by John Marshall

“ It is well known that westerly and south-westerly winds are the most prevalent in this part of the world; a vessel, therefore, by keeping as close to the coast as is proper, has the advantage of being considerably to the westward, and consequently to windward, when she meets with the westerly winds on opening the cape, and can therefore stand down to the southward ready to take advantage of a slant to the northward, which another vessel passing to the eastward of Staten Land could not do. ”

“ Upon reaching Cairncross Island (June 30th) , as we were in the act of letting go the anchor, Mr. Roe, who was at the mast-head, holding thoughtlessly by the fore-topmast-stay-sail-haliards, was precipitated from a height of fifty feet, and fell senseless on the deck. This unfortunate event threatened to deprive me of his very valuable assistance for some time, a loss I could but very ill spare, particularly when upon the point of returning to the examination of so intricate a coast as that part where we last left off. ”

“ The whole western coast of the continent is contained in one sheet, and is the last of Captain King’s charts of Australia. Although on a very limited scale, the nature of the coast generally is not such as to require it much larger, if we except Shark’s Bay, the adjacent harbours, and Swan River, of which places we should have been glad of particular plans. ”

“ The land that is laid down is nothing more than an archipelago of islands fronting the main-land, the situation of which is quite uncertain. Our examinations of these islands were carried on as far as Cape Villaret; but between that and Depuch Island the coast has only been seen by the French, who merely saw small detached portions of it. At present, however, all is conjecture; but the space is of considerable extent, and if there is an opening into the interior of New Holland, it is in the vicinity of this part. ”

“ There can, however, be very little more worth knowing of them, as I apprehend the difficulty of landing is too great ever to expect to gain much information; for it is only in Shark’s Bay that a vessel can anchor with safety. ”

“ Arnhem’s Land of 1618, extending from the meridian of 129° to 137° E. occupies the fourth sheet of Captain King’s survey. The principal features in it are Arnhem’s Bay and Van Diemen’s Gulf, with Melville and Bathurst Islands. A low sandy point projecting from the former of these at its N.W. extreme is Cape Van Diemen. The Dutch charts represented these two islands as being connected with the continent; but Captain King found them separated from it by a strait, to which he gave the name of Apsley Strait. ”

“ It is mostly taken from the survey made by Captain Baudin in the French expedition to these parts, and this was only seen by them at a distance. The coast between Forestier’s Islands and Cape Latouche Treville, an extent of about 250 miles, is laid down in this manner.
“The coast between Forestier’s Islands and Cape Cuvier is better defined on the last sheet of the north-west coast. Dampier’s Archipelago in 117° E. longitude, as well as Exmouth Gulf, at the north-west extremity of the continent, are given on an extended scale in separate charts. ”

“ In beating out of the river (Prince Regent’s) the cutter leaked a good deal, which shewed that our late repair at Careening Bay had not placed us without the pale of danger. This made me decide upon instantly returning to Port Jackson: but it was with great regret that I found it necessary to resolve so; for the land ta the westward appeared so indented, as to render the necessity of our departure at this moment particularly vexatious.
“Dec. 2d, – We were off Mount Dromedary; and the wind blew strong from the east, the weather assuming a threatening appearance. ”

“ Graves, particularly mentioned, for their zeal and activity in promoting the objects of the survey. The former, who was placed in command of a small vessel, named the Adelaide, attached to the expedition as a tender, surveyed nearly all the coast, from the Gulf of Penas to the southward of the Guanaco islands, where it is supposed the unfortunate crew of the Wager, one of Lord Anson’s ships, were cast away in 1744. ”

“ In consequence of this, a brig of 170 tons burden was purchased, and, at the suggestion of Governor Macquarie, named the “Bathurst.”
“By this change,” says Lieutenant King, “we gained a great addition to our comforts; and, besides increasing the number of our crew, were much better off in regard to boats; for we now possessed a long boat, large enough to carry out and weigh an anchor, or save the crew, if any accident should happen to the vessel, – a resource which we did not possess In the Mermaid. ”

“ The deficiency has been in some degree made up by a plan of the entrance to this Sound, published at the Admiralty, from a survey by Lieutenant Roe, the surveyor-general of the colony, to whom we have before alluded. It is intended principally to show the entrances to the Sound, between Carnac Island (formerly Isle Berthoullet) and Buache Island. So far it is sufficient for navigation, but requires many soundings, as well as the approaches to Swan River, to complete it. ”

“ They derive their subsistence entirely from the sea, the flesh of the seal affording them food, whilst their skins are converted into clothing. They appear to drag on a miserable existence in their cold and inhospitable climate, strangers to every comfort, and their condition is certainly the lowest on the scale of human degradation. ”

“ In hunting they make use of two or three balls, attached to thongs of hide, which, after having been swung several times round the head, to acquire a sufficient impetus, are thrown with unerring certainty at the animal’s legs, and entangle them in such a manner, that it is utterly impossible for the creature to extricate itself, and it consequently falls an easy prey. ”

“ No sooner had we passed this frightful danger than the breeze fell again, and was succeeded, by a dead calm; the tide, however, continued to carry us on with a gradually decreasing strength, until one o’clock, when. we felt very little effect from it.
The Bathurst returned to Port Jackson on the 25th April, 1822; sailed for England, Sept. 25th; and, after touching at the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, and Ascension, arrived at Plymouth, April 23d, 1823. ”

“ An expedition for the purpose of completing the survey of its north and north-west coast was planned, under the joint direction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, to the command of which Lieutenant King had the honor of being appointed. The arrangements for providing him with a vessel and crew were made by the latter department. ”

“ During this voyage, Commander King surveyed the coasts of South America from Cape Blanco, on the Atlantic side, lat. 47° 15' S., round Cape Horn, and through the Straits of Magalhaens, up to Cape Tres Montes, on the Pacific, lat. 47°; also the archipelago called Tierra del Fuego, and the islands on the S.W. coast. The commencement of this survey is thus described by an officer of the Adventure:–
Montevideo, April 25th, 1827. ”

“ The attention I was obliged to pay to the invalids, took up a great deal of my time, which ought to have been otherwise and more advantageously employed in the object of the voyage. Sailors, of all other people, are the most incautious and careless in contracting illness; but when attacked, there are none that require more attendance and nursing ”

“ From the alarming increase of the leak, it became absolutely necessary to ascertain the full extent of the damage, in order that we might, if possible, repair it, so as not to prevent the further prosecution of the voyage, or at least to ensure our return to Port Jackson.
“We were fortunately upon a part of the coast where the tides had a sufficient rise and fall to enable us to lay her on shore without difficulty; but the beaches in York Sound and Prince Frederick’s Harbour were all too steep for the purpose. The spring tides were now at hand ”

“ The vessel appropriated to Lieutenant King’s use was the Mermaid, a cutter of 84 tons burden, built of teak, and not quite twelve months old; her length was 56 feet; breadth of beam 18 feet 6 inches; and she did not, when deep-laden, draw more than 9 feet: the total number of her officers and crew was only eighteen, viz. Lieutenant King, commander; Messrs. Frederick Bedwell and John Septimus Roe, master’s-mates, both of whom had accompanied him from England; Mr. Allan Cunningham, botanical collector; twelve seamen, and two boys. ”

“ They are, however, remarkable in having a very broad and full chest, and their frame is unquestionably exceedingly large; but their limbs are not in the same proportion, being somewhat smaller than the average of Europeans. ”

“ I was now very anxious about the lost anchor; and, having expressed a wish to inform Mr. Harrison” (the master of the Dick) “of our situation, and to request him to recover our anchor in the morning if the weather would permit, Mr. Bedwell volunteered to go on board that ship, which, although a service of danger, was, if possible to be cfTected, absolutely necessary. The boat shoved off; but as the crew were unable to pull it a-head, I called her on board again, which was most fortunate, for shortly afterwards the chain-cable parted also, and the brig drove with her head towards the shore. ”

“ The construction of the charts of the preceding voyage, together with the equipment of the vessel, fully occupied me until the month of December; when, having some time to spare before we could leave Port Jackson on our second voyage to the north coast, in consequence of its being the time when the westerly monsoon prevails, I acquainted His Excellency the Governor, of my intention of surveying the entrance of Macquarie Harbour, which had lately been discovered on the western coast of Van Diemen’s Land. To make my visit there as useful aa possible to the colony, a passage was offered to Mr. ”