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 13th the boats returned, having completed the work that had been
allotted them. Mr. Forsyth reported their proceedings as follows: Leaving
the north point of Bentinck Island, off which a reef extends nearly three
miles, they crossed over to the south end of Mornington Island, bearing
North 60 degrees West twenty-three miles, the depth, midway between being
7 and 8 fathoms. The south shore of this island was found to be low and
sandy, much indented, and fronted with reefs. From the south extreme, the
nearest part of the main, called Point Bayley, bore South 32 degrees West
eleven miles, the intervening space being occupied by four low isles,
which I named after Mr. Forsyth. With the exception of 5 fathoms two
miles south-west from the end of Mornington Island, the space between it
and the main is only navigable for boats; and westward of Forsyth
Islands, shoals, partly dry, extend off four miles from the main.
POINT PARKER.
From Point Bayley,* where we found a native well, the coast trended on
one hand North 73 degrees West, in which direction, at the distance of
two and four miles, were small openings in the low mangrove shore;
whilst, on the other, it trended South 53 degrees East with inlets two,
three, and six miles distant, and a point ten miles and a half from Point
Bayley, which was named after the officer in charge of one of the boats,
Point Parker. A hillock elevated about thirty feet, which was great for
this part of the continent, rendered it conspicuous. Like Point Bayley,
it is fronted with a rocky ledge, and has a sandy beach on the south
side. From Point Parker the coast trended south ten miles, which was the
furthest the boats reached; beyond, it appeared to take a more easterly
direction.
(*Footnote. In latitude 16 degrees 35 minutes 10 seconds South, and
longitude 6 degrees 55 minutes 30 seconds East of Port Essington. )
The hillock on Point Parker, afforded Mr. Forsyth a slight view of the
interior: it was a vast plain with clumps of small trees interspersed
here and there; a growth of gums rose close behind the fringe of
mangroves that lined the coast to the southward, and in other places
constituted the only vegetable production of the country that could be
seen. Although there was little that could be called actually interesting
in the vast level that stretched away to an indefinite distance from
Point Parker, yet still, when the reflection presented itself that never
before had the eye of a European wandered over it, the feelings of the
exploring party were necessarily of a pleasing character.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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