Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 31

(*Footnote. As some of our readers may imagine that vultures and birds of prey are attracted to the carca.s.ses of animals by smell, I may state that an experiment was tried with a condor in South America; being hoodwinked, he pa.s.sed unnoticed a large piece of beef, but as soon as the bandage was removed, he rushed eagerly towards and devoured it.)

PUDDING-PAN HILL.

We left our readers at Cairncross Island, and now return to our narrative by describing the neighbouring coast. The most remarkable feature on this part of the mainland, generally speaking a dull monotonous level, is a hill bearing over the extremity of the reef fronting the south side of Cairncross, South 45 degrees West, to which Captain Bligh has given the quaint name of Pudding-Pan Hill. It received this appellation from a resemblance to an inverted pudding dish, commonly used by sailors, and is 354 feet high. The coast about ten miles to the northward projects a mile and a half further eastward than is marked in the chart. This error did not however appear to be so great south of Escape River, where the character of the coast is low and cliffy, separated by small sandy bays; instead of a continued line of cliffs as at present represented.

ESCAPE RIVER.

At noon we were in the parallel of the south point of Escape River, in lat.i.tude 10 degrees 58 minutes South, observations and bearings both agreeing. This river receives its name in record of one of those narrow escapes to which surveying vessels are subject, Captain King having been nearly wrecked in the Mermaid. Attempting to enter the river he found it not to be navigable, a reef extending across its mouth, on which his vessel struck very heavily.

CORRECT POSITION OF REEFS.

Avoiding Captain King's track, we pa.s.sed to the eastward of reef x, being thus afforded a better opportunity of determining its position than he had. This we did by transit bearings with different points, which placed it nearly two miles South by East of the spot a.s.signed it on the charts.*

(*Footnote. On mentioning this afterwards to Captain P.P. King, he told me his survey of that part of the coast had never given him satisfaction; for there the monsoon blows fresh, and his small vessel was hurried past without his being able to land in search of better data for the chart.

The reader must not, from these corrections (few, when we consider the extent of the survey) be led to imagine that our object is to pick out errors in the surveys of others; but from being in a larger and better appointed vessel, our opportunities of examination were necessarily greater than those afforded to Captain King, who was always most anxious to detect errors in his own charts. Without dwelling on the fact that the result of our examination afforded us the satisfaction of restoring parts of the chart, before erroneously corrected, to his original construction, we would venture to hope that, while desirous as much as possible to perfect our knowledge of the coast, we were in no manner actuated by that spirit of fault-finding, so pithily described by Liebeg, when he says that it is "startling to reflect that all the time and energy of a mult.i.tude of persons of genius, talent, and knowledge is expended in endeavours to demonstrate each others' errors.")

This error we found to extend also to reefs y and z. X is one of the oval-shaped reefs, with the singular white patch of dead coral on its northern extremity which I have before spoken of. Z is similarly marked, and dries at last quarter ebb, while the South-East part of y is never covered, a few mangroves growing on it. When abreast of x, we saw from deck the curious flat-topped hill on the largest York island, Mount Adolphus, and when over the centre of reef z, it bore North 23 1/2 degrees West. We now steered to the westward between reefs, x and y, and afterwards North-North-West for Mount Adolphus. Between the Brothers and Albany Islands the depth was 10 fathoms; these are both black rocky lumps, particularly the latter, the outer being a mere pointed rock.

Altogether they a.s.sume a sterile and dreary appearance, in excellent keeping with the inhospitable character of the adjoining coast. Several shoals and much shoal water were noticed in Newcastle Bay.

BLACKWOOD BAY.

At 4 P.M., we anch.o.r.ed in Blackwood Bay, in a depth of 10 fathoms. Point d.i.c.ky bearing South half a mile, and Mount Adolphus North-East. In the evening a plan was made of this very convenient stopping place for ships, and all the angles taken to the North-West extremity of the group, place them a mile and a half to the eastward of their position in the chart.

Observations were also obtained near Point d.i.c.ky, which we found to be in lat.i.tude 10 degrees 38 3/4 minutes South and longitude 10 degrees 28 minutes East of Port Essington. The North-West extremity of the singular flat-topped hill being 1 minute 05 seconds North, and 45 seconds East of this spot. The first question interesting to ships is the supply of wood and water; the latter we had no time to look for, but of the former there was an abundance, though from the sh.o.r.e being fronted by extensive coral flats, it is difficult to be attained.

The appearance of the island is similar to that of the Albany cl.u.s.ter, it having the same rocky, bleak, and almost wild look; from which I conclude they are of the same formation, which in general terms we may call porphyritic. Parts of the island appeared to be intersected by a growth of mangroves.

There appeared great irregularity in the tides at this anchorage, as if there were a meeting of various streams. At 5 P.M. it was setting South-West about an hour, and continued to run in that direction until 8 hours 30 minutes, gradually decreasing its rate. It then took a North and by East direction with the same velocity, until half an hour after midnight, when it again changed back to South-South-West, a course it pursued during the remainder of our stay. By the rise of the water on the sh.o.r.e it would appear that the flood came from the westward.

TORRES STRAIT.

On reaching York Island we considered ourselves within the Strait, which took its name from the Spanish navigator Torres, who sailed in 1605, second in command under Pedro Fernandes de Quiros, from Callao in Peru, with the object of discovering the Tierra Austral, then supposed to be a continent occupying a considerable portion of the southern hemisphere, lying westward of America. Torres pa.s.sed through this strait in 1606, but despite the great importance of the discovery, its existence remained unknown until 1762, from the jealousy of the Spanish monarchy, which kept the reports of its navigators a secret from the world. At the time in question, however, Manila fell into our hands, and in the archives of that colony, a duplicate copy of Torres's letter to the king of Spain was found by the hydrographer, Mr. Dalrymple. The pa.s.sage was now made known, and in tardy justice to the discoverer it received the appellation of Torres Strait; a tribute to the reputation of man, the greatest perhaps which could be bestowed, since no more sure road to immortality can be pointed out, than giving a name to the great and imperishable works of the Creator's hand. It was not however until 1770, that the world received full confirmation of this great acquisition to our geographical knowledge; the immortal Cook then pa.s.sing through and settling the question of its existence. This being the high road between our growing Eastern and Australian possessions, the reader will at once see the importance which must ever attach to the discovery, and will the more readily comprehend our enlarging in some degree upon the circ.u.mstance.

July 13.

There had been noticed last evening a slight rippling outside the bay, and on leaving this morning we found it to be a ridge about two cables width, the least water on it being three fathoms. From the shoalest part, Mount Adolphus bore North 56 degrees East, and Point d.i.c.ky South 26 degrees East. It appeared by the ripples continuing towards the north-west of York Island, that this rocky ledge extended in that direction. Vessels entering Blackwood Bay may always avoid this shoal, by keeping close to Point d.i.c.ky, or by steering for Mount Adolphus, when it bears North-East 1/2 North.

Being desirous to know if there were a practicable channel through Endeavour Strait, by which the inconvenience before alluded to, of pa.s.sing the reef fronting Hammond's Island late in the afternoon, might be avoided, we proceeded in that direction, pa.s.sing along the north-eastern extreme of the continent, and between the Possession Islands we entered Endeavour Strait. This termination of the sh.o.r.es of Australia, being level and of moderate elevation, presents nothing remarkable, save a peak over Cape York and fronting the Possession Isles.

COOK'S ISLAND.

It has an inhospitable appearance, being apparently similar in formation with York Isles, and subsides rapidly to the South-West forming the south side of Endeavour Strait, where it scarcely reaches an elevation of fifty feet: contrasting forcibly with the high rocky land of the opposite side of the Strait, formed by the largest of the Prince of Wales Islands; upon which former navigators not having bestowed a name, we conferred that of the immortal navigator. Not but that the Strait known by the name of his ship, is quite sufficient to recall the mind of posterity to his perils and dangers in these seas; but that we his humble followers in the great cause of discovery might add our mite to the wreath of glory which must ever encircle the name of Captain Cook.

On the North-East extremity of this island is a remarkable peak, in the shape of a horn, called by him Horn Hill. Captain King having only pa.s.sed between the eastern of the Possession Isles, little was known of the western sh.o.r.es. A few angles and bearings were accordingly taken, as we pa.s.sed between them to a.s.sist in remedying this deficiency.

ENDEAVOUR STRAIT.

There was no impediment to our pa.s.sage through the Strait, until we got abreast of Wallis Isles, Cape Cornwall bearing East by North 1/2 North; when the water shoaled to four fathoms and a half. Finding by hauling up on either tack, that we were on a ridge extending from the Cape, we ran to the westward, until we could cross it, which we did in three and a half fathoms, North Wallis Island bearing South-West five miles.

b.o.o.bY ISLAND.

I saw at the time from the masthead, a blue streak of water to the southward, still affording hopes of there being a deep outlet to Endeavour Strait; but as the day was far advanced, with a fresh breeze from East-South-East, it was not deemed prudent to get the ship entangled in shoal water; therefore, after crossing the ridge extending off Cape Cornwall we steered North-West 1/2 West for b.o.o.by Island, in regular soundings of six and seven fathoms, and late in the afternoon anch.o.r.ed nearly a mile from its western side, a flagstaff bearing South 65 degrees East. This we found on landing had been erected in 1835 by Captain Hobson,* of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, who at the same time placed in a large box, made for the purpose, a book with printed forms, which every ship pa.s.sing filled up, with the addition of such remarks as were thought of consequence. Over this box in large letters were painted the words Post Office, a name by which b.o.o.by Island must be quite familiar to all who have navigated these seas; ships being here in the habit of leaving letters for transmission by any vessel proceeding in the required directions. I noticed a similar practice prevailing among the whalers at the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. We are indebted for the book to the public spiritedness of an Indian army officer. The beneficial results of the plan were experienced by ourselves, as here we first heard of the Port Essington expedition, having pa.s.sed eight months previously; also of the schooner Essington, that left Sydney in advance of the expedition for that place, having succeeded in determining the fact of the non-existence of the other young D'Oyly, one of the pa.s.sengers of the ill-fated Charles Eaton. This result of the enterprising merchant-man's researches, fully bears out the fact mentioned by Captain King, on the authority of the Darnley islanders, that he shared the fate of his parents, being devoured by their savage captors. All the ships which have recorded their pa.s.sage in the book, appeared to have entered the Barrier between the lat.i.tude of 11 degrees 30 minutes and 12 degrees 10 minutes; generally about 11 degrees 50 minutes reaching Sir Charles Hardy's Island the same day. They all spoke of a strong northerly current outside the reef, in some instances of nearly three knots. The time occupied in making the pa.s.sage from Sydney by the outer route, varied from fourteen to twenty days, it being certainly shorter than the inner, though attended with much greater risks. One objection made against the latter is the necessity of anchoring every evening, somewhat laborious work to the crews of merchant ships; this might be obviated in some measure by using a light anchor, which could be done with perfect safety in the still waters within the reefs. We found two barques at anchor, which had arrived on the preceding day. In accordance with a practice very generally observed, they were giving themselves a short period of repose and relaxation after the anxieties and danger of the outer pa.s.sage; which, short as it is, has doubtless sprinkled grey hairs over many a seaman's head.

(*Footnote. Afterwards Governor of New Zealand.)

ITS DESCRIPTION.

Although b.o.o.by Island is a mere rock, from the various a.s.sociations connected with it, being during one half of the year the constant resort of Europeans, it becomes at once a place of interest, and imperatively demands some notice at our hands. It is a quarter of a mile in diameter, flat, and about thirty feet high, the summit being bare porphyry rock. A valley intersects the north-west side of the island, in which a few creepers, some brushwood, and two or three trees of tolerable size, with a peculiar broad green leaf, bearing a great resemblance to that of the wild almond of the West Indies, were seen, giving shelter to some pigeons and quails, in which latter the island abounds, even more than in the bird which gives its name to the locality. Still, however, from the white colour of the top of the island, produced by the b.o.o.bies, it is clearly one of their temporary haunts; and indeed, subsequently, in the month of September, their season of incubation, Mr. Bynoe saw them there in great abundance. The contrary was the case with the quail, which, by that time, had completely deserted the island. Turtle were once found on this isle, but they are now never taken. A few of the stones mentioned by Captain King are still to be seen on the summit.

REMARKS ON THE CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRALIA.

This being a point at which ships correct or test the going of their chronometers, it was necessary to obtain observations for longitude. The spot chosen for the purpose was the landing-place near the South-West corner of the islet, and which we found to be 9 degrees 45 minutes East of Port Essington.

Our opportunities of examination with regard to the inner edge of the Great Barrier, and its contiguous islands and reefs, terminating at b.o.o.by Island; it may not be deemed irrelevant to hazard a few remarks in recapitulation. In the first place there was a very perceptible increase in the elevation of the reefs and of those islands resting on similar constructions, as we advanced to the northward. Cairncross Island, in lat.i.tude 11 1/4 degrees South, composed of heaped up consolidated fragments, attains an elevation of 17 feet; but its trees rise to a height of 75 feet, whilst to the southward, in lat.i.tude 13 1/2 degrees South the islands were partially flooded by a tide, rising only about six feet. The reefs are all either circular or oval-shaped, with a rim rising round them. The description of that fronting the isle we visited for Boydan will ill.u.s.trate their general character. Their northern ends are the highest, and are almost invariably marked by a heap of dead coral and sh.e.l.ls, which as we have mentioned, in one or two instances, from its white appearance has often been taken for sand.

The remarkable breaks in this singularly great extent of coral reefs, known as the Barrier of Australia, being in direction varying from West to West-North-West generally speaking North-West, leads me to believe that the upheaval by which the base of this huge coral building was formed, partakes of the general north-westerly direction, in which a large portion of the eastern world apparently emerged from the water. A glance at the map of that portion of the globe, will strengthen this hypothesis, placing as it does this singular fact at once before the reader's mind. Starting with the stupendous heights of the Himalaya mountains, and proceeding thence to several groups of the Polynesian islands, New Caledonia, and others, this remarkable similarity in the trend of these portions of the earth is plainly distinguishable. It would appear, therefore, from the general north-westerly tendency of these upheavals, that the cavernous hollows beneath the crust of the earth, within whose bosom originated these remarkable convulsions, have a strong inclination in one direction, a circ.u.mstance in connection with the earth's history of great and curious interest. With this general statement of facts, which we note for the benefit of scientific men, and in ill.u.s.tration of the singular changes which are taking place on the surface of the globe, we return to our narrative, from which we have wandered at some considerable length.

As the duration of our cruise on the north-west and most interesting portions of the coast, depended in a great measure on the supply of provisions to be obtained at Port Essington, we were naturally anxious to satisfy ourselves upon the point, and accordingly spent but a few hours at b.o.o.by Island, taking our departure at 8 P.M. on the day of our arrival.

PROCEED TO PORT ESSINGTON.

Proceeding towards Port Essington, we experienced a constant current setting between North-West and West, from half to three quarters of a knot an hour, except when crossing the mouth of the Gulf of Carpentaria, when from the indraught its direction was changed to West-South-West. The winds were as Captain King has described them, veering from South-South-East in the morning, to East in the evening, and blowing fresh towards the middle of the day.

Beyond this nothing occurred worthy of remark, until the morning of the 17th, when soon after daylight we found ourselves steering rather within a large patch of discoloured water, extending off Cape Croker, the North-East extreme of the Coburg Peninsula, a low point with a slight hummock on it; on the north side of this peninsula is situated Port Essington, thirty miles to the westward of the Cape.

CAPE CROKER REEF.

The light-coloured water off the latter, we knew indicated the reef discovered by the brig Tigris, belonging to the Indian navy, which in company with the New South Wales colonial schooner, Isabella, was returning from rescuing the survivors of the Charles Eaton, from the natives of Murray Island. When half a mile from the North-East side, in 22 fathoms rocky bottom, Cape Croker, bearing South 29 degrees East six miles; we steered out, keeping at the same distance round this patch of light water in twenty and twenty-one fathoms, seven or eight miles from the Cape, which bore when over what appeared the shoalest part, South 42 degrees East.

This conclusion I afterwards found, on meeting Captain Stanley, to be correct, as that bearing led over the part of the reef he struck on in H.M.S. Britomart. But being on the inner part he was distant only three miles from Cape Croker, whilst the outer edge of the reef I believe to be seven miles from it on the same bearing. In hauling up to the southward, round the North-West extreme of the discoloured water, the soundings were as follows, 17, 12, and 19 fathoms, with rocky bottom. The Cape bore when in the least depth South 58 degrees East nine miles.

We were fortunate in having such good means of determining the longitude of Cape Croker, by observation of a twilight star when in the meridian, and others with the sun soon afterwards. These both agreeing, place the Cape 27 1/4 miles east of Port Essington, instead of 20, as it is laid down in the chart. This discovery is of vital importance to ships proceeding to Port Essington; we were therefore glad of so good an opportunity for rectifying the error.

PORT ESSINGTON.

Expectation was on tip-toe as we were fast approaching Port Essington, feeling naturally anxious to see what progress had been made at the new settlement, and to learn the fate of the expedition. There was, however, nothing striking in the first appearance of the land, a low woody sh.o.r.e; the most remarkable object being a sandy islet, with a tree in its centre, about a mile east of Point Smith, the eastern point of Port Essington: Vashon Head forming the western.

As we drew near, a boat came alongside belonging to H.M.S. Britomart.

From Mr. Pascoe we heard that the Alligator had just sailed for Sydney, leaving the former to await her return at Port Essington. The people forming the settlement had been very healthy, bearing out Dr. Wilson's account of Raffles Bay; and had found the natives exceedingly well disposed. For this advantage we are indebted to the excellent judgment displayed by the unfortunate* Captain Barker, late Commandant of Raffles Bay, he having during his stay in that place, treated them with kindness, to which they were fairly ent.i.tled from men so far their superiors in knowledge and power, and who were moreover intruders upon their soil. Had this n.o.ble conduct of Captain Barker been more universally accepted as an example, the results would, we doubt not, have been equally satisfactory elsewhere.

(*Footnote. This expression may to some of our readers require explanation, and we therefore quote a brief extract from Dr. Wilson's voyage round the world, page 284. "In obedience to orders from the Colonial Government, he was examining the coast in the vicinity of Encounter Bay, princ.i.p.ally with the view of ascertaining whether any available communication existed between the river Murray (lately discovered by Captain Sturt) and the Sea. While in the execution of this duty, he was barbarously murdered by the natives, and his body thrown into the sea." In Sturt's two Expeditions volume 2 page 239, a detailed narrative of this tragedy is given.)

WRECK OF THE ORONTES.

We also heard with much regret,* of the wreck of the Orontes, which accompanied the expedition from Sydney. She left the settlement, with the intention of proceeding to some port in the East Indies; and when just clearing the harbour struck on a reef, knocking a hole in her bows. She filled so rapidly that they had barely time to reach the sh.o.r.e under Vashon Head, ere she sank. The reef, which now bears her name, is according to Mr. Tyers' plan, received from Mr. Pascoe, a mile in extent east and west, and half a mile north and south; while the nearest part of it is distant from Vashon Head and Point Smith very nearly five miles.

From its extremes the following are the bearings; from the western, Vashon Head South 49 degrees West, Point Smith South 55 degrees East: and from the eastern the same points bear South 60 degrees West and South 48 degrees East.

(*Footnote. The loss of a ship is always looked upon as a most untoward event, on the occasion of a new settlement being formed, and is ever forcibly imprinted upon the memory of all ship-masters. This was felt to a most serious extent at Swan River; and many masters of vessels in speaking of Port Essington, have at once expressed their fear of proceeding thither, deterred by the loss of the Orontes.)