Part 4 (2/2)
The Lady Nelson set forth fro Governor King's orders, Murray steered first towards the Kent Group ( The Kent Group was discovered by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders in the Francis, and named by hiroup was subsequently visited by Mr
Rushworth and other sailors) His log sho he mistook other islands, probably the Sisters ( The Sisters Islands were so named by Captain Furneaux in 1773 from the resemblance they bore to each other Peron calls them two small islands escarpes) at the northern extremity of the Furneaux Group, for his place of destination and hohen 25fro there twosealers in the employ of Messrs Kable & Underwood, of Sydney The Lady Nelson was then brought to and e in Furneaux Islands
Murray, at this time, see intended hio, for the island which he writes of as Grand Capshi+ne was undoubtedly the Grand Capuchin, the largest island of the Furneaux Group, non as Flinders Island ( Named Flinders Island by Captain Flinders in honour of his brother, Lieutenant Samuel Flinders, RN)
Diana Bay, the bay in which the Lady Nelson stayed for some days, was formed by the shores of the Grand Capuchin and Storehouse and Cat Islands, the last na the Babel Islands of Flinders In very early days this bay was ained its na to Messrs Kable & Underwood, of Sydney, which afterwards stranded on the Grand Capuchin and which had a curious history A French schooner named L'Entreprise of Bordeaux, under the command of Captain Le Corre, last fro in these waters was also wrecked about a year later off one of the Sisters, 30 miles to the northward of where the Diana went ashore Le Corre and two-thirds of his crew perished The supercargo whose na to Peron, was coxwell, but which the Sydney Gazette prints as Coggeshall, was aht with the other rescued eshall returned with Mr Underwood to endeavour to save the hull of the vessel, and though they failed to float L'Entreprise, they were ards the Diana which was repaired and renamed the Surprise, the nalish fro doards In order to pay expenses she was put up to public auction in Sydney and purchased by one of the officers of L'Entreprise for 117 guineas, but was afterwards resold to her original owners, Messrs Kable & Underwood ( See Sydney Gazettes, March 12th and March 19th, 1803)
Murray did not name the Grand Capuchin, for it was so called before the tiive it that name, which was probably derived from the cowled peak of a mountain on it, one of three christened by Flinders the Patriarchs, combined with the fact that Furneaux had already named some black rocky islands that lay off the entrance to Store, The Friars ( The Boreels Eylander of Tasman) It seee or some French sailor bestowed the name Capuchin upon Flinders Island, and Murray wrote it on his chart, although it was afterwards erased from the maps and replaced at first by the name of Great Island and later by that of Flinders Island ( The Sydney Gazette of March 31st, 1831, in giving the names of the Furneaux Group transfers the name to Babel Islands, ie ”Babel Islands or Capisheens as called by the sealers,” but, as Murray's Chart, page 146, and Sydney Gazettes of an earlier period will show, at first Flinders Island alone was called Capuchin)
Leaving Diana Bay on November 25th Murray saw the easternh the passage which separates the principal islands and which was nae
Flinders had passed through the saroup, in the Francis in 1798, and nament Rock ”from its rese Directory, Ad the Kent Group, Murray started to carry out his survey of Western Port and Port Phillip On Deceer Curtis's Island and on the 7th reached Western Port where he was detained by bad weather until the first week in January On January 5th ( The logbooks were kept in nautical fashi+on, the day beginning at noon before the civil reckoning, so that Port Phillip was really discovered on the afternoon of Monday, January 4th, 1802 According to the Ad in the logs did not take place until 1805) as the vessel ran along the Victorian coast towards Port Phillip dense smoke from native fires hid the land from view At 3 PM the smoke had cleared away and Boas at thein the land ahead which ”had the appearance of a harbour” Keeping close in for it Murray saw inside a fine smooth sheet of water An island lay at the entrance but the waves were breaking high on the rocks so the brig was hauled off and taken out to sea Murray then steered to King Island deciding to return again later to explore the newly discovered harbour He surveyed the east coast of King Island fro on the beach of the bay that he first entered, and this was na Island was an i to the British priority of discovery over the French shi+ps” when elevenpages describe Murray's exploration of King Island and of his first sight of Port Phillip
MURRAY'S LOG
HMA SURVEYING VESSEL LADY NELSON ON DISCOVERY LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER JOHN MURRAY
Sydney Cove to Bass Strait
”Thursday, 12th Nove out of ye Heads at 1 PM--at 2 PM ye South Head of Port Jackson bore north-north-west 11 an to look squally and black froAt 5 it thundered and the lightning increasedDuring night fresh winds and a heavy sea up; in the ht
”Friday, 13th Nove seaAt sundown Mount Droht unsettled weather and a confused sea At noon Cape How bore West distance 7 or 8 leagues
”Saturday, 14th Noveht airs inclinable to calm, a very heavy sea from south-west At sundown Cape How bore north-west distant about 7 leaguesWe hauled in for the land this 's tirees 30 rees 00 minutes 00 seconds south At noon calrees 06 minutes 43 seconds south
”Sunday, 15th November Moderate fine weather and smooth waterAt 9 AM we had a curious squall at every point of the compass, it did not blow very hard and seemed to settle in the south-east quarter
”Monday, 16th Nove in western quarter The squall passed over the land and thundered a good deal with , at half-past 7 it took a north-west turn and at 8 PM passed over our heads, though with no great deal of windIn the rees 32 minutes south
”Thursday, 19th Nove south-west distances 8 or 9 leagues--their appearance was like a great nu nearly south-east and north-west; at 8 AM the easternest bore south-south-west distance 7 or 8 leagues At 9 AM the whole chain of islands, 13 in nue island as above
”Friday, 20th Nove up to the land but were surprised to find that instead of being a se and whatever appeared as islands began to connect itself into one island, the latitude not agreeing with Lieutenant Flinders, concluded it could not be Kent's Group Kept working up to it and by daylight ithin 5 miles of ye northern an immense number of birds on it sent the boat on shore to procure some; in a short time after this I saw a smoke arise from the small island just passed, sent ye boat and ye first mate there where they found two men, one woman and a child, of Henry Kable's employ; assisted theood harbour and ot the Latitude by going on shore 39 degrees 57 minutes 46 seconds south When moored, the Grand Capshi+ne bore west-north-west distant 1/2 mile--Cat Island bore north by east 1/4 mile and Storehouse Island south-east quarter of a mile Cape Barren the east point south 1/2 east distant 25on stone for ballast Carpenter fitting places for sweeps to row in and on the longboat PM Broke Farmer Barnes for contempt and disobedience of orders Rated Robert Warren boatswain's mate in his room AM Sent the first mate and a party of hands (with one of the people found here) and soreat plenty was to be found in the country
”Sunday, 22nd November The first officer and his party returned on board; they shot 2 waaroo, a porcupine, a swan and so sent the second s On account of the great plenty of fresh provisions served no salt meat this day I went and measured a base line from the south end of Storehouse Island due East and West 2 miles to a point on ye Grand Capshi+ne and from thence surveyed this harbour more for the sake of practice than any use it could be, this place being well-known by the name Diana Bay
”Monday, 23rd November At 6 PM sent party on shore with the first mate to procure mutton-birds for officers and people At 9 PM the officer and party returned on board, having got near 100 birds and so note from RB Wood my clerk:
”'SIR,--Under the unfortunate situation in which I aeserious I wish to co that secrecy is requisite--and that after you have supped and alone will be best I am, Sir, Your hu this, a little time after, I sent for him and he informed me that he had seen Mark Clark, soldier, and Robert Warren, as only two days ago rated boatswain'soff spirits from a cask in the hold; that he suspected this business had been carried on for soht be concerned In addition John Johnston, cabin servant, informed me that he had seen a number of the people at different times half drunk when on their watch below; in consequence of these circumstances I turned the hands on deck and read the Articles of War to them, put Mark Clark, Robert Warren and Far I hoisted on deck all the casks of spirits, overhauled the just out and about 4 1/2 inches dry in it; nailed lead over the bung and tossed the Clark on this affair he confessed that he and Warren had pue Yates informed me that Warren hadtheto do with it I accordingly released Barnes and again rated him boatswain's mate--turned the hands up and punished Robert Warren with four dozen lashes for robbery, drunkenness, etc, and Mark Clark with one dozen lashes only as it appeared that he had been prompted to this when drunk
”Tuesday, 24th November First and middle parts fine weather and mostly calm, latter hazy Half-past 9 anchor and made sail out between the Grand Capshi+ne and Cat Island, hoisted up our gig and stowe her At 10 AM Cat Island bore south-east distant 5 miles and the peak of the Grand Capshi+ne south-south-east distant 6 miles At noon the Grand Capshi+ne bore south-east distant 16 or 17 miles and the west end of ye Sisters west by south distant 8 or 9 miles The harbour we have just left is formed by the Grand Capshi+ne Island, Cat Island and Storehouse Island Between the Grand Capshi+ne and Cat Island is a narrow channel with deep water through which we came to-day--it lies about north-west by north a few hundred yards Between Cat Island and Storehouse Island is a two-fathoh which Kable's schooner has passed to the South The harbour is very open and a good deal of sea heaves in, but small vessels can up anchor and just run round to the opposite side of Cat Island--there is a snug cove entirely secure fro care to be off from this last place, if the wind comes from the northward From the Grand Capshi+ne the land trends away in a south-east and south direction as far as Cape Barren; from where we lay the Bay of Shoals bore south by west distant 15 ood deal further out in the Bay than we, as we rode in one quarter less than 3 fathoms