Journals of Australian ExplorationsGregory, Augustus Charles
History
Journals of Australian Explorations
Gregory, Augustus Charles
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
Men employed coopering the flour-casks, fencing the garden, completing
the store, and general camp duties. The party which went up the river
yesterday in search of timber for the repair of the vessel returned in
the evening, having found some suitable melaleuca-trees on the bank of
the creek below Steep Head. The afternoon was again cloudy, with much
lightning in the evening.
8th November.
Men employed clearing away the grass and bushes around the camp, landing
cargo from the schooner, plotting map of route from Point Pearce to the
Victoria River.
9th November.
Party employed as before.
10th November.
Party employed as before. On unpacking the rice and peas, found that 720
pounds of rice and half a bushel of peas were destroyed by salt-water,
and much more damaged; much of the sugar is damaged; but as it is not
prudent to open casks, the quantity lost cannot be ascertained. Wrote to
the master of the Tom Tough, requesting information with reference to a
complaint by Mr. Wilson, that on the 30th September his signals for a
boat to bring him to the schooner had been disregarded.
11th November (Sunday).
TIMBER FOR REPAIRS OF VESSEL.
12th November.
Mr. H. Gregory, with Shewell and Dawson, accompanied Captain Gourlay to
Steep Head to cut timber for the repair of the schooner. Erected a forge
and continued the preparation of the garden, etc. Last night one of the
sheep was strangled by getting entangled in the net which formed the
sheep-pen. Received from the master of the Tom Tough a letter replying to
my queries of the 10th instant. It appears that on the 30th September,
while the schooner was aground in the lower part of the Victoria, Mr.
Wilson landed to search for fresh water at Mosquito Flat; having made
some indefinite arrangements with Mr. Elsey to signalize for a boat,
should he require it, to return to the vessel; but he omitted to acquaint
either the master of the schooner, or Mr. Baines, who was next in command
to Mr. Wilson. The result was that when the signals were made there was
some uncertainty whether they were fires lighted by Mr. Wilson as signals
for a boat, and some delay ensued in preparing the boat, when it was
found that the tide had fallen so much that there was not sufficient
water to float the boat over the intervening sand-banks, and at low water
Mr. Wilson waded across the deeper channels and walked over the dry banks
to the vessel. As the affair appeared to be complicated with some private
misunderstanding between the parties, and Mr. Wilson had neglected to
make proper arrangements with the master of the vessel, I deemed it
desirable that the investigation should not proceed any farther.
13th November.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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