Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2: Discoveries in Australia; 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 SeaStokes, John Lort
History
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2: Discoveries in Australia; 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
On the evening of the 13th, we again proceeded on our passage; the night
was hazy, with a few slight squalls, much resembling the weather which we
had before experienced in the same place. Towards the close of the 15th,
we anchored eight miles from Cape Tribulation, bearing North 11 degrees
West. The summit of Snapper Island, bore South 7 degrees East six miles;
by which we found that both it and the coast are placed on the charts too
much to the eastward.
In passing Point Barrow I was very much struck with the similarity which
the low line of cliffs, running along the summit of the high land, bears
to that on the Victoria River.* We avoided the reef off Cape Flinders, by
following the directions given in the first volume, and by making a
detour to the southward round Princess Charlotte's Bay, were enabled to
keep underweigh all night.
(*Footnote. See Sketches.)
RESTORATION ISLAND.
Continuing, we reached Restoration Island soon after dark on the 19th. It
was rather a confined anchorage, to be taken up at that hour with five
ships. Our arrival was under rather singular circumstances. The night
being dark, we could not make out even the outline of the high rocky
island, which appeared one dark mass; and the meeting of the land and sea
was only occasionally distinguished by patches of white, where the water
broke against the steep rocky sides of the island. Not a sound came from
the shore as we drew near our berth; but no sooner did the heavy splash
of the anchor, and the noise of the cable running out, resound among the
heights, than one loud yell of startled natives seemed to rise from one
end of the island to the other. The discharge of a signal rocket,
however, that curved its flight over the island, instantaneously quieted
the uproar, and a death-like silence succeeded.
NATIVES OF TORRES STRAIT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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