Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake Volume I Part 7

Sail on our Second Northern Cruise.

Entrance to the Inner Pa.s.sage.

Arrive at Rockingham Bay.

Land Mr. Kennedy's Expedition.

Commence the Survey at Dunk Island.

Communication with Natives.

Barnard Isles.

Botanical Sketch.

Examine a New River.

Frankland Isles.

Find the Coconut Palm.

Fitzroy Island.

The Will-o-the-Wisp and her Story.

Trinity Bay.

Animals of a Coral Reef.

Stay at Lizard Island.

Howick, Pelican, and Claremont Isles.

Bird Isles.

Meet party of Natives in Distress.

Cairncross Island.

Arrive at Cape York.

SAIL ON SECOND NORTHERN CRUISE.

April 29th.

The season for pa.s.sing through Torres Strait from the southward having arrived, we left Port Jackson on a ten-months cruise, in order to complete the survey of the Inner Pa.s.sage, or the clear channel between the north-east coast of Australia and the inner edge of the outer reefs, which again are bounded to seaward by the Great Barrier Reef, stretching from north to south, for a distance of upwards of 1000 miles.

In the evening we were joined by the Tam O'Shanter, a barque having on board a colonial overland expedition under Mr. Kennedy, which we are to accompany to Rockingham Bay, 1200 miles north from Sydney, where we are to a.s.sist in the disembarkation and starting of the party.

For the first nine days we averaged only thirty miles a day, owing to a long continuance of calms and light winds with a strong adverse current, which on one occasion set us to East-South-East fifty-three miles in twenty-four hours. At length, on May 8th we picked up a strong southerly breeze, accompanied by a northerly set. On May 12th we rounded Breaksea Spit, and Captain Stanley finding his original intention of pa.s.sing inside of Lady Elliot's Island impracticable, or at least involving unnecessary delay, determined to bear up North-West by West keeping outside of the Bunker and Capricorn Groups, and try the channel previously pa.s.sed through by Captain F.P. Blackwood in H.M.S. Fly.

Captain Stanley's remarks on this subject are so important, that I give them verbatim:

ENTRANCE TO THE INNER Pa.s.sAGE.

"After reaching Lady Elliot's Island, we steered a course direct for the High Peak of the Northumberland Islands, so as to pa.s.s between Bunker's Group and Swain's Reef, which affords a far better entrance into the Inner Pa.s.sage, than the old route round Breaksea Spit inside the Bunker Group; when the course requires to be changed, and the channel is much narrower. We sounded every half hour without finding bottom, with from 80 to 120 fathoms, till we came to the soundings laid down by the Fly, which we found to agree almost exactly with ours.

"Our soundings were obtained by using Ma.s.sey's patent lead, with which we found we could reach the bottom at twenty-six fathoms, when the s.h.i.+p was going 9.2 knots an hour; and with such a guide any error in the reckoning would be detected, even by night, as the Bunker Group gives warning by the soundings. For a steamer going to Sydney by the Inner Route, this channel would be invaluable as far as the Pine Peak of the Percy Isles.

One direct course will lead out to sea clear of all the reefs, a distance of more than 200 miles, during which period there would be ample time to ascertain by observations of the sun, whether any current had been experienced sufficient to place the s.h.i.+p in danger, and, as the channel between Swain's Reef and the Bunker Group appears to be clear, there is a drift of thirty miles on each side the course from the High Peak."

May 15th.

After having at daylight sighted the land about Port Bowen and Cape Townshend, we pa.s.sed the Northumberland and Percy Isles to the westward, the water being very smooth with light airs from South to East-North-East. A very offensive smell which has been experienced in the after part of the s.h.i.+p for a week back, was today traced to some preserved meats prepared in Sydney; 1036 pounds of these being found quite putrid were condemned.*

(*Footnote. It is but justice to state here that the English invention of preserving meat in air-tight canisters had only recently been attempted in Sydney; and it was then to be regarded merely as an experiment to try whether a new and important article of colonial export could not be produced. Since then, further experience in the process has enabled the introducers of the plan to succeed so perfectly, that afterwards, the colonial preserved meats supplied to the Rattlesnake, including some which had been kept for eighteen months, were always preferred by us to those prepared in England. The meat itself, I allude to beef and mutton, was of better quality, and the cost much less.)

CAPE UPSTART.

May 19th.

At length, after several days of light and contrary winds, the wind came round to South-East and a.s.sumed the appearance of the trade, which we had at last picked up. We ran round the north-east end of the c.u.mberland Islands, pa.s.sed Cape Gloucester, and in the evening anch.o.r.ed under Cape Upstart in our former berth.

During a solitary ramble next day, chiefly in order to search for a kind of rock wallaby, or small kangaroo, peculiar to this place, and which I failed on this occasion (as during two previous visits) to procure, I walked as far as the place where the Fly had watered some years previously. The large rocky basin which we had found dry in December last, when the whole plan of our first northern cruise had to be altered, in consequence of this unexpected result, was now nearly full. The aspect of the country had been considerably changed by the late abundant fall of rain, and the vegetation everywhere looked quite green. No signs of natives were seen--their visits to the immediate vicinity of the Cape appear to be made only at rare intervals; and the just chastis.e.m.e.nt bestowed upon them some years ago, in consequence of a wanton attack made upon a seining party will, probably, for some time to come, render them cautious of coming in contact with white men. While wading about among the tall gra.s.s, the long sharp awns of the prevailing kind, an Anthistiria, were more annoying than can be described, having forced their way in hundreds through my thin clothing, causing an annoying and painful irritation; to which, the bites of clouds of mosquitoes in a mangrove swamp which I had entered in chase of some bowerbirds, added a finis.h.i.+ng touch, as if to test the powers of human endurance. Having expended my stock of dust shot, I tried fine sand--which I had somewhere read of as a subst.i.tute, but, although used under the most favourable conditions, the experiment proved a complete failure. Sights for rating the chronometers to get which was the only object in coming here, having been obtained, we left for Goold Island in the afternoon.

GOOLD ISLAND.

May 21st.

Pa.s.sing outside of the Palm Islands, and rounding Cape Sandwich, we entered Rockingham Bay, and anch.o.r.ed on the North-West side of Goold Island, where we found the Tam O'Shanter. This island is about seven miles in circ.u.mference, gradually rising towards the centre, to form a peak 1376 feet in height. The sh.o.r.es are rocky, with occasional sandy beaches, and the island is well wooded up to its summit; Eucalypti (gumtrees) frequently of great size, being the predominant trees. The gra.s.s was very luxuriant and even difficult to wade through, indicating an abundance of water, of which several small streams were seen. One of these streamlets close to the anchorage is well adapted for watering a s.h.i.+p at, as boats can approach within a few yards; and the supply can never, I have good reason to believe, entirely cease.

NATIVES AND THEIR CANOES.

The natives, a small party of whom were here, have had frequent intercourse with Europeans, and indeed the sight alongside the s.h.i.+p of eight canoes, four of which carried two unarmed men, and the others one each, would of itself, to most people, have been a convincing proof of a friendly disposition. That such apparent desire to be on friendly terms might often mislead strangers, is not to be wondered at. Yet these same people, a few years ago, made a sudden and most wanton attack upon a seining party belonging to H.M.S. Fly, and shortly after we left them, they attempted to cut off a small vessel which had called there for water.

Their canoes are very simply constructed of a single sheet of bark of the gumtree brought together at the ends, and secured by st.i.tching. The sitter squats down with his legs doubled under him, and uses a small square piece of bark in each hand, as paddles, with one of which he also bales the water out by dexterously scooping it up from behind him.

On May 23rd, a convenient spot for landing the overland expedition having been found on the sh.o.r.es of Rockingham Bay, we s.h.i.+fted our berth in the afternoon a few miles further to leeward, and anch.o.r.ed under the westernmost of the Family Islands, in order to be near the place of disembarkation.

LAND MR. KENNEDY'S PARTY.

On the two following days everything belonging to Mr. Kennedy's party (with the exception of one horse drowned while swimming it ash.o.r.e) was safely landed, and his first camp was formed on some open forest land behind the beach, at a small freshwater creek.

The object of Mr. Kennedy's expedition, was to explore the country to the eastward of the dividing range running along the North-East coast of Australia at a variable distance from the sh.o.r.e, and terminating at Cape York, where a vessel with supplies was to meet the party in October, after which they were to start on their return to Sydney; proceeding at first down the western side of the peninsula to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and then shape such a course as was best calculated to bring them to the settled districts of New South Wales.

Of the disastrous results of this unfortunate expedition, I need not here speak; I shall afterwards have to allude to the melancholy death of its gallant leader, within a day's journey almost of the goal which he was struggling with desperate energy to reach--the nearest place where a.s.sistance could be procured for the few remaining survivors of his party, of whom, eventually, only three were saved. I last saw poor Kennedy on the evening before he broke up his camp; he was then in high spirits and confident of success.

THEY COMMENCE THEIR JOURNEY.

The party, of thirteen men and twenty-eight horses (with carts, a flock of sheep for food, etc.) appeared to be furnished with every requisite for their intended journey, and the arrangements and appointments seemed to me to be perfect. Nor did I, despite the forebodings of others, argue anything but a successful result to an undertaking, the blame of failure of which was AFTERWARDS attempted to be thrown upon those who had planned it.

The small granite island (one of the Family Group) off which we were anch.o.r.ed, afforded little of interest to us. Fresh water was found in small quant.i.ties, not available, however, for the use of vessels. The most curious production of the island is an undescribed plant of the singular family Balanophoraceae, not before known as Australian, which was found here in abundance in the gloomy brushes, parasitic upon the roots of the tallest trees. We also met with here--in probably its southern limit upon the coast--a species of rattan (Calamus australis) with long p.r.i.c.kly shoots, well ill.u.s.trated in the annexed drawing by Mr.

Huxley, representing the process of cutting through the scrub, during an excursion made with Mr. Kennedy, for the purpose of searching for a way out from the low swampy district of Rockingham Bay.

COMMENCE THE SURVEY.

May 26th.

During the forenoon, the s.h.i.+p was moved over to an anchorage under the lee (North-West side) of Dunk Island, where we remained for ten days. The survey of the coastline and Inner Pa.s.sage to the northward was here commenced, and afterwards continued up to Torres Strait, by an unbroken series of triangulation; it included a s.p.a.ce varying in width from 5 to 15 miles, extending through 7 1/2 degrees of lat.i.tude and 4 1/2 of longitude, with a coastline of upwards of 600 miles.

MODE OF CONDUCTING IT.

The programme of the survey may be briefly given as follows: at the princ.i.p.al stations--chiefly islands off the coast--the various observations for determining astronomical positions and theodolite angles, were made by Captain Stanley and Mr. W.H. Obree, and the s.h.i.+p remained there at anchor for several days. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Dayman, in the Asp, laid down the coastline and neighbourhood as far as the next station twenty or thirty miles in advance. Lieutenant Simpson with the pinnace continued the soundings several miles further out, both working in conjunction, and often a.s.sisted by another boat in charge of Mr.

Heath, while the outside soundings devolved upon Lieutenant Yule in the tender. The Rattlesnake in s.h.i.+fting from place to place, aided by boats in company, sounded the centre of the channel, usually following one of the lines run by Captain P.P. King, and marked upon his charts. The available boats permanently attached to the s.h.i.+p, were employed under various officers in the neighbourhood of the different anchorages, cutting up the ground, and filling up any gaps which might otherwise have been left in the new charts.

The summit of a very small rocky island, near the anchorage, named by Captain Stanley, Mound Islet, formed the first station. Dunk Island, eight or nine miles in circ.u.mference, is well wooded--it has two conspicuous peaks, one of which (the North-West one) is 857 feet in height. Our excursions were confined to the vicinity of the watering place and the bay in which it is situated. The sh.o.r.es are rocky on one side and sandy on the other, where a low point runs out to the westward.

At their junction, and under a sloping hill with large patches of brush, a small stream of fresh water, running out over the beach, furnished a supply for the s.h.i.+p, although the boats could approach the place closely only at high-water.

Among the most interesting objects of natural history, are two birds, one a new and handsome fly-catcher, Monarcha leucotis, the other a swallow, which Mr. Gould informs me is also an Indian species. Great numbers of b.u.t.terflies frequent the neighbourhood of the watering place--one of these (Papilio urvillia.n.u.s) is of great size and splendour, with dark purple wings, broadly margined with ultramarine, but from its habit of flying high among the trees I did not succeed in catching one. An enormous spider, beautifully variegated with black and gold, is plentiful in the woods, watching for its prey in the centre of a large net stretched horizontally between the trees.