The Keppel Isles, and coast to Cape Manifold.
A new port discovered and examined.
Harvey's Isles.
A new passage into Shoal-water Bay.
View from Mount Westall.
A boat lost.
The upper parts of Shoal-water Bay examined.
Some account of the country and inhabitants.
General remarks on the bay.
Astronomical and nautical observations.
[EAST COAST. FROM KEPPEL BAY.]
AUGUST 1802
The rocks and islands lying off Keppel Bay to the northward, are numerous
and scattered without order; two of them are of greater magnitude than
the rest, and captain Cook had attempted to pass between these and the
main land, from which they are distant about five miles; but shoal water
obliged him to desist. When we got under way in the morning of the 18th
[WEDNESDAY 18 AUGUST 1802], our course was directed for the outside of
these two islands, and we passed within a mile of them in 9, and from
that to 13 fathoms water. They are five miles asunder, and the
southernmost and largest is near twelve in circumference; its rocky hills
are partly covered with grass and wood, and the gullies down the sides,
as also the natives seen upon the island, implied that fresh water was to
be had there.
[EAST COAST. CAPE MANIFOLD.]
At the back of the islands the main coast is low and sandy, with the
exception of two or three rocky heads; but at a few miles inland there is
a chain of hills, moderately elevated and not ill clothed with wood.
These hills are a continuation of the same which I had ascended on the
west side of Keppel Bay, and extend as far as the two peaks behind Cape
Manifold.
After passing the Keppel Isles we steered for a small opening in the
coast, seven or eight miles to the north-west, and the Lady Nelson was
directed to lead in; but on her making the signal for 3 fathoms, and the
inlet appearing to be a sandy cove fit only for boats, we kept on
northward, between one and two miles from the shore. At five o'clock, the
south-east breeze died away, and a descent of the mercury announcing
either little wind for the night or a breeze off the land, a kedge anchor
was dropped in 8 fathoms, sandy bottom. The bearings then taken were,
Keppel Isles, the first lump, S. 45° E.
C. Manifold, east end of the island near it, N. 9 E.
Peaked islet in the offing, N. 28½ E.
Flat islet, distant four or five leagues, N. 43 E.
The two last are called the Brothers., in captain Cook's chart; though
described in the voyage as being, one "low and flat, and the other high
and round." A perforation in the higher islet admits the light entirely
through it, and is distinguishable when it bears nearly south-east.
THURSDAY 19 AUGUST 1802
At seven next morning, having then a light air from the land with foggy
weather, we steered northward along the coast; and at noon were in
latitude 22° 47¾', and two rocks near the shore bore S. 54° W. two or
three miles. From that time until evening, we worked to windward against
a breeze from the north-east, which afterwards veered to N. N. W.; and at
nine o'clock, a small anchor was dropped in 14 fathoms, two miles from
the shore. The Lady Nelson had fallen to leeward; and made no answer to
our signals during the night.
FRIDAY 20 AUGUST 1802
At daylight, supposing the brig had passed us by means of a shift of wind
to W. N. W., we proceeded along the coast to the island lying off Cape
Manifold. This island, with some of the northern hills, had been sketched
by Mr. Westall (Atlas, Plate XVIII. View 6.) on the preceding evening; it
is slightly covered with vegetation, and lies in latitude 22° 42', and
longitude 150° 50'. The cape is formed of several rocky heads and
intermediate beaches; and the hills behind, from which the cape was
named, rise one over the other to the two peaks set from Cape Keppel, and
appeared to be rocky and barren. The easternmost, and somewhat the
highest peak, is about four miles from the shore, and lies S. 49° W. from
the east end of the island whose situation is above given.
The wind was from the northward at noon, and we were then making a
stretch for the land, which was distant four or five miles.
Latitude, observed to the north, 34° 36½'
C. Manifold, east end of the island, S. 1 W.
C. Manifold, the highest peak, S. 30½ W.
Small isle (Entrance I.) at the northern extreme, N. 29 W.
Peaked islet in the offing, distant 7 miles, S. 61 E.
From Cape Manifold the coast falls back to a sandy beach, six miles long,
and near it are some scattered rocks. The land is there very low; but at
the north end of the beach is a hilly projection, from which we tacked at
one o'clock, in 12 fathoms; being then within a mile of two rocks, and
two miles from the main land. The brig was seen to the south-eastward,
and we made a long stretch off, to give her an opportunity of joining,
and at two in the morning [SATURDAY 21 AUGUST 1802] lay by for her; but
the wind veering to south-west at five, we stretched in for the land, and
approached some rocky islets, part of the Harvey's Isles of captain Cook,
of which, and of the main coast as far as Island Head, Mr. Westall made a
sketch (Atlas, Plate XVIII. View 7). At half past nine, when we tacked
from Harvey's Isles, I was surprised to see trees upon them resembling
the pines of Norfolk Island; none such having been before noticed upon
this coast, nor to my knowledge, upon any coast of Terra Australis. Pines
were also distinguished upon a more southern islet, four miles off, the
same which had been the northern extreme at the preceding noon; and
behind it was a deep bight in the land where there seemed to be shelter.
The breeze had then shifted to south, and the Lady Nelson being to
windward, the signal was made for her to look for anchorage; but the brig
being very leewardly, we passed her and stood into the bight by an
opening between the islets of one mile wide and from 10 to 7 fathoms in
depth. On the soundings decreasing to 5, we tacked and came to an anchor
near the pine island in the entrance, in 7 fathoms coarse sand, exposed
between N. 75° and S. 23° E, and the wind was then at south-east; but
having a fair passage by which we could run out to the northward., in
case of necessity, I did not apprehend any danger to the vessels.
[EAST COAST. PORT BOWEN.]
Instead of a bight in the coast, we found this to be a port of some
extent; which had not only escaped the observation of captain Cook, but
from the shift of wind, was very near being missed by us also. I named it
PORT BOWEN, in compliment to captain James Bowen of the navy; and to the
hilly projection on the south side of the entrance (see the sketch), I
gave the appellation of Cape Clinton, after colonel Clinton of the 85th,
who commanded the land, as captain Bowen did the sea forces at Madeira,
when we stopped at that island
A boat was despatched with the scientific gentlemen to the north side,
where the hills rise abruptly and have a romantic appearance; another
went to the same place to haul the seine at a small beach in front of a
gully between the hills, where there was a prospect of obtaining fresh
water; and a third boat was sent to _Entrance Island_ with the carpenters
to cut pine logs for various purposes, but principally to make a main
sliding keel for the Lady Nelson. Our little consort sailed indifferently
at the best; but since the main keel had been carried away at Facing
Island, it was as unsafe to trust her on a lee shore, even in moderate
weather. On landing at Entrance Island, to take angles and inspect the
form of the port, I saw an arm extending behind Cape Clinton to the
southward, which had the appearance of a river; a still broader arm ran
westward, until it was lost behind the land; and between Entrance Island
and Cape Clinton was a space three miles wide, where nothing appeared to
obstruct the free passage of a ship into both arms. Finding the port to
be worthy of examination, and learning that the seine had been successful
and that good water was to be procured, I left orders with lieutenant
Fowler to employ the people in getting off pine logs and watering the
ship; and early next morning [SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 1802], set off in my whale
boat upon an excursion round the port.
From the ship to the inner part of Cape Clinton the soundings were from 5
to 8 fathoms, on a sandy bottom; but close to the innermost point there
was no ground at 10 fathoms. From thence I steered up the western arm,
passing to the south of a central rock lying a mile out; and got with
difficulty to the projection named _West-water Head_. The arm terminated
a little further on; but to the northward, over the land, I saw a long
shallow bay at the back of Island Head, and beyond it was the sea. This
western arm being full of sandy shoals, and of no utility, if at all
accessible to ships, I observed the latitude and took angles, and then
returned to the inner part of Cape Clinton. In rowing to the southward,
close along the inside of the cape, we had from 3 to 9 fathoms water; but
it was too late in the evening to make an examination of the southern
arm, and I therefore ascended a hill near the shore, to inspect it. This
was called _East-water Hill_, and I saw from its top, that the southern
arm extended S. 16° W. about seven miles, to the foot of the hills behind
Cape Manifold, where it terminated in shallows and mangroves. Close under
Eastwater Hill there was a small branch running eastward, nearly
insulating Cape Clinton; but neither this branch nor the main arm seemed
to be deep enough to admit a ship much higher than the cape; and in
consequence, I gave up the further examination, and returned on board at
seven o'clock.
Amongst the useful bearings for the survey, taken at Eastwater Hill, were
the following:
Entrance Island, centre, N. 9° 45' E.
Peaked Islet in the offing, S. 58 45 E.
Cape Manifold, east end of the island, S. 29 40 E.
Cape Manifold, highest of the two peaks, S. 3 20 W.
By means of this last bearing, the longitude of Port Bowen was connected
with Keppel Bay and Port Curtis, independently of the time keepers.
A fresh wind from the south-eastward had blown all day, and raised so
much surf on the north side of the port, that our watering there was much
impeded; a midshipman and party of men remained on shore with casks all
night, and it was not until next evening [MONDAY 23 AUGUST 1802] that the
holds were completed and pine logs got on board. The water was very good;
it drained down the gully to a little beach between two projecting beads
which have rocky islets lying off them. The gully is on the west side of
the northern entrance, and will easily be known, since we sent there on
first coming to an anchor, in the expectation of finding water, but Mr.
Westall's sketch will obviate any difficulty (Atlas, Plate XVIII. View
9).
There were pine trees in the watering gully and on the neighbouring
hills; but the best, and also the most convenient, were those upon
Entrance Island, some of them being fit to make top masts for ships. The
branches are very brittle; but the carpenter thought the trunks to be
tough, and superior to the Norway pine, both for spars and planks:
turpentine exudes from between the wood and the bark, in considerable
quantities.
For a ship wanting to take in water and pine logs, the most convenient
place is under Entrance Island, where we lay in the Investigator; indeed
fresh water was not found in any other place; but this anchorage is not
tenable against a strong south-east wind. At the entrance of the southern
arm, just within Cape Clinton, a ship may lie at all times in perfect
safety; and might either be laid on shore or be hove down, there being 3
fathoms close to the rocks, at each end of the beach; it is moreover
probable, that fresh water might be there found, or be procured by
digging at the foot of the hills. In the southern arm the bottom is
muddy; but it is of sand in other parts of the port.
Of the country round Port Bowen not much can be said in praise; it is in
general either sandy or stony, and unfit for cultivation; nevertheless,
besides pines, there are trees, principally _eucalyptus_, of moderate
size, and the vallies of Cape Clinton are overspread with a tolerably
good grass. No inhabitants were seen, but in every part where I landed,
fires had been made, and the woods of Cape Clinton were then burning; the
natives had also been upon Entrance Island, which implied them to have
canoes, although none were seen. There are kangaroos in the woods; hawks,
and the bald-headed mocking bird of Port Jackson are common; and ducks,
sea-pies, and gulls frequent the shoals at low water. Fish were more
abundant here than in any port before visited; those taken in the seine
at the watering beach were principally mullet, but sharks and flying fish
were numerous.
The _latitude_ of the north-west end of Entrance Island, from an
observation taken by lieutenant Flinders in an artificial horizon, is 22°
28' 28" south.
_Longitude_ from twelve sets of lunar distances by the same officer, 150°
47' 54"; and by the time keepers, 150° 45' 36"; but from the fifty sets
which fix Broad Sound, and the reduction from thence by survey, the more
correct situation will be 150° 45' 0" east.
_Dip_ of the south end of the needle, 50° 20'.
_Variation_ from azimuths with the theodolite, 7° 40' east; but on the
top of the island, where my bearings were taken, the variation appeared
to be 8° 30' east; and 8° in other parts of the port.
The time of high water, as near as it could be ascertained, was _ten
hours after_ the moon's passage over and under the meridian, being half
an hour later than in Keppel Bay; and the tide rises more than nine feet,
but how much was not known; it is however to be presumed, from what was
observed to the south and to the north of Port Bowen, that the spring
tides do not rise less than fifteen feet.
TUESDAY 24 AUGUST 1802
At daylight of the 24th, we steered out of Port Bowen by the northern
passage, as we had gone in. The wind was from the westward; but so light,
that when the ebb tide made from the north-west at ten o'clock, it was
necessary to drop the kedge anchor for a time. In the evening we came to,
in 10 fathoms fine grey sand, one mile and a half from the main; being
sheltered between N. E. by E. and E. by S. by the same cluster of small
isles upon which the pine trees had been first seen. In the morning
[WEDNESDAY 25 AUGUST 1802] we worked onward along the coast, against a
breeze at north-west, till ten o'clock; when the tide being unfavourable,
an anchor was dropped in 15 fathoms, sand and shells, near three islets,
of which the middlemost and highest bore S. 29° E., one mile: these were
also a part, and the most northern of Harvey's Isles.
A boat was lowered down, and I landed with the botanical gentlemen on the
middle islet; where we found grass and a few shrubs, and also ants,
grasshoppers, and lizards. Upon the rocks were oysters of the small,
crumply kind, which seemed to indicate that the sea here is not violently
agitated; and in the water we saw several large turtle, but were not able
to harpoon any of them. Several of the Northumberland Isles were in sight
from the top of the islet, and the following observations were taken.
Latitude, observed in artificial horizon, 22° 20' 42"
Longitude, deduced from survey, 150 42
Peaked Islet in the offing bore S. 35 35 E.
Island Head, distant 3 miles, S. 82 45 W.
Cape Townshend, the rock near it, N. 57 45 W.
Northumberland Isle, the 4th, a peak, N. 43 30 W.
When the tide slacked in the afternoon we stretched over towards Island
Head, and saw a canoe with two Indians, who made for the shore near a
place where the woods were on fire. At dusk we anchored in 18 fathoms,
soft mud, in a bight between Island Head and Cape Townshend, at the
bottom of which was an opening one mile wide, where captain Cook had
suspected an entrance into Shoalwater Bay. The Lady Nelson had fallen to
leeward, as usual; and not being come up in the morning [THURSDAY 26
AUGUST 1802], the master was sent ahead of the ship in a boat, and we
steered for the opening with a strong flood tide in our favour. From 22
fathoms, the water shoaled to 12, and suddenly to 3, on a rocky bottom,
just as we reached the entrance. A kedge anchor was dropped immediately;
but seeing that the opening went through, and that the master had deep
water further in, it was weighed again, and we backed and filled the
sails, drifting up with the tide so long as it continued to run. At nine
o'clock the anchor was let go in 6 fathoms, sand and shells, one mile
within the entrance, the points of which bore N. 34° and S. 89° E.; but
the extent of deep water was barely sufficient for the ship to swing at a
whole cable.
[EAST COAST. STRONG-TIDE PASSAGE.]
(Atlas, Plate XI.)
Lieutenant Flinders landed on the north side of the entrance, and
observed the latitude 22° 17' 53', from an artificial horizon; and a boat
was sent to haul the seine upon a beach on the eastern shore, where fish
to give half the ship's company a meal was procured. We had no prospect
of advancing up the passage until the turn of tide, at three in the
afternoon; and I therefore landed with a party of the gentlemen, and
ascended the highest of the hills on the eastern side. From the top of it
we could see over the land into Port Bowen; and some water was visible
further distant at the back of it, which seemed to communicate with
Shoal-water Bay. Of the passage where the ship was lying, there was an
excellent view; and I saw not only that Cape Townshend was on a distinct
island, but also that it was separated from a piece of land to the west,
which captain Cook's chart had left doubtful. Wishing to follow the
apparent intention of the discoverer, to do honour to the noble family of
Townshend, I have extended the name of the cape to the larger island, and
distinguish the western piece by the name of _Leicester Island_. Besides
these, there were many smaller isles scattered in the entrance of
Shoal-water Bay; and the southernmost of them, named _Aken's Island_
after the master of the ship, lies in a bight of the western shore. Out
at sea there were more of the Northumberland Islands, further westward
than those before seen, the largest being not less distant than fifteen
leagues; Pier Head, on the west side of Thirsty Sound, was also visible;
and in the opposite direction was the highest of the two peaks behind
Cape Manifold, the bearing of which connected this station with Port
Curtis and Keppel Bay. The view was, indeed, most extensive from this
hill; and in compliment to the landscape painter, who made a drawing from
thence of Shoal-water Bay and the islands, I named it Mount Westall.* The
bearings most essential to the connection of the survey, were these;
Pier Head, the northern extreme, N. 62° 40' W.
Aken's Island in Shoal-water Bay, N. 86 55 W.
Pine Mount, on its west side, S. 80 40 W.
Double Mount, S. 56 35 W.
Cape Manifold., highest peak behind it, S. 20 10 E.
West-water Head in Port Bowen, S. 30 25 E.
Northern Harvey's Isles, last station, N. 81 20 E.
Cape Townshend, north-east extreme, N. 20 25 W.
Northumberland Isles, the 4th, a peak, N. 26 25 W.
[* A painting was made of this view, and is now in the Admiralty; but it
has not been engraved for the voyage.]
Mount Westall and the surrounding hills are stony, and of steep ascent;
pines grow in the gullies, and some fresh water was found there, standing
in holes. The lower hills are covered with grass and trees, as is also
the low land, though the soil be shallow and sandy; the wood is mostly
_eucalyptus_. No natives were seen during our walk, and only one
kangaroo.
At dusk in the evening, when we returned on board, I found the Lady
Nelson at anchor near us, and two boats absent from the ship. In hauling
them up to be hoisted in, the cutter had been upset from the rapidity of
the tides, which ran above four knots, the man in her was thrown out, and
the boat went adrift. The man was taken up by the Lady Nelson; but the
boatswain, who with two men in a small gig had gone after the cutter, was
not heard of till next morning [FRIDAY 27 AUGUST 1802], when he returned
without any intelligence of his object, having been bewildered in the
dark by the rapid tides in a strange place, and in danger of losing
himself.
[EAST COAST. SHOAL-WATER BAY.]
On weighing the kedge anchor to go further up the passage, it came up
broken near the crown, having in all probability hooked a rock. The Lady
Nelson went one mile ahead, a boat was kept sounding close to the ship,
and in this manner we drifted up with the flood tide, till half past
eight; when another kedge anchor was dropped in 7 fathoms, a short mile
from the land on each side, and two from the inner end of the opening.
Lieutenant Fowler was immediately sent away in the whale boat, to search
for the lost cutter; and in the mean time we weighed with the afternoon's
flood, to get through the passage. On approaching a low, triangular
island on the eastern shore, the depth diminished quick, and an anchor
was let go; but in swinging to it, the ship caught upon a bank of sand
and shells where there was no more than twelve feet water. In half an
hour the tide floated her off; and the whale boat having returned, but
without any information of the cutter, it was kept ahead; and before dark
we anchored in 5 fathoms, at the entrance of Shoalwater Bay.
The opening through which we had come was named _Strong-tide Passage_. It
is six miles long, and from one to two broad; but half the width is taken
up by shoals and rocks, which extend out from each shore and sometimes
lie near the mid-channel; and the rapid tides scarcely leave to a ship
the choice of her course. The bottom is rocky in the outer entrance, but
in the upper part seems more generally to consist of sand and shells. By
the swinging of the ship, it was high water _ten hours after_ the moon's
passage, and the rise was thirteen feet by the lead; but at the top of
the springs it is probably two or three feet greater; and the rate at
which the tides then run, will not be less than five miles an hour. It
will be perceived, that I do not recommend any ship to enter Shoal-water
Bay by this passage.
SATURDAY 28 AUGUST 1802
In the morning, I went in the whale boat to the westward, both to search
for the lost cutter and to advance the survey. In crossing the inner end
of Strong-tide Passage, my soundings were 5, 4, 3, 2½, 2, 3 fathoms, to a
rock near the south end of Townshend Island, whence it appeared that the
deepest water was close to the Shoals on the eastern side. After
searching along the shore of Townshend Island., and amongst the rocky
islets near it, I crossed the western channel over to the south end of
Leicester Island; where a set of bearings was taken, and the latitude
observed to be 22° 18' 17" from an artificial horizon. This channel is
about one mile wide, and I proceeded up it until a passage out to sea was
clearly distinguishable; but although there be from 4 to 7 fathoms with a
soft bottom, the deep part is too narrow for a stranger to pass with a
ship. I returned on board in the evening, without having discovered any
traces of the lost cutter or seen any thing worthy of particular notice;
unless it were three of the large bats, called flying foxes at Port
Jackson: when on the wing and at a distance, these animals might be taken
for crows.
SUNDAY 29 AUGUST 1802
On the following morning, we got up the anchor and steered further into
Shoal-water Bay. The land on the western side appeared to be high; and as
the botanists were likely to find more employment there, during the time
of my proposed expedition to the head of the bay, than they could promise
themselves at any other place, I was desirous of leaving the ship on that
side, in a situation convenient for them. After running three miles to
the westward, mostly in 3 fathoms, we anchored in 6, till four o'clock,
and then again weighed. The soundings became very irregular; and at five,
seeing a shoal which extended up and down the middle of the bay, we
tacked from it and came to, in 5 fathoms soft bottom, it being then low
water.
Mount Westall bore N. 86° E.
Leicester Island, the south end, N. 9 W.
Pine Mount, S. 78 W.
The western land was still six or seven miles distant, but there was no
prospect of getting nearer, without taking time to make a previous
examination of the shoal; and I therefore embarked early next morning
[MONDAY 30 AUGUST 1802] on board the brig, and proceeded towards the head
of the Bay.
Steering south-eastward, in a slanting course up the bay from the middle
shoal, we had from 5 to 8 fathoms; and passed a shallow opening in the
eastern low shore, four miles above Strong-tide Passage. Three miles
higher up there was another opening, near two miles in width; and the
wind being then light and foul, I quitted the brig and proceeded three
miles up in my boat, when the arm was found to be divided into two
branches. Pursuing that which led eastward in a line for Port Bowen, and
was three-quarters of a mile wide, I carried a diminishing depth, from 6
fathoms to six feet, above two miles further; and the branch then
terminated at the foot of a ridge of hills. I wished much to ascend this
ridge, believing that Westwater Head in Port Bowen, lay close at the
back; but the shore was so defended by mud flats and interwoven
mangroves, that it was impossible to land.
The other branch of the eastern arm led south-eastward, and was a mile
wide, with a depth of 6 fathoms as far as two miles above the division;
it then separated into three, but the entrances were shallow and the
borders every where muddy and covered with mangroves. I therefore
returned to the brig which had anchored at the entrance of the branch;
and in the night, we dropped out of the eastern arm with the tide, to be
ready for going up the bay with the morning's flood.
TUESDAY 31 AUGUST 1802
On the 31st, in steering for the middle of the bay, the brig grounded
upon a spit which runs out from the south point of entrance to the
eastern arm, and I believe extends so far down the bay as to join the
middle shoal near the ship. The bottom was muddy, and the rising tide
soon floated her; but our progress being slow, I went onward in the boat
and got into a channel of a mile wide, with regular soundings from 6 to 4
fathoms.
Abreast of the eastern arm, the width of the bay had diminished to about
four miles; and in advancing upwards, I found it to go on contracting
until, at four miles above the arm, the shores were less than one mile
asunder, and the head of the bay assumed the form of a river, though the
water remained quite salt. The depth here was from 4 to 6 fathoms; and
the east side of the contracted part being a little elevated, I was able
to land and take a set of angles to fix its position. The width and depth
continued nearly the same two miles higher up, to a woody islet in the
middle of the channel; where the latitude 22° 37' 6" was observed from an
artificial horizon, and more bearings taken.
A ship may get up as high as this islet, for the channel is no where less
than half a mile wide, nor the depth in it under 3 fathoms; but there the
stream divides into several branches, which appeared to terminate amongst
the mangroves, similar to the branches of the eastern arm. The largest
runs S. S. E; and I could see three or four miles up it, near to the foot
of the hills behind Cape Manifold, where it probably ends, as did the
southern arm of Port Bowen.
The islet had been visited by Indians, and several trees upon it were
notched, similar to what is done by the people of Port Jackson when they
ascend in pursuit of opossums. Upon the main, to the west of the islet,
where I walked a mile inland, fire Places and other signs of inhabitants
were numerous, and still more so were those of the kangaroo; yet neither
that animal nor an Indian was seen. Around the extinguished fires were
scattered the bones of turtle, and the shells of crabs, periwinkles, and
oysters of the small kind; and in the low grounds I observed many holes,
made apparently by the natives in digging for fern roots. An iguana of
between two and three feet long, which lay upon the branch of a high tree
watching for its prey, was the sole animal killed; but the mud banks are
frequented at low water by sea pies of both kinds, curlews, and small
cranes.
The soil was stiff, shallow, and often stony; the vegetation consisted of
two or three species of _eucalyptus_ and the _casuarina_, not thickly set
nor large--of several kinds of shrubs, amongst which a small grass-tree
was abundant--and of grass, with which the rest of the soil was thinly
overspread.
After making my observations, I rejoined the Lady Nelson two miles below
the woody islet; but the wind blowing fresh up the bay, and the brig
being leewardly, went on and with some difficulty landed on the west
side, opposite to the entrance of the eastern arm. This part is stony;
but equally low with the rest of the shores, and is probably an island at
high water. A confined set of bearings was taken here; and the sun being
then nearly down and the brig at anchor, I went on board for the night.
Next afternoon [WEDNESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 1802], when the ebb tide enabled
the vessel to make progress against the strong north-west wind, we beat
down in a channel of between one and two miles wide, with soundings from
2 to 8 fathoms; but they were not regular, for the depth was less in some
parts of the middle than at the sides of the channel. The wind moderated
in the evening; and being then within three miles of the ship, I quitted
the brig, and got on board at sunset.
One object of my research in this expedition had been the lost cutter,
and orders had been left with lieutenant Fowler to send again into
Strong-tide Passage upon the same errand, but all was without success.
During my absence, the naturalist and other gentlemen had gone over in
the launch to the west side of the bay, where they had an interview with
sixteen natives; their appearance was described as being much inferior to
the inhabitants of Keppel and Hervey's Bays, but they were peaceable, and
seemed to be very hungry. They had bark canoes which, though not so well
formed, were better secured at the ends than those of Port Jackson; and
in them were spears neatly pointed with pieces of quartz, for striking
turtle. The number of bones lying about their fire places bespoke turtle
to be their principal food; and with the addition of shell fish, and
perhaps fern roots, it is probably their sole support.
The same muddy flats which rendered landing so difficult in the upper
parts of the bay, run off to some distance from the shore under _Double
Mount_; and the land is low for two or three miles back. The hills then
rise, ridge over ridge to a considerable elevation; and at the top are
several hummocks, of which two, higher than the rest, obtained for this
high land its present name. So far as the gentlemen were able to ascend,
the hills were found to be tolerably well covered with pines and other
trees; and the soil of the vallies was better than in those near Mount
Westall on the opposite side of the bay.
THURSDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 1802
Early on the 2nd the brig rejoined; and the wind being at S. by E., we
steered across towards Pine Mount, passing over the shoal in sixteen
feet. In crossing the middle channel, our soundings increased to 9, and
then diminished to less than 3 fathoms upon a second shoal, the width of
the channel here being not quite three miles. On the west side of the
second shoal is another channel, nearly as wide as the former; and the
greatest depth in it, reduced to low water as usual, was 8 fathoms. The
water shoaled again suddenly on approaching the west side of the bay, and
obliged us to veer round off; we then steered to pass within Aken's
Island, intending to anchor in the West Bight behind it; but the depth
not being sufficient for the ship at low water, we came to in 4 fathoms,
muddy bottom, one mile from the shore and two from Aken's Island, the
east end of which bore N. 27° W.
Pine Mount is a single round hill with a high peaked top, standing about
two miles inland from the West Bight; and to obtain a set of bearings
from it which should cross those from Mount Westall, had induced me to
anchor here; but finding my health too much impaired by fatigue to
accomplish a laborious walk, I sent the launch next morning [FRIDAY 3
SEPTEMBER 1802] with the scientific gentlemen, and as an easier task,
landed upon Aken's Island and took angles from the little eminence at its
north-east end.
At every port or bay we entered, more especially after passing Cape
Capricorn, my first object on landing was to examine the refuse thrown up
by the sea. The French navigator, La Pérouse, whose unfortunate
situation, if in existence, was always present to my mind, had been
wrecked, as it was thought, somewhere in the neighbourhood of New
Caledonia; and if so, the remnants of his ships were likely to be brought
upon this coast by the trade winds, and might indicate the situation of
the reef or island which had proved fatal to him. With such an
indication, I was led to believe in the possibility of finding the place;
and though the hope of restoring La Pérouse or any of his companions to
their country and friends could not, after so many years, be rationally
entertained, yet to gain some certain knowledge of their fate would do
away the pain of suspense; and it might not be too late to retrieve some
documents of their discoveries.
Upon the south-east side of Aken's Island, there was thrown up a confused
mass of different substances; including a quantity of pumice stone,
several kinds of coral, five or six species of shells, skeletons of fish
and sea snakes, the fruit of the pandanus, and a piece of cocoa-nut shell
without bernacles or any thing to indicate that it had been long in the
water; but there were no marks of shipwreck. A seine was hauled upon the
small beaches at the south end of the island, and brought on shore a good
quantity of mullet, and of a fish resembling a cavally; also a kind of
horse mackerel, small fish of the herring kind, and once a sword fish of
between four and five feet long. The projection of the snout, or sword of
this animal, a foot and a half in length, was fringed with strong, sharp
teeth; and he threw it from side to side in such a furious way, that it
was difficult to manage him even on shore.
A boat was sent in the evening to the foot of Pine Mount, for the
naturalist and his party, but returned without any tidings of them; and
it was noon next day [SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 1802] before they got on
board. They had reached the top of the mount, but were disappointed in
the view by the pines and underwood. In returning to the boat, a chase
after a kangaroo had led one of the gentlemen out of his reckoning; and
this, with the labour of bringing down their prize, had prevented them
from reaching the water side that night. Pine Mount is stony, but covered
with large trees of the kind denoted by its epithet; the country between
it and the water side is grassy, bears timber trees, and is of a
tolerably good soil, such as might be cultivated. There are small creeks
of salt water in the low land; and in one of them a fish was shot which
furnished the party with a dinner.
Pine Mount is composed of the _greenstone_ of the German mineralogists;
but in some other parts of the neighbourhood the stone seems to be
different, and contains small veins of quartz, pieces of which are also
scattered over the surface. At Aken's Island there was some variety. The
most common kind was a slate, containing in some places veins of quartz,
in a state nearly approaching to crystallization, and in others some
metallic substance, probably iron. The basis of most other parts of the
island was _greenstone_; but in the eastern cliffs there was a soft,
whitish earth; and on the north-west side of the island, a part of the
shore consisted of water-worn grains and small lumps of quartz, of coral,
pumice stone, and other substances jumbled together, and concreted into a
solid mass.
Speaking in general terms of Shoal-water Bay, I do not conceive it to
offer any advantages to ships which may not be had upon almost any other
part of the coast; except that the tides rise higher, and in the winter
season fish are more plentiful than further to the south. No fresh water
was found, unless at a distance from the shore, and then only in small
quantities. Pine trees are plentiful; but they grow upon the stony hills
at a distance from the water side, and cannot be procured with any thing
like the facility offered by Port Bowen. The chart contains the best
information I am able to give of the channels leading up the bay, and of
the shoals between them; but it may be added, that no alarm need be
excited by a ship getting aground, for these banks are too soft to do
injury. The shelving flats from the shores are also soft; and with the
mangroves, which spread themselves from high water at the neaps, up in
the country to the furthest reach of the spring tides, in some places for
miles, render landing impossible in the upper parts of the bay, except at
some few spots already noticed.
Were an English settlement to be made in Shoal-water Bay, the better soil
round Pine Mount and the less difficulty in landing there, would cause
that neighbourhood to be preferred. There is not a sufficient depth at
low water, for ships to go into the West Bight, by the south side of
Aken's Island, and the north side was no otherwise sounded than in
passing; but there is little doubt that the depth on the north side is
adequate to admit ships, and that some parts of the bight will afford
anchorage and good shelter.
The tides do not run strong in Shoal-water Bay, the rate seldom exceeding
one knot; but they stir up the soft mud at the bottom., and make the
water thick, as in Keppel Bay. I am not able to speak very accurately of
the rise in the tide; but it may be reckoned at twelve or fourteen feet
at the neaps, and from seventeen to eighteen at the springs. High water
takes place about _ten hours and a half after_ the moon's passage; but on
the east side of the bay, the flood runs up a full hour later.
The _latitude_ of the north-east end of Aken's Island, from an
observation in the artificial horizon, is 22° 21' 35" south.
_Longitude_ from twelve sets of distances of the sun and moon, taken by
lieutenant Flinders, and reduced to the same place, 150° 18' 45"; but
from the survey, and the position afterwards fixed in Broad Sound, it is
preferably 150° 15' 0" east.
_Variation_ from azimuths taken with a theodolite at the same place, 9°
48'; but the bearings on the top of the eminence showed it to be 9° 0'.
The variation on shore, on the _west_ side of the bay, may therefore be
taken at 9° 24' east.
Upon Mount Westall on the east side, and at the south end of Leicester
Island, it was from the bearings 8° 50'. Upon the small islet at the head
of the bay, 9° 25'.
At our anchorage on the west side of the bay, Mr. Flinders took azimuths
when the ship's head was S. E. by E., which gave 6° 31' by one compass;
before he had done, the ship swung to the flood tide with her head W. N.
W., and two other compasses then gave 11° 27' and 11° 4': the mean
corrected to the meridian, will be 8° 46' east.
At an anchorage towards the east side of the bay, the same officer
observed the variation with two compasses, when the head was east, to be
4° 49', or corrected, 7° 21' east.
The difference in Strong-tide Passage, where the land was one mile to the
south-south-east on one side, and the same to the west on the other, was
still more remarkable; for when the head was N. E. by N., an amplitude
gave me 9° 10', or corrected, 10° 34' east.
There might have been an error in any of the ship observations of half a
degree; but I am persuaded that the attraction of the land, sometimes to
the east and sometimes west, as the ship was near one or the other side
of the bay, was the great cause of the difference in the corrected
results; and it will presently be seen, that the effect on a neighbouring
part of the coast was much more considerable.