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 returned on board at eleven, and then steered eastward along the south
side of Cape Newbald; the flood tide, which set in that direction, having
induced the hope of finding a river there. The wind was light and scant,
so that we advanced principally by means of the tide; and finding it to
run against us at five in the evening, anchored in 5 fathoms, mud and
shells, eight or nine miles above the entrance of the bay, and one and a
half from a rocky point on the Cape-Newbald side. We proceeded with the
flood tide, next morning [WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 1803], in a varying depth
from 3 to 5 fathoms; and after advancing four or five miles, it was found
impossible to go further without risk of getting aground, and we
therefore came to an anchor. The land on the east side of the bay was
distant three miles, and no other than a shallow opening in the
north-east corner could be seen; a disappointment which left little to be
expected in the southern parts of the bay, to which no set of tide had
been perceived. In consequence, I gave up the intention of further
prosecuting the examination in the ship, in favour of going round in my
boat; and directed lieutenant Fowler, so soon as the botanical gentlemen
should have explored the productions on the nearest part of Cape Newbald,
to return with the ship to the entrance of the bay, and anchor near some
low cliffs on the western side, where the botanists could again pursue
their researches until my arrival.
Mr. Bauer the natural-history painter, himself a good botanist, expressed
a wish to accompany me, and with Mr. Bell, the surgeon, we went off in
the afternoon, steering S. S. E. for a small beach in the low, woody
shore, five or six miles off. Squalls of wind with heavy rain prevented
sounding in the first half of the way; but we then had nine feet, and
nearly the same to the beach, where we landed at dusk. The wood was very
thick here, the ground swampy, and the musketoes numerous and fierce; so
that between them and our wet clothes we had very little rest.
THURSDAY 3 MARCH 1803
In the morning, after bearings had been taken from a projecting part of
the ironstone shore, we steered four miles to the S. S. W., mostly in 2
fathoms, to some low cliffs of red earth; where Mr. Bauer examined the
productions of the main land, whilst I took bearings from a small islet
or bank of iron ore, lying near it.
The ship at anchor, dist. 8 or 9 miles, bore N. 1° 15' E.
Mallison's I., south-western cliffs, N. 50 25 W.
Low islet in the bay, centre., S. 89 30 W.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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