Part 12 (1/2)
”Tuesday, Noveallant-sails and stay-sails; no land in sight Latitude observed 29 degrees 07 minutes 28 seconds south
”Wednesday, November 17th At 4 PM tacked to south-west
”Thursday, November 18th At noon fresh clear wind at north-north-west and a high confused sea on, set all sail we could
”Friday, Noveues this I take to be S westerly current must have run, for by account when I rees 46 minutes 39 seconds south 3 itude deducted frorees 50 minutes 00 seconds east 40 miles to the eastward of it which makes the current to have set us west 28 ues
”Saturday, November 20th At noon what I supposed to be the Brothers bore west-south-west distant 6 or 7 leagues
”Sunday, November 21st Fresh breezes and cloudy, latter part variable wind and thick weather No land in sight
”Monday, November 22nd At 5 AM the north head of Port Jacksonbore south-west distant 4 leagues At 8 AM the north head bore West distant 1 league At 40 minutes past 10 AM came to with the bower in Sydney Cove abreast of the Governor's wharf, found lying here HMS Buffalo which was returned
”Tuesday, November 23rd Winds all round the co for sea”
[Facsinature Jno Murray]
Commander
CHAPTER 8
THE FRENCH shi+PS IN Bass STRAIT
THE FOUNDING OF HOBART
On Murray's return to Sydney on Nove with Flinders, he learned that Commodore Baudin's shi+ps had left the harbour four days previously The French vessels had raphe entered the Heads on June 20th, 1802, during the absence of the Lady Nelson at the Hawkesbury, and for that reason we find no record of her arrival in Murray's log; eight days afterwards the Naturaliste came to Port Jackson for the second tie in Neutral Bay
In consequence of foul weather, Hamelin could not double the South Cape of Van Die of the shi+ps at Sydney, after their long separation, gave great satisfaction to those on board The French officers and sailors were land and France were still supposed to be at war, and many of the French officers were soon on friendly terms with the chief residents and officials The news that peace had been concluded between the two countries, which arrived shortly afterwards, Peron says ”could add nothing to the friendly sentilish at Port Jackson but was a subject of rejoicing on the part of our companions”
At Sydney Baudin becalish discoveries on the southern coast Not until then could he have known all the results of the explorations of Grant and Murray in the Lady Nelson, for up to the time of the arrival of the French at Sydney, only two shi+ps had ever visited Port Phillip One of these was, of course, the Lady Nelson, the other the Investigator under Captain Flinders
Flinders had, as we have seen, met Baudin in Encounter Bay, when the conorant of the fact that Port Phillip had been discovered and entered by Murray At this interview Baudin inforraphe had ”explored the south coast fro any river, inlet or other shelter which afforded anchorage--This statement of Baudin's is contradicted by Peron in his history of the voyage, who says, that on March 30th Port Phillip was seen froiven the na afterwards that it had beenLady Nelson and had been nareater pleasure, continued this last na that of the founder of a colony in which we ranted” Louis de Freycinet also states that the entrance to the Port was seen by those on board the Geographe A drawing of Port Phillip afterwards appeared under the nah the kindness of M le Comte de Fleurieu some extracts from Baudin's journal have been placed in the writer's hands Froraphe passed Western Port without recognising it, and in continuing to voyage ard saw a port which those on board iined to be Western Port, but which possibly was Port Phillip) Freycinet denied that the land, by the unlawful use of Flinders' charts, ( See Atlas, 1st Edition Voyage de Decouvertes aux Terres Australes, 1807 F
Peron and L de Freycinet Freycinet was not in the Geographe when she ator, he was then in the Naturaliste He acknowledged that the drawing of Port Phillip in the Terre Napoleon was taken frolish shi+p Arniston and found a the papers of the Fae de Decouvertes 3 430) The Arniston was one of a fleet of shi+ps under convoy of HMS Athenian which was sent to China via Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island) and there is no reason to disbelieve him; but it is quite possible that Flinders did show Freycinet either his own chart of Port Phillip, or onethe stay of the French at Port Jackson
When Baudin sailed ard along the south coast from Wilson's Pro with Flinders--he bestowed French names upon places that had been already discovered and na to Cape Patton (of Grant) the title of Cape Suffrein, Cape Albany Otway (of Grant) that of Cape Marengo, and Cape Schanck (of Grant) that of Cape Richelieu Portland Bay, also nane Cape took the place-name of Cape Solicitor; Lady Julia Island becaon Island; and Cape Bridgewater, Cape Montesquieu In this manner nearly the whole of Grant's discoveries were rechristened ( Soive the French name of Cape Desaix, bestowed in honour of one of Napoleon's faenerals, to Cape Albany Otway Pinkerton's translator of the History to Southern Lands, however, states that the French nao)
The presence of Baudin's expedition in Australian waters may be said to have considerably hurried on the British colonisation of Tash Bass and Flinders had in 1798 circu extensive discoveries to those already h, and other British seaht lay clai Baudin's visit his officers surveyed the eastern coast h they arded by the British as their territory (
The commission of Governor Phillip, read publicly when he landed at Sydney in 1788, had proclaimed him ruler of all the land from Cape York to South Cape in Tas at Sydney It was natural therefore that after the departure of the French shi+ps, when King heard a rumour that they intended to take possession of a port in Tas-Lieutenant Robbins in the cu the Island, immediately hoisted the Union Jack there and daily saluted it during their stay It was upon seeing the British flag flying on this island that Baudin is said to have observed ”that the English orse than the Pope, for whereas he grasped half the world the English took the whole of it”
Co him that the rumour as to his intentions ithout foundation, but, he added, ”Perhaps he (Robbins) has co over our tents we had left in prominent parts of the island (which I still name after you) proofs of the period at which we visited it” This insinuation evidently raised King's ire, as he in of the letter, ”If Mr Baudin insinuates any claim of this visit the island was first discovered in 1798 ( King writes 1799 in the chart) by Mr Reid in the Martha and afterwards seen by Mr Black in the Harbinger and surveyed by Mr Murray in February 1802” Baudin seenored what could not have been a secret at Port Jackson, na Island from Cape Farewell to Seal Bay
To return to the story of the logbooks After another voyage to Norfolk Island, whither the Lady Nelson conveyed troops to relieve the n his co informed, in despatches from the Admiralty, that he had sent the to Secretary Nepean, King re yours respecting the discoveryabout Mr Murray's state certificate at the Cape of Good Hope, in consequence of which he has been superseded in the coer in the Glatton He pro able to clear the point up to their Lordshi+ps' satisfaction Should he be able to acco coood conduct while in command of the Lady Nelson to say that his future services in that vessel would be very acceptable to me and beneficial to the service that the vessel is e superseded from the Lady Nelson, I applied to Captain Colnett for a person to co anyone who can be spared, either from the Buffalo or Porpoise He has appointed the e Courtoys, ( The na) who is passed and appears equal to the charge of Acting-Lieutenant and Commander of that vessel”