Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia Volume II Part 14

South Cape : 43 degrees 38 minutes : 146 degrees 56 minutes.

Mewstone : 43 degrees 46 minutes : 146 degrees 31 1/2 minutes.

South-west Cape : 43 degrees 39 minutes : 146 degrees 12 minutes.

The south-east cape of Bruny Island, Tasman's Head, is also placed too much to the southward in Captain Flinders' chart as well as in that of Baudin. From the Mermaid it was set in a line with the south-east cape on the bearing of North 56 degrees East (the vessel's head being to the eastward); and on this occasion (the brig's head being to the westward) it bore, when in the same line, North 53 degrees East. The variation in the latter case was 9 degrees East, but in the former no more than 6 degrees was allowed, and Captain Flinders found even 4 degrees sufficient.

I pa.s.sed outside the Mewstone and took its bearing as it came on with the points of the land between the south-west and the south-east capes, by which I satisfied myself beyond a doubt of the correctness of my observations and of the error into which Captain Flinders had fallen, and which must either be attributed to the imperfection of his instrument or to his reading off the alt.i.tude 10 minutes in error; and as there is just that difference between it and the position a.s.signed by Captain Furneaux, which is also confirmed by my observation, the probability is in favour of the last conjecture.

After leaving the coast of Van Diemen's Land we had much damp, unwholesome weather, and a succession of heavy westerly gales, in which the brig was occasionally much pressed.

1822. November 8-31.

And it was not until the 8th of November that we made Bald Island, which is to the eastward of King George's Sound. We were now much in need of a place to caulk the bends, as well as to repair some temporary damage to the rigging and complete our wood and water. I therefore seized the opportunity of our being near the sound and, steering into it, anch.o.r.ed off the sandy bay within Seal Island and immediately commenced operations. We were however much delayed by hard westerly gales, which not only prevented the carpenter's caulking, but also delayed our watering, since the boat could not pull to the sh.o.r.e; but as the anchorage was well sheltered we suffered no further inconvenience than the delay.

A few days after our arrival we were surprised by the appearance of a strange vessel beating into the sound; she proved to be an American schooner on a sealing voyage and was coming in for the purpose of careening and cleaning the vessel's bottom in Oyster Harbour. The natives also made their appearance and some of them being our old friends, immediately recognised us.

As there was no wood convenient to our anchorage I moved the vessel to the entrance of Princess Royal Harbour, near the northern head of which, at the south end of the long sandy beach, the trees were growing in abundance close to the beach: it was at this place also that Captain Flinders obtained his wood; and excepting the entrance of Oyster Harbour it is the most convenient place in the whole sound.

Whilst at this last anchorage we were visited by the natives, many of them strangers; they were accompanied by our old friend Coolbun, the native that, upon our former visit, was so noisy in explaining to his companions the effect of the shot that was fired. On one occasion, when they were on board, an immense shark was hooked, but broke the hook and escaped, which was a great disappointment to them, for they evidently antic.i.p.ated a luxurious meal. After this they went on sh.o.r.e, when the breeze blew so fresh as to make some seasick, very much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of those who did not suffer, particularly one of the older men. On this occasion the names of several of the natives were obtained, which have been inserted with a few additional words at the end of the list obtained from them during our former visit.* Our friend Jack did not make his appearance, nor did the natives at all seem to understand for whom we were enquiring.

(*Footnote. See above.)

As soon as our wood was completed the brig was moved to an anchorage off the watering bay which proved a more convenient place than under Seal Island, as it was better sheltered and nearer to the watering-place.

After riding out a heavy gale from the westward at single anchor without any accident and as soon as our water was completed, we again anch.o.r.ed for a day under Seal Island, but were obliged to make two attempts before we succeeded in getting out to sea.

Whilst at the anchorage off Princess Royal Harbour I went to Oyster Harbour to procure flowering specimens of a tree which had hitherto been a subject of much curiosity to botanists: at our former visits the season was too far advanced; and Mr. Brown was equally unfortunate. The plant resembles xanthorrhoea, both in its trunk and leaves, but bears its flower in a very different manner; for, instead of throwing out one long flower scape, it produces eighteen or twenty short stalks, each terminated by an oval head of flowers. I recollected having seen a large grove of these trees growing at a short distance from the outer beach on the east side of the entrance of the harbour; and on going there found the decayed flowers and seeds sufficiently perfect to throw a considerable light upon this singular plant;* several were procured and brought to England. A drawing of this tree is given in the view of King George's Sound in Captain Flinders' account of the Investigator's voyage.** In the list of the plants collected by me upon this occasion was a splendid species of anigosanthus, which proved to be quite new, and had escaped the observation both of Mr. Brown and of Mr. Cunningham.

Living plants of various genera were also procured: among which were several of the remarkable Cephalotus follicularis (Brown) which however alone survived the voyage, and are now growing in the royal gardens at Kew.

(*Footnote. More perfect specimens were afterwards collected by Mr.

Baxter, and sent, through Mr. Henchman his employer, to my friend Mr.

Brown, the original discoverer of the tree in Captain Flinders' voyage, and the author of the paper in the appendix at the end of the volume relating to it.)

(**Footnote. Flinders volume 1 page 60.)

December 1 to February 9, 1823.

Having effected our departure from King George's Sound we proceeded on our way towards Simon's Bay at the Cape of Good Hope, which we reached on the 14th January after a pa.s.sage of forty-six days without encountering a gale of wind or the occurrence of any event worth recording.

February 9 to April 23.

We left Simon's Bay on the 9th of February and, after touching at St.

Helena and Ascension, crossed the line in 22 degrees 6 minutes West; and on the 7th of April made the Island of Flores, one of the Azores. On the same morning we fell in with two French men of war, a frigate and a corvette, who bore down but, upon showing our colours, hauled their wind and resumed their course without communicating with us. Between this and the Channel we were delayed by a succession of northerly winds. The Lizard Lights were made in the night of the 22nd of April and the following day we anch.o.r.ed in Plymouth Sound; after an absence of more than six years.

It may not be considered irrelevant here to make a few brief observations upon what has been effected by these voyages, and what yet remains to be done upon the northern coasts of Australia. Beginning with the north-eastern coast, I have been enabled to lay down a very safe and convenient track for vessels bound through Torres Strait, and to delineate the coastline between Cape Hillsborough, in 20 degrees 54 minutes South, and Cape York, the north extremity of New South Wales; a distance of six hundred and ninety miles. As my instructions did not authorise my delaying to examine any part of this coast I could not penetrate into the many numerous and extensive openings that presented themselves in this s.p.a.ce; particularly in the neighbourhoods of Cape Gloucester, Upstart, and Cleveland; where the intersected and broken appearances of the hills at the back are matters of interesting enquiry and research.

My instructions at first confined me between Cape Arnhem and the North-west Cape, but were subsequently extended to the western coast. The examination of the northern and part of the north-western coasts, from Wessel Islands to Port George the Fourth, a distance of seven hundred and ninety miles, has been carefully made and, with a few exceptions, every opening has been explored. Those parts in this interval that yet require examination are some inlets on the south side of Clarence Strait, and one of more considerable size to the eastward of Cambridge Gulf, trending in to the south-east: otherways, the coast comprised within these limits has been sufficiently examined for all the purposes of navigation.

The coast also between the North-west Cape and Depuch Island, containing two hundred and twenty miles, has also been sufficiently explored; but between the latter island and Port George the Fourth, a distance of five hundred and ten miles, it yet remains almost unknown. The land that is laid down is nothing more than an archipelago of islands fronting the mainland, the situation of which is quite uncertain. Our examinations of these islands were carried on as far as Cape Villaret, but between that and Depuch Island the coast has only been seen by the French, who merely occasionally saw small detached portions of it. At present however this is conjecture; but the s.p.a.ce is of considerable extent and, if there is an opening into the interior of New Holland, it is in the vicinity of this part. Off the Buccaneer's Archipelago the tides are strong and rise to the height of thirty-six feet. Whatever may exist behind these islands, which we were prevented by our poverty in anchors and other circ.u.mstances from exploring, there are certainly some openings of importance; and it is not at all improbable that there may be a communication at this part with the interior for a considerable distance from the coast.

The examination of the western coast was performed during an almost continued gale of wind, so that we had no opportunity of making any very careful observation upon its sh.o.r.es. There can however be very little more worth knowing of them, as I apprehend the difficulty of landing is too great ever to expect to gain much information; for it is only in Shark's Bay that a vessel can anchor with safety.

With respect to the subjects of natural history that have been procured upon the voyage, it is much to be lamented that the small size of the vessel and our constant professional duties prevented my extending them.

Of quadrupeds we saw but few. Birds were very numerous but the operation of skinning and preserving them would have taken up more time than could be afforded. A few insects, some sh.e.l.ls, and a small series of specimens of the geology of the parts we landed at were among the only things obtained, excepting the extensive and valuable collection of plants formed by Mr. Cunningham which are now in the possession of Mr. Aiton, of the Royal Gardens at Kew; for which establishment it would seem that they were solely procured. It was in fact the only department of natural history in which any pains were taken and for which every a.s.sistance was rendered. A small herbarium was however collected by me, containing nearly five hundred species: they are in the possession of my respected friend Aylmer B. Lambert, Esquire, whose scientific attainments in the field of botany are well and widely known. It is to be hoped however that the few subjects offered to the scientific world in the appendix, through the kindness of my friends, will not be thought uninteresting or unimportant; and that they will serve to show how very desirable it is to increase the comparatively slender knowledge that we possess of this extensive country, which in this respect might still with propriety retain its ancient name of Terra Australis INCOGNITA.

Whilst this sheet was going through the press accounts were received at the Admiralty from Captain J.G. Bremer, C.B. of H.M. Ship Tamar who was despatched by the government in the early part of last year (1824) to take possession of Arnhem's Land, upon the north coast of the continent, and to form an establishment upon the most eligible spot that could be found for a mercantile depot. Of the proceedings of this expedition the following particulars have been communicated to me by Lieutenant J.S.

Roe, my former companion and a.s.sistant, who was appointed lieutenant of the Tamar upon her being destined for that service; and which, as the sequel of the voyage I have been describing, cannot be deemed irrelevant or uninteresting, since the place fixed upon by Captain Bremer was discovered during the early part of the said voyage.*

(*Footnote. See volume 1.)

The Tamar arrived at Port Jackson on the 28th of July, 1824; when every facility was rendered by the colonial government to further the object in view. The expedition sailed thence in less than a month with a detachment of the 3rd regiment and forty-five convicts, in addition to the party of Royal Marines that had been embarked before the Tamar left England. The establishment was placed under the command of Captain Barlow of the 3rd regiment. A merchant ship, the Countess of Harcourt, was taken up to convey the stores and provisions, and the Lady Nelson, colonial brig, was also placed at the disposal of the commandant.

Lieutenant Roe, in describing this voyage to me, writes: "We had a very favourable pa.s.sage to the northward, and in less than three weeks cleared Torres Strait by the route you recommended to Captain Bremer, without encountering any accident. We nevertheless saw several shoals that, in our former voyages in the Mermaid and Bathurst, were not noticed; by reason of the greater alt.i.tude of the Tamar's masthead affording a much more extensive view on either side of our course." The particulars of these discoveries of Lieutenant Roe are given in the Appendix, under the description of the North-East Coast, in the order in which they occur.

Having cleared Torres Strait the Tamar anch.o.r.ed in Port Essington.

Lieutenant Roe then says, "Having brought the ship to anchor off Table Point in Port Essington, all the boats were hoisted out and the marines landed, when, an union-jack being fixed upon a conspicuous tree near the extremity of the point, formal possession was taken of the north coast of Australia, between the meridians of 129 and 136 degrees East of Greenwich. The marines fired three volleys, and the Tamar a royal salute, upon the occasion.

"Our first object being to find water, parties were despatched in various directions for that purpose; but after traversing many miles of country, and coasting a great deal of the port, only one place was discovered (the low sandy east point of entrance to Inner Harbour) where any was to be procured, and it was then only obtained by digging deep holes in the sand. A large Malay encampment had recently removed from this spot, leaving their fireplaces and temporary couches, and large piles of firewood to season, in readiness for their next visit. No natives were seen, not even at our old place in Knockers Bay. The adjoining country was found to be very good forest land, well timbered, but parched with drought, which was by no means in favour of our views. Having buried a sealed bottle upon the sandy point, containing an account of our proceedings, we named it Point Record,* and sailed at the expiration of two days for Apsley Strait.

(*Footnote. Point Record is the low sandy point on the left of the picture in the view of Port Essington, volume 1.)

"Light winds r.e.t.a.r.ded our arrival off Cape Van Diemen until the 24th, and it was not before the 26th that we brought up close to Luxmoore Head, in St. Asaph Bay. Possession was here taken in a similar manner and with the same forms as at Port Essington, and we commenced a strict search for water in every direction in the neighbourhood of the head, which appeared so desirable and commanding a position, that it was with great reluctance we eventually gave up all idea of settling there, on not finding fresh water in its neighbourhood.

"At the expiration of five or six days a small river and plenty of water was discovered on Melville Island abreast of Harris Island; and an eligible situation for the intended new settlement being discovered near it, the ships were removed thither on the 2nd of October, and parties landed to commence immediate operations with the axe and saw. The projection of land fixed upon for the site of a town, was named after the commandant (Captain Barlow). The cove in which the ships were at anchor was named King's Cove by Captain Bremer, after yourself, as the original discoverer of the strait; and that part of Apsley Strait, between Luxmoore Head and Harris Island,* received the name of Port c.o.c.kburn, in honour of Vice Admiral Sir George c.o.c.kburn, G.C.B., one of the Lords of the Admiralty.

(*Footnote. Harris Island was named by me after my friend John Harris, Esquire, formerly surgeon of the 102nd Regiment, who has served so long and so faithfully in various offices under the government of New South Wales.)

"All disposable hands being employed on sh.o.r.e in clearing Point Barlow of wood and other impediments, we were speedily enabled to commence the erection of a fort, seventy-five yards in length by fifty wide; to be built of the trunks of the felled trees, and to be surrounded by a ditch ten feet wide and deep. On the memorable 21st of October, our quarter-deck guns were landed and mounted, the colours were hoisted for the first time, and the work was named Fort Dundas, under a royal salute from itself.

"From this time the place began to a.s.sume the appearance of a fortified village; quarters were constructed within the walls of the fort for the accommodation of the officers belonging to the establishment, and about thirty huts of various kinds were erected, and thatched with rushes for the soldiers and convicts. A deep well was sunk near the fort; a good substantial wharf ran out into the water; and, as soon as a commissariat storehouse was finished, all the provisions were landed from the Countess of Harcourt and secured there.

"The soil in the neighbourhood of the settlement being exceedingly good, gardens were cleared and laid out, and soon produced all kinds of vegetables. In our stock we were rather unfortunate, for of six sheep that were landed for the purpose of breeding, five died, supposed from the effect produced by eating some pernicious herb in the woods: pigs, ducks, and fowls seemed however in a fair way of doing well, and had increased considerably since they were landed; but great inconvenience was experienced for want of some horses or draught oxen, which would not only have materially expedited the work in hand, but would have spared the men much laborious fatigue and exposure to the effects of a vertical sun: all difficulties and obstacles were however met and overcome with the greatest zeal and perseverance, and the works proceeded with such spirit and alacrity, that we were enabled to sail for Bombay on the 13th of November, without exposing the new settlement either to the jealousy of the Malays, or the mischievous attack of the natives. No traces of the former people were observed at this place, nor any of the trepang that would be their sole inducement for visiting it. Not one native made his appearance before the early part of November when, as if by signal, a party of about eighteen on each sh.o.r.e communicated with us on the same day and were very friendly, although exceedingly suspicious and timid.

They would not venture within the line of the outer hut and always came armed, but laid aside their spears and clubs whenever friendly signs were made. On the second day of their visit I was greatly astonished to see amongst them a young man of about twenty years of age, not darker in colour than a Chinese but with perfect Malay features and like all the rest entirely naked: he had daubed himself all over with soot and grease, to appear like the others, but the difference was plainly perceptible. On perceiving that he was the object of our conversation, a certain archness and lively expression came over his countenance, which a native Australian would have strained his features in vain to have produced. The natives appeared to be very fond of him. It seems probable that he must have been kidnapped when very young, or found while astray in the woods.*

(*Footnote. At our visit to this place in 1818 and during our communication with the natives a boy of the above description was noticed among them; he was brought down upon the shoulders of one of the Indians, in which position he is represented in the view. See volume 1.)

"These Indians made repeated signs for hatchets, which they called paaco-paaco, and although they had stolen two or three on their first appearance, it was considered desirable to gain their goodwill by giving them more, and three were accordingly presented to individuals among them who appeared to be in authority. They were of course much pleased, but the next day several axes, knives, and sickles were taken by force from men employed outside the settlement, upon which they were made to understand that until these articles were restored no more would be given. This arrangement being persevered in by us, they determined upon seizing these implements on every occasion that presented itself; so that it was found necessary to protect our working parties in the woods by a guard; the result of which was that the natives threw their spears whenever resistance was offered, and the guard was obliged to fire upon the aggressors.

"Open acts of hostility having now been committed, and the natives increasing daily in numbers to upwards of one hundred round the settlement, a good lookout was kept upon them; but not sufficiently to prevent about sixty of them surprising five of the marines in a swamp cutting rushes, and throwing their spears amongst them: their salute was immediately returned, and they disappeared without any damage having been done on either side; at the same minute however reports of musketry were heard at our watering-place and garden and proved to be in repelling an attack that about forty natives had made upon our jolly-boat watering and two men cutting gra.s.s. One of the natives was shot dead at ten yards'

distance while in the act of throwing his spear; and our people thought that several others were wounded as they disappeared making most strange noises, and have not been near us since. One of the spears thrown upon the last occasion had sixteen barbs to it but, in general, they were merely sc.r.a.ped to a sharp point without even one barb, and were not thrown with anything like precision or good aim, which accounts for none of their weapons having taken effect, although discharged at our people at the distance only of a few yards."

Soon after this the Tamar left Fort Dundas for the India station and despatched the Countess of Harcourt upon her ulterior destination. The settlement was left in a very forward state and consisted altogether of one hundred and twenty-six individuals of whom there were 3 or 4 women and forty-five convicts; the remainder were composed of detachments of the 3rd regiment (the Buffs) and of the marines, the latter under the command of Lieutenant Williamson. The Lady Nelson was left with Commandant Barlow.

Such is the state of the settlement of Fort Dundas, which at some future time must become a place of considerable consequence in the eastern world. The soil and climate of Melville and Bathurst Islands are capable of growing all the valuable productions of the East, particularly spices, and many other equally important articles of trade: it is conveniently placed for the protection of ships pa.s.sing to our Indian possessions from Port Jackson, and admirably situated for the purposes of mercantile speculation.

Such, then, are the first fruits of the voyages I have had the honour to direct. Much, however, of the coast yet remains to be examined; and although, for the general purposes of navigation, it has been quite sufficiently explored, yet there are many s.p.a.ces upon the chart left blank that would be highly interesting to examine and really important to know. We have but a slight knowledge also of the natural history of the continent; slight however as it is, no country has ever produced a more extraordinary a.s.semblage of indigenous productions; no country has proved richer than Australia in every branch of natural history; and it has besides, this advantage, that as the greater part is yet entirely unknown, so much the more does it excite the interest of the geographer and naturalist.

The examination of its vast interior can only be performed by degrees: want of navigable rivers will naturally impede such a task, but all these difficulties will be gradually overcome by the indefatigable zeal of our countrymen, of whose researches in all parts of the world the present times teem with such numerous examples.