A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 2: Undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802 and 1803, in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland schoonerFlinders, Matthew
History
A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 2: Undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802 and 1803, in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland schooner
Flinders, Matthew
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Voyages and travels
We re-joined the ship at one o'clock, and steered northward, without side
of the islets and rocks which lie scattered along the shore as far as
Mount Alexander. Amongst these are three near to each other, with
hummocks upon them, which, as in many points of view they seem to make
but one island, may probably have been meant by the northernmost of the
three isles in the Dutch chart.
The wind had been from the southward, but on closing in with the coast at
Mount Alexander it came from N. W. by N., and edged us off a little from
the land. At sunset the shore was three or four miles distant, and
Mount Alexander bore S. 53° W.
A hummock at the furthest extreme, N. 9 E.
We steered on till eight o'clock, and then anchored in 21 fathoms, blue
mud. At daylight [FRIDAY 11 FEBRUARY 1803], the shore was found to be
distant four or five miles; the furthest part then seen was near the
eastern extremity of Arnhem's Land, and this having no name in the Dutch
chart, is called CAPE ARNHEM.
Mount Alexander was set at S. 48° W.
Two rocks under the shore, dist. 5 or 6 miles, N. 15 W.
Cape Arnhem, rising land within the extremity, N. 11½ W.
From Mount Alexander to Cape Arnhem there is nine leagues of waving sandy
coast; it affords only one small opening, which is on the south side of a
cliffy point, with two islets lying off the entrance, and may probably
afford shelter for boats.
At eight in the morning we passed Cape Arnhem, a smooth grassy projection
which rises gently from the water's edge into the country, but is no
where of much elevation; a broad rock lies near the south-eastern
extremity, and its position was ascertained to be 12° 19' south, and 137°
1' east. Strong ripplings of a tide or current extended some distance off
the cape, and in passing through them we had irregular soundings between
27 and 18 fathoms; beyond Cape Arnhem the shore trended N. W. by N., in
rocky points and shallow bights, but the wind being from that direction,
we could not follow it closely. The furthest land visible at noon was a
flat-topped hill which I call _Mount Saunders_, and nearer to us was a
higher and more woody hill, also flat-topped and steep at its north end,
to which is given the name of _Mount Dundas_; their bearings, and our
position at this time were as under:
Latitude observed, 12° 12½'
Longitude from survey and time keeper, 137 2½
Mount Dundas, bluff north end, dist. 8 miles, S. 85 W.
Mount Saunders, north end, N. 84½ W.
Cape Arnhem, a rising within the extremity, S. 21 W.
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