SUNDAY 9 JANUARY 1803

In the afternoon of the 9th, we passed round the south-east rocky point of Groote Eylandt, which lies in 14 deg. 17’ south, and 137 deg. 21/2’ east.  The shore then trended northward, to a small cluster of rocks and islets three miles distant; and two miles further was another islet, behind which we anchored in 12 fathoms, coarse sand, in a sandy bight of the great island; but the bight being exposed to south-east winds, and containing much foul ground, the anchorage was far from being good.

MONDAY 10 JANUARY 1803

In the morning, we steered out on the north side of the islet, between it and a low point two miles off, with a boat ahead; our soundings being 9, 6, 4, 21/2, 5, 8, and soon afterward 23 fathoms.  The low point, which has several rocks near it, lies seven or eight miles northward from the south-east extremity of Groote Eylandt; from thence the shore trends westward about four leagues, and forms a large bight, mostly bounded by a sandy beach; but in the middle of it is a point with many rocks.  On the west side of the bight, two or three miles back, are the same woody hills which seem to occupy all the middle of the island; and on this side they terminate to the north-east in a bluff.  The depth of water at noon was 19 fathoms, and our situation and principal bearings were as under.

Latitude, observed to the north and south,           14 deg.  5’ 31”
Longitude by time keeper and survey,                137   3
Groote Eylandt, low eastern point, dist. 4 miles,     S.  1 W.
Groote Eylandt, woody hills, the north-east bluff,    N. 64 W.
Groote Eylandt, furthest visible extreme,             N.  6 W.

We were then steering across the bight before a south-east wind; but the depth of water becoming less, and the wind more dead on the shore, we hauled up N. by E. for the furthest land in sight.  At three o’clock, a small opening was seen under the north-east bluff, but our distance of three leagues was too great to distinguish it accurately.  Towards evening, when three miles from the shore, the sounding jumped from 9 to 4 fathoms, and we tacked to the south-east; and the night promising to be fine, anchored at dusk in 19 fathoms, mud and sand, with the north-east point of Groote Eylandt bearing N. 33 deg.  W., about seven miles (Atlas, Plate XV.); further out lay two small islands, and a hill upon the outermost was set at N. 10 deg.  W. The latitude of this anchorage was ascertained, from altitudes of two stars and the moon, to be 13 deg. 53 1/3’ south; and an amplitude with the ship’s head N. E. by N., gave variation 2 deg. 57’, or 4 deg. 4’ east, corrected to the meridian.

TUESDAY 11 JANUARY 1803