A Voyage to Terra Australis. Matthew Flinders

compose PART II. in uninterrupted order.

      BLIGH. 1788.

      Captain William Bligh put into Adventure Bay with his Majesty's ship Bounty in 1788, and with the Providence and Assistant in 1792; for the purpose of obtaining wood and water. These were procured with facility, as also plenty of fish; and many useful seeds and trees were planted.

      No discoveries being made here, beyond those of Furneaux and Cook, the reader is referred to captain Bligh's Voyage to the South Seas, P. 45 to 54, for his observations on the country and inhabitants. There is, however, one remarkable circumstance recorded of these people, which is, that when presents wrapped up in paper were thrown to them, "they took the articles out, and placed them on their heads;" a ceremony which is similar to that recorded by Witsen, of the inhabitants on the east side of the Gulph of Carpentaria.

      COX. 1789.

      The brig Mercury, commanded by JOHN HENRY COX, Esq., anchored at the entrance of a deep bay on the south side of Van Diemen's Land, on July 3, 1789. This bay was then first discovered, and lies N. by W. ten miles from the Mewstone.* The country was found to be agreeably interspersed with hills and vallies, and some of the hills were luxuriantly clothed with trees to their very summits. About four miles from the vessel, there was a stream of fresh water; and close to it stood a hut, or rather hovel, neatly constructed of branches of trees and dried leaves. "Around it were scattered a great quantity of pearl, escalop, oyster, and other shells, which had been lately roasted." The faeces of some large animal were met with in every direction; but neither the animal itself nor any of the natives could be found.

      [* Observations, etc., made during a voyage in the brig Mercury; by Lieut. G. Mortimer of the Marines. London, 1791.]

      July 5. A heavy swell from the southward obliged Mr. Cox to get under way; and he worked along shore to the eastward. His intention was to put into Adventure Bay; but being set to the northward of his reckoning, on the 8th, he discovered, and came to an anchor in OYSTER BAY, on the inner side of Maria's Island, the shelter there being found secure, and wood and water plentiful. This bay lies in 42° 42' south, and 148° 25' east, and not more than three or four leagues to the northward of Tasman's Frederik Hendrik's Bay; though Mr. Cox, following in the error of captain Furneaux, seems to have had no idea of this proximity.

      Some communication was obtained with the inhabitants of the island; but as nothing in this, or in other respects, was found materially different to what was observed by Mons. Marion and captain Cook in the neighbouring bays, it is unnecessary to enter into the details.

      D'ENTRECASTEAUX. 1792.

      The French rear-admiral, BRUNY D'ENTRECASTEAUX, made the coast of Van Diemen's Land with the intention of procuring wood and water at Adventure Bay; "but deceived by the forms of the coast, which resemble each other, he entered Storm Bay," April 20, 1792.* This is not, however, the Storm Bay of Tasman; but that which was taken for such by captain Furneaux.

      [* Voyage de D'Entrecasteaux, rédigé par M. de Rossel: À Paris 1808. Tome I. p. 48.]

      The error was soon detected; but finding shelter and good anchoring ground, the admiral determined to remain where he was, and to examine the inlet. The result most amply repaid his labour, by opening to him the most important discovery which had been made in this country from the time of Tasman. Instead of an open bay, this inlet was found to be the entrance into a fine navigable channel, running more than ten leagues to the northward, and there communicating with the true Storm Bay. It contains a series of good harbours, or is itself, rather, one continued harbour, from beginning to end.

      This new passage obtained the name of CANAL DE D'ENTRECASTEAUX; and, after passing through it with his ships, the admiral steered across Storm Bay, passing to the southward of the land which Furneaux and Cook had taken for Maria's Islands. At the head of Storm Bay other openings were seen; but the wind from the north and the pressure of time, did not allow him to examine them at that period.

      1793.

      On Jan. 21, of the following year, admiral D'Entrecasteaux anchored again in one of the ports on the west side of the entrance to his newly discovered channel; and after completing the wood and water of his two ships, La Recherche and L'Espérance, pursued his former course up the passage, sending boats to complete the surveys of the different harbours on each side. A boat was also sent to explore the two openings in the head of Storm Bay. The westernmost proved to be a river, up which the boat ascended twenty miles to the northward; and so far it was navigable for ships. It was not pursued further; so that the distance, to which this Rivière du Nord might penetrate into the country, was uncertain. The eastern opening led northward into a wide, open bay; and this into another large expanse of water to the eastward, but which was not examined. It was thought, however, that this eastern bay communicated with that of Frederik Hendrik; and on this supposition (which has not proved correct), the land which Furneaux and Cook had erroneously thought to be Maria's Island, was named Ile d' Abel Tasman.

      The charts of the bays, ports, and arms of the sea at the south-east end of Van Diemen's Land, constructed in this expedition by Mons. BEAUTEMPS-BEAUPRÉ and assistants, appear to combine scientific accuracy and minuteness of detail, with an uncommon degree of neatness in the execution: they contain some of the finest specimens of marine surveying, perhaps ever made in a new country.

      Admiral D'Entrecasteaux gives a very favourable account of the disposition of the native inhabitants on the shores of the channel; and he had frequent communications with them. In person and manner of living, they agree with those described by Marion and Cook; but the vocabulary of their language is somewhat different; and bark canoes, which preceding navigators had thought them not to possess, were found in the channel. The description of the country is, generally, favourable; though somewhat less so than that of captain Cook at Adventure Bay. The climate was thought good, though moist; and the supplies of wood, water, and fish, for ships, were abundant; but the preference, in these respects, was given to Adventure Bay, even by the French admiral.

      Mons. Labillardière, in his previously published account of D'Entrecasteaux's voyage, says, that he found a small vein of coal near the South Cape; and that limestone rocks exist on the west-side of Adventure Bay. These circumstances are omitted by M. de Rossel; as is also the remark, that although the natives had their teeth perfect, in general, yet in some near the bay, one, and sometimes two of the upper front teeth were wanting. The same thing was observed by Dampier, of the inhabitants on the north-west coast of Terra Australis; and this coincidence, together with their similarity of person, particularly in the woolly hair, is sufficiently remarkable to induce a belief, that these people, placed at the two extremities of this vast country, have yet one common origin; although the intermediate inhabitants of the East Coast differ in some essential particulars.

      HAYES. 1794.

      Captain JOHN HAYES, of the Bombay marine, visited Storm Bay and D'Entrecasteaux's Channel, with the private ships Duke and Dutchess from India, in 1794. He went much further up the Rivière du Nord, than the boat from the French ships had done, and gave it the name of the DERWENT RIVER. This name is likely to efflace the first appellation, and with some degree of propriety; both from the superior extent of captain Hayes' examination, and from North River being an equivocal term for a stream at the south end of Van Diemen's Land.

      That captain Hayes had some intimation of the French discovery is evident, but not knowing the distinctive appellations given, he took upon himself to impose names every where. Succeeding visitors have gone with his sketch in their hands, whilst the charts of D'Entrecasteaux were unknown in that part of the world; from whence, and still more from those names having now become familiar to the settlement established in the Derwent River, it will be difficult, if not impossible in many cases, for the original discoverer to be reinstated in his rights.

      The head of the Derwent is the sole part where captain Hayes' sketch conveys information, not to be found much more accurately delineated in the charts of D'Entrecasteaux.

      PART II.