Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
On their first landing Mr. Roe and Mr. Baskerville, with one of the
boat's crew, ascended the summit and, whilst employed in looking round,
heard the voices of natives among the trees about thirty yards off; but
as they could not see them they very properly descended, and carried on
their operations in the vicinity of the boat; they were onshore for two
or three hours afterwards, but the natives did not make their appearance.
The foot-marks of men and boys were evident on the sand below the
high-water mark, and the remains of fireplaces, and where the natives had
been manufacturing spears, were of recent date. The gentlemen brought off
a few shells and some insects, among which was a beautiful sphynx;
besides which one of the boat's crew caught a species of vampyrus,
apparently similar to the flying fox of Port Jackson. Of shells there was
not a great variety; a chama (Tridacna gigas, Lam.) a pinna, and the
trochus (caerulescens) of Dirk Hartog's Island; but at one of the
fireplaces they found a very large voluta that seemed to have served the
purpose of a water-vessel; it was fifteen inches long and ten inches in
diameter.
The shores appear to abound with shellfish, although Dampier thought that
shells hereabouts were scarce. We could easily have completed our water
at this point, but from the place appearing to be populous and, as the
vessel could not be anchored sufficiently near the shore to have
protected the boat's crews, it was feared that our work might be impeded
by the natives.
The boat returned at ten o'clock while we were getting underweigh; but
the wind being at South-East it was one o'clock before we weathered Point
Cunningham, when the tide was urging us forward rapidly. In steering
round the point we found ourselves passing through some light coloured
water and, before we could extricate the brig, were in three and a half
fathoms; the anchor was immediately dropped underfoot and, with the
assistance of the sails, which were kept full, the vessel was retained
whilst the whale-boat was veered astern, and ascertained that the
shoalest part had been already passed; therefore the anchor was again
weighed, and eventually dropped in the bay to the south of Point
Cunningham in fourteen fathoms and three quarters, fine speckled sand and
stones.
In the direction of North 63 degrees West and at a mile and a half from
the anchorage was a remarkable flat-topped hill which was called at Mr.
Cunningham's wish, Carlisle Head, and the bay in which we anchored,
Goodenough Bay, in compliment to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of
Carlisle. At this part Mr. Cunningham found a new species of velleia (of
the natural order Goodenoviae).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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