CHAPTER III.

Departure from False Bay. 
Remarks on the passage to Terra Australis. 
Gravity of sea-water tried. 
Cape Leeuwin, and the coast from thence to King George’s Sound. 
Arrival in the Sound. 
Examination of the harbours. 
Excursion inland. 
Country, soil, and productions. 
Native inhabitants:  Language and anatomical measurement. 
Astronomical and nautical observations.

[TOWARDS NEW HOLLAND]

WEDNESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 1801

At daybreak of November 4, a light breeze from the eastward enabled me to quit Simon’s Bay, after a stoppage of eighteen days.  The high land of Great Smit’s Winkel afterwards becalmed the sails; and we were no further advanced, at noon, than to have the Cape Point bearing south-west, at the distance of two or three leagues.  On receiving the breeze, which came from the south-south-west, we stretched towards Cape Agulhas, veering ship at eleven at night, on coming into 50 fathoms.  This wind died away in the morning, and remained calm till noon; the Cape Point then bore N. W. 3/4 N., Cape False N. 3/4 E., and our latitude was 34 deg. 36’.  Near this situation, the bottom is a greenish mud, at the depth of 78 fathoms.

The report of the guns fired by the squadron in Simon’s Bay, to commemorate the escape from gunpowder treason, was distinctly heard at one o’clock, when we were occupied in making sail to a fine breeze which had sprung up from the south-westward.  At six in the evening, it blew fresh with cloudy weather; the extremes of the land bore from N. 20 deg.  W to W. 58 deg.  E., and we took our departure for New Holland.

Lieutenant Flinders observed azimuths this evening from the binnacle with two compasses; the ship’s head was south (magnetic), and the variation found to be 26 deg. 13’ west; and in default of observations on shore, I consider this to have been the true variation at the Cape of Good Hope in 1801.

During our run across the Agulhas Bank, I did not find any current setting to the westward; but in the five days taken to reach the latitude 36 deg. 30’ and longitude 33 deg. 38’, [TUESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 1801] the ship was set 59’ to the north of the reckoning.  The swell which followed after the ship probably counteracted the effect of the usual westwardly current; and indeed it must have done something more, if our log were correct, since the longitude by time keepers was then 30’ ahead of account.

I considered the parallel Of 37 deg. south, at this season of the year, to be sufficiently distant from the verge of the south-east trade to insure a continuance of western winds; and to be far enough to the north, to avoid the gales incident to high latitudes.  Having made this passage three times before, I was satisfied of the impropriety of running in a high southern latitude, particularly when the sun is in