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
recklessness of blood is fully equal to that of the lower animal.
(*Footnote. As some of our readers may imagine that vultures and birds of
prey are attracted to the carcasses of animals by smell, I may state that
an experiment was tried with a condor in South America; being hoodwinked,
he passed unnoticed a large piece of beef, but as soon as the bandage was
removed, he rushed eagerly towards and devoured it.)
PUDDING-PAN HILL.
We left our readers at Cairncross Island, and now return to our narrative
by describing the neighbouring coast. The most remarkable feature on this
part of the mainland, generally speaking a dull monotonous level, is a
hill bearing over the extremity of the reef fronting the south side of
Cairncross, South 45 degrees West, to which Captain Bligh has given the
quaint name of Pudding-Pan Hill. It received this appellation from a
resemblance to an inverted pudding dish, commonly used by sailors, and is
354 feet high. The coast about ten miles to the northward projects a mile
and a half further eastward than is marked in the chart. This error did
not however appear to be so great south of Escape River, where the
character of the coast is low and cliffy, separated by small sandy bays;
instead of a continued line of cliffs as at present represented.
ESCAPE RIVER.
At noon we were in the parallel of the south point of Escape River, in
latitude 10 degrees 58 minutes South, observations and bearings both
agreeing. This river receives its name in record of one of those narrow
escapes to which surveying vessels are subject, Captain King having been
nearly wrecked in the Mermaid. Attempting to enter the river he found it
not to be navigable, a reef extending across its mouth, on which his
vessel struck very heavily.
CORRECT POSITION OF REEFS.
Avoiding Captain King's track, we passed to the eastward of reef x, being
thus afforded a better opportunity of determining its position than he
had. This we did by transit bearings with different points, which placed
it nearly two miles South by East of the spot assigned it on the charts.*
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