Volume I Part 11 (1/2)

(*Footnote. The value of the trepang in 1822 was much less; the price had fallen to twenty-five dollars the picol.)

Dramah informed me that there are several rivers upon the coast, but that in procuring water from them they are generally attacked by the Maregas, whom they describe as treacherous and hostile, and by whom they are frequently defeated; for the Indians attack them only when they are unprepared. Their small canoes are frequently stolen from them, which accounts for the one we captured from the natives of Goulburn Island.

A perpetual warfare exists between them, so that it would be a difficult matter for us to procure a friendly communication with a people who cannot, of course, discriminate between us and the Malays. I regretted to hear this, for our force was so small that I feared we should, in our future visits to the coast, be frequently attacked, and perhaps be under the necessity of convincing them of the destructive power of our weapons, which they must first experience before they can dread their fatal effects.

During our stay at Coepang the thermometer ranged between 75 and 91 degrees. The lat.i.tude of the flag-staff was observed by several observations to be 10 degrees 9 minutes 40 seconds. No observations were taken for the longitude, on account of my being confined to my bed with an attack of ague, the effects of which remained upon me for some time afterwards; but the result of those made by Captain Flinders and Commodore Baudin were so satisfactory that I had no hesitation in taking the mean of the two, 123 degrees 35 minutes 46 seconds, for the correction of my chronometers, and for the purpose of comparing with the longitudes I had a.s.signed to several parts of the coast that we had just left.

Before we sailed from Coepang the departure of a vessel for Batavia furnished me with the opportunity of acquainting the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty of my progress; and the letter fortunately arrived in time to contradict a report that had reached England of our ”having been wrecked on the South Coast at Cape Northumberland, and that all hands had perished.” This report could never be satisfactorily traced to its author, but it was supposed to have been spread by the man who commanded the Mermaid before she was purchased by the government, in revenge for his having lost his employment.

On the 13th we completed everything, and embarked our stock.

June 14.

And the next morning at daylight we left the bay, and, pa.s.sing round the islands of Samow and Rottee, steered South-West by South (which was as close to the wind as we could steer to make a direct course) across the sea, which might, with some degree of propriety, be called the Great Australian Strait; but this course was too westerly to admit of our reaching the coast so far to the westward as was wished.

June 19.

On the 19th we pa.s.sed over a coral bank with twenty-six fathoms in lat.i.tude 19 degrees 30 minutes and longitude 116 degrees 15 minutes 30 seconds.

The thermometer now ranged no higher than 76 1/2 degrees and obliged us to resume our warmer clothing.

June 20.

At eight o'clock the next morning land was seen bearing South-West by West, and proved to be that laid down by Captain Baudin, to the southward of the Montebello Islands; one of which, Trimouille Island, was also visible in the North-West. We bore up at noon, intending to pa.s.s round the south end of the land, seen in West-South-West; but after running about five miles further the land proved to be an island, and was called after John Barrow, Esquire, one of the Secretaries of the Admiralty. We were prevented from steering round it by a very extensive shoal that stretches off its south end towards a low sandy islet, which proved to be one that had been seen by us last February. Several attempts were made to find a channel through the reef, but without success; and at sunset we anch.o.r.ed to the north-west of the islet, from which several islands were recognised by us, particularly a large one to the westward of Cape Preston.

As this part of the coast had been previously seen by us, we did not delay any longer.

June 21.

But the following morning steered to the northward.

June 22.

The next day we pa.s.sed round Trimouille Island and left the coast.

Off the North-West end of Trimouille Island is a considerable reef.

Hermite Island was not seen, but a small lump on the horizon, to the south of the former, was probably Lowendal Island. As we did not see the western side of Barrow's Island, that coast is laid down from M. De Freycinet's chart; the land, although low, is considerably higher than the usual elevation of the neighbouring islands, but it appeared to be equally arid and sterile. Trimouille Island appears scarcely better than a cl.u.s.ter of dry rocks.

Off these islands we had much calm weather, during which we were surrounded by myriads of fish, of which sharks, and small whales, called by the whalers fin-backs, were the most conspicuous. The smaller kinds consisted of bonetas, barracoutas, porpoises, and flying fish. A voracious dolphin was harpooned, in the maw of which was a barracouta in a half-digested state, and in the throat a flying fish, bitten in half, waiting its turn to be swallowed; for its tail had not disappeared out of the dolphin's mouth.

June 24 to 26.

For a few days we had light south-westerly winds, but they soon gave place to the South-East trade, which carried us quickly to the South-West. The situation a.s.signed by the Dutch sloop to the Tryal Rocks was pa.s.sed, without our noticing any indication of their existence.

June 30.

On the 30th we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, between the 106th and 107th degree of east longitude; the South-East trade then died away, and was succeeded by light baffling winds, between South-West and South, and from that to East, attended with very cloudy damp weather, and frequent squalls of heavy rain. This unwholesome state of the air increased the number of our sick, for soon after leaving Timor the crew were attacked by dysentery brought on by change of diet; and at one time the disease wore a very alarming appearance.

1818. July 7.