An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.Collins, David
History
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.
Collins, David
New South Wales -- Description and travel
At eleven o'clock they passed within a mile of a high grassy cape, which
is the seaward extremity of a ridge, that, rising up by a gentle ascent,
retreats and joins some chains of lofty mountains. A small rocky island
lay two miles from it to the WSW. At noon the latitude was 40 degrees 55
minutes 25 seconds, and the longitude 147 degrees 16 minutes 30 seconds.
Early in the afternoon a gap in the land situated at the back of a deep
narrow bight, which had for some time attracted attention, began to
assume the appearance of an inlet, which they bore away to examine; and,
after running three miles, they found they had shut in the line of the
coast on each side, and were impelled forward by a strong inset of tide.
Continuing their course for the gap, some back points within the entrance
soon became distinguishable, and the rapidity of the flood tide was
observed to increase with the increasing contiguity of the shores. When
the sloop was on the point of entering the harbour, which appeared to be
fairly open before her, the water shoaled suddenly, and she struck the
ground and lay fast; but fortunately the strong flood in a few minutes
dragged her over into deep water, and shot her into the entrance with
uncommon velocity.
Having advanced within the entrance, the harbour began to expand itself
in a kind of large basin. Its shores were broken into points and
projections, between some of which the great strength of the flood tide
led them to expect it would branch off into arms. The land lying
immediately upon its borders was low, but not flat; well wooded; and
those points near which the sloop passed were clothed with a very unusual
degree of verdure. The sun being down, the vessel was anchored for the
night, and the next day they proceeded with their researches.
They were employed during sixteen days in the examination of this place;
and the result of the observations which were made by Mr. Bass in
different parts of it, and the neighbouring country, are thrown by that
gentleman into one general account.
This harbour, or inlet, which was named by the governor Port Dalrymple,
in compliment to Alexander Dalrymple, esq takes its course from the SE
between two chains of rounded mountains, stretching inland from the sea
with an almost imperceptible increase of elevation; and, after gradually
approximating each other, seemed to unite, at the distance of between
thirty and forty miles, in a body of rugged mountains more lofty than
themselves. These two chains in their relative positions formed an acute
angle, being at their greatest distance asunder, as measured along the
sea coast, only sixteen miles.
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