# A Voyage to Terra Australis/Volume 1/Introduction/Section 1

PRIOR DISCOVERIES IN TERRA AUSTRALIS.
SECTION I.
NORTH COAST.
Preliminary Information.The late Hydrographer to the Admiralty, Alexander Dalrymple, Esq., in his curious Collection concerning Papua, published with a translation, a paper which furnishes more regular and authentic accounts of the early Dutch discoveries in the East, than any thing with which the public was before acquainted. This interesting paper was procured by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks; and is a copy of the instructions to commodore Abel Jansz Tasman, for his second voyage of discovery: It is dated January 29, 1644, from the Castle of Batavia, and signed by the governor-general Antonio Van Diemen, and by Vander Lyn, Maatsuyker, Schouten, and Sweers, members of the council. The instructions are prefaced with a recital, in chronological order, of the previous discoveries of the Dutch, whether made from accident or design, in Nova Guinea, and the Great South Land; and from this account, combined with a passage from Saris, it appears, that—
The Duyfhen 1606On the 18th of November 1605, the Dutch yacht, the Duyfhen, was dispatched from Bantam to explore the islands of New Guinea; ​and that she sailed along, what was thought to be, the west side of that country, to 13¾° of south latitude. "This extensive country was found, for the greatest part, desart; but, in some places, inhabited by wild, cruel, black savages; by whom some of the crew were murdered. For which reason they could not learn anything of the land, or waters, as had been desired of them; and, from want of provisions and other necessaries, they were obliged to leave the discovery unfinished: The furthest point of the land, in their map, was called Cape Keer-Weer," or Turn-again.
(Atlas, Pl. I.)The course of the Duyfhen, from New Guinea, was southward, along the islands on the west side of Torres' Strait, to that part of Terra Australis, a little to the west and south of Cape York; but all these lands were thought to be connected, and to form the west coast of New Guinea. Thus, without being conscious of it, the commander of the Duyfhen made the first authenticated discovery of any part of the great South Land, about the month of March 1606; for it appears, that he had returned to Banda in, or before, the beginning of June, of that year.
Torres. 1606.Luis Vaes de Torres, a Spanish navigator, was the next person who saw Terra Australis; and it is remarkable, that it was near the same place, and in the same year; and that he had as little knowledge of the nature of his discovery, as had the Duyfhen.
Torres was second in command to Pedro Fernandez de Quiros; when he sailed with three vessels, from the port of Callao in Peru, in the year 1605. One of the purposes of their expedition was to search for the Tierra Austral; a continent which was supposed to occupy a considerable portion of that part of the southern hemisphere lying westward of America.
After the discovery of several islands, Quiros came to a land which he named Australia del Espiritu Santo, supposing it to be part of the great Southern Continent; but this, on his separation from the admiral, Torres found could be no other than an ​island; and then continued his course westward, in prosecution of the research.
About the month of August 1606, and in latitude 11½° south, he fell in with a coast, which he calls "the beginning of New Guinea;" and which appears to have been the south-eastern part of the land, afterwards named Louisiade, by Mons. de Bougainville, and now known to be a chain of islands. Unable to pass to windward of this land, Torres bore away along its south side; and gives, himself, the following account of his subsequent proceedings.
"We went along 300 leagues of coast, as I have mentioned, and diminished the latitude 2½°, which brought us into 9°. From hence we fell in with a bank of from 3 to 9 fathoms, which extends along the coast above 180 leagues. We went over it along the coast to 7½ S. latitude, and the end of it is in 5°. We could not go further on for the many shoals and great currents, so we were obliged to sail S.W. in that depth to 11° S. latitude. There is all over it an archipelago of islands without number, by which we passed, and at the end of the 11th degree, the bank became shoaler. Here were very large islands, and there appeared more to the southward: they were inhabited by black people, very corpulent, and naked: their arms were lances, arrows, and clubs of stone ill fashioned. We could not get any of their arms. We caught in all this land 20 persons of different nations, that with them we might be able to give a better account to Your Majesty. They give much notice of other people, although as yet they do not make themselves well understood.
"We were upon this bank two months, at the end of which time we found ourselves in 25 fathoms, and in 5° S. latitude, and 10 leagues from the coast. And having gone 480 leagues, here the coast goes to the N.E. I did not reach it, for the bank became very shallow. So we stood to the north."
​It cannot be doubted, that the "very large islands" seen by Torres, at the 11th degree of south latitude, were the hills of Cape York; or that his two months of intricate navigation were employed in passing the strait which divides Terra Australis and New Guinea. But the account of this and other discoveries, which Torres himself addressed to the King of Spain, was so kept from the world, that the existence of such a strait was generally unknown, until 1770; when it was again discovered and passed by our great circumnavigator Captain Cook.
Torres, it should appear, took the precaution to lodge a copy of his letter in the archives of Manila; for, after that city was taken by the British forces, in 1762, Mr. Dalrymple found out, and drew from oblivion, this interesting document of early discovery; and, as a tribute due to the enterprising Spanish navigator, he named the passage Torres' Strait; and the appellation now generally prevails.
Zeachen. 1618.Zeachen is said to have discovered the land of Arnhem and the northern Van Diemen's Land, in 1618; and he is supposed, from the first name, to have been a native of Arnhem, in Holland; and that the second was given in honour of the governor-general of the Indies. But there are two important objections to the truth of this vague account: first, no mention is made of Zeachen in the recital of discoveries which preface the instructions to Tasman; nor is there any, of the North Coast having been visited by the Dutch, in that year: secondly, it appears from Valentyn's lives of the governors of Batavia, that Van Diemen was not governor-general until January 1, 1636.
Carstens. 1623.The second expedition, mentioned in the Dutch recital, for the discovery of the Great South Land, "was undertaken in a yacht," in the year 1617, "with little success;" and the journals and remarks were not to be found. In January 1623, the yachts Pera and Arnhem, ​under the command of Jan Carstens, were despatched from Amboina, by order of His Excellency Jan Pieterz Coen. Carstens, with eight of the Arnhem's crew, was treacherously murdered by the natives of New Guinea; but the vessels prosecuted the voyage, and discovered "the great islands Arnhem and the Spult." They were then "untimely separated," and the Arnhem returned to Amboina. The Pera persisted; and "sailed along the south coast of New Guinea, "to a flat cove, situate in 10° south latitude; and ran along the West Coast of this land to Cape Keer-Weer; from thence discovered the coast further southward, as far as 17° to Staten River. From this place, what more of the land could be discerned, seemed to stretch westward:" the Pera then returned to Amboina. "In this discovery were found, every where, shallow water and barren coasts; islands altogether thinly peopled by divers cruel, poor, and brutal nations; and of very little use to the (Dutch East-India) Company."
Pool. 1636.Gerrit Tomaz Pool was sent, in April 1626, from Banda, with the yachts Klyn Amsterdam and Wezel, upon the same expedition as Carstens; and, at the same place, on the coast of New Guinea, he met with the same fate. Nevertheless "the voyage was assiduously continued under the charge of the supra-cargo Pietersen. 1636.Pieterz Pietersen; and the islands Key and Arouw visited. By reason of very strong eastwardly winds, they could not reach the west coast of New Guinea (Carpentaria); but shaping their course very near south, discovered the coast of Arnhem, or Van Diemen's Land, in 11° south latitude; and sailed along the shore for 120 miles (30 mijlen), without seeing any people, but many signs of smoke."
"But it is to be feared you will meet, in these parts, with the south-east trade winds; from which it will be difficult to keep the coast on board, if stretching to the south-east; but, notwithstanding this, endeavour by all means to proceed; that we may be sure whether this land is divided from the Great Known South Continent, or not."
The Dutch had, by this time, acquired some knowledge of a part of the south coast of Terra Australis; of the west coast; and of a part of the north-west; and these are the lands meant by "the Great Known South Continent." Arnhem's, and the northern Van Diemen's Lands, on the North Coast, are not included in the expression; for Tasman was directed "from De Witt's Land (on ​the North-west Coast,) to run across, very near eastward, to complete the discovery of Arnhem's and Van Diemen's Lands; and to ascertain perfectly, whether these lands are not one and the same island."
It is a great obstacle to tracing correctly the progress of early discovery in Terra Australis, that no account of this voyage of Tasman has ever been published; nor is any such known to exist. But it seems to have been the general opinion, that he sailed round the Gulph of Carpentaria; and then westward, along Arnhem's and the northern Van Diemen's Lands; and the form of these coasts in Thevenot's chart of 1663, and in those of most succeeding geographers, even up to the end of the eighteenth century, is supposed to have resulted from this voyage. The opinion is strengthened by finding the names of Tasman, and of the governor-general and two of the council, who signed his instructions, applied to places at the head of the Gulph; as is also that of Maria, the daughter of the governor, to whom our navigator is said to have been attached. In the notes, also, of Burgomaster Witsen, concerning the inhabitants of Nova Guinea and Hollandia Nova, as extracted by Mr. Dalrymple; Tasman is mentioned amongst those, from whom his information was drawn.
Three Dutch Vessels. 1705.The President De Brasses gives, from the miscellaneous tracts of Nicolas Struyck, printed at Amsterdam, 1753, the following account of another, and last voyage of the Dutch, for the discovery of the North Coast.
"March 1, 1705, three Dutch vessels were sent from Timor, with order to explore the north coast of New Holland, better than it had before been done. They carefully examined the coasts, sand banks, and reefs. In their route to it, they did not meet with any land, but only some rocks above water, in 11° 52′ south latitude:" (probably the south part of the great Sahul Bank; which, according to captain Peter Heywood, who saw it in 1801, lies in 11° 40′.) ​"They saw the west coast of New Holland 4° to the eastward of the east point of Timor. From thence they continued their route towards the north; and passed a point, off which lies a bank of sand above water, in length more than five German miles of fifteen to a degree. After which, they made sail to the east, along the coast of New Holland; observing every thing with care, until they came to a gulph, the head of which they did not quite reach. I (Struyck) have seen a chart made of these parts."
What is here called the West, must have been the North-west Coast; which the vessels appear to have made somewhat to the south of the western Cape Van Diemen. The point which they passed, was probably this same Cape itself; and in a chart, published by Mr. Dalrymple, Aug. 27, 1783, from a Dutch manuscript (possibly a copy of that which Struyck had seen), a shoal, of thirty geographic miles in length, is marked as running off, from it; but incorrectly, according to Mr. Mᶜ. Cluer. The gulph here mentioned, was probably a deep bay in Arnhem's Land; for had it been the Gulph of Carpentaria, some particular mention of the great change in the direction of the coast, would, doubtless, have been made.
From this imperfect account of the voyage of these three vessels, very little satisfactory information is obtained; and this, with some few exceptions, is the case with all the accounts of the early Dutch discoveries; and has usually been attributed to the monopolizing spirit of their East-India Company, which induced it to keep secret, or to destroy, the journals.
Cook. 1770.The north coast of Terra Australis does not appear to have been seen by any succeeding navigator, until the year 1770; when our celebrated captain James Cook passed through Endeavour's Strait, between Cape York and the Prince of Wales' Islands; and besides clearing up the doubt which, till then, existed, of the actual separation of Terra Australis from New Guinea, his more accurate observations enabled geographers to assign something like a true place to the former discoveries of the Dutch, in these parts. Captain Cook ​did not land upon the main; but, at Possession Island, he saw ten natives: "Nine of them were armed with such lances as we had been accustomed to see, and the tenth had a bow, and a bundle of arrows, which we had never seen in the possession of the natives of this country before."
Mᶜ. Cluer. 1791.At the end of the year 1791, lieutenant John Mᶜ. Cluer of the Bombay marine, in returning from the examination of the west side of New Guinea, made the Land of Arnhem, in longitude 135¼°, east of Greenwich. He then sailed westward, along the shore, to 129° 55′; when the coast was found to take a southern direction. The point of turning is placed in 11° 15′ south latitude; and is, doubtless, the Cape Van Diemen of the old charts, and the west extremity of the north coast of Terra Australis.
It does not appear that any other account has been given of this navigation, than the chart published by Mr. Dalrymple, in 1792. According to it, though lieutenant Mᶜ. Cluer constantly had soundings, in from 7 to 40 fathoms; yet he was generally at such a distance from the land, that it was not often seen; and, consequently, he was unable to identify the particular points. No landing seems to have been effected upon the main; but some service was rendered to navigation, by ascertaining the positions of several small islands, shoals, and projecting parts of the coast; and in conferring a certain degree of authenticity upon the discoveries of the early Dutch navigators.
Lieutenant Mᶜ. Cluer is the last person, who can strictly be said to have added to our knowledge of the north coast of Terra Australis, previously to the time in which the voyage of the Investigator was planned; but several navigators had followed captain Cook through Torres' Strait, and by considerably different routes: these it will be proper to notice; as their discoveries are intimately connected with the present subject.
It was not to be supposed, that captain Bligh, under the circumstances of extreme distress, of fatigue, and difficulty of every kind, could do much for navigation and geography; yet, he took views and made such observations and notes, as enabled him to construct a chart of his track, and of the lands and reefs seen from the launch. And as captain Bligh passed to the north of the Prince of Wales' Islands, whereas captain Cook had passed to the south, his interesting narrative, with the accompanying chart, made an useful addition to what little was yet known of Torres' Strait.
Edwards 1791.Captain (now admiral) Edward Edwards of His Majesty's frigate Pandora, on his return from the island Taheity, made the reefs of Torres' Strait, on Aug. 25; in about the latitude 10° south, and two degrees of longitude to the east of Cape York. Steering from thence westward, he fell in with three islands, rather high, which he named Murray's: lying in latitude 9° 57′ south, and longitude 143° 42′ east; and some canoes, with two masts, were seen running within side of the reef which lay between the islands and the ship. This reef was of considerable extent; and, during ​the whole of August 26, captain Edwards ran along it to the southward, without finding any passage through. On the 27th, the search was continued, without success; but on the 28th, a boat was despatched to examine an opening in the reef; and the ship stood off and on, waiting the result. At five in the evening, the boat made a signal for a passage being found; but fearing to venture through, so near sunset, without more particular information, captain Edwards called the boat on board. In the mean time, a current, or tide, set the Pandora upon the reef; and, after beating there till ten o'clock, she went over it into deep water; and sunk in 15 fathoms, at daylight of the 29th.
A dry sand bank was perceived within the opening, at the distance of four miles; and thither the boats repaired with the remaining officers and people; thirty-nine men having lost their lives in this melancholy disaster. This opening was ascertained to lie in latitude 11° 24′, and longitude 143° 38′; and is represented as very practicable for ships.
Not being able to save any thing from the wreck, captain Edwards, almost destitute of provisions and water, set sail on Aug. 30, with his squadron of four boats; and steered for the north-east part of Terra Australis. No reefs, or other dangers, appear to have been encountered in the way to the coast; but in the course northward, along it, some islands and reefs were seen. From one part of the coast, two canoes with three black men in each, paddled hard after the boats; but though they waved and made many signs, it was not thought prudent to wait for them. At one of the York Isles, the natives, for some trifling presents, filled a keg of water for captain Edwards; but refused to bring down any more; and, soon afterward, they let fly a shower of arrows amongst the unfortunate sufferers. Happily no person was wounded; and the aggressors were put to flight, by a volley of musketry.
At the Prince of Wales' Islands, good water was found; and much alleviated the distress of captain Edwards and his people, ​They heard here the howling of wolves, (probably of wild dogs,) and "discovered a morai, or rather heap of bones. There were amongst them two human skulls, the bones of some large animals, and some turtle bones. They were heaped together in the form of a grave; and a long paddle, supported at each end by a bifurcated branch of a tree, was laid horizontally along it. Near to this, there were marks of a fire having been recently made; and the ground about was much footed and worn."
A few small oysters, a harsh austere fruit, resembling a plum, and a small berry of a similar taste to the plum, were all that could be found for food.
"There is a large sound formed here, to which," says Mr. Hamilton, "we gave the name of Sandwich's Sound; and commodious anchorage for shipping in the bay, to which we gave the name of Wolf's Bay, in which there is from five to seven fathoms all round. Near the centre of the sound is a small, dark-coloured, rocky island."
Sept. 2. In the afternoon, captain Edwards passed out to the northward, with his little squadron, from amongst the Prince of Wales' Islands; and the same evening, by steering westward, cleared all the islands and reefs of Torres' Strait: on the 14th he reached Timor.
The track and discoveries of the Pandora, in Plate XIII. are taken from a chart published in 1798, by Mr. Dalrymple, upon the authority of one constructed by lieutenant Hayward; but it does not contain the track of the boats after the loss of the Pandora. This chart, and the account given by Mr. Hamilton, which, though more than sufficiently explicit upon some points, is very defective in what concerns navigation and geography; are all that appears to have been published of this voyage.
Bligh and Portlock. 1792.Neither the great extent of the reefs, to the eastward of Cape York, nor the loss of the Pandora, were known in 1792; when captain William Bligh came a second time to Torres' Strait, with His Majesty's ship Providence, and the brig Assistant commanded by lieutenant (now captain) Nathaniel Portlock. The objects of his mission were, to transport the bread-fruit plant from Taheity to the West Indies; and, in his way, to explore a new passage through the Strait; in both of which he was successful.
(At. Pl. XIII.)A chart of the discoveries made in Torres' Strait, was lodged, by captain Bligh, in the Admiralty Office; and is incorporated with other authorities, in Plate XIII. of the accompanying Atlas. No account of this voyage having yet been published; it is conceived, that the following brief relation of the passage through the strait, will be acceptable to the nautical reader; and, having had the honour to serve in the expedition, I am enabled to give it from my own journal, with the sanction of captain Bligh.
Aug. 31. Latitude at noon 9° 25′ south; longitude from fifteen sets of distances of the sun west, and star east, of the moon, taken on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, preceding, 145° 22′, and by time keepers, 145° 23′ east. No land seen since passing Louisiade the preceding day; but many birds and fish, and much rock weed. At dusk, having steered W. ¼ S. 27 miles, breakers were seen a-head, at the distance of two miles; and the vessels hauled to the wind: no bottom at 94 fathoms.
Sept. 1. They bore away W. by S.; but hauled up gradually to South, on account of the breakers; and not being able to weather them, tacked to the N.E. At noon, latitude 9° 37′ south, longitude by time keepers, 144° 59′ east: part of the reef, which was named after captain Portlock, seen in the N.N.W. from the mast head. ​At four o'clock, the vessels edged away round the north end of Portlock's Reef, which, at dusk, bore South, about two leagues; and the wind was then hauled for the night.
Sept. 2. The breakers bore South, four or five miles; and captain Bligh steered westward: the Assistant leading. At noon, the latitude being 9° 26′, longitude, by time keepers, 144° 23′, other breakers were seen a-head, and the vessels hauled the wind to the southward; but finding another reef in that direction, with a dry bank upon it, they tacked to the N.E. at half past one; and got ground, for the first time, in 64 fathoms, coral bottom. During the following night, they stood off and on, constantly getting soundings.
No breakers were in sight in the morning of Sept. 3. At seven, a boat was sent a-head; and the vessels bore away after her to the N.W., in order to try the New-Guinea side of the Strait. At noon, their course was interrupted by a reef, which was named Bond's Reef, extending from W.N.W. to North, and distant four or five miles: observed latitude 9° 6′, longitude 144° 13′. The north side of the Strait being judged impracticable, the wind was again hauled to the southward; and, at dusk, the vessels anchored in 37 fathoms, fine grey sand; five or six miles north of a reef, upon which was a dry bank, called Anchor Key. An island of considerable height, bearing S.W. by W. ten leagues, was then seen from the mast head: Captain Bligh gave it the name of Darnley's Island; and to the space between Portlock's and Bond's Reefs, by which the vessels had entered the Strait, that of Bligh's Entrance.
Sept. 4. A boat was sent to the S.S.W., and the vessels followed. Other high lands (Murray's Isles) were seen to the southward; and a reef with a sand bank on it, to the west. At noon, the latitude was 9° 32′ south, and longitude 143° 59′ east: Darnley's Island bore S. 74° to 82° W., four leagues; and the largest of Murray's Isles, S. 13° to 21° E.: the western reef was about three miles distant, but nothing was visible a-head in the S. by W. At four o'clock, the vessels anchored in 21 fathoms, sandy bottom; with Darnley's ​Island bearing N. 60° W., three leagues. Betwixt a sand-bank, called Canoe Key, which bore S. 60° W., two leagues, and a reef lying in the W. by S., there appeared to be a passage, which the boats were sent to examine.
On the 5th, boats were again sent to sound the passage. Several large sailing canoes were seen; and the cutter making the signal for assistance, the pinnace was sent to her, well manned and armed. On the return of the boats in the afternoon, it appeared, that, of four canoes which used their efforts to get up to the cutter, one succeeded. There were in it fifteen Indians, black, and quite naked; and they made signs which were interpreted to be amicable. These signs the officer imitated; but not thinking it prudent to go so near as to take a green cocoa-nut, which was held up to him, he continued rowing for the ship. A man, who was sitting upon the shed erected in the centre of the canoe, then said something to those below; and immediately they began to string their bows. Two of them had already fitted arrows, when the officer judged it necessary to fire in his own defence. Six muskets were discharged; and the Indians fell flat into the bottom of the canoe, all except the man on the shed: the seventh musket was fired at him, and he fell also. During this time, the canoe dropped astern; and the three others having joined her, they all gave chase to the cutter, trying to cut her off from the ship; in which they would probably have succeeded, had not the pinnace arrived, at that juncture, to her assistance. The Indians then hoisted their sails, and steered for Darnley's Island.
No boats could have been manœuvred better, in working to windward, than were these long canoes by the naked savages. Had the four been able to reach the cutter, it is difficult to say, whether the superiority of our arms would have been equal to the great difference of numbers; considering the ferocity of these people, and the skill with which they seemed to manage their weapons.
September 6. Two boats were sent a-head; and the vessels followed them, between Canoe Key and the reef lying from it half a mile ​to the north. After running twelve miles beyond this narrow pass, they anchored in 13 fathoms; the latitude being 9° 37′, and longitude 143° 41′. In the afternoon, they proceeded five miles further, to the N.N.W.; and Darnley's Island then bore S. 74° to 55° E. two leagues: except on the north side, this island appeared to be surrounded with reefs and sand banks to a considerable distance. In sailing from Canoe Key, the vessels had left, on the larbord hand, a long chain of reefs and banks; at the north-west end of which, were three low, woody islands: the nearest of these, bearing S. 41° W. two or three miles from the anchorage, was named Nepean Island. The view to the northward, from W. by N. to E. by S., was free from dangers; but in every other direction there were reefs, islands, or dry banks.
This day, several canoes from Darnley's Island came off to both vessels. On approaching, the Indians clapped upon their heads, and exclaimed Whou! Whou! Whoo! repeatedly, with much vehemence; at the same time, they held out arrows and other weapons, and asked for toore-tooree! by which they meant iron.After much difficulty, they were persuaded to come along-side; and two men ventured into the ship. They had bushy hair,—were rather stout made,—and nearly answered the description given of the natives of New Guinea.The cartilage, between the nostrils, was cut away in both these people; and the lobes of their ears slit, and stretched to a great length, as had before been observed in a native of the Fejee Islands. They had no kind of clothing; but wore necklaces of cowrie shells, fastened to a braid of fibres; and some of their companions had pearl-oyster shells hung round their necks. In speaking to each other, their words seemed to be distinctly pronounced.
Their arms were bows, arrows, and clubs, which they bartered for every kind of iron work with eagerness; but appeared to set ​little value on any thing else. The bows are made of split bamboo; and so strong, that no man in the ship could bend one of them. The string is a broad slip of cane, fixed to one end of the bow; and fitted with a noose, to go over the other end, when strung. The arrow is a cane of about four feet long, into which a pointed piece of the hard, heavy, casuarina wood, is firmly and neatly fitted; and some of them were barbed. Their clubs are made of the casuarina, and are powerful weapons. The hand part is indented, and has a small knob, by which the firmness of the grasp is much assisted; and the heavy end is usually carved with some device: One had the form of a parrot's head, with a ruff round the neck; and was not ill done.
Their canoes are about fifty feet in length, and appear to have been hollowed out of a single tree; but the pieces which form the gunwales, are planks sewed on with the fibres of the cocoa nut, and secured with pegs. These vessels are low, forward, but rise abaft; and, being narrow, are fitted with an outrigger on each side, to keep them steady. A raft, of greater breadth than the canoe, extends over about half the length; and upon this is fixed a shed or hut, thatched with palm leaves. These people, in short, appeared to be dextrous sailors and formidable warriours; and to be as much at ease in the water, as in their canoes.
Sept. 7. The boats having found deep water round the north end of the three low islands, the vessels followed them; but anchored again, soon after noon, in latitude 9° 31′, and longitude 143° 31′; being sheltered by the two western islands, named Stephens' and Campbell's, and the reefs which surround them. There were then no less than eight islands in sight, at different distances though none further to the westward than W.S.W. All these, except Darnley's Island, first seen, were small, low, and sandy but generally well covered with wood in the central parts.
On the 8th, the vessels steered westward, with the usual precautions. No land, or other obstruction, had been seen in that quarter; but, at ten o'clock, they were forced to haul the wind to the ​southward, their course being impeded by reefs; upon one of which, was Pearce's sandy Key. At noon, they had anchored in 15 fathoms, under the lee of Dalrymple's Island, the westernmost before seen; but two other islands were then visible in the S. by W.; and reefs extended from N. 4°, to S. 55° W., at the distance of three or four miles. The latitude here was 9° 37′; and longitude, from six sets of distances of the sun and moon, 143° 31′; but, by the time-keepers, 143° 15′ east.
Several canoes were lying upon the shore of Dalrymple's Island; but no natives could be distinguished from the ships. When the boats returned, however, from sounding, in the afternoon, they came out upon the beach; waving green branches and clapping upon their heads, in token of friendship. Boats were afterwards sent to them, and were amicably received; the natives running into the water to meet them, and some getting into one of the boats. They eagerly asked for toore-tooree; and gave in exchange some ornaments of shells, and a kind of plum somewhat resembling jambo. When the boats pushed off from the shore, the natives followed into the water, and appeared anxious to detain them; but offered no violence. A moderately-sized dog, of a brown, chestnut colour, was observed amongst the party.
Sept. 9. The vessels steered after the boats, between the cluster of islands to the southward, and an extensive reef to the west; with soundings from 15 to 10 fathoms. At noon, the latitude was 9° 48′, longitude by timekeepers 143° 6′; and two other islands came in sight to the westward. Before two o'clock, an extensive reef, partly dry, to which the name of Dungeness was given, made it necessary to heave to, until the boats had time to sound; after which, captain Bligh bore away along the north side of the reef, and anchored a mile from it, in 17 fathoms, hard bottom. In this situation, Dungeness Island, which is low and very woody, bore N. 64° to 87° W. three miles; and a small sandy isle, named Warriours Island, N. 6° to 1° W. four miles: this last appeared to stand upon the great ​western reef, and was surrounded with dry sands. Besides these, there were other low isles, called the Six Sisters, in sight, to the south-east; and a long, flat island, bearing S. 33° to 46° W. over the dry Dungeness Reef; in the west, also, there were islands visible, at a greater distance, and much higher, than the others. The Strait, instead of becoming clearer, seemed to be more and more embarrassed with dangers, as the vessels proceeded westward. The latitude of this anchorage was 9° 50′½ south, and the longitude 142° 55′ east.
Sept. 10. The boats sounded the channel to the north-west, between Dungeness and Warriours Islands; and finding sufficient water, the vessels got under way, at noon, to follow them. There were many natives collected upon the shore of Dungeness Island, and several canoes from Warriours Island were about the brig. Presently, captain Portlock made the signal for assistance; and there was a discharge of musketry and some guns, from his vessel and from the boats. Canoes were also coming towards the Providence; and when a musket was fired at the headmost, the natives set up a great shout, and paddled forward in a body; nor was musketry sufficient to make them desist. The second great gun, loaded with round and grape, was directed at the foremost of eight canoes, full of men; and the round shot, after raking the whole length, struck the high stern. The Indians leaped out, and swam towards their companions; plunging constantly, to avoid the musket balls which showered thickly about them. The squadron then made off, as fast as the people could paddle without shewing themselves; but afterwards rallied at a greater distance, until a shot, which passed over their heads, made them disperse, and give up all idea of any further attack.
In passing the deserted canoe, one native was observed still sitting in it. The other canoes afterwards returned to him; and, with glasses, signals were perceived to be made by the Indians, to their friends on Dungeness Island, expressive, as was thought, of grief and consternation.
​No arrows fell on board the Providence; but three men were wounded in the Assistant, and one of them afterwards died: The depth to which the arrows penetrated into the decks and sides of the brig, was represented to be truly astonishing.
The vessels passed between Dungeness and Warriours Islands, with from 19 to 13 fathoms; and anchored, at four o'clock, under the lee of Dungeness Island and Reef. The passage to the westward then appeared clearer; three high islands, bearing from S. 60° W. three leagues, to N. 76° W. five leagues, forming the sole visible obstructions.
Sept. 11. Captain Bligh proceeded on his course to the W.N.W., and passed two islands, to which the descriptive names of Turtle-backed Island and the Cap were given; and, soon after noon, the vessels anchored in 7 fathoms, soft bottom. There was a dry sand bearing N. 63° W. two or three miles; between which, and the third high island, called The Brothers, bearing S. 55° to 69° W. three miles, it was judged necessary for the boats to sound, before proceeding further. This anchorage was in latitude 9° 43′, and longitude 142° 40′; and, besides the islands already mentioned, there was in sight a mountainous island, to which the name of Banks was given, bearing S. 43° W., twelve or thirteen leagues; also Burke's Island, S. 13° W. eight or ten leagues; and Mount Cornwallis, on another island, N. 29° W. six or eight leagues; and from behind this last, to N. 7° W., there extended a level land, which was supposed to be a part of the coast of New Guinea.
Sept. 12. The vessels followed the boats to the westward; but were interrupted by reefs, and obliged to anchor again before noon. The water had shoaled gradually, and there was then only 6 fathoms: the bottom a coarse, coral sand. Two other islands were then in sight: a low one, named Turn-again Island, bore N. 53° W. about four leagues; and Jervis' Island, which is rather high, S. 48° W. nine leagues. A reef, with a dry sand upon it, extended from S. 7° E. to 62° W. four or five miles; another was distant three miles to the ​west; and a third bore N. 18° W. five miles. The latitude of the anchorage was 9° 41′ south, and longitude 142° 24′ east.
A fresh gale from south-east did not allow the Providence and Assistant to proceed onward for three days. In the mean time, the passage between the reefs to the N.W., was sounded by the boats; and found to contain about 5 fathoms, regularly, upon hard ground. They were also sent to examine the passage round the southern reefs; and this being deeper, with a superior bottom, it was chosen as the preferable route.
Sept. 16. The vessels passed to windward of the southern reef; and steered south-westward, as it trended, in from 7 to 5 fathoms water, until half past noon; when they anchored in latitude 10° 3′, and longitude, by time-keeper, 142° 14′. The sole direction in which the eye could range without being obstructed, was that whence the vessels had come; every where else the view was arrested by rocks, banks, and islands. The most extensive of these, was Banks' Island, extending from S. 14° E. to 62° W., two or three leagues; with a high hill upon it named Mount Augustus, which bore S. 4° E.: Another large island, named Mulgrave's, extended from behind the last to a cluster of rocks, whose extreme bore W. 5° N. The nearest land, bearing S. 24° E., one mile and a half, was the north-westernmost of three small isles; and to this, the second lieutenant was sent, for the purpose of taking possession of all the islands seen in the Strait, for His Britannic Majesty George III., with the ceremonies used on such occasions: the name bestowed upon the whole, was Clarence's Archipelago.
North Possession Island was found to be little else than a mass of rocks surrounded by a reef; but it was covered with a variety of ​trees and shrubs. Amongst them was a cluster of cocoa-nut trees, bearing a small, but delicious, fruit; and the tree bearing a plum, such as had been seen at Dalrymple's Island. Besides these, the botanists found the peeha and nono of Taheity; and two new plants, of the size of the common mulberry. One, of the class polyadelphia, bears a scarlet, bell-shaped flower, large as the China rose; the other was a species of erythrina, bearing clusters of butterfly-shaped flowers, of a light yellow, tinged with purple: both were entirely destitute of leaves, and their woods remarkably brittle.
There did not appear to be any fixed inhabitants upon Possession Island; but from a fire which had been recently extinguished, and the shells and bones of turtle scattered around, it was supposed to have been visited not many days before. The bushes were full of small, green ants; which proved exceedingly troublesome to those who had sufficient hardihood to penetrate their retreats. Another, and larger species of ant, was black; and made its nest by bending and fixing together the leaves, in a round form, so as to be impenetrable to the wet. These, and a small kind of lizard, were all the animals found upon the island.
Sept. 17. The boats led to the westward, steering for a passage between Mulgrave's and Jervis' Islands; but seeing it full of rocks and shoals, the vessels anchored a little within the entrance, in 10 fathoms, coarse ground; until the boats should sound a-head. The latitude here was 10° 2′, and longitude 142° 03′. The flood tide, from the E.N.E., was found to set through between the islands, at the rate of four miles an hour; and the breeze being fresh, and bottom bad, the situation was considered to be very unsafe.
Whilst the boats were sounding, several Indians in three canoes, were perceived making towards them; but on a swivel shot being fired over their heads, they returned to Mulgrave's Island, on the south side of the passage. On the signal being made for good anchorage further on, the Assistant led to the W. by S.; but on reaching the boats, the bottom was found much inferior to what had ​been imagined; the approach of night, however, obliged captain Bligh to anchor, soon afterward, in 8 fathoms.
In this situation, the vessels were so closely surrounded with rocks and reefs, as scarcely to have swinging room; the bottom was rocky; the wind blowing a fresh gale; and a tide running between four and five knots an hour. This anxious night was, however, passed without accident; and next morning, Sept. 18, the route was continued through the passage, between reefs and rocks, which, in some places, were not three quarters of a mile asunder: the smallest depth was 4 fathoms.
On clearing this dangerous pass, which captain Bligh named, Bligh's Farewell, he anchored in 6 fathoms, sandy bottom; the wind blowing strong at S.E. with thick weather. The latitude here was 10° 5′, and longitude 141° 56′. From north nearly, round by the east, to S. 8° E., there was a mass of islands, rocks, and reefs, at various distances; but in the western half of the compass, no danger was visible; and as far as three miles to the W.N.W., the boats found good soundings in 6 and 7 fathoms.
Sept. 19. The wind moderated; and the vessels steered W. by S. until noon, with a depth gradually increasing from 6 to 8 fathoms. The latitude was then 10° 8½′ south, longitude, by time keeper, 141° 31′ east, and no land was in sight; nor did any thing more obstruct captain Bligh and his associate, in their route to the island Timor.
Thus was accomplished, in nineteen days, the passage from the Pacific, or Great Ocean, to the Indian Sea; without other misfortune than what arose from the attack of the natives, and some damage done to the cables and anchors. Perhaps no space of 3½° in length, presents more dangers than Torres' Strait; but, with caution and perseverance, the captains Bligh and Portlock proved them to be surmountable; and within a reasonable time: how far it may be advisable to follow their track through the Strait, will appear more fully hereafter.
​In the Voyage to the South Seas in H.M. ship Bounty, page 220, captain Bligh says, "I cannot with certainty reconcile the situation of some parts of the coast (near Cape York) that I have seen, to his (captain Cook's) survey; and from the situation of the high islands on the west side of the Strait, which had been seen from the Bounty's launch, and were now subjected to the correction of the Providence's time-keepers; he was confirmed in the opinion, that some material differences existed in the positions of the lands near Cape York.
Bampton and Alt. 1793.The last passage known to have been made through Torres' Strait, previously to the sailing of the Investigator, was by Messieurs William Bampton and Matthew B. Alt, commanders of the ships Hormuzeer and Chesterfield. Their discoveries were made public, in two charts, by Mr. Dalrymple, in 1798 and 1799; and from them, and captain Bampton's manuscript journal, the south coast of New Guinea, and most of the reefs and islands near it, are laid down in Plate XIII.; after having been adjusted to the observations of captain Bligh, and to those subsequently made by me in the Investigator and Cumberland. The journal was obtained through the kindness of Mr. Arrowsmith; and, though no courses and distances be given, and the differences from the charts be sometimes considerable, it is yet so interesting in many points, that I have judged the following abridgement would be acceptable, as well to the general, as to the nautical, reader.
The Hormuzeer and Chesterfield sailed together from Norfolk Island; with the intention of passing through Torres' Strait, by a route which the commanders did not know to have been before attempted. June 20, 1793, in the evening, being in latitude 10° 24′ south, and longitude 144° 14′ east (by captain Bampton's chart), a dry reef was seen extending from W. ½ S. to N.W. by W., distant four or five miles, and breakers from the mast head at N. by E. ½ E.: An island (Murray's), which appeared to be large and woody, was ​also seen, and bore N.W. ½ W. The ships got ground in 60 fathoms, and hauled the wind to the eastward, till midnight; when, having no bottom at 70 fathoms, they lay to, till morning.
June 21. The Hormuzeer's long boat was sent a-head; and, at ten o'clock, the ships bore away northward. At noon, the latitude was 9° 30′. The course was altered, at three, to the north-west; and at dusk, they hove to, for the night: soundings from 70 to 56 fathoms. The same course being resumed on the sand, the latitude, at noon, was 8° 48′; and the depth 30 fathoms, on a bottom of sand, mud, and shells. From noon to five p. m., when they anchored, the ships appear to have steered W. by S. The land had been seen at one o'clock; and at two, the water had shoaled suddenly, from 30 to 10 fathoms, and afterwards diminished to 5, which continued to the place of anchorage. The land was part of the coast of New Guinea; and the extremes were set at W. by N. ½ N. and N.W. ½ N., six or seven leagues, (in the chart, miles.) The flood tide here, set two miles per hour, towards the land; and the rise, by the lead line, was nine feet.
June 23. The ships got under way with the weather, or ebb, tide, a little before noon: latitude 8° 52′. At four o'clock, the wind blew strong at south-east, with thick weather; and they anchored in 9 fathoms, blue-mud; having made a course of E.N.E. nearly parallel to the coast. They remained here till the next afternoon; when the Hormuzeer having parted her cable, both ships stood to the north-eastward, along the land, until midnight; at which time they wore to the south-west, in 30 fathoms. At daylight of the 25th, the depth had decreased to 16 fathoms; and they stretched north-eastward again, with little variation in the soundings. The latitude, at noon, was 8° 10′; and the ships continued their course upon a wind, keeping as much to the east as possible; and the soundings having increased to 30 fathoms, at dusk, they hove to; but stretched off, at midnight, on coming into 10 fathoms. In the morning of June 26, they were standing to the eastward; but the ​wind becoming light at nine o'clock, Mr. Bampton anchored in 9 fathoms, on a muddy bottom, in latitude 7° 55′ south. The coast of New Guinea was then seen to extend from N.N.W. ½ W. to E.N.E.; and the south end of a reef, running off from the western extreme, bore W. by S. ½ S., two leagues.
The land here forms a large, unsheltered bay; and an opening nearly at the head, bearing N. ½ E., appeared like the entrance of a considerable river; but an officer, who was sent in a boat to sound, saw breakers stretching across. The soundings were regular, from 9 to 6 fathoms, within a mile or two of the shore; when there was only twelve feet; and the surf which rolled in, made it impossible to land. The country round the bay is described as level and open, and of an agreeable aspect.
On the return of the boat the ships weighed, and stretched southward until June 27, at noon. The latitude was then 9° 1′; and a sand bank was seen from the mast head, bearing S.W. ½ W. They then wore to the north-eastward; and continued upon that course until the 28th, at dusk; when the land of New Guinea being in sight as far as E. by N., the same, apparently, which had been set from the anchorage on the 26th, they stretched off till two in the morning; and then in again, towards the land.
Captain Bampton had followed the coast of New Guinea thus far, in the hope of finding a passage to the northward, between it and Louisiade; but the trending of the land so far to the east, and the difficulty of weathering it, from the current being adverse, obliged him to give up that hope. A consultation was then held; and a determination made to attempt the passage through the middle of Torres' Strait.
At the time the ships hauled their wind to the southward, the latitude was 8° 3′; the longitude, from three distances of the sun and moon, 145° 23′; and the depth of water 40 fathoms, on a muddy bottom. They had no soundings from that time to July 1, at one a. m.; when there was 35 fathoms. At daylight, land, which was ​the Darnley's Island of captain Bligh, bore S.W. by S. seven or eight leagues; a dry sand was seen in the W.N.W., (probably W.S.W.); and a reef, which appears to have been that of Anchor Key, was six or seven miles distant in the S.E. At four in the afternoon, when Darnley's Island bore W. by N. ½ N. five leagues, and Murray's Island S.E. ½ E. (probably S.S.E. ½ E.) the ships anchored in 22 fathoms, marly bottom; and the boats were sent towards the first island to sound, and see if it were inhabited. The latitude observed at this anchorage, was 9° 40′ south, and longitude from three distances of the sun and moon 142° 58′ 30″ east.
July 2. The boats returned. Between the ships and the island, they had passed over five different reefs, separated by narrow channels of 11 to 14 fathoms deep. The natives of the island came down in considerable numbers; and exchanged some bows and arrows, for knives and other articles. They were stout men; and somewhat above the common size of Europeans. Except in colour, which was not of so deep a cast, they bore much resemblance to the natives of Port Jackson; and had scars raised upon their bodies in the same manner. The men were entirely naked; but the women, who kept at a distance and appeared small in size, wore an apron of leaves, reaching down to the knee. Many cocoa-nut trees were seen in the lower parts of the island.
When the boats returned, they were followed by four canoes. One of them went along-side of the Chesterfield; and an Indian ventured on board, on a sailor going into the canoe, as a hostage for him. Most of these people had their ears perforated. The hair was generally cut short; but some few had it flowing loose. It is naturally black; but from being rubbed with something, it had a reddish, or burnt appearance. These Indians, so far as they could be understood, represented their island to abound in refreshments; and it was, therefore, determined to send another boat to make further examination.
July 3. Mr. Shaw, chief mate of the Chesterfield, Mr. Carter, ​and captain Hill of the New-South-Wales corps, who was a passenger, went away armed, with five seamen in a whale boat; and were expected to return on the following day; but the 4th, 5th, and 6th, passed, without any tidings of them; although many signal guns had been fired.
On the 7th, two boats, manned and armed, under the command of Mr. Dell, chief mate of the Hormuzeer, were sent in search of the whale boat. On reaching the island, Mr. Dell heard conch shells sounding in different parts; and saw eighty or ninety armed natives upon the shore. To the inquiries, by signs, after the missing boat, they answered that she was gone to the westward; but none of them would venture near; nor did they pay attention to a white handkerchief which was held up, and had before been considered a signal of peace.
As the boats proceeded in their search, round the island, the natives followed along the shore, with increasing numbers. One man, who was rubbed with something blue, and appeared to be a chief, had a small axe in his hand; which was known, from the red helve, to have belonged to Mr. Shaw. On reaching the bay in the north-west side of the island, Mr. Dell remarked that the natives disappeared; all except about thirty, who were very anxious in persuading him to land. They brought down women; and made signs, that the boat and people whom he sought, were a little way up in the island. He, however, rowed onward; when the beach was immediately crowded with people, who had been lying in ambush, expecting him to land.
After having gone entirely round the island, and seen nothing of the object of his research, Mr. Dell returned to the first cove; where a great concourse of natives, armed with bows, arrows, clubs, and lances, were assembled at the outskirt of the wood. By offering knives and other things, a few were induced to approach the boat; and the coxswain seized one of them by the hair and neck, with the intention of his being taken off to the ships, to give an ​account of the missing boat and people. A shower of arrows instantly came out of the wood; and a firing was commenced, which killed one Indian, and wounded some others. In the mean time, the coxswain found it impossible to keep the man, from his hair and body being greased; and the boat's crew was too much occupied to assist him.
July 8. The two commanders having heard the report of Mr. Dell, proceeded with the ships, round the northern reefs and sand banks, to the bay on the north-west side of Darnley's Island, which was named Treacherous Bay. On the 9th, in the afternoon, they anchored with springs on the cables, in 13 fathoms, sand, mud, and shells; the extremes of the island bearing E. ½ N. to S.W. by S., and the nearest part distant a quarter of a mile. A boat was sent on shore; and returned, at sunset, with a few cocoa nuts; but without having seen any of the inhabitants.
July 10. An armed party of forty-four men landed from the ships, under the command of Mr. Dell. After hoisting the union jack, and taking possession of this, and the neighbouring islands and coast of New Guinea, in the name of His Majesty, they examined the huts, and found the great coats of captain Hill, Mr. Carter, and Mr. Shaw; with several other things which had belonged to them, and to the boats' crew; so that no doubt was entertained of their having been murdered. In the evening, the party arrived from making the tour of the island; having burnt and destroyed one-hundred-and-thirty-five huts; sixteen canoes, measuring from fifty to seventy feet in length; and various plantations of sugar cane. The natives appeared to have retired to the hills in the centre of the island; as not one of them could be discovered.
Darnley's Island was judged to be about fifteen miles in circumference. It is variegated with hills and plains; and the richness of the vegetation bespoke it to be very fertile; it appeared, however, to be scantily supplied with fresh water, there being only one small place where it was found near the shore. The plantations of the ​natives, which were extensive and numerous in the plains, contained yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, and sugar canes, inclosed within neat fences of bamboo; and cocoa-nut trees were very abundant, particularly near the habitations. The hills, which mostly occupy the middle of the island, were covered with trees and bushes of a luxuriant growth; and upon different parts of the shores, the mangrove was produced in great plenty.
The habitations of the Indians were generally placed at the heads of the small coves; and formed into villages of ten or twelve huts each, inclosed within a bamboo fence of, at least, twelve feet high. The hut much resembles a haycock, with a pole driven through it; and may contain a family of six or eight people. The covering is of long grass, and cocoa leaves. The entrance is small; and so low, that the inhabitants must creep in and out; but the inside was clean and neat; and the pole that supports the roof, was painted red, apparently with ochre.
In each of the huts, and usually on the right hand side going in, were suspended two or three human skulls; and several strings of hands, five or six on a string. These were hung round a wooden image, rudely carved into the representation of a man, or of some bird; and painted and decorated in a curious manner: the feathers of the Emu or Cassuary generally formed one of the ornaments. In one hut, containing much the greater number of skulls, a kind of gum was found burning before one of these images. This hut was adjoining to another, of a different form, and much more capacious than any of the others. The length was thirty feet, by fifteen in breadth; and the floor was raised six feet from the ground. The hut was very neatly built of bamboo, supported by long stakes, and thatched with cocoa leaves and dried grass. It was judged to be the residence of the chief of the island; and was the sole hut in which there were no skulls or hands; but the adjoining one had more than a double proportion.
The corpse of a man, who had been shot, was found disposed of ​in the following manner. Six stakes were driven into the ground; about three feet from each other, and six feet high. A platform of twigs was worked upon them, at the height of five feet; and upon this, the body was laid, without covering; but the putrid state of the corpse, did not allow of a close inspection.
Upon the reefs which surround the island, square places, of about fifty feet every way, were formed, by piling up stones of two or three feet high. The tide flows over these; and, on the ebb, the Indians go down and take out the fish. On all parts of the reefs, there were bamboos set up, with pendants of dried leaves; but whether they were intended as beacons for the canoes, or to point out the boundaries of each fishery, could not be ascertained.
The description of the canoes is nearly the same as that given in the voyage of Bligh and Portlock; but Mr. Bampton says, "some of them were ingeniously carved and painted, and had curious figures at each end." The weapons of these people are bows, arrows, clubs of about four feet long, and spears and lances of various kinds, made of black, hard, wood. Some of the lances were jagged, from the sharp point to a foot upward; and most of them were neatly carved.
The sole quadrupeds seen, were rats, mice, and lizards; which, when the huts were set on fire, ran from them in great numbers. Land birds were numerous in all parts of the island; and upon the reefs were many curlews, large yellow-spotted plover, king's fishers, sand pipers, red bills, and gulls.
Captain Bampton lays down Darnley's Island, which the natives call Wamvax, in latitude 9° 39′ 30″ south, and longitude 142° 59′ 15″ east; but in his chart, the centre is placed in 9° 34′ south, and 143° 1′ east. He much regretted that he could not land again, to examine the interior parts of this fine island; but his long boat having drifted out of sight, without water, provisions, or compass, it was judged necessary for the ships to weigh, and look after her.
July 11. The Hormuzeer stood to the northward, with ​soundings of 15 to 19 fathoms. After three hours run, with a fresh breeze, a reef and sand bank were seen a-head, and the ship was veered to the south-west. Another reef and bank were descried, soon afterward, in the west; and, at the same time, a signal for seeing the long boat was made by the Chesterfield. In the afternoon, the boat was picked up, and both ships anchored under Stephens' Island.
An armed party was immediately sent on shore, to obtain intelligence, if possible, of the lost whale boat. The natives were assembled in hostile array, upon the hills, sounding their conchs; but, after lancing a few arrows, they fled. Several were wounded by the shots fired in return; but they succeeded in escaping to a canoe at the back of the island, and getting off; all except one boy, who was taken unhurt. In the huts, which were burnt, several things were found; and amongst them, a sheet of copper which belonged to the Chesterfield.
July 12. Stephens' Island was traversed all over; and a spike nail, with the king's broad arrow upon it, was brought on board, and excited many conjectures as to whence it came. The plantations, huts, images, skulls, and hands, were found similar to those of Darnley's Island. Amongst the trees, there was one resembling an almond, the nuts of which were good. The cocoa nut grows abundantly; especially in the south-eastern part, where the trees formed a continued grove. The sole quadruped seen, except rats, was a pretty animal of the opossum tribe. It was found in a cage; and had probably been brought, either from New Guinea, or New South Wales.
​July 13. A boat was sent to Campbell's Island; but it did not contain either plantations, cocoa-nut trees, or fixed inhabitants. This, as also Stephens' and Nepean's Islands, are mostly low and sandy; and surrounded with extensive reefs, upon which, it was thought, the Indians pass from one island to the other, at low water.
In the afternoon, the ships proceeded to the westward; but meeting with many reefs, they hauled more to the north, and discovered Bristow Island, lying close to the coast of New Guinea. Their attempts to find a passage here, were fruitless; and after incurring much danger, and the Chesterfield getting aground, they returned to their former anchorage, in the evening of July 21. The banks, reefs, and lands, seen during these eight days, will be found marked in Plate XIII.
Two canoes immediately came off from Stephens' Island; and one of the natives remained on board the Hormuzeer till eight o'clock. He seemed to be without fear; and when inquiry was made after the lost boat and people, he pointed to a whale boat, and made signs that such an one had been at Darnley's Island; and that six of the people were killed. Many presents were made to this man; and he was clothed, and sent on shore in one of the boats.
​July 22. The ships' crews beginning to feel the want of fresh water, people were sent on shore to dig a well; and the natives, though they still appeared shy and suspicious, gave them some assistance. On the 24th, the boats had discovered a passage to the south-westward; and as the well produced little water, and no provision could be obtained, it was determined to proceed onward, through the Strait, without further delay.
They weighed the same afternoon; and anchored, at dusk, in 14 fathoms; Campbell's Island bearing N.E. by E. to E. by N. ¾ N.; and many other small isles being in sight to the south-west and southward. Next day, the 25th, they steered S. by W. ½ W., from seven in the morning to six in the evening; when they anchored in 17 fathoms, having islands in sight nearly all round: the nearest at the distance of five or six miles. These islands were small; but inhabitants were seen on the greater number; and two canoes went off to the Chesterfield.
July 26. The ships proceeded westward, very slowly; the wind being at south-west. In the morning of the 27th, they were at anchor in 11 fathoms; Dungeness Island bearing W. by N. to N.W. by W. ½ W., about six miles; and Warriors Island N.N.W. ½ W. eight miles. Mr. Dell had passed the preceding night upon one of the Six Sisters, which was called Dove Island, bearing from the ship, S.S.E. six miles. A fire on the beach, with two fish broiling upon it, bespoke the presence of inhabitants; but on searching the island over, none could be discovered: it was thought that they had fled to a larger island, it being connected with this by a reef, which dries at low water. Mr. Dell had a seine with him, and caught a dozen fine fish; but the object of remaining all night, that of taking turtle, did not succeed; although large shells of them were found upon the shore.
Dove Island is about one mile and a half in circumference; and covered with trees and shrubs, the fragrance of whose flowers perfumed the air. Amongst other birds, two beautiful doves were shot ​The plumage of the body was green; the head, bill, and legs, red; the tail, and under sides of the wings, yellow. No huts, plantations, or other signs of fixed inhabitants were seen; nor was there any fresh water.
On the return of the boat, the vessels weighed; and the wind being at W.S.W., they worked through, between Dungeness and Warriors Islands, with the flood tide. They then anchored in 11 fathoms; the first Island bearing S.S.E. to S ½ W. three leagues, and the second E. by S. ½ S.
July 28. Having a fresh breeze at E.S.E., the long boat was sent a-head, and the ships followed, to the westward. They passed Turtle-backed Island, the Cap, and the Brothers, on one side, and Nichols' Key on the other: the soundings gradually shoaling from 12 to 7 fathoms. Upon the Cap, Mr. Bampton "saw a volcano burning with great violence," which induced him to give it the name of Fire Island; not knowing that it had before been named. At noon, the Brothers, with the Cap and Turtle-backed Island behind, bore S.E. by S. to S ½ E. four miles; and Mount Cornwallis N. 16° W.
The water continued to shoal; and at three p.m., the ships anchored in 5 fathoms, sand, shells, and stones; the Brothers bearing E. by S. ¼ S. five leagues, and Mount Cornwallis N. by E. ¼ E. There were two large islands in sight in the S.S.W. ¼ W. to S.W. ¼ S, at the distance of eight or ten leagues; and many nearer reefs in the same direction.
July 29. The long boat was sent to sound in the north-west; and when the ebb tide slacked, the ships followed: wind at E.S.E. The soundings increased from 5 to 7 fathoms; and afterwards varied between these depths, until noon; when the latitude observed was 9° 42′ south. The Brothers then bore S. 64° E.; Mount Cornwallis N. 38° E; and a long, low island (Turn-again, of Bligh,) N. 35° to ​58° W. At three p.m. the reefs were so numerous, that the ships were obliged to anchor, until the boats could sound for a passage: the depth here was 4½ fathoms, on a bottom of rotten stones and coral.
July 31. They weighed, and hauled the wind eastward, to pass round Turn-again Island; bearing away occasionally to avoid small reefs: the soundings 5½ to 4 fathoms. After passing round, they anchored in 5 fathoms; until the boats should sound between the reefs which appeared on every side: Turn-again Island then bore S. 56° to 83° W. about two leagues, Mount Cornwallis N. 56° E., the Brothers S. 50° E.; the latitude observed was 9° 32′, and longitude from four sights of the sun and moon, 140° 58′ east. Next afternoon, in proceeding to the north-westward, the Chesterfield struck upon a bank in eight feet water; but the coral giving way to the ship, she went over without injury. In the evening, they both anchored in 4½ fathoms, gravel and shells; Mount Cornwallis bearing E. ¼ S., and a long tract of land from N.W. by N. to N.E., at the distance of five or six leagues. Turn-again Island bore S.S.E. ¼ E. to S. ½ W., four miles; and thither the ships ran on Aug. 3., and anchored in 3¾ fathoms, fine sand, within a quarter of a mile of the shore; the extremes bearing S. 58° E. to 60° W. The purpose for which they came to this island, was to procure wood, water, and refreshments; during the time necessary for the boats to explore a passage through the innumerable reefs and banks, which occupy this part of the Strait.
Messieurs Bampton and Alt remained here seventeen days; being afraid to move with the strong south-east winds which blew during the greater part of the time. Turn-again Island is flat, low, and swampy; and about three miles in length, by half that space in breadth. (Mr. Bampton's chart makes it the double of these dimensions; and, generally, the islands in it exceed the description of the journal in about the same proportion: the journal seems to be the preferable authority.) The reefs which surround Turn-again Island, ​extend a great distance to the east and west; particularly in the latter direction, where there are many dry sand banks. The island is mostly over-run with mangroves; and at the top of the flood, the wood cutters were obliged to work in the water; and were, at all times, exceedingly annoyed with musketoes. The island is said, in the journal, to be in 9° 34′ south and 140° 55′ east; which is 3′ to the south and 1° 24′ west of its situation in the chart of captain Bligh.
No other refreshment than small quantities of fish, crabs, and shell-fish, being procurable here, the ships crews were further reduced in their short allowance. With respect to fresh water, their situation was still worse: None could be obtained upon Turn-again Island; and had not captain Bampton ingeniously contrived a still, their state would have been truly deplorable. He caused a cover, with a hole in the centre, to be fitted by the carpenter upon a large cooking pot; and over the hole he luted an inverted tea kettle, with the spout cut off. To the stump of the spout, was fitted a part of the tube of a speaking trumpet; and this was lengthened by a gun barrel, which passed through a cask of salt water, serving as a cooler. From this machine, good fresh water, to the amount of twenty-five to forty gallons per day, was procured; and obtained a preference to that contained in the few casks remaining in the Hormuzeer.
By Aug. 20., when the weather had become more moderate, the boats had sounded amongst the reefs in all directions; but there appeared to be no practicable passage out of this labyrinth, except to the north-west. In that direction the ships proceeded three hours, in from 6 to 3 fathoms. Next afternoon, they steered westward, with the flood tide; and again anchored in 3 fathoms, sand and gravel. The coast of New Guinea then extended from N. by E. ¼ E. to N.W. ¾ N.; and the north-west end of a long island, to which the name of Talbot was given, bore N. by E. ½ E. nine or ten miles.
Aug. 22. At day-light they followed the long boat to the westward, in soundings from 2½ to 4 fathoms. At seven o'clock, the Hormuzeer grounded in 2 fathoms; upon a bank whence Talbot's ​Island bore N.N.E. to E.N.E., eight or ten miles, and where the observed latitude was 9° 27′ south. She remained upon this bank until the morning of the 24th; when Mr. Bampton got into a channel of 13 fathoms, which had been found by the boats, and the ship did not appear to have received other damage, than the loss of the false keel. The still continued to be kept at work, day and night.
Aug. 27. Messieurs Bampton and Alt proceeded onward in a track which had been sounded by the boats. At sunset, they came to, in 4 fathoms; the extremes of New Guinea then bearing N.W. by W. to N.E. by E., three or four leagues. Some further progress was made next morning; and at noon, when at anchor in 3¾ fathoms, and in latitude 9° 26½′, an island was discovered bearing S.W. ¾ S. five or six leagues; which received, eventually, the name of Deliverance Island.
Aug. 29. The Hormuzeer grounded at low water; from which it appeared that the tide had fallen twelve feet, though then at the neaps. When the ship floated, they made sail to the westward; and deepened the water to 9 and 12 fathoms. At noon, it had again shoaled to 6; Deliverance Island bearing S.S.W. ½ W. nine or ten miles, and New Guinea N.W. to N. by E. ½ E. four or five leagues: latitude observed 9° 25′ south. After preceding a little further westward, they anchored in 5 fathoms.
Aug. 30. The soundings varied as before, between 4 and 10 fathoms: the bottom, rotten coral intermixed with sand. At noon, when the latitude was 9° 21′, Deliverance Island was just in sight from the deck, in the S.E. by S.; and the extremes of New Guinea bore N.E. by E. to N.W. ½ W., ten or twelve miles. In the afternoon, the depth again decreased to 4 fathoms, and obliged them to anchor until morning. On the 31st, the ships appear to have steered ​south-westward, leaving on the starbord hand a very extensive bank, on which the long boat had 2 fathoms water: the soundings from the Hormuzeer were from 3 to 7 fathoms. At noon, the latitude was 9° 27′, and no land in sight. The soundings then increased gradually; and at sunset, no bottom could be found at 40 fathoms. A swell coming from S.S.W. announced an open sea in that direction; and that the dangers of Torres' Strait were, at length, surmounted.
This passage of the Hormuzeer and Chesterfield in seventy-two days, with that made in nineteen by the captains Bligh and Portlock, displayed the extraordinary dangers of the Strait; and appear to have deterred all other commanders from following them, up to the time of the Investigator. Their accounts confirm the truth of Torres having passed through it, by shewing the correctness of the sketch contained in his letter to the King of Spain.
Conclusive Remarks.The sole remaining information, relative to the North Coast of Terra Australis, was contained in a note, transcribed by Mr. Dalrymple, from a work of burgomaster Witsen upon the Migration of Mankind. The place of which the burgomaster speaks, is evidently on the coast of Carpentaria, near the head of the Gulph; but it is called New Guinea; and he wrote in 1705. The note is as follows; but upon whose authority it was given, does not appear:
"In 16° 10′ south, longitude 159° 17′" (east of Teneriffe, or between 142° and 143° east of Greenwich,) "the people swam on board of a Dutch ship; and when they received a present of a piece of linen, they laid it upon their head in token of gratitude: Every where thereabout, all the people are malicious. They use arrows, and bows of such a length, that one end rests on the ground when shooting. They have also hazeygaeys and kalawaeys, and attacked the Dutch; but did not know the execution of the guns."
On summing up the whole of the knowledge which had been ​acquired of the North Coast, it will appear, that natural history, geography, and navigation had still much to learn of this part of the world; and more particularly, that they required the accomplishment of the following objects:
1st. A general survey of Torres' Strait. The navigation from the Pacific, or Great Ocean to all parts of India, and to the Cape of Good Hope, would be greatly facilitated, if a passage through the Strait, moderately free from danger, could be discovered; since five or six weeks of the usual route, by the north of New Guinea or the more eastern islands, would thereby be saved. Notwithstanding the great obstacles which navigators had encountered in some parts of the Strait, there was still room to hope, that an examination of the whole, made with care and perseverance, would bring such a passage to light. A survey of it was, therefore, an object much to be desired; not only for the merchants and seamen trading to these parts, but also from the benefits which would certainly accrue therefrom to general navigation and geography.
2nd. An examination of the shores of the Gulph of Carpentaria. The real form of this gulph remained in as great doubt with geographers, as were the manner how, and time when it acquired its name. The east side of the Gulph had been explored to the latitude of 17°, and many rivers were there marked and named; but how far the representation given of it by the Dutch was faithful,—what were the productions, and what its inhabitants,—were, in a great ​measure, uncertain. Or rather it was certain, that those early navigators did not possess the means of fixing the positions and forms of lands, with any thing like the accuracy of modern science; and that they could have known very little of the productions, or inhabitants. Of the rest of the Gulph no one could say, with any confidence, upon what authority its form had been given in the charts; so that conjecture, being at liberty to appropriate the Gulph of Carpentaria to itself, had made it the entrance to a vast arm of the sea, dividing Terra Australis into two, or more, islands.
3rd. A more exact investigation of the bays, shoals, islands, and coasts of Arnhem's, and the northern Van Diemen's, Lands. The information upon these was attended with uncertainty; first, because the state of navigation was very low at the time of their discovery; and second, from want of the details and authorities upon which they had been laid down. The old charts contained large islands lying off the coast, under the names of T' Hoog Landt or Wessel's Eylandt, and Crocodils Eylanden; but of which little more was known than that, if they existed, they must lie to the eastward of 135° from Greenwich. Of the R. Spult, and other large streams represented to intersect the coast, the existence even was doubtful. That the coast was dangerous, and shores sandy, seemed to be confirmed by Mr. McCluer's chart; and that they were peopled by "divers cruel, poor, and brutal nations," was certainly not improbable, but it rested upon very suspicious authority. The Instructions to Tasman said, in 1644, "Nova Guinea has been found to be inhabited by cruel, wild, savages; and as it is uncertain what sort of people the inhabitants of the South Lands are, it may be presumed that they are also wild and barbarous savages, rather than a civilized people." This uncertainty, with respect to the natives of Arnhem's and the northern Van Diemen's Lands, remained, in a great degree, at the end of the eighteenth century.
Thus, whatever could bear the name of exact, whether in natural history, geography, or navigation, was yet to be learned of a ​country possessing five hundred leagues of sea-coast; and placed in a climate and neighbourhood, where the richest productions of both the vegetable and mineral kingdoms were known to exist. A voyage which should have had no other view, than the survey of Torres' Strait and the thorough investigation of the North Coast of Terra Australis, could not have been accused of wanting an object worthy of national consideration.
* ↑ Purchas, Vol. I. p. 385.
* ↑ See the letter of Torres, dated Manila, July 12, 1607, in Vol. II. Appendix, No I. to Burney's "History of Discoveries in the South Sea;" from which interesting work this sketch of Torres' voyage is extracted.
* ↑ Hist. des Navigations aux Terres Aust. Tome I. p. 482.
* ↑ In the old charts, a river Spult is marked, in the western part of Arnhem's Land; and it seems probable, that the land in its vicinity is here meant by The Spult.
* ↑ The Great Inlet or Cove, where the passage was to be sought, is the north-west part of Torres' Strait. It is evident, that a suspicion was entertained, in 1644, of such a strait; but that the Dutch were ignorant of its having been passed. The "high islands" are those which lie in latitude 10°, on the west side of the strait. Speult's River appears to be the opening betwixt the Prince of Wales' Islands and Cape York; through which Captain Cook afterwards passed, and named it Endeavour's Strait: This Speult's River cannot, I conceive, be the same with what was before mentioned under the name of The Spult.
* ↑ Hist. des Nav. aux Terres Aust. Tome I. page 439.
* ↑ Hawkesworth's Voyages, Vol. III. page 211.
* ↑ Bligh's "Voyage to the South Seas in H. M. Ship Bounty," page 218—221.
* ↑ Commonly written Otaheite; but the O is either an article or a preposition, and forms no part of the name: Bougainville writes it Taïti.
* ↑ In Plates I. and XIII. Murray's Islands are laid down according to their situations afterwards ascertained in the Investigator; and the reefs, seen by the Pandora, are placed in their relative positions to those islands.
* ↑ See "A Voyage round the World in H. M. frigate Pandora," by George Hamilton, Surgeon; page 123, et seq.
* ↑ In Plate XIII. some small alterations are made in the longitudes given by captain Bligh's time keepers, to make them correspond with the corrected longitudes of the Investigator and Cumberland.
* ↑ The name for Iron at Taheity, is eure-euree, or ooree, or, according to Bougainville, aouri.
* ↑ See a Voyage to New Guinea, by Captain Thomas Forrest.
* ↑ This mountain, in latitude 10° 12′ south, longitude 142° 13′ east, was seen by captain Bligh from the Bounty's launch, and marked in his chart, (Voyage, &c. p. 220.) It appears to be the same island indistinctly laid down by captain Cook, in latitude 10° 10′, longitude 141° 14′; and is, also, one of those, to which the term Hoge Landt is applied in Thevenot's chart of 1663.
* ↑ It does not appear in the journal, when, or where this boy was set on shore; nor is any further mention made of him.
* ↑ It had probably been obtained from the crews of either the Providence or Assistant; which had anchored under Stephens' Island, nine months before.
* ↑ Mr. Bampton's description of this animal is briefly as follows. Size and shape, of the opossum. Colour, yellowish white with brown spots. End of the tail, deep red: prehensile. Eyes, reddish brown: red when irritated. No visible ears. Used its paws in feeding: five nails to each. Habit, dull and slothful: not savage. Food, maize, boiled rice, meat, leaves, or any thing offered. Odour, very strong at times, and disagreeable.
* ↑ Captain Hill and four of the seamen were murdered by the natives. Messieurs Shaw and Carter were severely wounded; but with Ascott, the remaining seaman, they got into the boat, cut the grapnel rope, and escaped. They were without provisions or compass; and it being impossible to reach the ships, which lay five leagues to windward, they bore away to the west, through the Strait; in the hope of reaching Timor. On the tenth day, they made land; which proved to be Timor-laoet. They there obtained some relief to their great distress; and went on to an island called by the natives, Sarrett; where Mr. Carter died: Messieurs Shaw and Ascott sailed in a prow, for Bauda, in the April following. See Collins' Account of the English Colony in New South Wales. Vol. I. page 464, 465.
* ↑ This latitude is from 4′ to 6′ more south than captain Bligh's positions; and the same difference occurs in all the observations, where a comparison can be made.
* ↑ Mr. Bampton's chart and journal are more at variance here than in the preceding parts of the Strait, and I have found it very difficult to adjust them; but have attempted it in Plate XIII.
* ↑ I am aware that the president de Brasses says, "This same year also (1628) Carpentaria was thus named by P. Carpenter, who discovered it when general in the service of the Dutch Company. He returned from India to Europe, in the month of June 1628, with five ships richly laden." (Hist. des Nav. aux Terres Aust. Tome I. 433). But the president here seems to give either his own, or the Abbé Prévost's conjectures, for matters of fact. We have seen, that the coast called Carpentaria was discovered long before 1628; and it is, besides, little probable, that Carpenter should have been making discoveries with five ships, richly laden and homeward bound. This name of Carpentaria does not once appear in Tasman's Instructions, dated in 1644; but is found in Thevenot's chart of 1663.