Volume I Part 30 (2/2)
Passing between the Island (an elevated reef, with one shest part) and reef M, we hauled up North-East by North round the north end of the latter, to weather Sir Everard Horoup connected by shoal water and extending about four miles froerston's Islands, a square luh
cockBURN ISLANDS
Sir Charles Hardy's and the cockburn Isles are also conspicuous objects in this neighbourhood, particularly the former, which is visible fro h these reefs
In the evening the anchor was dropped about a mile from the north side of the Bird Isles in ten fatho in West-South-West to the anchorage Five miles South-East by East from these isles, we passed close to the position of a patch of shoal water, according to the chart: its presence, however, was not detected, the depth at the ti nineteen fatho the day were a few soundings, besides increasing the nu the position of cockburn Islands, with the reefs fronting them The number of these isles is thus increased fro three hundred feet high The current during the day set steadily North-West al West-North-West at the saed its direction to East-South-East froh-water being about 6 AM, it is evident the flood-stream came here fro the day, were of a soon character and the reefs oval-shaped, with an elevated patch of dead coral at their north extreme, which had the appearance, at a distance, of sand Thesubsided into a weariso froht The coast was, therefore, utterly void of any feature of interest, after passing Fair Cape
July 11
At daylight ere again underway and steered North by East for the purpose of ascertaining if there were any reefs to the eastward of u and v When Nurees West four and a half ed to West-North-West to pass between the reef fronting its south side and reef here we had a depth of 20 fathoe on the chart At the ti the course, the shi+p was West-North-West twoto chart; but as we did not see it, and as Captain King has not laid it down upon his own authority, we may safely conclude that it either does not exist, or that it isthe reef off its south extrerees West froroup South of Cairncross--shortly before noon This Captain King supposes to be Boydan, that on which the crew of the Charles Eaton were massacred It was therefore determined that the re the place, with a view to ascertain the correctness of this supposition The reatly enhanced, fro D'Oyly, one of the survivors of this ill-fated party, and son of an Indian officer returning fro an infant, his helplessness excited the sympathies of an Indian woman, who snatched him from the arms of his murdered mother, and sheltered him within her own Nor did her kindness stop here, the never-failingher to protect and console the child
EXAMINATION OF BOYDAN ISLAND
We had just read Captain PP King's interesting pa with edy, and with our minds so recently imbued with the horrors it inspired, naturally advanced to the search with zeal and activity; anxious, if possible, to place the locality of its occurrence beyond a doubt The isle was easily traversed, being of small extent, not more, indeed, than a ly in every direction, and discovered the rereat quantities of turtle bones, and some coconut shells were scattered about
It was rehs were cut, an axe or some other sharp instrument had been used A topmast with the lower cap attached to it, was found on the South-East side of the island, which we afterwards discovered to be a portion of the brig William, wrecked on the outer barrier threedrew his conclusions relative to this island fro, that on their way to it in the canoe, after leaving the raft, they first passed three islands on the right northward, and one on the left southward
CORRECT CHART
Frowe found it necessary to correct the chart, thus decreasing the number of islands We found that marked 5, to have no existence, and 6, far too much to the ard, while 8 and 10 were placed to the eastward of their true position These errors occasionally occur where they are nue in the number and position of the islands is in so, and I am further inclined, from these corrections, to draw the conclusion that Nuiven by the Murray islanders, to the spot rendered notorious by the cold-blooded massacre we have already alluded to, and which will be describednarrative, further on in the present work
On exa the island, which is a oon than any we had yet seen, we found that the outer edge consisted of a wall higher than any of the parts within, rising at loater, to an elevation of ten feet, while inside, pools or holes existed, three or four feet deep, containing live coral, sponges, sea-eggs, and trepang Scattered about on different parts of the reef were e as those I had for or Cocos Islands, in the Indian Ocean, weighing 220 pounds
Singular to say, at 3 PM, I observed the latitude by a ht sunny day The result agreed with Captain King's chart, placing the centre of the island in latitude 11 degrees 28 minutes South
TIDAL OBSERVATIONS
We experienced e we had yet occupied during the passage From 1 to 5 PM, it set half an knot an hour to the southward, then changed to North-West by North, increasing its rate to one knot by 10 o'clock, and decreasing it to a quarter of a knot by 2 AM, when it again set to the South-South-West The stream thus appears to set nine hours North-West by North and three South-South-West The short duration of the latter, which is the ebb, is caused by the northerly direction of the prevailing current This also was the only spot where our fishermen had any success; in a few hours several dozen of a species of sht
Three or four shi+ps passing together would find a secure berth about two le anchored, where the depth is e in this particular over Cairncross, where but one vessel could lie snug, and still greater over Turtle Island,tide, and where vessels ride very uneasily Moreover the supposed Boydan, or Nuht, there being nothing in the way to iress for so the reefs off Wednesday and Hammond Islands, late in the day, with the sun in an unfavourable position, can find a convenient stopping place in Blackwood Bay under the largest York isle, or under the Cape of that name
CAIRNCROSS ISLAND
July 12
We left at an early hour, steering North-North-West 1/2 West for Cairncross Island, which we passed at a distance of half a ht is seventy-five feet to the tops of the trees, which, according to Mr Bynoe, who subsequently visited it in the ums The tea-tree of the colonists is also found here, in addition to soht creas being tipped with black, or very dark blue Mr Bynoe found the island quite alive with the continually to and from the main They not only resort but breed there, as he found several old nests As this bird was not le on the western coast, we may fairly conclude it only inhabits the eastern and northern; the furthest south it was seen by the officers of HMS Britorees In addition to these, Mr
Bynoe saw the holes of so animals, which are doubtless rats On a sandy spit, close to the bushes or scrub, he saw a native enca an area of about ten yards
The occupants had but recently left it, as a fire was found burning, and the impression of their feet still fresh in the sand It appears that at this season of the year, being the favourable h the Barrier reefs on their voyage to India, the islands to the southward are much frequented by the natives of Murray and others of the northern isles, waiting, like wreckers of old, the untoward loss of soic, hastening to the doomed vessel; just as in the Paht down a deer than the air is filled withtheir way towards the carcass, though a few htedness of these Indians resembles that of the carrion bird itself, while their rapacity and recklessness of blood is fully equal to that of the lower animal