A Voyage to Terra Australis. Matthew Flinders

six in the morning of Feb. 9., the northern land extended from N. 49° E. three leagues, to S. 47° E. four or five miles; the southern land bore S. 24° to 2° E. five or six leagues, and seemed to form a hilly, separate island; although, as low land was seen between them, the two may probably be connected: there was also a cliffy island bearing north, seven or eight miles. On a breeze springing up from south-west, our course was steered to pass close round the northern land; but finding much rippling water between it and two islands called the Sisters by captain Furneaux, we passed round them also, and then hauled to the southward along the eastern shore.

      This northern land, or island as it proved to be, has some ridges of sandy-looking hills extending north and south between the two shores; and they are sufficiently high to be visible ten leagues from a ship's deck in clear weather. On the west side of the north point, the hills come nearly down to the water; but on the east side, there is two or three miles of flat land between their feet and the shore. The small trees and brush wood which partly covered the hills, seemed to shoot out from sand and rock; and if the vallies and low land within be not better than what appeared from the sea, the northern part of this great island is sterile indeed. The Sisters are not so high as some of the hills on the great island, and are less sandy: the small, cliffy island, which lies eight or nine miles, nearly west, from the inner Sister, had no appearance of sand.

      Whilst passing round the north end of Furneaux's Islands, I experienced how little dependence was to be put in compass bearings, in such, at least, as were taken with my best instrument, the steering compass of the schooner. The south extreme of the inner Sister shut on with the north-west point of the great island at E. ¾ S., magnetic bearing; but after passing round, they shut, on the other side, at W. by N. ¼ N.; so that, to produce an agreement, it was necessary to allow half a point more east variation on the first, when the schooner's head was N. by W., than on the last, when it was S. S. E. In a second instance, the north end of the outer Sister opened from the inner one at N. E. ½ N.; but they came on again at S. W. ½ W., making a difference of a whole point, when the head was N. by W. and E. S. E. These bearings were probably not correct within two or three degrees; but they showed that a change in the course steered produced an alteration in the compass.

      The observed latitude at noon was 39° 50 1/3', the centre of the outer Sister bore N. 34° W., nearly five leagues, and our distance from the sandy, eastern shore of the great island was about six miles. At two, o'clock, we came up with an island of three miles in length, and nearly the same space distant from a sandy projection of the great island. The passage between them is much contracted by shoal spits of sand which run out from each side; and it seemed doubtful, whether the water were deep enough in any part of the channel to admit a ship. The form of the land here is somewhat remarkable: upon the low projection of the great island there are three pyramidal hills, which obtained the name of the Patriarchs, and stand apart from the more western high land; and upon the south-west end of the island opposite there is also a pyramid, which, with other hills near it, presents some resemblance to the Lion's Head and Rump at the Cape of Good Hope. This island and two rocky islets lying off its south-east end were afterwards called the Babel Isles. The largest is covered with tufted grass and brush wood; and the whole appeared to be much frequented by shags, sooty petrels, and other sea birds.

      We had scarcely passed the Babel Isles, when the wind, which had been at W. by S., chopped round to the southward, with squally weather, and drove the schooner off to the north-east. In the night, it became less unfavourable; and at noon of the 10th, our latitude was 40° 3½'; the isles bore N. 78° W., three or four leagues, and the high land of Cape Barren S. 13° to 34° W. Having a fair wind in the afternoon, we passed along the outskirts of the Bay of Shoals, without perceiving any breakers; but in the space between the great island and the land of Cape Barren there were many rocks, and a low island of three or four miles long, with a hill in the middle, lay at the entrance of the opening.

      The high part of Cape-Barren Island, but particularly the peak, may be seen eleven, and perhaps more leagues from a ship's deck. The extremity of the cape is a low point, which runs out two miles east from the high land; and off this point lies a flat, rocky islet and a peaked rock. The shore is sandy on each side of the Cape point: it trends N. 40° W., for about five miles, on one side, and S. 49° W., past two sandy bights on the other, to a rocky projection on which are two whitish cones, shaped like rhinoceros' horns.

      We steered south-westward, in the evening, round the Cape point, and were sufficiently close to hear the bellowing of the seals upon the islet. Arrived off Cone Point, the schooner was hauled offshore; and the wind becoming strong and unfavourable in the night, it was not until the evening of the 12th, that we got to anchor in Hamilton's Road, at the east end of Preservation Island. This road is sheltered from all winds, except between south and S. S. E.; and these do not throw in much sea: the bottom is good-holding sand, in from 4 to 3 fathoms, at a quarter of a mile from the beach.

      The ship Sydney Cove had been run on shore between Preservation and Rum Islands, and part of her hull was still lying there; but the sea thrown in by western gales had, in great measure, broken her up, and scattered the beams, timbers, and parts of the cargo, upon all the neighbouring shores.

      My purpose of making an expedition amongst the islands was delayed by the schooner's boat being out of repair; but in the mean time, a base line was measured round the sandy north-east end of Preservation Island, and angles taken from all the conspicuous points.

      Feb. 16. The boat was fitted, and I made an excursion of five days, through the channel which separates the land of Cape Barren from the more southern islands. It is called ARMSTRONG'S CHANNEL, from the master of the Supply, who had gone to afford assistance in saving the cargo of the Sydney Cove, and was the first to pass through it on his return towards Port Jackson; but he never arrived there, having, in all probability, perished at sea with his sloop and crew. The stations whence angles were taken for a survey of the channel and surrounding lands, were--1st. Point Womat, a rocky projection of Cape-Barren Island, where a number of the new animals, called womat, were seen, and some killed. 2nd. Battery Island; so named from four rocks upon it, resembling mounted guns; sooty petrels, and large hair seals were found there. 3rd. The sandy north-east point of Clarke's Island; which, with the opposite Sloping Point, forms the narrowest part of the channel. Its width was found to be three-quarters of a mile, but is somewhat contracted by rocks lying on the south side. These rocks were also frequented by hair seals, and some of them (the old males) were of an enormous size, and of extraordinary power. I levelled my gun at one, which was sitting on the top of a rock with his nose extended up towards the sun, and struck him with three musket balls. He rolled over, and plunged into the water; but in less than half an hour had taken his former station and attitude. On firing again, a stream of blood spouted forth from his breast to some yards distance, and he fell back, senseless. On examination, the six balls were found lodged in his breast; and one, which occasioned his death, had pierced the heart: his weight was equal to that of a common ox.

      The 4th station was on Sloping Point, where an aculeated ant-eater was caught, and some quartz crystals were picked up from the shore. 5th, At the east side of Kent's Bay, under the peak of Cape Barren. This peak I wished to ascend, in order to obtain a view of the surrounding lands, particularly of an extensive piece to the southward, which, from the smokes continually seen there, was supposed to be a part of Van Diemen's Land; but the almost impenetrable brush wood, with which the sides of the peak and surrounding hills were covered, defeated my purpose.

      The 6th station was at Passage Point. The 7th, on Cone Point, where the number of seals exceeded every thing we had, any of us, before witnessed; and they were smaller, and of a different species from those which frequented Armstrong's Channel. Instead of the bull-dog nose, and thinly-set, sandy hair, these had sharp-pointed noses, and the general colour of the hair approached to a black; but the tips were of a silver grey, and underneath was a fine, whitish, thick fur. The commotion excited by our presence, in this assemblage of several thousand timid animals, was very interesting to me, who knew little of their manners. The young cubs huddled together in the holes of the rocks, and moaned piteously; those more advanced scampered and rolled down to the water, with their mothers; whilst some of the old males stood up in defence of their families, until the terror of the sailors bludgeons became too strong to be resisted.