We sailed from South Australia on February 7th, but it was not until the forenoon of the 9th that we cleared Backstairs Passage, passing half a mile from the reef fronting the east end of Kangaroo Island, in 16 fathoms; the south-eastern part of this island is a steep rocky shore, with few sinuosities.  Southerly winds brought us in sight of the land at daylight on the 11th.  The most remarkable features were Mounts Gambier and Schanck; the summit of the latter, the least conspicuous, is flat, with a hollow in the centre.  According to my observations, it is in longitude 10 degrees 29 minutes West of Sydney.  The ship’s position, just before dark, was ten miles North 65 degrees West from Cape Bridgewater, which is a hummocky cliff-faced point of land, separated from the main by a low neck.

ARRIVE AT PORTLAND BAY.

February 12.

Finding ourselves still off this part of the coast, which was laid down three miles too much to the northward, I resolved, for the better means of determining this fact by observations on shore, to go to the nearest anchorage, Portland Bay, where we arrived in the evening.  I had another object in visiting this place, namely, that of helping to determine the 141st meridian, which had been fixed on as the western boundary of the colony of New South Wales.

The approach to this anchorage is remarkable, and cannot escape the memory of anyone who has seen it; for the information of those who have not, I give a woodcut.*

(Footnote.  Lawrence Isles lie off the point forming the south side of Portland Bay.)

Our anchorage was in 7 fathoms, midway between the bluff on either side of the settlement, which we were surprised to find had already assumed the appearance of a town, lying in the western corner of the bay, on a sloping grassy bank.

Here I met Mr. C.J.  Tyers, government surveyor, who had laid out the township of Portland.  As he had also made an accurate survey of the Bay, little remained for us except to test its qualities, which the prevalence of easterly winds gave us an opportunity of doing.  They at first caused a little anxiety, as the anchorage was exposed in this quarter; but this feeling rapidly subsided on our discovering the excellence of the holding ground—­mud with a coating of sand, out of which we had some difficulty in weighing our anchors.

NEW SOUTH WALES BOUNDARY.  SQUATTERS.

At Portland I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. Stephen Henty,* the leader of an enterprising family who had been the hardy pioneers of civilization, in discovering and laying open the fertile districts of this part of the continent, and under whose fostering care Portland has risen from a mere whaling station to its present prosperity.  Such being the case, it is with regret that I am obliged to say that Mr. Henty received no consideration from Government when the land was put up for sale, being obliged to bid against the public for ground he had brought under notice, and spent years of labour in getting into cultivation.**