Volume II Part 14 (1/2)
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 pa.s.sed 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 alt.i.tude 10 minutes in error; and as there is just that difference between it and the position a.s.signed 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, anch.o.r.ed 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 sh.o.r.e; 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 antic.i.p.ated a luxurious meal. After this they went on sh.o.r.e, when the breeze blew so fresh as to make some seasick, very much to the amus.e.m.e.nt 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 anch.o.r.ed 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 pa.s.sage 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 anch.o.r.ed 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 s.p.a.ce; 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 s.p.a.ce 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 circ.u.mstances 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.