Beyond Cape Northumberland the coast was found to trend east-by-north, but curved afterwards to east-by-south; it was higher than we had lately seen and not so barren; nevertheless, the shrubs and small trees did not more than half cover the sandy surface. We pursued the round of the coast at the distance of four or five miles, having three reefs in the top-sails on account of the squally weather. At ten o'clock, in a clear interval, land was seen bearing S. 51 E.; and a thick squall with rain coming on, in which the wind s.h.i.+fted suddenly from north-north-west to south-west, we were forced to haul close up and let out the third reefs in order to weather the coast. A constant succession of rainy squalls prevented us from knowing how the land lay for some time, nor could an observation for the lat.i.tude be obtained; but at half-past noon our anxiety was relieved by distinguis.h.i.+ng the furthest extreme, a bold, cliffy, cape, bearing S. 72 E., broad on the lee bow.

[SOUTH COAST. OFF CAPE BRIDGEWATER.]

This high projection was the _Cape Bridgewater_ of captain Grant. A hill upon it slopes to the edge of the cliffs in which the cape is begirt toward the sea; and on the land side it descends so low that the connection of the hill with the main could not be clearly discerned. To the northward, and nearly in a line with the first, are two other hills almost equal to it in elevation. As we pa.s.sed Cape Bridgewater, a second cliffy head opened at S. 73 E., and a further round the last at N. 83 E. These are the _Capes Nelson_ and _Sir W. Grant_, though differing considerably in relative position from what they are laid down in captain Grant's chart.

At two o'clock, the weather having become somewhat finer, I ventured to bear away along the coast; and presently a small island with two hummocks on it and a rock nearer to the sh.o.r.e were visible: these are _Lawrence's Isles_. The bearings of the land at four were,

C. Bridgewater, top of the hill, dist. 4 leagues, N. 44 W.

Cape Nelson, the south-west extreme, N. 21 W.

Cape Sir W. Grant, east part of the cliffs, N. 12 E.

Lawrence's double Isle, dist. 3 leagues, N. 25 E.

Before six we hauled the wind off sh.o.r.e; having set the double isle at N.

43 W., six or seven miles, and seen the land indistinctly as far as east-north-east.

During the night there were squalls of wind with hail and rain, but tolerably moderate weather in the intervals. At daylight [TUESDAY 20 APRIL 1802], we bore away for the land; and at half past seven, the

Hill on Cape Bridgewater bore N. 66 W.

Lawrence's double isle, N. 53 W.

A cliffy, flat-topped isle, west extreme, N. 16 E.

This last is _Lady Julia Percy's Isle_; and when it bore N. 64 E. five miles, we steered eastward along the coast. At some distance inland, to the northward of Lady Percy's Isle, a round hill was distinguished; but the sh.o.r.e was scarcely perceptible through the squalls and haze: what little of it could be seen, appeared to be sandy and of moderate elevation.

At eleven, the land was perceived to the eastward, and we hauled up east-south-east. Our lat.i.tude at noon, from an indifferent double alt.i.tude, was 38 33' and it is upon this uncertain observation, that the correctness of the neighbouring lands in the chart princ.i.p.ally depend; I do not, therefore, specify here either the lat.i.tudes or longitudes. The coast was seen to leeward at times, and appeared to he moderately high; we ran along it at the distance of five, and from that to eight miles, clewing down the treble-reefed top sails occasionally, and setting them after the squalls were pa.s.sed. At two o'clock, the land appeared to be trending south-east, which obliged us to haul up to the wind and take in close reefs; and the gale increasing, the fore and mizen top sails were handed.

It was seldom that the weather would allow of any thing being distinguished beyond two miles; and when the night came on we were quite uncertain of the trending of the coast. At eight o'clock, by favour of moon light and a short cessation of rain, land was perceived on the lee beam; it seemed to be a head of considerable elevation, and was judged to be from three to six miles off. The fore and mizen top-sails and reefed main-sail were immediately set, notwithstanding the danger to the masts; and there being much sea running, the s.h.i.+p was kept one point from the wind to make her go through the water. We had no chance of clearing the land on the other tack, and therefore our sole hope was that the coast might not trend any further to the southward.

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 1802

At two in the morning the strength of the gale obliged us to take in the fore and mizen top sails and main sail; and we had soundings in 45 fathoms, small stones. Our anxiety was great until daylight, when it was dissipated by not finding any land near us; and in the course of the morning the wind moderated, the barometer began to ascend, and the weather became even fine. Our lat.i.tude at noon was 39 10' and longitude 144 22'; the last being 22' more than given by the log. High land was then visible astern, extending from about N. 50 to 17 W., at the supposed distance of twelve or fifteen leagues.

[SOUTH COAST. Ba.s.s' STRAIT.]

We were now entered into Ba.s.s' Strait; and the subsiding of the sea made me suspect that the large island, concerning which I had made inquiry of captain Baudin, was to windward. The south part of this island was discovered by Mr. Reid in a sealing expedition from Port Jackson; and before quitting New South Wales in 1799, I had received an account of its lying to the north-west of Hunter's Isles. It afterwards appeared that the northern part was seen in January 1801 by Mr. John Black, commander of the brig Harbinger, who gave to it the name of KING'S ISLAND.* Of this I was ignorant at the time; but since it was so very dangerous to explore the main coast with the present south-west wind, I was desirous of ascertaining the position of this island before going to Port Jackson, more especially as it had escaped the observation of Captain Baudin.

[* _Grant's Voyage to New South Wales_, page 86.]

Our soundings in the afternoon, and until four in the morning [THURSDAY 22 APRIL 1802] when we tacked to the westward, were from 35 to 28 fathoms, sand and sh.e.l.ls. At eight o'clock, land was seen to the south-west; and at noon our

Lat.i.tude observed was 39 31'

Longitude by time keepers, 144 16 King's Island, south extreme, bore S. 18 W.

King's Island, a middle hummock, S. 37 W.

King's Island, northern extreme, S. 74 W.

High main land from the mast head, N. 23 W.

We tacked to the south-south-east at three o'clock, working up for King's Island, which was distant about five or six leagues directly to windward.

In the night we lay up south, parallel with the east side of the island; but the soundings having diminished to 16 fathoms, I feared we might be approaching a reef of rocks lying off the south-east end, of which Mr.

Reid had spoken. We therefore tacked to the northward at eleven o'clock; and after beating until three in the following afternoon [FRIDAY 23 APRIL 1802], got to an anchor in 9 fathoms, fine sand, under the north-east end of King's Island; the nearest part of the sh.o.r.e being distant a short half mile, and the extremes bearing S. 37 E. and N. 69 W.

A boat was immediately hoisted out, and I landed with the botanical gentlemen. On stepping out of the boat I shot one of those little bear-like quadrupeds called _Womat_; and another was afterwards killed. A seal, of a species different to any yet seen by us, was also procured; its phippers behind were double when compared to the common kinds of seal, and those forward were smaller, and placed nearer to the head; the hair was much shorter, and of a blueish, grey colour; the nose flat and broad; and the fat upon the animal was at least treble the usual quant.i.ty. I never saw the sea elephant, and possibly this might have been a young female; but there was no appearance of any trunk. A top-mast studding-sail boom, not much injured, was lying near the landing-place; and as I afterwards learned that the wreck of a vessel had been found upon the west side of the island, this boom had probably drifted from thence.

The north-east part of King's Island extends south-east-by-east, three or four leagues. The sh.o.r.e is mostly of sand, and behind the beach it was washed or blown up in great ridges, but partly overspread with a kind of dog gra.s.s which kept the sand together. In general the land is low; but some little eminences appeared at a distance, and at the north end of the island there is a short range of hills, moderately high and covered with wood. Granite seemed to be the basis of the sh.o.r.e where we landed. Behind the front ridges of sand was a brush wood, so thick as to be almost impenetrable; but whilst I was occupied in taking bearings, the botanists found some openings in the brush, and picked up so many plants as to make them desirous of a further examination. We returned on board at dusk, with our womats, the seal and a kangaroo; the last being of a middle size between the small species of the lesser islands and the large kind found at Kangaroo Island and on the continent. It appeared indeed, all along the South Coast, that the size of the kangaroo bore some proportion to the extent of land which it inhabited.

SAt.u.r.dAY 24 APRIL 1802

In the morning the wind blew fresh from the southward. A boat was sent on sh.o.r.e with Mr. Brown and his party; and at eleven o'clock, when they returned, we got under way.

A small lake of fresh water was found at a little distance behind the sandy ridges in front of the sh.o.r.e. This was surrounded by a good vegetable soil; and the number of plants, collected near it was greater than had before been found upon any one island. The small lake is too far from the sea side for a s.h.i.+p to obtain water from it conveniently; but two little streams which drained from the sand hills made it probable that fresh water might have been obtained anywhere at this time by digging. The water of these rills was tinged red, similar to that obtained at King George's Sound and to the pools I had before seen at Furneaux's Islands; and as the stone in these places is granite, and water so discoloured was not found any where else, it seems very probable that the discolouring arises from the granite and granitic sand.

Two more womats were killed this morning; and a skull was picked up which was thought to be of a small dog, but more probably was that of an opossum.

From the observations taken whilst beating up to the anchorage, the top of the highest hill at the north end of King's Island will be in _lat.i.tude_ 39 36' south, and _longitude_ 143 54' east. The _variation_ of the compa.s.s, taken on the binnacle with the s.h.i.+p's head at south, was 7 59' east; but ten leagues to the eastward it was 11 52', with the head west-south-west, or reduced to the meridian, 8 43' east. The _tides_ set one mile and a half an hour past the s.h.i.+p, northwest-by-west and south-east-by-east, nearly as the coast lies; that from the eastward running nearly eight hours, and turning about two hours after the moon had pa.s.sed the meridian; but, which tide was the flood, or what the rise, we did not remain long enough to determine.

The time was fast approaching when it would be necessary to proceed to Port Jackson, both on account of the winter season, and from the want of some kinds of provisions. Before this took place I wished to finish as much of the South Coast as possible, and would have recommenced at Cape Bridgewater had the wind been favourable; but it still blew fresh from the southward, and all that part remained a lee sh.o.r.e. I determined, however, to run over to the high land we had seen on the north side of Ba.s.s' Strait, and to trace as much of the coast from thence eastward as the state of the weather and our remaining provisions could possibly allow.

In steering north-north-west from King's Island, two small isles were seen lying off the north-west side; the first opening from the northern extreme at S. 50, and the second being clear of it at S. 36 W. These are the same which Mr. Black named New Year's Isles; and his Harbinger's Reefs were seen to extend, in patches, nearly two leagues from the north end of King's Islands; but there is, as I afterwards learned, one or more pa.s.sages between the reefs, and another between them and the island.*

[* The New Year's Isles form a small roadsted, in which the brig Harrington from Port Jackson, commanded by Mr. W. Campbell, had rode out the south-west gale; and was lying there at this time, engaged in a sealing speculation. Ba.s.s' Strait had not been discovered much above two years, and it was already turned to purposes of various utility; a strong proof of enterprising spirit in the colonists of New South Wales.]

At three in the afternoon the northern land was in sight, and the highest hills of King's Island were sinking below the horizon as seen from the deck. Their distance was twenty-five miles; and consequently the elevation of them is between four and five hundred feet above the level of the sea. At five o'clock a bluff head, the most projecting part of the northern land, was distant three or four leagues; it was Captain Grants'

Cape Otway, and bore N. 54 W.

The extremes of the land, N. 58 W. to 23 E.

We then hauled to the wind and stood off and on; at daylight [SUNDAY 25 APRIL 1802] bore away for the land with a moderate breeze from the southward; and at eight o'clock, when Cape Otway bore N. 69 W. ten miles we steered north-eastward along the sh.o.r.e. On the west side of Cape Otway the coast falls back somewhat to the north, and projects again at the distance of ten or eleven miles, where it is not, as I think, more than three leagues to the east of the headland seen under the lee at eight in the evening of the 20th. From Cape Otway, eastward, the sh.o.r.e trends east-north-east about three leagues, to a projection called Cape Patton, and according to Captain Grant a bay is formed between them; but at three leagues off nothing worthy of being called a bay could be perceived.

Beyond Cape Patton the coast took a more northern direction to a point with a flat-topped hill upon it, and further than this it was not visible.

The whole of this land is high, the elevation of the uppermost parts being not less than two thousand feet. The rising hills were covered with wood of a deep green foliage, and without any vacant s.p.a.ces of rock or sand; so that I judged this part of the coast to exceed in fertility all that had yet fallen under observation.

Cape Otway lies very nearly in lat.i.tude 38 51' south and longitude 143 29' east. The width of the north-west entrance to Ba.s.s' Strait, between this cape on the north and King's Island to the south, is therefore sixteen leagues; and with the trifling exception of the Harbinger's Reefs, which occupy not quite two leagues of the southern part, the pa.s.sage is free from danger. In such parts of it as we got soundings the depth was between 38 and 50 fathoms.

At noon, the wind had veered to the south-east, which being directly upon the sh.o.r.e, I did not think it prudent to follow the land too closely; and we therefore kept up nearly to the wind. In the course of the afternoon, land came in sight to the eastward; and the bearings taken at sunset were these:

Furthest extreme towards C. Otway, S. 73 W.

Furthest connected part to the northward, N. 18 W.

Two small distant peaks, N. 1 W.