Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
From the secretary to the government we obtained information that Captain
de Freycinet of the French Corvette L'Uranie had visited Coepang in
October last, and remained there fifteen days. L'Uranie was fitting out
at Toulon when we left England in 1817 for a voyage round the world, and
was expected on her way to touch upon the western coasts of New Holland;
but it appeared that the only place which Captain De Freycinet visited
was Shark's Bay on the western coast; he remained there a short time for
the purpose of swinging his pendulum, and of completing the astronomical
observations that had been previously made during Commodore Baudin's
voyage. We also heard that the master and four of the crew of the ship
Frederick, the wreck of which we had seen at Cape Flinders, had arrived
at Coepang in a ship that was in company with her at the time of the
accident; but what became of the Frederick's longboat, which left the
wreck with twenty-three of the crew, in company with the master's boat,
in which were ONLY FOUR OR FIVE people, never afterwards transpired.
November 10.
After leaving Coepang the wind, which freshened up from the East by
North, continued steady until the following day, when we were at noon in
10 degrees 36 minutes 47 seconds South, the summit of Savu bearing North
83 degrees West. The wind then fell and veered to South-South-East, but
towards evening freshened from South-East and South-East by South.
November 11.
By eight o'clock we steered a South-West course, and passed the islands
of Savu and Benjoar; the breeze then freshening veered round to the
eastward and brought on heavy rain with much thunder and lightning.
November 12 to 14.
After passing the meridian of Sandelwood Island, the wind varied between
north and south by way of east, often suddenly changing eight or ten, and
sometimes thirteen points of the compass at once.
November 15.
On the 15th we were at noon in latitude 15 degrees 14 minutes 7 seconds
and longitude 115 degrees 2 minutes when the wind changed to
West-North-West and cleared up the weather: it then gradually veered
round by South-West and South-South-West to the south-east trade.
November 21.
At noon on the 21st we had reached the latitude assigned to the Tryal
Rocks by the Dutch sloop, namely, 19 degrees 32 minutes 30 seconds; our
longitude was 108 degrees 8 minutes 36 seconds. Other accounts place
these rocks in 20 degrees 50 minutes; we therefore stood on with caution,
for the wind and the currents to the North-West were too strong for us to
lie to with safety for the night.
November 22.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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