Part 3 (2/2)
About this time there appeared a small party of woodmen who had been sent to cut cedar for Mr Pal run short of provisions, but seeing the Lady Nelson they joined her
On June 28 the Lady Nelson advanced up the river and moored in one of its branches about 6while Colonel Paterson with Dr Harris and Mr Lewin (the artist who had joined the Lady Nelson after the sailing of the Francis) went in the launch to examine the river and inspect the country
On the 7th the Commander himself in company with Mr Barrallier set off to join Paterson They found the country level and swahtful views in the distance ”The river took a serpentine course, and for ston From the reatly overflowed at tiany of New Holland) appeared to have been iht of 50 or 60 feet On our way up we landed at a s to a gradual ascent covered with the rass There was an extensive view froht of a fine chaerton after a seat belonging to the Duke of Bridgewater In the evening we found by the sound of the bugle that we had reached the Colonel's headquarters We answered the welconal and before it was quite dark we joined them
”The Colonel had erected a coreat plenty, and Mr Palmer's party sawed many fine planks from these trees
Colonel Paterson, Dr Harris, Mr Barrallier and myself penetrated 30 miles farther up the river in the course of which wethe boats up We had hitherto seen none of the natives, but discovered places where they had been by the marks of their fires We now descried some of them at a distance, who fled on our approach We came to a spot which they had just quitted and observed the round was covered with freshwater shells of the sort found in the rivers of England and Scotland and called the horsesohts which commanded views of the country for several ave the na, the other he called Elizabeth's Mountain, that being the Christian naot behind the range ofthe coast to the south and west We likewise saw the coast of Port Stephens and the chain of hills inland stretching in a direction towards the north-east Between us and the hills was a space perfectly level for many miles, and to appearance swampy The land on the south side of the river was interspersed with lagoons on which we killed some ducks but found them very shy The country seemed not to be destitute of inhabitants, some of e descried at a distance The river here reatly that to have pursued its course the boats ained a direct distance of four or five miles from our present station
”The ti very fast and the survey still to be ed prudent not to proceed any further Passing the night upon the banks of the river we descended it the next day to our former rendezvous, Schanck Forest, Pasture Plains, where preparations wereI left Colonel Paterson in company of Mr Barrallier, who then proceeded on the survey of the river On our passage down it,several natives with their canoesIn many of themfires, and in soive the name of cabra ( Teredo) It appears to be aboreeable to the taste The cabra is a species of hich breeds in the wood that happens to be immersed in water, and are found in such parts of the river wherein trees have fallen They grow to a great size and soon reduce tilutinous substance, and after being put on the fire harden to the consistence of the spinal marrow of animals When fire is not at hand, the natives eat the found at a fire near one of the canoes, I tasted them on the recommendation of one of my men and found them not unpalatable
”We saw several natives at a small distance; one of the our approach One of th he got behind a tree whence he presented only his head and shoulders, brandishi+ng a fish-gig in his hand He waited our landing, and seeing ere unar) and came readily to us For what reason I know not (for we appeared without any marks of distinction) he addressed hi from his forehead a small net which their women weave from the fur of the opossum he bound it round mine In my turn I took out my pocket handkerchief and bound it round his head which pleased him very much, and we became from the moment the best of friends I invited him on board the boat, and he readily accepted my invitation When on board he was called to from the woods on the opposite shore by a number of voices which surprised us a little as we did not expect they were in such numbers My new acquaintance called out in his turn to those on shore, and their cries immediately ceased I have reason to thinkthat he assured the to fear, which quieted their alar furthera flock of ducks and I ordered one of the people to fire which he did and was lucky enough to kill two Never did I witness stronger er's countenance when he heard the report of the gun and saw the two ducks fall into the water His astonishsee the time he stayed on board he never quitted my side, and at the hour of rest he laid himself down near my bed place I presented him with a small tomahahich pleased him very much and he pronounced with o' He readily ate of whatever was set before hiar he took freely He endeavoured to repeat our words after us; and was infinitely more tractable than the native last described He was an elderly s were long in proportion to his body which was slender and straight Having occasion to despatch my first mate in a boat to Colonel Paterson I took that opportunity of sending off my New Hollander with directions that he should be landed on the precise spot fro he was surprised to find his passenger of the day before on the banks, who begged to be per lad with hiht on board This lad o and I soon found that I could not make a more acceptable present to a native
”On the 19th ere rejoined by Colonel Paterson with the whole of his party The Colonel had explored a branch of the river on the banks of which he found a species of flax grohich he thought was valuable
He had collected specimens of many rare and uncommon plants particularly some varieties of fern, but unfortunately was deprived of the fruits of his industry His servant hadplaced it too near the fire it was soon in a blaze, and he aked only in ti scorched
”We were noing short of provisions and no vessel arriving fro preparations for our return thither There was now a small establishment made for the colliers ( At Collier's Point) I had built them a convenient hut to shelter them I left them a boat and seine hat provisions I was able to spare We took our departure for Sydney on the 22nd of July 1801, and arrived there on the 25th”
Six weeks after his return to port, Grant sent in his resignation on the ground that he had so ”little knowledge of nautical surveying” The resignation was accepted by King, rote in reply: ”I should have been glad if your ability as a surveyor or being able to deterht visit was in anyway equal to your ability as an officer or a seaht perusal of Grant's narrative of his voyage enables us to grasp the state of his feelings when he sent in his resignation It is evident that he thought he had not been treated fairly, and was glad to quit New South Wales He writes of his departure: ”The mortifications and disappointments I met withinducedthe country” And it seee of ”nautical surveying,” he said so because he knew King thought he had not, and it looks as if the adland, rather than for the purpose of belittling his own capabilities That Grant was a fine seaeous, his subsequent naval services proved He seems to have handled his shi+p at all times with extraordinary care, and itwith less assiduity than seamanshi+p, for the chart that he made must be admitted to be very imperfect
Murray, his successor in the co, is best remembered as the discoverer of Victoria, and ”yet,” writes Rusden, ”he (Murray)thither to trace the coast between Point Schanck and Cape Albany Otway noticing the soundings and everything reht have added, that Murray probably received some benefit from Grant's experiences, for at that time he was equally incompetent as a marine surveyor It is Flinders who has credited Grant with the discovery of the coast of Victoria ”as far as Cape Schanck,” and Flinders was
On the great seaman's chart published in 1814 (Terra Australis, by M
Flinders, South Coast, Sheet 5) is inscribed, ”Coast as far as Cape Schanck discovered by Captain James Grant, 1800,” in which track, of course, is included the entrance to Port Phillip, although Flinders knew that Grant had not penetrated to the bay itself
Grant sailed from Sydney in the Anna Josepha, Captain Maclean, an old Spanish brig, belonging to Mr Simeon Lord She had been taken off the coast of Peru by the Betsy whaler, and on her arrival at Sydney was renamed Anna Josepha in honour of the Governor's wife Loaded with coals and spars, the shi+p left Port Jackson for the Cape of Good Hope on November 9th, 1801 She steered southward of New Zealand, made Cape Horn, and then sailed to the Falklands Grant quitted her when she reached Tristan D'Acunha and obtained a passage in the Ocean as far as Table Bay
There he shi+pped on April 12th, 1802, in HMS Iland, where he arrived safely, and, in due course, reported himself to the Admiralty
Three years later he obtained his rank of Coallantry in a spirited action off Holland, when in command of the Hawke cutter he was badly wounded He subsequently commanded the Raven and Thracian and died at St Servan in 1833, aged 61
CHAPTER 4
MURRAY APPOINTED COMMANDER OF THE LADY NELSON: HIS VOYAGE TO NORFOLK ISLAND
On Grant's resigning the co appointed John Murray to succeed him As has been told Murray had formerly been Master's mate of the Porpoise and had accompanied Grant when he went for the second ti's Bay, and the Governor apparently thought him a capable officer His appointment is dated September 3rd, 1801, so that he seems to have taken over the new post about two months before his predecessor finally left Sydney
When, however, the Lady Nelson sailed to the Hawkesbury in Septe it to Sydney, Grant appears to have been still on board her, as he was enjoined to ensure her safety at that place by Governor King ”You are not to leave the vessel yourself or suffer any other person to leave her while in the river nor let any strangers or visitors go on boardYour board netting is to be kept up while in the river” King evidently was deter by runaway convicts, a fate which had overtaken the Norfolk Murray succeeded to the co on her return froe was to Norfolk Island, when he carried orders and instructions from the Governor of New South Wales to Major Foveaux, the Lieutenant-Governor Before leaving Sydney, Captain Abbott, Ensign Piper and Mr John Roberts (surgeon's ers on board the Lady Nelson, and in the afternoon of October 1st she set sail for her destination The following account of her voyage is extracted fro:--
HMA SURVEYING VESSEL LADY NELSON
From Port Jackson to Norfolk Island
”October 2nd, 1801 At 3 PM got under weigh and stood out of ye Heads
Observed ye Porpoise to be in the offing At 5 PM passed under the stern of the Porpoise and Mr Murray went on board and waited on ye Commander of that vessel At 6 Lieutenant Murray returned on board, hoisted in our gig and gave the Porpoise three cheers, which was returned--made sail at half-past 6 PM--ye North Head of Port Jackson bore to west by north distant 6 miles, the South Head of Broken Bay bore north by west distance 6 leagues