A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume I Part 33

---- two nearer, the extremes, S. 1 E to 4 0 W.

Thistle's Island is about twelve miles long, and from one to two or three in breadth, and in the middle part is high enough to be seen ten or twelve leagues from a ship's deck. The stone of the north-east end was found to be calcareous; but at the top of the north-west head, not less than two hundred feet high, there were many small pieces of granite, rounded to all appearance by attrition in the water. Some of the cliffs on the western side are white, as if composed of chalk, and the soil in general seemed to be sandy; yet the island was pretty well covered with wood, princ.i.p.ally _eucalyptus_ and _casuarina_. No water could be found; and as the ship's hold was becoming very empty, I returned on board, after observing the lat.i.tude, with the intention of running over to the main in search of it. But on comparing the longitude observed by lieutenant Flinders with that resulting from my bearings, a difference was found which made it necessary to repeat the observation on sh.o.r.e; and as this would prolong the time too near dusk for moving the ship, Mr.

Thistle was sent over with a cutter to the mainland in search of an anchoring place where water might be procured.

The _lat.i.tude_ of a small beach on the north end of Thistle's Island was found to be 34 56'; and _longitude_, by the time-keepers corrected, 136 3', agreeing with thirty sets of lunar observations reduced to a place connected with this by land bearings. The strongest _tides_ set past the ship at the rate of two miles an hour, from the north-north-east and south-south-west; the latter, which appeared to be the flood, ceasing to run _at the time of the moon's pa.s.sage_ over the meridian. It rose seven feet and a half by the lead line in the night of the 20th; and there were two tides in the twenty-four hours.

At dusk in the evening the cutter was seen under sail, returning from the main land; but not arriving in half an hour, and the sight of it having been lost rather suddenly, a light was shown and lieutenant Fowler went in a boat, with a lanthorn, to see what might have happened. Two hours pa.s.sed without receiving any tidings. A gun was then fired, and Mr.

Fowler returned soon afterward, but alone. Near the situation where the cutter had been last seen he met with so strong a rippling of tide that he himself narrowly escaped being upset; and there was reason to fear that it had actually happened to Mr. Thistle. Had there been daylight, it is probable that some or all of the people might have been picked up; but it was too dark to see anything, and no answer could be heard to the hallooing or to the firing of muskets. The tide was setting to the southward and ran an hour and a half after the missing boat had been last seen, so that it would be carried to seaward in the first instance; and no more than two out of the eight people being at all expert in swimming, it was much to be feared that most of them would be lost.*

[* This evening, Mr. Fowler told me a circ.u.mstance which I thought extraordinary; and it afterwards proved to be more so. Whilst we were lying at Spithead, Mr. Thistle was one day waiting on sh.o.r.e, and having nothing else to do he went to a certain old man, named Pine, to have his fortune told. The cunning man informed him that he was going out a long voyage, and that the ship, on arriving at her destination, would be joined by another vessel. That such was intended, he might have learned privately; but he added, that Mr. Thistle would be lost before the other vessel joined. As to the manner of his loss the magician refused to give any information. My boat's crew, hearing what Mr. Thistle said, went also to consult the wise man; and after the prefatory information of a long voyage, were told that they would be shipwrecked, but not in the ship they were going out in: whether they would escape and return to England, he was not permitted to reveal.

This tale Mr. Thistle had often told at the mess table; and I remarked with some pain in a future part of the voyage, that every time my boat's crew went to embark with me in the Lady Nelson, there was some degree of apprehension amongst them that the time of the predicted shipwreck was arrived. I make no comment upon this story, but recommend a commander, if possible, to prevent any of his crew from consulting fortune tellers.]

MONDAY 22 FEBRUARY 1802

At daybreak I got the ship under way and steered across Th.o.r.n.y Pa.s.sage, over to the main land, in the direction where the cutter had been seen; keeping an officer at the masthead, with a gla.s.s, to look out for her.

There were many strong ripplings, and some uncommonly smooth places where a boat, which was sent to sound, had 12 fathoms. We pa.s.sed to the northward of all these; and seeing a small cove with a sandy beach, steered in and anch.o.r.ed in 10 fathoms, sandy bottom; the main land extending from north-half-west, round by the west and south to east-south-east, and the open s.p.a.ce being partly sheltered by the northern islands of the pa.s.sage.

[SOUTH COAST. CAPE CATASTROPHE.]

A boat was despatched in search of the lost cutter, and presently returned towing in the wreck, bottom upward; it was stove in every part, having to all appearance been dashed against the rocks. One of the oars was afterwards found, but nothing could be seen of our unfortunate shipmates. The boat was again sent away in search; and a midshipman was stationed upon a headland, without-side of the cove, to observe everything which might drift past with the tide. Mr. Brown and a party landed to walk along the sh.o.r.e to the northward, whilst I proceeded to the southern extremity of the mainland, which was now named Cape Catastrophe. On landing at the head of the cove I found several footmarks of our people, made on the preceding afternoon when looking for water; and in my way up the valley I prosecuted the same research, but ineffectually, although there were many huts and other signs that natives had resided there lately.

From the heights near the extremity of Cape Catastrophe I examined with a gla.s.s the islands lying off, and all the neighbouring sh.o.r.es, for any appearance of our people, but in vain; I therefore took a set of angles for the survey and returned on board; and on comparing notes with the different parties, it appeared that no further information had been obtained of our unfortunate companions.

TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 1802

Next morning I went in a boat ten miles along the sh.o.r.e to the northward, in the double view of continuing the search and carrying on the survey.

All the little sinuosities of the coast were followed, and in one place I picked up a small keg which had belonged to Mr. Thistle, and also some broken pieces of the boat but these were all that could be discovered.

After taking angles at three stations on the main land, I crossed over to the northernmost and largest of the six small islands lying within Th.o.r.n.y pa.s.sage. It is a mile and a half long, with a small islet off the north and another off its south end. These I called _Taylor's Isles_, in memory of the young gentleman who was in the cutter with Mr. Thistle. They lie near two miles from the main, and the depth between is from 7 to 10 fathoms, on a sandy bottom. A ship might anchor and be sheltered here, off a small beach at the north end of the largest island; but I did not find any fresh water, either there or on the opposite parts of the main land.

On returning to the ship I learned from some of the gentlemen who had been at the top of the highest hills at the back of the cove, that they had seen an inlet, going in westward, a little beyond where my excursion had terminated. Next day [WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 1802], I went up with instruments; and having climbed upon a high lump of granite, saw the water extending 40 behind the coast, and forming, apparently, an extensive port. The view taken from near the same spot by Mr. Westall shows what was visible of this fine piece of water, and the appearance of the neighbouring land. In addition to this interesting discovery, I obtained bearings of Cape Wiles, of the furthest extremity of Thistle's Island, and of a group of four islands and two rocks, five leagues beyond it to the east-south-east. The largest of these was named _Wedge Island_, from its shape, and the group GAMBIER'S ISLES, in honour of the worthy admiral (now lord Gambier) who had a seat at the Admiralty board when the Investigator was ordered to be fitted.

This morning lieutenant Fowler had been sent to search the southern islands in Th.o.r.n.y Pa.s.sage for any remains of our people; but he was not able to land, nor in rowing round them to see any indication of the objects of his pursuit. The recovery of their bodies was now the furthest to which our hopes extended; but the number of sharks seen in the cove and at the last anchorage rendered even this prospect of melancholy satisfaction extremely doubtful; and our want of water becoming every day more pressing, we prepared to depart for the examination of the new opening to the northward. I caused an inscription to be engraven upon a sheet of copper, and set up on a stout post at the head of the cove, which I named _Memory Cove_; and further to commemorate our loss, I gave to each of the six islands nearest to Cape Catastrophe the name of one of the seamen: Thistle's and Taylor's Islands have been already mentioned.

Mr. Westall's view from the ship in Memory Cove, represents Thistle's Island and three of the small isles in front of it.

(Atlas, Plate XVII, View 9.)

The reader will pardon me the observation that Mr. Thistle was truly a valuable man, as a seaman, an officer, and a good member of society. I had known him, and we had mostly served together, from the year 1794. He had been with Mr. Ba.s.s in his perilous expedition in the whale-boat, and with me in the voyage round Van Diemen's Land, and in the succeeding expedition to Gla.s.s-house and Hervey's Bays. From his merit and prudent conduct he was promoted from before the mast to be a midshipman, and afterwards a master in his Majesty's service. His zeal for discovery had induced him to join the Investigator when at Spithead and ready to sail, although he had returned to England only three weeks before, after an absence of six years. Besides performing a.s.siduously the duties of his situation, Mr. Thistle had made himself well acquainted with the practice of nautical astronomy, and began to be very useful in the surveying department. His loss was severely felt by me; and he was lamented by all on board, more especially by his mess-mates, who knew more intimately the goodness and stability of his disposition.

Mr. William Taylor, the midshipman of the boat, was a young officer who promised fair to become an ornament to the service, as he was to society by the amiability of his manners and temper. The six seamen had all volunteered for the voyage. They were active and useful young men; and in a small and incomplete ship's company, which had so many duties to perform, this diminution of our force was heavily felt.

The _lat.i.tude_ of our anchorage in Memory Cove was 34 58' south, and _longitude_ 135 56' east. The _variation_ observed on the binnacle by lieutenant Flinders, when the ship's head was S. by W., was 2 38' east, or corrected for one point of western deviation from the magnetic meridian, 2 0' east. In the bearings taken on the _eastern_ side of the high land behind the cove, the variation appeared to be 3 20', but upon the summit it was 1 40', being less than on board the ship.

The soil of the land round Memory Cove, and of Cape Catastrophe in general, is barren; though the vallies and eastern sides of the hills are covered with brushwood, and in the least barren parts there are small trees of the genus _eucalyptus_. The basis stone is granite, mostly covered with calcareous rock, sometimes lying in loose pieces; but the highest tops of the hills are huge blocks of granite. Four kangaroos, not larger than those of Thistle's Island, were seen amongst the brushwood; and traces of natives were found so recent, that although none of the inhabitants were seen, they must have been there not longer than a day before. Water does consequently exist somewhere in the neighbourhood, but all our researches could not discover it.

Before quitting Memory Cove a boat was sent to haul a seine upon the beach, which was done with such success that every man had two meals of fish and some to spare for salting. In the morning [THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 1802] we sailed for the new discovered inlet, and at two o'clock pa.s.sed round the projection which had been set at N. 18 W. from Thistle's Island. It formed the south side of the entrance to the new opening, and is named CAPE DONINGTON. Our soundings in pa.s.sing it were from 7 to 9 fathoms, and in steering south-westward we left an island four miles long, named _Boston Island_, on the starboard hand, and pa.s.sed two islets on the other side, called _Bicker Isles_, which lie off _Surfleet Point_.

On the depth of water diminishing to 5 fathoms we tacked, and presently came to an anchor on the west side of this point in 4 fathoms, soft grey sand. We were then three miles within the entrance, and the nearest sh.o.r.e was a beach half a mile distant, lying under a hill which had been seen from Thistle's Island. This is a ridge of moderately high land about two miles long, but when seen to the north or south it a.s.sumes a conical form. I named it _Stamford Hill_; and there being a good deal of wood scattered over it, a hope was given of procuring water by digging at the foot. A boat was sent to make the experiment this evening, at the back of the beach; but the water which flowed into the pit was quite salt; and notwithstanding the many natives huts about, no fresh water could be found.

Boston Island at the entrance of the port being also woody and of some elevation, the boat was sent next morning [FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 1802] to search there for water; and in the mean time I landed with the botanists, and ascended Stamford Hill to ascertain the nature of this inlet and take angles. The port was seen to terminate seven or eight miles to the west-south-west; but there was a piece of water beyond it, apparently a lake or mere, from which we, might hope to obtain a supply, if no more convenient watering place could be found. Betwixt Cape Donington at the entrance, and Surfleet Point, was a large cove with a sandy beach at the head, capable of sheltering a fleet of ships, if the depth should be sufficient, as it appeared to be, to receive them; this was named _Spalding Cove_. Wood was not wanting there, but no stream of water could be distinguished. On the north side of the port, higher up, was a projecting piece of land, with an island lying off it nearly one mile in length. This island, which was named _Grantham Island_, contracts the width of that part to one mile and three-quarters; whereas above and below it the width is from two to three miles.

The eastern entrance to the port, between Boston Island and Cape Donington, is one mile and a half wide; the western entrance, betwixt the island and what was called _Kirton Point_, is larger, and appeared to be as deep as the first, in which we had from 7 to 9 fathoms. From Kirton Point, northward, the sh.o.r.e curves back to the west, and makes a semicircular sweep round the island, forming an outer bay which was named Boston Bay. It is terminated by _Point Boston_, a low point one mile and a half from the north end of the island; but whether the water between them be deep was not ascertained. From Point Boston the sh.o.r.e takes another sweep to the west and northward, and comes out again three or four leagues to the north-east, at a low but somewhat cliffy projection, to which I gave the name of _Point Bolingbroke_. The large bight within received the appellation of _Louth Bay_; and two low islands in it, of which the largest is more than a mile in length, were called _Louth Isles_. At Point Bolingbroke the land appeared to trend north or westward, and could no further be perceived from Stamford Hill.

Three small isles had been seen from Thistle's Island and their bearings set, and the discovery of them was now augmented by several others, forming a cl.u.s.ter to the eastward of Point Bolingbroke. This was called SIR JOSEPH BANKS' GROUP, in compliment to the Right Honourable president of the Royal Society, to whose exertion and favour the voyage was so much indebted.

Of the numerous bearings taken with a theodolite from the top of Stamford Hill, those which follow were the most important to the connexion of the survey.

Extreme of the land toward C. Catastrophe, S. 17 56' E.

Thistle's I., highest part and N. E. extr., S. 40 and 42 50 E.

Sir J. Banks' Group, Stickney I., centre, N. 70 30 E.

---- Sibsey Island, centre, N. 57 10 E.

---- Kirkby Island, centre, N. 45 20 E.

Cape Donington, north-west extremity, N. 37 50 E.

Point Bolingbroke, south end, N. 29 12 E.

Boston Island, highest hill near the centre, N. 5 10 W.

---- the extremes, N. 15 54' E. to 13 46 W.

A lake behind the head of the port, N. end, S. 74 40 W.

[SOUTH COAST. PORT LINCOLN.]

The port which formed the most interesting part of these discoveries I named PORT LINCOLN, in honour of my native province; and having gained a general knowledge of it and finished the bearings, we descended the hill and got on board at ten o'clock. The boat had returned from Boston Island, unsuccessful in her search for water; and we therefore proceeded upward, steering different courses to find the greatest depth. Soon after one o'clock we anch.o.r.ed in 4 fathoms, soft bottom, one mile from the beach at the furthest head of the port, and something less from the southern sh.o.r.e.

Fresh water being at this time the most pressing of our wants, I set off the same afternoon, with a party, to examine the lake or mere discovered from Stamford Hill. The way to it was over low land covered with loose pieces of calcareous rock; the soil was moist in some places, and, though generally barren, was overspread with gra.s.s and shrubs, interspersed with a few clumps of small trees. After walking two miles we reached the lake, but to our mortification the water was brackish and not drinkable; the distance, besides, from Port Lincoln was too great to roll casks over a stony road. This piece of water was named _Sleaford Mere_. It is one mile broad, and appeared to be three or four in length. The sh.o.r.e was a whitish, hardened clay, covered at this time with a thin crust, in which salt was a component part. The sun being too near the horizon to admit of going round the mere, our way was bent towards the ship; and finding a moist place within a hundred yards of the head of the port, I caused a hole to be dug there. A _stratum_ of whitish clay was found at three feet below the surface, and on penetrating this, water drained in, which was perfectly sweet though discoloured; and we had the satisfaction to return on board with the certainty of being able to procure water, although it would probably require some time to fill all our empty casks.

SAt.u.r.dAY 27 FEBRUARY 1802

Early in the morning a party of men was sent with spades to dig pits; and the time-keepers and astronomical instruments, with two tents, followed under the charge of Mr. Flinders. I went to attend the digging, leaving orders with Mr. Fowler to moor the ship and send on sh.o.r.e empty casks.

The water flowed in pretty freely, and though of a whitish colour, and at first somewhat thick, it was well tasted. Before the evening the observations for the rates of the time-keepers were commenced; and the gunner was installed in the command of a watering party, and furnished with axes to cut wood at such times as the pits might require to be left for replenishing.

The necessary duties being all set forward under the superintendance of proper officers, I employed the following days in surveying and sounding.

The direction of the port was too remote from the meridian to obtain a base line from differences of lat.i.tude, which, when observed in an artificial horizon, and at stations wide apart, I consider to be the best; nor was there any convenient beach or open place where a base line could be measured. It was therefore attempted in the following manner: Having left orders on board the ship to fire three guns at given times, I went to the south-east end of Boston Island with a pendulum made to swing half-seconds. It was a musket ball slung with twine, and measured 9.8 inches from the fixed end of the twine to the centre of the ball. From the instant that the flash of the first gun was perceived to the time of hearing the report I counted eighty-five vibrations of the pendulum, and the same with two succeeding guns; whence the length of the base was deduced to be 8.01 geographic miles.* A princ.i.p.al station in the survey of Port Lincoln was a hill on the north side called _Northside Hill_, which afforded a view extending to Sleaford Mere and Bay and as far as Cape Wiles on one side, and to the hills at the beak of Coffin's Bay on the other. A great part of the bearings taken from hence crossed those from Stamford Hill very advantageously.

[* This length was founded on the supposition, that sound travels at the rate of 1142 feet in a second of time, and that 6060 feet make a geographic mile. A base of 15' 24" of lat.i.tude was afterwards obtained from observations in an artificial horizon, and of 25' 17" of longitude from the time keepers with new rates, both correct, as I believe, to a few seconds. From this long base and theodolite bearings, the first base appeared to be somewhat too short; for they gave it 8.22 instead of 8.01 miles. The length of the pendulum in the first measurement was such as to swing half seconds in England; and I had not thought it, in this case, worth attention, that by the laws of gravity and the oblate spheroid, the pendulum would not swing so quick in the lat.i.tude of 35. I must leave it to better mathematicians to determine from the _data_ and the true length of a geographic mile in this lat.i.tude, whether the base ought to have been 8.22 as given by the observations and bearings: it was proved to be sufficiently near for all the purposes of a common nautical survey.]

Amongst the various excursions made by the scientific gentlemen, one was directed to Sleaford Mere, of which they made the circuit. The two southern branches were found to terminate within a hundred yards of the head of Sleaford Bay, with which the mere had been suspected to have a communication from its water being not quite fresh; but they are separated by a stony bank too high for the surf ever to pa.s.s over it. At the head of the bay a boat's sail and yard were seen floating, and no doubt had belonged to our unfortunate cutter: after being set out to sea by the tide, it had been driven up there by the late south-east winds.

WEDNESDAY 3 MARCH 1802

The refitment of the ship being nearly completed on the 3rd of March, lieutenant Fowler was sent round to Memory Cove in a boat, to make a final search along the sh.o.r.es and round the islands in Th.o.r.n.y Pa.s.sage for the bodies of our late shipmates, which the sea might have thrown up. On the 4th [THURSDAY 4 MARCH 1802] the last turn of water was received, and completed our stock up to sixty tons; and the removal of our establishment from the sh.o.r.e waited only for the observation of a solar eclipse, announced in the nautical ephemeris for this day. The morning was cloudy, with rain; but towards noon the weather cleared up, and I had the satisfaction to observe the eclipse with a refracting telescope of forty-six inches focus, and a power of about two hundred. The beginning took place at 1h 12' 37.8" of apparent time, and the end at 3h 36' 11.8".

So soon as the observation was concluded, the tents and astronomical instruments were carried on board, the launch was hoisted in, and everything prepared for going down the port on the following morning.

Many straggling bark huts, similar to those on other parts of the coast were seen upon the sh.o.r.es of Port Lincoln, and the paths near our tents had been long and deeply trodden; but neither in my excursions nor in those of the botanists had any of the natives been discovered. This morning, however, three or four were heard calling to a boat, as was supposed, which had just landed; but they presently walked away, or perhaps retired into the wood to observe our movements. No attempt was made to follow them, for I had always found the natives of this country to avoid those who seemed anxious for communication; whereas, when left entirely alone, they would usually come down after having watched us for a few days. Nor does this conduct seem to be unnatural; for what, in such case, would be the conduct of any people, ourselves for instance, were we living in a state of nature, frequently at war with our neighbours, and ignorant of the existence of any other nation? On the arrival of strangers, so different in complexion and appearance to ourselves, having power to transport themselves over, and even living upon an element which to us was impa.s.sable, the first sensation would probably be terror, and the first movement flight. We should watch these extraordinary people from our retreats in the woods and rocks, and if we found ourselves sought and pursued by them, should conclude their designs to be inimical; but if, on the contrary, we saw them quietly employed in occupations which had no reference to us, curiosity would get the better of fear; and after observing them more closely, we should ourselves seek a communication. Such seemed to have been the conduct of these Australians; and I am persuaded that their appearance on the morning when the tents were struck was a prelude to their coming down, and that had we remained a few days longer, a friendly communication would have ensued. The way was, however, prepared for the next ship which may enter this port, as it was to us in King George's Sound by captain Vancouver and the ship Elligood, to whose previous visits and peaceable conduct we were most probably indebted for our early intercourse with the inhabitants of that place. So far as could be perceived with a gla.s.s, the natives of this port were the same in personal appearance as those of King George's Sound and Port Jackson. In the hope of conciliating their good will to succeeding visitors, some hatchets and various other articles were left in their paths, or fastened to stumps of the trees which had been cut down near our watering pits.

In expressing an opinion that these people have no means of pa.s.sing the water, it must be understood to be a deduction from our having met with no canoe, or the remains of any about the port; nor with any tree in the woods from which a sufficient size of bark had been taken to make one.

Upon Boston Island, however, there were abundant marks of fire; but they had the appearance, as at Thistle's Island, of having been caused by some conflagration of the woods several years before, rather than of being the small fire-places of the natives.

There are kangaroos on the main land but none were caught; our efforts, both in hunting and fishing, were indeed very confined, and almost wholly unsuccessful. What has been said of the neck of land between the head of the port and Sleaford Mere may be taken as a description of the country in general; it is rocky and barren, but has a sufficient covering of gra.s.s, bushes, and small trees not to look desolate. The basis stone is granitic, with a _super-stratum_ of calcareous rock, generally in loose pieces; but in some parts, as at Boston Island, the granite is found at the surface or immediately under the soil. Behind the beach, near our watering pits, the calcareous stone was so imperfectly formed that small sh.e.l.ls and bits of coral might be picked out of it. This fact, with the saltness of Sleaford Mere and of a small lake on the south side of the port, accords with the coral found upon Bald Head and various other indications before mentioned to show that this part, at least, of Terra Australis cannot have emerged very many centuries from the sea, the salt imbibed by the rocks having not yet been all washed away by the rains. In the mountains behind Port Jackson, on the East Coast, at a vastly superior elevation, salt is formed in some places by the exhalation of the water which drips from the grit-stone cliffs.

Port Lincoln is certainly a fine harbour; and it is much to be regretted that it possesses no constant run of fresh water, unless it should be in Spalding Cove, which we did not examine. Our pits at the head of the port will, however, supply ships at all times; and though discoloured by whitish clay, the water has no pernicious quality, nor is it ill tasted.