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
At Port Jackson I found orders from the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty to return to England in the Bathurst when the survey should be
completed; but as we were in want of many things that the colony could
not furnish, and as we should be detained until the month of February
before the monsoon would allow of our going upon the coast; it was deemed
most advantageous for the public service to return without making another
voyage. Accordingly on the 25th September we sailed from Sydney with the
intention of proceeding to the north through Torres Strait, and calling
at the Mauritius on our way; but no sooner had we put to sea than a hard
gale set in from the north which induced me to bear up and either to go
round Van Diemen's Land to the westward, if the wind should favour such a
proceeding, or, by doubling the south end of New Zealand to make the
eastern passage round Cape Horn.
1822. October 6.
Having reached the south-east end of Van Diemen's Land on the 6th of
October, and a fresh north-easterly wind setting in at the same time, I
determined upon adopting the first plan; and therefore proceeded round
the south side of the island, in doing which I had the opportunity of
verifying some observations formerly taken by which it appeared that the
coast between Storm Bay and the South-west Cape was very erroneously laid
down both by Captain Flinders and the French expeditions under
d'Entrecasteaux and Baudin.
On my voyage to Macquarie Harbour in 1819 I found so many errors in the
bearings that were taken as induced me to suspect an original error, and
on this occasion a very considerable one was detected.
When Captain Flinders passed round Van Diemen's Land in the Norfolk he
obtained a meridional supplementary altitude of the sun to the south, his
vessel being under the land, which made the South-west Cape in 43 degrees
29 minutes South; but finding the next day that his instrument was 2
minutes 40 seconds in error to the north he assigned to the cape a
position of 43 degrees 32 minutes. In the Introduction to his voyage* he
makes some remarks in a note upon the positions assigned to it by
Captains Cook and Furneaux; the latter officer placed it in 43 degrees 39
minutes, in which I also found it to be by its transient bearing from the
South Cape. By a series of bearings carried along the coast its position
is thirty-three miles West 3 degrees South true, from the South Cape.
(*Footnote. Flinders volume 1 Introduction page 179.)
All parts of the coast in this interval are proportionally in error as to
latitude but tolerably well placed in reference to the coast. The
subjoined are the positions now assigned to the following places, namely:
COLUMN 1: NAME OF PLACE.
COLUMN 2: LATITUDE.
COLUMN 3: LONGITUDE ACCORDING TO CAPTAIN FLINDERS' SURVEY.
South Cape : 43 degrees 38 minutes : 146 degrees 56 minutes.
Mewstone : 43 degrees 46 minutes : 146 degrees 31 1/2 minutes.
South-west Cape : 43 degrees 39 minutes : 146 degrees 12 minutes.
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