Volume II Part 18 (2/2)
On the 15th ere in latitude 16 degrees 05 rees 16 nant calht westerly breeze on thefrom South-West by South to West-South-West with some rather sharp rain squalls It appears that the westerly winds had already set in, and that the calm we experienced on the 17th was an unoccupied space between the easterly and westerly winds There are few parts of the globe where light winds prevail so much as on the North-west coast of New Holland, particularly between the latitudes of 13 and 17 degrees, and from one to two hundredin the months of January, February, and March, fro and east in the afternoon These winds prevented us fro the coast on the eastward of Depuch Island; and as we had failed in getting a supply of provisions at Ti the examination of that part of the coast between the Turtle Islands and Roebuck Bay
BEZOUT ISLAND
The Beagle was consequently anchored under Bezout Island, one of the eastern isles of Dao, and boats were sent to examine the coast on the southward of Cape Lambert
It may, perhaps, be worthy of reht by any chance to this dreary part of the world in May, June, or July, anchorages exposed to easterly winds should be left at or before daylight--that being the tiain quiet
Bezout Island is of the saes, with bare stony summits, of a dark brown hue, on theSouth-South-West A more dreary sterile country can scarcely be seen; yet it still ust 26
The weather has been truly strange for the last four days The winds, instead of being easterly have been fro the s On this day they were from all quarters, with distant thunder in the north-west, and several rain squalls In the night it settled at east, a fresh breeze bringing with it fine weather In connection with our for near the change of the
The material for the chart collected in this part consists of the main from below Picard Island to nearly twentyislands, an extent of nearly forty-five miles The part near Picard Island was carefully examined by Mr Forsyth He reported thethe head of the bay between Cape Lambert and Depuch, to be extensive flats of mud and sand, over which the sea sometimes passed Between Picard and Cape Larove creeks On a hill up one of these, several saroos were seen Near the Cape Mr Forsyth perceived twenty-seven natives, seven of ere children, in one party
DELAMBRE ISLAND
On the 27th we crossed over to Delae party landed in the afternoon A few turtle were here taken, of a different kind from any we had seen before, and apparently a cross between the Hawk's Bill and the Green Turtle; several nests were also found, in one of which were 138 eggs This island terminates, like Bezout Island, to the northward, in cliffs about 90 feet high, with deep water close to; on the east and west sides it is fronted by a reef nearly athree miles to the North-North-West of the North-West point, laid down by Captain King The passage between Huiy Island and Delah clear for twoout we found that it had a very uneven bottos We noticed that a hill, lying nine miles to the south-west of Bezout Island, called in the chart Round-backed Hill, bearing between South 5 degrees East, and South 15 degrees East, clears the reefs on either side the channel; and that the sarees West leads between Bezout and Delarees West clears the reef off the eastern side of the latter
THE MONTEBELLO GROUP
From Delambre we proceeded to the Montebello Islands, principally in order to set at rest two points of great interest, na lost Tryal Rocks On the 31st, in the afternoon, we anchored in 6 fathoms on the eastern side of Tremouille Island, a cliffy islet off the south-east end of which bore South 42 degrees East twoto the North-North-East two knots an hour We found the Montebello Group to be confined by a coral reef encircling it The two principal islands are Tremouille and Herhbours are not separated in the charts fully evinced the necessity of our visit
Leaving a boat to examine them, the shi+p proceeded towards the northern end of Barrow's Island, being anxious to avoid the southerly winds to which the anchorage off Treht, blowing fro to south by 8 AM, and by about 10at South-South-East On our way to Barrow's Island they were so violent as to cause the shi+p to drive with two anchors ahead, there appearing to be no holding ground, but si the prevalence of these winds the terees
Near Barrow's Island, on our passage, I shot (froest sea-snake ever killed It is figured and described in the Appendix, by Mr JE Gray, as Hydrus th, by three inches broad; the colour was a dark yellow: several smaller ones striped brown and white were also seen
BARROW'S ISLAND
We found that fro series of reefs and sest and most central of which is called Lowendal, extends towards Barrow's Island, leaving a winding channel along the north side of the latter Near the centre of the western side of the reef is a cluster which proved to be the long-lost Tryal Rocks; the rees 35 rees 17the eastern side of Barrow's Island, extending off three e was consequently little more than that distance from the shore We examined the northern and eastern sides; the former is composed of red sandstone cliffy projections, separated by sandy bays, fronted for nearly two miles by a coral reef, partly dry at loater; but the south part of the eastern side becomes very low; and where the cliffs end there is a re ards There were recent marks of the seaoccasional strong south-east winds A nuht, were scattered over the northern parts of the island In the valleys was a little sandy soil, nourishi+ng the spinifex, and a stunted kind of wood sufficiently large for fuel
(Footnote Lowendal Island, bearing east, leads into it)
(Footnote We recognised them from a sketch furnished by the Admiralty, and made in 1719 by a Dutch sloop sent in search of therees west frorees it would bring them near their actual distance from the shore Van Keulen says they were seen in the shi+p Vaderland Getrouw, and found to be in 20 degrees 30 seconds south In 1777 they were seen by Captain Joss, of the Danish shi+p Frederisberg Castel, who places therees 40 nised theitude would place therees more to the ard, and near the position they have occupied for years in the charts The centre of them bears North by East five miles and a quarter from Cape Dupuis, the north-west point of Barrow's Island)
NEW KANGAROO
We found a new kind of kangaroo and wallaby on Barrow's Island; but the only specilect of the person in whose charge it was left It was a buck, weighing fifty pounds, of a cinnamon colour on the back and a dirty white on the belly; the hair was fine and long; the head of a peculiar shape, rese's, with a very blunt nose; the forearms were very short; the hind feet cushi+oned like those inhabiting rocky ground The does appeared to be hter; but all were very wary and scarce From the number of red sandhills, too, scattered over the island, they were difficult to be seen at a distance From our description of this specimen it has been named Osphranter isabellinus With the wallaby ereover four, weighing froht pounds; they also had blunt noses, and were of a light brown colour, quite different fro seven feet in length, and nearly black, striped slightly hite, were also killed here
We did not find any surface water; everything wore a dry parched appearance No traces of natives were discovered, except sons of fire on every part of the continent we visited Fro reef trended in the direction of theoff so with the shore the whole of these islands, which seem to lie in a line with each other, like the various parts of a subed piece of land The small isles, especially between the Montebello Group and Barrow's Island, have all the same direction; so that it seems fair to conclude that they were once a part of the ulf si on the south-west of it I had been led to expect this fro fro is North-North-West
SUPPLY OF TURTLES
Barrow's Island, being about twelve , would, in the event of a penal settleood second Norfolk Island On leaving we brought aith us seven tons of turtles from the abundant supplies its shores afforded
Many of theave to our friends at Swan River on our arrival We cannot quit this island without reuished Secretary to the Admiralty, who has just retired from office after a period of service of nearly half a century, during which tiraphical research, andi reputation both by his travels and his literary productions
On our return to Tre coe proportion of chartthe number of small islands, which would render it an endless labour to atte in the shape of a scythe
RITCHIE'S REEF
A hill 145 feet high, the loftiest point of the group, rises near the centre of Tremouille, the north-east island, off the north-west end of which a ledge extends in the direction of an out-lying reef, bearing North 55 degrees West (netic) nine rees 17 rees 26 rees 21 minutes East This could be no other than that which we had so often looked for as Ritchie's Reef, as our former tracks to the ard had assured us that it did not lie in that direction In latitude it agreed with the position given to it on the charts, but in longitude it differed considerably, lying full half a degree to the eastward It therefore appeared not to be a discovery of Lieutenant Ritchie's, as it had been not only seen previously by the French, who had considered it as a reef extending off Tremouille Island, but many years before by Captain Clerke, who placed it in latitude 20 degrees 18 netic) froht to be Rosemary Island, but which it is very evident was Treiven it instead of Ritchie's
WALLABY SHOOTING
Mr Fitzer islands, a party of us went on shore in the evening, after securing observations for the rates of the chrono Islet, near the centre of the rocky cluster fronting the eastern side of Her a sandy point on the south-west end, which we placed in latitude 20 degrees 27 rees 8 h-water here at full and change, was about 10 o'clock, when the tide rose fourteen feet; the flood-stream came from the northward
We found that Treetation as Barrow's Island; in one or two places was growing a stunted kind of wood, sufficient for fuel for a sn of water The wallaby, which were very nuot their supply ofvery close in the wiry prickly grass, allowing us to kick the excellent sport, quite equal to any rabbit shooting; a nearly twenty
It was quite a new kind of wallaby, and has been classed, froorchester conspicillata It had a blunt nose, similar to those at Barrow's Island, and was about the sahter, and it had a back exactly like a European hare
The tail tapered away like a rat's, and the flesh was by no ; this was the only instance in which we found wallaby at all unpalatable