A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume I Part 27

WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY 1802

At one in the morning, being seven or eight leagues from the coast and in 45 fathoms, we tacked ship towards the land, having a fresh breeze at west-south-west, with fine weather. Haul-off Rock bore N. 77 W., three or four miles, at six, and we then bore away along the coast. Beyond Cape Riche the sh.o.r.e forms a sandy bight, in which is a small island; and on the north side of another cliffy projection, four leagues further, there is a similar falling back of the coast, where it is probable there is also good shelter for boats, if not a small inlet. At noon a projecting head two miles long, which, from the lumps of rock at the top, I called _Cape k.n.o.b_, was three miles distant; and our observations and bearings of the land were then as under;

Lat.i.tude, observed to the north and south 34 35' 26"

Longitude by time keepers, 119 15 The cliffy projection past Cape Riche, with Mount Rugged behind it, N. 75 W.

Two rocks, distant 7 or 8 miles, N. 56 W.

Cape k.n.o.b, eastern extremity, N. 11 E.

A cliffy projection further eastward, N. 46 E.

One of the Doubtful Isles, N. 54 E.

The coast is sandy on both sides of Cape k.n.o.b, but especially on the west side, where the hillocks at the back of the sh.o.r.e are little else than bare sand.

At four o'clock we had pa.s.sed the Point Hood of Vancouver; and seeing a channel of nearly a mile in width between it and the two outer of his Doubtful Islands, steered through it with soundings from 20 to 24 fathoms. I then hauled up south-westward, along the inner island and point, and sent away the master to sound between them; it being my intention to anchor, if a sufficient depth should be found for the ship to escape in case the wind came to blow from the eastward: it was then light at south-east-by-south. Mr. Thistle found the opening to be very narrow, and no more than 2 fathoms in the shoalest part; we therefore stood out, repa.s.sing within a small black islet, upon which were some seals. At eight, tacked to the southward and weathered the Doubtful Islands.

On the north side of the isles and of Point Hood the sh.o.r.e falls back five or six miles to the west-south-west before it curves northward, and affords good shelter against all winds which do not blow strong from between north-east and east. At the time we stood out of the bay the ship was three miles within the outermost islands, and not more than a cable's length from the sh.o.r.e of Point Hood, and we had 7 fathoms, sandy bottom.

The point and islands are steep and rocky, but the western sh.o.r.es of this great bay are mostly sandy beaches. On the north-western and north sides there are some ma.s.ses of tolerably high land which appeared to be granitic; and for distinction in the survey they are called _West_, _Middle_, and _East Mount Barren_.

THURSDAY 7 JANUARY 1802

The wind was variable between east and north-by-east during the night. At daybreak the three mounts were in sight, and the north end of the Doubtful Isles bore N. 74 W. three leagues. As the wind veered round to the west and southward, we steered more in for the north side of Doubtful Island Bay; and at noon, our situation and the bearings of the land were these:

Lat.i.tude, observed to the north and south 34 16' 40"

Longitude by time keepers 119 47 Doubtful Isles, south extreme, dist. 11 miles, S. 55 W.

West Mount Barren, N. 77 W.

Middle do., N. 25 W.

East do., the furthest visible land, N. 28 E.

Our course was directed to the northward, with the wind at south-east-by-south; but seeing the appearance of an opening in the north-west corner of the bay, with smokes rising there, we steered north-west for it. In an hour the low land was seen from the mast head to extend across the supposed opening, and we then hauled up east-by-north, to the wind, at the distance of five or six miles from the high, rocky sh.o.r.e between the Middle and East Mount Barren. At seven in the evening the eastern mount bore N. 44 W., three leagues, and the coast, which from thence becomes sandy, was seen as far as N. 76 E. A small reef, one of two before laid down both by Vancouver and D'Entrecasteaux, was then observed three or four miles to seaward. It was important to get sight of this reef before dark, for we should otherwise have been at great uncertainty during the night, more especially as the surf upon it broke only at times.

The wind being at south-by-east, we tacked and stood westward, nearly in our afternoon's track, until midnight; and the breeze having then veered to south-west, we were able to stretch off south-south-east to windward of the breakers. At half-past five in the morning [FRIDAY 8 JANUARY 1802], East Mount Barren was four leagues distant to the northward, and our course was resumed along the sh.o.r.e. The breakers were pa.s.sed at the distance of two miles, and the mount was set over them, bearing N. 38 W.

at seven o'clock. The second small reef lies nearly east-north-east from the first, and was left three miles to the northward.

On the preceding evening a small rocky island had been seen indistinctly from the mast head, and it now again came in sight to the eastward. The French ships had pa.s.sed without side of this island, and I therefore steered to go between it and the mainland; but breaking water was seen to extend so far to the north that the uncertainty of finding a pa.s.sage made the attempt too dangerous with the wind right aft. We accordingly hauled up to windward of the island, and had 38 fathoms between it and a small reef lying S. 72 W., between two and three miles from it. The island is low, smooth, and sterile, and is frequented by seals; its lat.i.tude is 34 6' and longitude 120 28', and it lies eight or nine miles from the mainland.

At noon the rocky island was near ten miles astern, and a cl.u.s.ter of four small islets appeared in the offing at the distance of four leagues. The nearest part of the main land, seven or eight miles distant, was low and sandy, as it had been all the way from East Mount Barren, and continued to be to the furthest extreme visible from the masthead; there were, however, a few scattered sandy hillocks on the sh.o.r.e, but nothing could be seen of the back country. Our situation, and the bearings taken at this time were as under:

Lat.i.tude, observed to the north and south, 34 1' 48"

Longitude by time keepers, 119 38 East Mount Barren, N. 80 W.

The small island astern, S. 65 W.

Four islets in the offing, S. 77 E.

Mast-head extreme of the coast, N. 59 E.

We pa.s.sed at nearly an equal distance between the four rocky islets and the main land, that is to say, at six or eight miles from each; and at five o'clock were abreast of a projecting part of the coast where the sandy hills seemed to form white cliffs. This is called Cap des Ba.s.ses (Shoal Cape) in the French chart; and we saw, in fact, an islet under the land, surrounded with much broken water, and the soundings decreased from 35 to 25 fathoms soon after pa.s.sing it at the distance of five or six miles. There was an appearance of small inlets on each side of Shoal Cape, but as admiral D'Entrecasteaux pa.s.sed within three miles and does not mark any, it was probably a deception, caused by the land being very low between the sand hills.

[SOUTH COAST. RECHERCHE'S ARCHIPELAGO.]

Before sunset the westernmost isle of D'Entrecasteaux's _Archipel de la Recherche_ was in sight to the eastward, and at half-past seven our distance from it was about six miles. The French admiral had mostly skirted round the archipelago, a sufficient reason for me to attempt pa.s.sing through the middle, if the weather did not make the experiment too dangerous. It was fine at this time, and the breeze moderate at south-south-west; and I therefore took measures to be in with the western group as early on the following morning as possible, to have the whole day for getting through.

SAt.u.r.dAY 9 JANUARY 1802

At a quarter-past five we bore away for the south end of the westernmost island, pa.s.sed in within a mile and a half at seven, and steered eastward for the cl.u.s.ters rising ahead and on both bows. At noon the number of rocks above water, the patches of breakers, and the islands with which we were surrounded made it necessary to heave to, in order to take the angles of so many objects with some degree of accuracy. The situation of the ship, and the three most material bearings were these:

Lat.i.tude, observed to the north and south 35 0' 25"

Longitude reduced up from eight o'clock 121 49 45 Observatory I. (Of D'Entrecasteaux) dist. 6 miles, N. 37 W.

High Peak on Cape Le Grand, N. 84 E.

Small, high, peaked island, distant 7 or 8 miles, S. 57 E.

This last peak had been visible from daybreak, and appears to be the top of the imperfectly formed _Ile de Remarque_ of D'Entrecasteaux's chart.

and from it I measured with a s.e.xtant the angles of most of the other objects. The long reef of rocks called _La Chaussee_ (The Causeway) was four or five miles distant to the southward; and a sunken rock, upon which the sea broke at times, was three miles off to the north-east. The islands were more particularly numerous to the east-south-east, where our course lay; but as they were generally high, with bold rocky sh.o.r.es, and we had hitherto found deep water, I bore away for them so soon as all the bearings were obtained.

The chart alone can give any adequate idea of this labyrinth of islands and rocks, or of our track amongst them until half past five in the evening. We were then abreast of the _Ile du Mondrain_, and the view from the mast head was almost as crowded as before; but with this difference, that the islands were smaller, and the low rocks and patches of breakers more numerous. Seeing no probability of reaching a s.p.a.ce of clear water in which to stand off and on during the night, and no prospect of shelter under any of the islands, I found myself under the necessity of adopting a hazardous measure; and with the concurrence of the master's opinion, we steered directly before the wind for the main coast, where the appearance of some beaches, behind other islands, gave a hope of finding anchorage.

At seven in the evening we entered a small sandy bay; and finding it sheltered everywhere except to the south-westward, in which direction there were many islands and rocks in the offing to break off the sea, the anchor was dropped in 7 fathoms, sandy bottom. The master sounded round the ship, but nothing was found to injure the cables; and except the water being shallow in the north-west corner of the bay, there was no danger to be apprehended, unless from strong south-west winds. The critical circ.u.mstance under which this place was discovered induced me to give it the name of LUCKY BAY.

SUNDAY 10 JANUARY 1802

I had intended to pursue our route through the archipelago in the morning; but the scientific gentlemen having expressed a desire for the ship to remain two or three days, to give them an opportunity of examining the productions of the country, it was complied with; and they landed soon after daylight. I went on sh.o.r.e also, to make observations upon the rates of the time-keepers; and afterwards ascended a hill at the back of the bay to take angles with a theodolite. A party of the gentlemen were upon the top, eating a fruit not much unlike green walnuts in external appearance, and invited me to partake; but having breakfasted, and not much liking their flavour, I did but taste them. Mr.

Thistle and some others who had eaten liberally were taken sick, and remained unwell all the day afterward. The plant which produced these nuts was a species of _zamia_ (_Zamia spiralis_ of Brown's _Prodr. flor.

Nov. Holl._, I. 348); a cla.s.s of plants nearly allied to the third kind of palm found by captain Cook on the East Coast, the fruit of which produced the same deleterious effects on board the Endeavour.*

[* Hawkesworth, Vol. III. p. 220.,221.]

The weather, unfortunately for my bearings, was so hazy that unless objects were eminently conspicuous they could not be distinguished beyond four or five leagues. My list, however, contained forty-five islands and cl.u.s.ters of rocks, independently of many patches of breakers where nothing above water appeared; yet most of those in the western part of the archipelago were invisible, either from their distance or from being hidden by other lands.

In turning from the view of these complicated dangers to that of the interior country the prospect was but little improved. Sand and stone, with the slightest covering of vegetation, every where presented themselves on the lower lands; and the many shining parts of the sides of the hills showed them to be still more bare. The vegetation, indeed, consisted of an abundant variety of shrubs and small plants, and yielded a delightful harvest to the botanists; but to the herdsmen and cultivator it promised nothing: not a blade of gra.s.s, nor a square yard of soil from which the seed delivered to it could be expected back, was perceivable by the eye in its course over these arid plains.

Upon a rock on the side of the hill I found a large nest, very similar to those seen in King George's Sound. There were in it several ma.s.ses resembling those which contain the hair and bones of mice, and are disgorged by the owls in England after the flesh is digested. These ma.s.ses were larger, and consisted of the hair of seals and of land animals, of the scaly feathers of penguins, and the bones of birds and small quadrupeds. Possibly the constructor of the nest might be an enormous owl, and if so, the cause of the bird being never seen, whilst the nests were not scarce, would be from its not going out until dark; but from the very open and exposed situations in which the nests were found, I should rather judge it to be of the eagle kind, and that its powers are such as to render it heedless of any attempts from the natives upon its young.

MONDAY 11 JANUARY 1802

On the following morning I sent the master to examine a small bay or cove lying two miles to the westward of Lucky Bay. He found it to be capable of receiving one ship, which might be placed in perfect security in the western corner, with anchors out on the off bow and quarter, and hawsers on the other side fast to the sh.o.r.e. She would thus lie in from 3 to 5 fathoms, almost near enough to lay a stage to the beach. There was wood for fuel; and at less than a hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e, a lake of fresh water, one mile in circ.u.mference, from which a small stream runs into the cove; but another stream, descending from the hills nearer into the western corner, would better suit the purposes of a ship. This account was from the master, after whom this little but useful discovery was named _Thistle's Cove_. It seems to be much superior to Lucky Bay, where neither wood nor water can be procured without much time and trouble, nor is the shelter so complete.

TUESDAY 11 JANUARY 1802

Next day Mr. Thistle was sent to examine the coast and islands to the eastward, when he found the archipelago to be full as dangerous in that direction as to the west. He landed upon an island three leagues distant, and brought me from thence a list of other islands and rocks further on, whose bearings had been taken. Several seals were procured on this and the preceding day, and some fish were caught alongside the ship; but our success was much impeded by three monstrous sharks, in whose presence no other fish dared to appear. After some attempts we succeeded in taking one of them; but to get it on board required as much preparation as for hoisting in the launch. The length of it, however, was no more than twelve feet three inches, but the circ.u.mference of the body was eight feet. Amongst the vast quant.i.ty of substances contained in the stomach was a tolerably large seal, bitten in two, and swallowed with half of the spear sticking in it with which it had probably been killed by the natives. The stench of this ravenous monster was great even before it was dead; and when the stomach was opened it became intolerable.

WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 1802

On the 13th the wind blew fresh from the eastward; and as we could not sail with the ship, lieutenant Fowler and Mr. Thistle went over to Mondrain Island, the largest we had yet seen in the archipelago. An observation of the lat.i.tude and a set of angles were there taken, and they brought back some seals of a reddish fur, and a few small kangaroos of a species different from any I had before seen. The island was covered with brush wood; but some of the party, either from accident or design, set it on fire, and the wind being fresh, there was a general blaze in the evening all over the island.

Very little other stone was seen about Lucky Bay than granite; and all the surrounding hills, as well as the islands visited, were composed of varieties of the same substance; and some specimens from Mondrain Island contained garnets. In many places the surface of the rocks was scaling off in layers, and in the steep parts great lumps had fallen off, and some caverns were formed in the cliffs. This propensity to decomposition was more remarkable in the high peak of Cape Le Grand, about five miles to the westward, to which Mr. Brown made an excursion. He found a perforation at the top forming an arch of great width and height, and above it, at the very summit of the peak, were loose pieces of granite of considerable size.

There did not appear to be any Indians at this time in the neighbourhood of Lucky Bay; but from their fire places, it was judged that they had not quitted it long since. Geese and ducks were found here, and not being very shy, some of them were killed by the sh.o.r.e parties. The goose was also found upon the islands; and is the same bird spoken of in the Introduction [**] as resembling the bernacle goose, and frequenting Furneaux's Islands in Ba.s.s Strait.*

[* This goose is described by M. Labillardiere, page 258 of the London translation, as a new species of swan.]

[** Of the birds which frequent Furneaux's Islands, the most valuable are the goose and black swan; but this last is rarely seen here, even in the freshwater pools, and except to breed, seems never to go on sh.o.r.e. The goose approaches nearest to the description of the species called _bernacle_; it feeds upon gra.s.s, and seldom takes to the water. I found this bird in considerable numbers on the smaller isles, but princ.i.p.ally upon Preservation Island; its usual weight was from seven to ten pounds, and it formed our best repasts, but had become shy. Gannets, s.h.a.gs, gulls, and red-bills were occasionally seen; as also crows, hawks, paroquets, and a few smaller birds. Fish were not plentiful, but some were taken with hook and line from the rocks.]