A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 594 pages of information about A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1.

A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 594 pages of information about A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1.

The wind was north-east in the morning; and at half-past four o’clock we filled the sails and steered eastward until eight, when the central island of St. Francis bore N. 71 deg.  W., and Franklin’s Isles, for there are two, besides rocks, were distant four leagues, the small opening between them bearing N. 28 deg.  W. To the south-eastward of these islands, at the distance of eleven miles, is a low projection of the main land, to which the name of Point Brown was given, in compliment to the naturalist; and four leagues further, in the same line, was a cliffy head, called Cape Bauer after the painter of natural history.  Between these projections there was a wide space where no land was visible, and for which we accordingly steered on the wind veering more to the northward.  The atmosphere was still hazy, more especially about the horizon, and no observations worthy of confidence could be taken for either latitude or longitude.  At noon,

Franklin’s Isles bore N. 481/2 deg. to 561/2 deg.  W. Point Brown, distant four miles, N. 34 W. Cape Bauer, south extremity, dist. 3 leagues, S. 50 E.

No land was yet visible ahead; and there being much refuse from the shore, as well as seaweed floating about, some hopes of finding a river were entertained.  At half-past two, however, low, sandy land was seen from the mast head, nearly all round, the depth had diminished from 19 to 7 fathoms, and the water was much discoloured in streaks at less than a mile from the ship.  Smokes Were rising in three different places; but as the wind was unfavourable, and there was no prospect of any opening sufficiently large to admit the Investigator, I gave up the further examination of this place, and called it STREAKY BAY.

There remained nearly forty miles of space between Point Bell and Point Brown, in which the main coast had not been seen.  This it was necessary to explore; but the wind being then at north-north-east, I steered to the southward, to gain some further knowledge of the coast in that direction before dark.

West of Cape Bauer, and distant four miles, there is a low island, extensively surrounded with rocks and breakers, which I called Olive’s Island.  We passed between it and the cape, and observed the cliffs of the latter to be stratified, and apparently calcareous.  Another cliffy and somewhat higher projection opened from it at S. 1 deg.  W., distant seven miles, the intermediate low land forming a bight four or five miles deep, which is mostly skirted by a sandy beach.  This projection I named Point Westall, in compliment to the landscape painter; and at six in the evening, when it bore north-east-by-east two or three miles, we veered round to the northward.  Beyond Point Westall the coast takes a more eastern direction, the first land which opened out from it being at S. 43 deg.  E.:  this was a third cliffy projection, terminating another sandy bight in the coast.  No hill nor anything behind the shore could be perceived, but it does not certainly follow that there are no hills in the back country, for the haze was too thick to admit of the sight extending beyond four or five leagues.

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A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 1 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.