Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 11

Appearance of the adjacent land.

Return on foot.

Perilous situation and providential escape.

Survey the western sh.o.r.e.

Return to the Ship.

Sporting, Quail and Emus.

Natives.

Ship moved to Point Torment.

February 21, 1838.

We remained at this sheltered anchorage until the 21st, by which time the coast, so far as Point Cunningham, had been carefully examined. We found it everywhere indented with deep bays, in each of which good anchorage was to be found. The water's edge was in almost every place fringed with the closely twining mangrove trees, behind which the country gradually rose to an average level of about 200 feet, being thickly covered with the various sorts of Eucalypti, for which all the explored portions of this continent are more or less remarkable.

In the afternoon of the 21st, we moved into a bay North-West of Point Cunningham, and anch.o.r.ed in 8 fathoms (low-water) about a mile North-West from that point; having pa.s.sed over a bank of 5 or 6 fathoms, with 12 on its outer, and 10 on its inner side, and lying 2 1/4 miles north from Point Cunningham.

MOSQUITOES.

I spent the early part of this night on sh.o.r.e, a circ.u.mstance of which the tormenting mosquitoes took every possible advantage; finally driving me from their territory with every indignity, and in a state of mind anything but placid. The poet doubtless spoke from experience when he a.s.serted:

--there was never yet philosopher That could endure the toothache patiently.

And even could such a prodigy of patient endurance be found, I am sure it would fail him when exposed to the ceaseless persecution of these inexorable a.s.sailants.

February 22.

The greater part of to-day was spent in making a more minute examination of the bay, the shoal discovered yesterday rendering a more careful search necessary. From the summit of Point Cunningham, I had a fine view of the opposite sh.o.r.e of the sound; very broken and rugged it appeared to be. To the South-East and south I could see no land; a circ.u.mstance which raised my hopes of finding in that direction the long and anxiously expected river, which the geological formation of the country, and all the recorded experience of discovery, alike warranted us in antic.i.p.ating.

The point upon which I stood was a steep and cliffy rock facing the sea, connected with the mainland by a low and narrow neck of land, but almost insulated at high-water during the spring tides. A singular cliff, projecting on its South-East side, is called by Captain King, Carlisle Head; but we searched in vain for the fresh water, which that distinguished navigator speaks of, as having been found there by him in 1819.

SINGULAR VITREOUS FORMATION.

We remarked here, certain vitreous formations, in all, except form, identical with those already described as having been seen at Point Swan.

These were small b.a.l.l.s lying loose on the sandy beach, at the bottom of the cliff; they were highly glazed upon the surface, hollow inside, and varying in size from a musket, to a tennis ball.*

(*Footnote. Vide Mr. Darwin on "superficial ferrugineous beds" Geology of Volcanic Islands page 143.)

February 23.

We weighed early in the morning, and rounded Point Cunningham; anchoring again at 10 o'clock A.M., 8 miles north of it, in 7 fathoms (low-water); West by North, one mile from where we lay, a red cliffy head, called by Captain King, in memory of the difficulties which ultimately compelled him to leave this interesting coast, Foul Point, marks the limit of his survey of this part of the northern sh.o.r.e of Australia, and terminates the range of cliffs,* which, up to this point, forms nature's barrier against the sea. Beyond it, the coast a.s.sumes a low and treacherous character, and subsides into a deep bay, called by Captain King, not without reason, Disaster Bay.

(*Footnote. The cliffs at Foul Point and Point Cunningham unite the sandstone and argillaceous formation.)

From the masthead, from whence I hoped to get a wide view of the unknown waters we were about to explore, I could just see Valentine Island, bearing South-South-East about 17 miles. Its lofty extremities alone being visible, it had the appearance of two islands.

Here, then, a really most interesting--nay, a most exciting--portion of the duties of the survey were to commence in earnest; and it was reserved for us to take up the thread of discovery reluctantly abandoned by our enterprising and scientific predecessor, at the moment when the prize was almost within his grasp.

EXPLORING PARTY IN BOATS.

It was forthwith determined, that Captain Wickham and Mr. Fitzmaurice should collect the necessary materials for completing the survey, and preparing the chart of the bay in the immediate neighbourhood of the ship; while to myself the whale boat and yawl were to be entrusted; nor can I describe with what delight, all minor annoyances forgotten, I prepared to enter upon the exciting task of exploring waters unfurrowed by any preceding keel; and sh.o.r.es, on which the advancing step of civilization had not yet thrown the shadows of her advent, nor the voice of that Christianity, which walks by her side through the uttermost parts of the earth, summoned the wilderness and the desert to hail the approaching hour, in the fulness of which all the earth shall be blessed!

Soon after dark we were visited by a squall from the eastward, longer in duration, and heavier than any we had before experienced. From our exposed situation--no land intervening for 30 miles--it raised a good deal of sea: the wind remained fresh at the east during the greater part of the night.

February 24.

The morning broke, dark, gloomy, and threatening; but, as the day advanced, it gradually a.s.sumed its usual bright and brilliant character; and at seven A.M. we started, Mr. Helpman having the whaleboat, while Mr.

Tarrant accompanied me in the yawl. We crossed Disaster Bay in four and five fathoms, steering in the direction of Valentine Island, and inside a long sandy spit, partly dry at low-water, and extending two-thirds of the way across.

FRESHWATER LAKE.

While waiting for the tide to rise, in order to cross this natural breakwater, we landed, and struggled for a good mile through a mixture of deep mud and sand, drifted, at the coastline, into hills of from twenty-five to thirty feet high, and bound together by a long coa.r.s.e gra.s.s; immediately beyond which we came upon a small lake of fresh water, where all the luxuriant growth of tropical vegetation was starting into life, and presenting an almost miraculous contrast to the barren sterility, that stamped an aspect of changeless desolation upon the rest of this inhospitable sh.o.r.e. Indeed, so far as our experience extended, upon the coasts, and within the interior of this in many respects extraordinary continent, the want of water appears to be the chief drawback to the fertility otherwise to be antic.i.p.ated from its geographical position: at the same time, it is quite impossible to blind oneself to the fact, that further researches on the one hand, and the application of the great discoveries in hydraulics, of which recent years have been so fruitful, on the other, may, and probably will, spread the vernal bloom of cultivation over wastes, now condemned to prolonged and arbitrary periods of drought.

This spot, which long arrested my attention, and upon which I gazed with the selfish feeling of delight inspired by the thought that thereon never before had rested the curious eye of any restless and indefatigable wanderer from the west, is distant about 500 yards North-North-West, from a solitary patch of low red cliffs, the first of this formation that present themselves south of Foul Point.

VALENTINE ISLAND.

Extensive flats fronting the coast to the southward, almost connect it at low-water with Valentine Island, which we reached at two P.M., just on the top of high-water, and shortly afterwards grounded the boats in a small bay to the westward. The greatest extent of Valentine Island is three-quarters of a mile in an East by South direction: either extremity is formed by high cliffs, a low valley intervening.

NATIVE FIRE AND FOOD.

On landing we found a fire still burning, near the beach, and beside it a bundle of the bark of the papyrus tree, in which were carefully packed a quant.i.ty of ground nuts, they were each about three-quarters of an inch long, and in shape not unlike a kidney potato;* it seemed clear, judging from the native value of the commodities thus rashly abandoned, that our arrival had rather taken by surprise these untutored children of the wilderness: we saw nothing of them till we had reembarked, when (four or five only in number) they returned to the beach; and we could perceive that our foot tracks, upon which they appeared to hold an animated debate, had, to say the least, mightily puzzled them. I ascended the highest point of the island in the afternoon, and from thence looked over several miles of densely wooded country, but offering no appearance of land to the eastward of South-South-East. We gazed with indescribable delight upon the wide expanse of open water which lay before us in that direction, and already antic.i.p.ated the discovery of some vast inlet, terminating in the mouth of a magnificent river, upon the exploration of which our imagination was already busily engaged; nor for the moment did the thought, or rather the recollection of the fact, that Captain King had seen land (by refraction) in that quarter, serve to damp our ardour.

When it made its way, and perseveringly insisted upon engaging a certain share of my attention, its presence only added an additional motive to my previous determination to set the question at rest by personal examination, and in the interim, to look immediately before sunrise (when the atmosphere within the tropics is always clear) for the very sight I should have been most disappointed to have beheld. During the afternoon I shot over the island, and enjoyed some very fair sport; especially with the pheasant-cuckoo,** and quail, large and small, which were numerous: several birds not unlike the so-called crow of the Swan River colonists were seen. We found no fresh water, but in addition to the abundance of game, the presence of the natives, proves the island to be not wholly dest.i.tute of this first requisite of life. The thermometer at 3 P.M., was 100 degrees in the shade, while the unnatural calm that reigned around gave the experienced seaman plain warning of some disturbance at hand.

(*Footnote. This esculent appeared to resemble the warran, or yam, used for food by the native inhabitants north of Swan River.)

(**Footnote. Centropus phasianellus. Gould.)

A HEAVY SQUALL.

Just before sunset these anxious antic.i.p.ations proved correct: a ma.s.s of broad edged white clouds rose rapidly in the east, and spread over the till then unbroken blue of the vast vault above; among or rather behind the interstices of these clouds, the lightning quivered and flashed fearfully and fitfully, gleaming with a terrible distinctness in the fading light of expiring day! Anon, darker and more ominous clouds succeeded to the first, and quickly uniting seemed to span all heaven with a frowning arch, that came rapidly onwards upon the wings of the now-rising tempest. It was some time ere its approach either attracted the attention or disturbed the boisterous mirth of the boats' crews, who, with the enviable philosophy of their cla.s.s, were gaily laughing over the incidents of the day. I had just secured a good lat.i.tude by Canopus, when the squall burst upon us from East-South-East, it blew very hard indeed for about an hour, veering round to, and terminating at, North-East, and then all was calm again; partaking of the general characteristics of previous visitations of the same kind, to which we have been subject since our arrival upon this coast, it lasted for a much less time, as. .h.i.therto their average duration had been about three hours. It brought the thermometer down to 80 degrees. All was quiet by midnight, and undisturbed by the past we finished the night in peace. Daybreak found us at the eastern end of the island, from which point we observed a low strip of land bearing east about 16 miles distant; a fact which re-establishes Captain King's authority, against Mr. Earle's contradiction.* This confirmation of that distinguished and able navigator, in some degree reconciled me to the unpropitious discovery, that the sh.o.r.es of this great sheet of water were visibly beginning to contract.

(*Footnote. Vide Earle's Eastern Seas page 451.)

WILD OAT.

During our walk we noticed the wild oat in great abundance. This valuable species of corn is then indigenous to this part of the world. Ere long, perhaps, the time will arrive when upon the coast, where now in native negligence it springs and dies, it may spread the white and glistening garment of cultivation--testify the existence--and promote the comfort of social life. The same seed was found near Hanover Bay, by Lieutenants Grey and Lushington, and throve exceedingly well in the soft and luxurious climate of the ever-verdant Mauritius. Leaving some presents in a conspicuous situation for the present rightful possessors of the island, whose temporary shelter we had obtained, we hastened back to the boats, and stood away to the eastward for the low land seen from the island, and crossed various narrow sandy ridges, nearly dry at low-water, and generally trending North and South, showing the direction of the stream by which they were formed, and at distances of 5, 7, 9, and 12 miles, in an East by South direction from Valentine Island; the soundings between them averaged from 7 to 9 fathoms. A favouring breeze from the south helped us halfway across to the point, from whence I hoped and believed we should hereafter date the first great event of the voyage; and then dying away, compelled us to take to the oars, with the thermometer at 110 degrees in the shade.

INDICATIONS OF A RIVER.

As we proceeded, several circ.u.mstances concurred to satisfy me that we were at length really approaching the mouth of a considerable river; large trees drifted past us with the ebbing tide, while each cast of the lead proved that we were gradually, though nearing the land, deepening the water.

POINT TORMENT.

Fortune too seemed now resolved to favour us, the deep channel most opportunely lying along the eastern sh.o.r.e, which we reached soon after noon, and landed on the only beach of sand hereabouts left uncovered at high-water. Here, for better security against the squalls we had experienced for the last two nights, we hauled up the boats. A name was soon found for our new territory, upon which we with rueful unanimity conferred that of Point Torment, from the incessant and vindictive attacks of swarms of mosquitoes, by whom it had evidently been resolved to give the newcomers a warm welcome. The greater part of Point Torment is deeply intersected with deep narrow creeks, and is almost entirely flooded at high-water: it extends low and swampy for nearly three miles in breadth, and then rises gradually, the slope being well wooded with the white Eucalypti. Here also I remarked the gouty-stem tree, figured by Captain Grey, and described by Captain King, as of the Nat. Ord.

Capparides, and thought to be a Capparis; it also bears a resemblance to the Adansonia described in Captain Tuckey's Congo. This was but a small specimen in fruit, of which the following brief description may convey a tolerably clear idea. In shape it something resembled the coconut, with a gourd-like outside, of a brown and yellow colour. Its length was five inches, and diameter three. The sh.e.l.l was exceedingly thin, and when opened it was found to be full of seeds, imbedded in a whitish pulp, and of a not ungrateful taste.

This place, lat.i.tude 17 degrees 5 minutes South, may be considered the limit of its growth in that direction, and the Victoria River, of which I shall have occasion to speak hereafter, in lat.i.tude 14 degrees 55 minutes, the northern boundary of its indigenous empire.

We saw no traces of inhabitants, not even the thin rising smoke, which so often greeted our eyes near the coast we had recently surveyed. I climbed the highest tree we could find, and from the elevation it afforded looked southwards over a wide prospect of nothing but mangroves and mudbanks; still interesting from the fact that upon them the wondering gaze of the curious European had never yet been bent!

THE MOSQUITOES.