Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During; The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43.; By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative; Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea.Stokes, John Lort
History
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During; The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43.; By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative; Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea.
Stokes, John Lort
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Natural history -- Australia
The house in which this modern Robinson Crusoe dwelt was what is called a
Slab Hut, formed of rough boards and thatched with grass. He had a garden
in which grew some cabbages and a few other vegetables; but he complained
sorely of blight from the west winds. There are three varieties of
kangaroos on the island, and plenty of wildfowl on some of the lagoons;
so that supplies are abundant: but the few sheep he possessed were
rendered of little value from the burrs I have before mentioned. I could
not help pitying the condition of this gentleman and his interesting
family--a wife and daughter and three or four fine boys. They had
retained a few of the tastes and habits of civilized life, and I observed
a good library with a flute and music in the Slab Hut. It was with great
pleasure that I afterwards learned that Captain Smith's prospects had
brightened. He is now, I believe, a comfortable settler on the eastern
side of Tasmania.
On the 29th we passed down the western shore of King Island, finding the
coast to be low, treacherous and rocky. We discovered some outlying rocks
a mile and half from shore, and about eleven miles south from New Year
Island. The most remarkable circumstance we noticed in this part of our
cruise, was the leafless appearance of the trees on the higher parts of
the island. It seemed as though a hurricane had stripped them of their
verdure. They reminded me strongly of a wintry day in the north.
About eight miles from the extremity of the island we discovered a bay
affording good anchorage in east winds. It was afterwards called
Fitzmaurice Bay. From its neighbourhood a long dark line of black cliffs
stretches southward until within about three miles of the point, when the
ground sinks suddenly, whence vessels are apt to be misled and to fancy
that the island ends there, whilst in reality it stretches out into a low
dangerous rocky point, named after the writer, for about three miles
more.
SEAL BAY.
Rounding this we anchored on the eastern side of it in Seal Bay--a wild
anchorage, the swell constantly rolling in with too much surf to allow of
our commencing a series of tidal observations. This bay, in the mouth of
which lies a small cluster of rocks, is separated from the one on the
opposite side, by a strip of low sandy land, which, as I have said, may
easily be overlooked by vessels coming from the westward. A ship indeed
has been lost from fancying that the sea was clear south of the black
cliffs that skirt the shore down from Fitzmaurice Bay. The Wallaby are
numerous on this part of the island. Mr. Bynoe shot one (Halmaturus
bellidereii) out of whose pouch he took a young one which he kept on
board and tamed. It subsequently became a great pet with us all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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