Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia Volume II Part 10

Sunday morning.

Weighed anchor and stood to the south to examine a bay opposite the southern part of Moresby's Flat-topped Range. This bay, which is not laid down in the charts, was found to be an excellent anchorage, completely sheltered from all southerly winds, which are the prevailing winds on this coast at this time of the year, and also much protected by a reef running north and south from the extreme point of the bay. This reef or bank was found to have from three to five fathoms upon it, and within it there was seven fathoms, even near to the sh.o.r.e, at the bottom of the bay; and there is no appearance of any heavy sea or violent action of the water on the beach at any time of the year.*

(*Footnote. The report of this bay by the Master of the Champion is as follows: 26th January 1840. Anch.o.r.ed in a bay not laid down in the charts, lying in lat.i.tude 28 degrees 50 minutes, the north land bearing north-north-west, and the south point south-west. A reef breaks off the point, the north part of which bore west-south-west; but it extends far more to the north, and breaks, I presume, in bad weather. The reefs extend also a great way to the westward of this point. We anch.o.r.ed about half a mile from the sh.o.r.e in seven fathoms water, and about three miles from the head of the bay. The soundings are exceedingly even for five miles, carrying seven fathoms, never varying: just before, we carried four and five, when, I think, we pa.s.sed over the reef, which appears to me to join the main at that distance from the south-west point. The beach does not show the least sign of any sea. Found two posts stuck up in it.

I consider this bay an excellent anchorage during summer; and, I think, from the appearance of the beach, it must be safe in winter.)

SEA VIEW OF AUSTRALIND. APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY.

To the south of the tongue of land which forms the bay there is also another bay, which would be completely sheltered from all northerly winds so as to combine between the two bays perfect shelter at all seasons of the year. From the deck of the schooner where she lay we had a view of the entire slope of ground from the beach to the top of the range, about five or six miles distant. The range seems to consist of isolated hills rising from an elevated plain. Judging by the eye at that distance, the entire s.p.a.ce as far as we had any opportunity of seeing, after going a little way back from the coast, on the slope to the hills, upon the hills, among the hills, beyond the hills, and, in short, everywhere, as far as the eye could discern, appeared a gra.s.sy country, thinly sprinkled with some low trees or shrubs, perhaps the acacia. If this be the case, and that there be water sufficient, of which there is no reason to doubt, this may certainly turn out to be the finest district for sheep pasture that this colony can possess. What may be the breadth of this district, how far it may extend into the interior, of course nothing can be known or said; but from what I have now seen, and from what Captain Grey has seen on a former occasion, there is little doubt that it extends north and south from the northern part of the Menai Hills as far south as the River Arrowsmith, a distance of more than 80 miles. To the south of that river comes the range of hills which Captain Grey has called Gairdner's Range, and which is supposed to be the northern termination of the Darling Range; if so it is very probable that, by keeping on the east side of the Darling Range a continuation of pastoral country might be found all the way to Moresby's Flat-topped Range. In coming to our anchorage this morning we pa.s.sed the opening of another river, that which is laid down in Captain King's charts as the largest. From what we saw of it I do not think that much water can issue from it either, although its bed looked larger and better defined than any we had seen hitherto. The man from the mast-head said he saw the sandy beach all across it. But the Captain, being anxious to examine the anchorage in the bay, did not wish to come to anchor sooner, so we pa.s.sed on, perhaps 10 or 12 miles to the south of it. Just as they were about to let go the small anchor, which had been used since the first was broken, it was discovered that it also was broken nearly through, so we had to drop a large and heavy one, being the only one now remaining in the s.h.i.+p. We then landed in the boat, and saw two pieces of s.h.i.+p's timbers set up in the sand of the beach, about half a mile from each other. Dug and examined under and about the largest of them in hopes of finding some directions, probably about fresh water, but found none. Examined a place where the tea-tree and wattles were very green and luxuriant looking; it appeared like a swamp in winter, but quite dry now. Was struck by the singularity of some tea-trees growing, of a large size, both up the sides and on the tops of high sandhills, but which appeared to rest upon limestone. Got a view to the east and south of the range. The country presented the same appearance as before. It must be remarked that the gra.s.s was all parched and withered and of a yellow straw colour; and it was from this colour princ.i.p.ally that we judged of its existence on the distant grounds. Those who have once seen tracts of withered gra.s.s will not readily mistake its appearance; but the green of the shrubs was extremely vivid. One observation which we had repeated occasion to make was the constant heavy dews which fell at night on this coast, rendering everything about the s.h.i.+p quite wet. The wind was off the land. The country all around seemed to be on fire in the morning. The thermometer, as I stood on the deck, was 94 degrees. In the evening the wind came round to the north-west, and, desirous of availing ourselves of such a favourable breeze, we got on board and set sail, but were obliged to stand well out to sea to clear the reefs. Towards night it fell calm again, and there was some lightning in the north.

DISTRICT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH OF SWAN RIVER.

The third district lies immediately to the north of Perth. It contains four rivers:

The Norcott, The Moore, The Smith, The Hill.

The Norcott and Moore Rivers, about fifty miles to the north of Perth, were before known; and about twenty-five miles to the north of Moore River is the Smith. The Hill comes out of Gairdner's Range, the natural northern limit of this district, which is connected with Perth by a chain of freshwater lakes, the greatest distance between any two of them being not more than from five to six miles. The whole of this district is therefore fit for location, and affords a gratifying proof that the flouris.h.i.+ng colony of the Swan is by no means deficient in good and immediately available land.

The circ.u.mstance also of this district being so abundantly supplied with water, even at the end of an uncommonly dry season, which was the period I traversed it in, much enhances its value. It must, as the number of horned stock in the colony of Western Australia increases, be the first occupied; for it is nearer to a market than any other open to location, and affords both water and food for cattle in good supply.

CHAPTER 7. VOYAGE HOMEWARDS.

Before quitting the Mauritius, in August 1838, I had written to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, reporting my intention to proceed to the Swan River, and then, as circ.u.mstances might guide me, either to return from thence at once to the north-west coast, or, should that not be feasible, to await further instructions from England; adding that, in the latter event, I should attempt in the meantime to pa.s.s the range to the north-east of the Swan, and endeavour to ascertain in what direction the streams thrown off from this range towards the interior might flow.

I have already stated the incidents that prevented me from following out the first of these plans, as well as those which led me to adopt the project of the voyage to Shark Bay in lieu of an inland journey such as the second; and now that this last expedition was brought to a close I had yet to await, for some time, the answer to my communication from the Mauritius, which was to guide my future proceedings. The interval between my return to Perth and the period at which a reply might be expected appeared too short to allow of my carrying out any comprehensive plan of exploration, and I therefore resolved to employ it in endeavouring to extend my knowledge of the native character and language, as well as of the general position and prospects of the colony.

At this time, the death of Sir Robert Spencer, the Government Resident at King George's Sound, having caused a vacancy in that appointment, I was induced, at the offer of Mr. Hutt, to a.s.sume the temporary duties, with a two-fold desire of rendering what public services I could during my unavoidable period of inaction in the country, as well as of enlarging my opportunities of observation on the aboriginal race.

In these occupations I remained, until the receipt of a reply from the Secretary of State, which, after speaking in terms of flattering approbation of my past exertions, notified that, for the present, Her Majesty's Ministers did not think it desirable that the researches in the north-west should be prosecuted further.

PREPARE TO RETURN TO ENGLAND.

On the receipt of this I made preparations for returning to England, but, no favourable opportunity offering from the western settlements, as soon as I was relieved from my duties as Resident, I embarked for South Australia in the hope of obtaining from thence a more speedy pa.s.sage than the other colony seemed likely to afford.

After a short stay at Adelaide I finally sailed for England on the 11th April 1840, and reached this country in September following.

NATURAL HISTORY.

The leisure of the voyage afforded me the means of making some additions to my former observations on the Natural History of the seas we traversed, the chief results of which will be briefly given in this chapter, together with some casual observations which I was enabled to make on the Geology of St. Helena in consequence of the vessel touching there.

June 2 1840. At sea: south lat.i.tude 20 degrees 0 minutes; east longitude 58 degrees 47 minutes 15 seconds.

I caught a species of shrimp (Penaeus) of a delicate prussian blue colour, which was more brilliant at the extremities, and gradually paled towards the centre of the animal. There was not the slightest shade of any other colour about it, but it turned pink in some places directly it was put into spirits; it had four anterior and four posterior legs on each side.

Total length 1.45 inches.

Length of apparatus on head 0.17 inches.

Length of tail 0.25 inches.

Head and connected apparatus 0.52 inches.

Tail and body to commencement of first ring 0.48 inches.

June 13. South lat.i.tude 27 degrees 4 minutes; east longitude 47 degrees 38 minutes 15 seconds.

A species of animal (Alima hyalina ?) was caught resembling a scorpion, having six legs, three on each side; the first pair of legs were provided with claws, like a lobster; its tail exactly resembled that of a scorpion; the sac or bag near the extremity of the tail was of a light red colour, and it tried to strike with its tail, as if for the purpose of stinging. Eyes pale blue, and prominent; body nearly diaphanous, with pale red spots.

Total length 0.33 inches.

Length of body 0.20 inches.

Breadth across from eye to eye 0.13 inches.

Breadth of body 0.14 inches.

Several of the animals which I supposed to be the Velella of Lamarck, and some of which had been caught on the 11th of November 1837 were also found today. Caught also a species of animal which I had found on October 22 1837, in south lat.i.tude 37 degrees 44; east longitude 38 minutes; and again on November 12 1837, in south lat.i.tude 30 degrees 11 minutes; east longitude 100 degrees 31 minutes 30 seconds. It resembles in shape and size a large grape.

Extreme length 0.5 inches.

Breadth 0.45 inches.

Total circ.u.mference round broadest part 1.30 inches.

Colour brownish blue; but there were round it twenty very narrow brownish yellow stripes, equidistant from each other, and not quite reaching either extremity of the animal.

June 16. South lat.i.tude 28 degrees 46 minutes; east longitude 42 degrees 3 minutes.

We caught an animal this afternoon somewhat resembling a shrimp (Erichthus vitreus)* covered with a s.h.i.+eld: we had caught a similar one on the 12th of November 1837. From measurements taken from the living animal the dimensions were:

Length from tip of tail to tip of spine, in front of head 1.15 inches.

Ditto of spine 0.23 inches.

Ditto from tip of tail to bottom of last scale 0.2 inches.

Ditto from tip of spear to end of s.h.i.+eld 0.7 inches.

The temperature of the water at 6 P.M. was 71 degrees Fahrenheit; of the air 74 degrees.

(*Footnote. See Ill.u.s.tration 8 volume 1.)

The s.h.i.+eld was perfectly air-coloured and diaphanous, and extended for some distance beyond the head and the upper parts of the body; the body itself was of a pale delicate blue, and it threw a very light bluish tinge upon the s.h.i.+eld; the eyes were jet black, and placed at the end of a tube like those of the lobster; the tip of the spear was of a light red colour. Caught also this day the lower portion of a species of Diphyes, the same I had found on the 13th of November 1837 in south lat.i.tude 30 degrees 7; east longitude 100 degrees 50 minutes 10 seconds. The total length of this was 0.5 inches.

Caught also two minute animals resembling a species of shrimp (Penaeus); colour of both pale blue. The tail of the largest when examined in a microscope precisely resembled in appearance the fin of a fish. I did not examine the smaller one. Dimensions of the largest:

Total length 0.2 inches.

Length of feelers 0.15 inches.

Of smallest:

Total length 0.13 inches.

When put into eau-de-cologne these animals changed to a pink colour.

June 17. South lat.i.tude 29 degrees 19 minutes; east longitude 40 degrees 19 minutes.