Volume I Part 29 (1/2)

The weather was gloo showers of rain and a ain by daylight (July 1st) when Magnetical Island bore South 9 degrees West, and the south and largest of the Pal with the log, showed there had been no current during the night

Magnetical Island was so named by Cook, because he fancied it affected the Endeavour's coe on the west side, where it is densely covered with trees, aular-shaped heads, giving by their variety a picturesque appearance to the scene We passed the Palest we found to be 750 feet high, with a remarkable white rock off its South-East extreme

(Footnote See the view annexed)

THE CORDILLERA

Behind these islesnumerous blue streaks of s the state of population on the slope of that lofty range of hills, which may be called the Cordillera of Eastern Australia, and which at this point, tower to a great height, overlooking the coast We were abreast about noon of its most rerees 22to our observations, of 3500 feet

(Footnote The proxilooh a nun in Australia of a densely populated part of the country, yet when they are constantly visible, as in this part of the continent, it is fair to infer, that the inhabitants are nuht further re found the natives well disposed; and at Goold Island, in this neighbourhood, they even came on board his vessel uninvited, an evidence of friendshi+p and confidence, rarely characterizing a race of beings so wary as are generally the inhabitants of Australia

It is not a little singular that the altitude of Mount Hinchinbrook should be identical hat Strzelecki considers the ht of the Cordillera, which he traced continually on foot, frohest point, 6500 feet in latitude 36 degrees 20 minutes South, the naly expressed, and which we therefore, in justice to his patriotic sentiive below in his oords It will thus be seen that there is a northerly dip in the cordillera of 3000 feet in 18 degrees of latitude

(Footnote ”The particular configuration of this eminence struck me so forcibly, by the similarity it bears to a tumulus elevated in Krakow, over the ton country, on foreign ground, but ast a free people, who appreciate freedo it the nae, and the extreme abruptness of its eastern face, where no waters are thrown off, renders it reat fertility Whatever waters originate on its suive rise to rivers e theoons, feed strea their overflow

HALIFAX BAY

It is the general opinion of every voyager who has sailed along the coast of Halifax Bay, that it is theportion of the north-east side of the continent; as, coiven, we have every reason to believe that the discovery of fertile and therefore valuable land, will one day reward the labours of the explorer

Nothing was seen by us of the San Antonio reef, laid down in the charts as fronting the Palm Isles; but this was subsequently accounted for by Captain Stanley, who found that it was sixteenin latitude 18 degrees 17 minutes South, and twenty-four miles distant from the nearest land, Hillock Point

This fact is the more satisfactory and important that, fro supposed to be near the Palm Islands, it was apt to create an unpleasant state of anxiety in thethick weather or at night

From noon we steered North-North-West, and at 6 PM Dunk Island bore South-West eightthat period, fro the day we had several opportunities of satisfactorily testing the accuracy of Captain King's chart While passing Barnard's Group, soon after dark, we found a current setting West-North-West nearly a ht, but in a North-North-West direction During the day we had a light breeze from South-South-East, which shi+fted to West-South-West during the night Nu on the shore during the first watch, at the foot of the bellenden Ker hills, remarkable mountains of considerable altitude

FITZROY ISLAND

July 2

Soon after ht ere abreast of Frankland Group, and at 7 AM

passed three s increased to seventeen fatho upwards of a mile an hour to the North-West, an increased velocity, which may be accounted for by the proxi Cape Grafton I must not, however, pass an island which like Fitzroy, carried in its nale, without a word of notice, particularly as its features are in theular peaked suh, near the north-east end On the western side is a little cove where Captain King found snug anchorage

REEF NEAR LOW ISLES

Passing h, encircled with a coral reef, and Cape Grafton, we steered North-West 1/2 North for a shoal on which Her Majesty's shi+p Irounded; and at noon, were exactly on the spot, in latitude 16 degrees 24 1/4 s of the land, Low Isles being West-North-West fourhad less than seventeen since theThere was no appearance of any such reef nearer than that laid down by Lieutenant Roe, bearing east from the above-mentioned Low Isles and under which Her Majesty's shi+p Tamar anchored It must therefore have been on the North-West part of this reef that the Iene struck, and the south partbeen seen by her to the southward, which accounts for our not seeing it froh several patches of discoloured water, caused by washi+ngs from reefs to ard, which are very deceptive At sunset the anchor was dropped in thirteen fatho Port Stephens The south point of Weary Bay bore West-North-West three miles, and Cape Tribulation South by East six miles Near the middle of the former, I noticed a patch of discoloured water, which has since been found by a merchant vessel to be a shoal

HOPE ISLANDS

The land over the latter place is very high, presenting several singular peaks, one er That over Trinity Bay, which ere the greater part of the day crossing, is also of great altitude In its south corner we noticed the river-like opening spoken of by Captain King, lying in the rear of soreater part of the coast between Weary Bay and Endeavour River, including the Hope Islands, had been altered fro of which he had furnished us with previous to leaving Sydney The few bearings we obtained while at anchor, induced us to consider it correct, a fact we further proved during the early part of the next day's run, as the course steered froe North by West 1/2 West, carried us a little ned position in the chart been correct, our course would have led us right over the western isle On detecting this error, we found it necessary to re-survey this part of the coast, and it affords , to be able to bear testiinal chart above alluded to Soon after passing the Hope Islands,the reef where Cook's vessel had soon the rocks for 23 hours, as graphically described in his voyages It is called Endeavour Reef, fro on the same course, we passed three miles from Cape Bedford, at 4 PM This is one of thea bluff detached piece of tableland, sur me forcibly of the lava-capped hills on the river Santa Cruz, in eastern Patagonia As far as I could judge, by the aid of a good glass, it seemed to be composed of a mixture of red sand and ironstone, of a very deep red hue, bearing a great similarity to the country on the North-West coast, in latitude 15 1/4 degrees South

Leaving Cape Bedford, ent in search of a shoal laid down by HMS

Victor, as lying twoand Lieutenant Roe had expressed a doubt of its existence in the position marked, a doubt which our researches fully justified; and therefore, as it at present stands, it should be expunged from the chart

From thence we steered north for Lizard Island, the reht; this course took us within three miles of Cape Flattery, where a couple of peaks, with a slope between them, render it a conspicuous headland