To the eastward there are five islands, the largest of which from its resemblance to the Lion's Mount at the Cape of Good Hope I called Sir Roger Curtis's Island, who then commanded on that Station. It is high and inaccessible on the north-west side and covered with small bushes at the top. Two other islands like haycocks, only higher and more perpendicular, standing a considerable distance from each other, the largest of which bore us south-east 1/4 south distant 16 or 17 miles and the other south-east by east about 10 miles. The latter is nearly shut in with the south-east end of Sir Roger Curtis's Island. The fourth is a rock standing a considerable height out of the water nearly in a position between the two haycocks or rather sugarloaf-like islands bearing from south-east 1/4 south. The fifth is a high perpendicular barren cliff which, as we get almost abreast, looked like two islands joined together at the bottom, rising to a sharp edge ragged at the top and resembling a large tower or castle. This island I named The Devil's Tower. An island inshore was observed, it bore west-north-west distant 10 miles: I called it Moncur's Island in compliment to Captain Moncur of the Royal Navy, and another was visible bearing north by east 16 or 17 miles.
Land, apparently an island to the southward and eastward we can just see from the masthead. It may be necessary to observe that these bearings were taken at noon, and as it was then a stark calm the vessel was nearly stationary. By a good observation the latitude was 39 degrees 30 minutes, longitude 147 degrees 18 minutes east, calculated from lunar observation 2 days before. But I take it to be correctly 147 degrees east from my making the Ramhead according to the best charts, therefore the bearings are laid down in my chart from 147 degrees east.
"Wilson's Promontory was so named by Mr. George Bass of H.M.S. Reliance who was the first navigator that ascertained the real existence of a strait separating Van Dieman's Land from New Holland in his voyage in a whale boat from Sydney to Western Port.* (* "Mr. Bass places Wilson's Promontory in 38 degrees 56 minutes south, Lieutenant Grant in 39 degrees 17 minutes, and Mr. Black in 39 degrees 8 minutes. As Mr. Bass's latitude is by computation from the whale boat, I think a preference may be given to Lieutenant Grant's position, as he had the advantage of a good sextant." P.G.K.) Having made it I set off in one of my boats early in the morning of the 10th* (* Grant now abandons the plan previously used of heading each entry in the diary with the date of the day on which it was written, and includes the dates of the various events in the text of his narrative.) to endeavour to land on one of the islands lying off it; but after a long pull found the one I judged from its sloping aspect to be the easiest for that purpose, a solid rock for a considerable height with surf too powerful for such a small boat as mine. After several fruitless attempts I was obliged to abandon the idea, contenting myself with taking a view of it—and those contiguous. One of them was an immense rock; on one side perfectly round, with a large hole in the other in the form of an arch with a breastwork rising high enough above the level of the sea to preclude the water from getting into it; the hollow appeared as scooped out by art instead of nature. I gave it the name of the Hole in the Wall and to the range of islands stretching along the main—the name of Glennie's Islands after Mr. George Glennie, a particular friend of Captain Schanck's to whom I was under personal obligations. On the summit of all these islands there was a thick brush growing, whereas the land off Cape Liptrap already mentioned exhibited a fine level country. The day being far spent in this survey I deemed it best to get on board as the vessel was just visible with her head towards us and becalmed. On the 12th we had fresh gales and cloudy weather, the shore we were running along was low and covered with thick brush training in a north-east direction which Messieurs Flinders and Bass have given very accurate descriptions of."
Of his coming to Sydney, Grant writes, "Governor King had taken the precaution of leaving a letter for me at the Cape, describing the particular marks for knowing the entrance of the Port, which no doubt saved us much trouble. They consisted of a flagstaff erected on the South Head or left hand side of the entrance, and when vessels are seen the flag is hoisted. This land being high may be seen at a considerable distance on a clear day. In the afternoon of the 16th saw the flagstaff as described by Governor King. At six in the evening we entered between the Heads of Port Jackson. We found much swell in going in but were soon in smooth water and an excellent harbour, perhaps one of the finest in the known world. As the wind was from the south and contrary to getting into Sydney Cove we were obliged to beat up to it, and at half-past seven in the evening (on Tuesday December 16th) we let go our anchors in 8 fathoms water after a voyage of 71 days from the Cape of Good Hope, and with the satisfaction of being the first vessel that ever pursued the same track across that vast ocean, as we have no traces of its being done particularly from the Island of Amsterdam, namely; between the degrees of latitude 38 and 39 1/2 degrees south until the Lady Nelson made the coast of New Holland in latitude 38 degrees and steering to the eastward along a tract of land nearly four degrees to the westward of any seen by Messieurs Flinders and Bass."
Following the example of many a first discoverer, he ends the account of his voyage with an expression of thankfulness to God for the protection shown him "during the whole passage."
The Lady Nelson's arrival at Sydney gave great satisfaction to the colony, and Colonel Collins remarks that a few such vessels were much needed there in order to obtain a necessary knowledge of the coast. Governor King naturally was most interested in Grant's description of his passage through Bass Strait, and the news that the Lady Nelson had passed deep indentations with beautifully wooded shores and rocky islands lying off them pleased everybody. But King did not conceal his disappointment that her commander had been unable to land anywhere or to penetrate the deep bay called Governor King's Bay. The Admiralty had instructed the Governor to have the whole of the south coast properly charted, and he determined that Grant should return in the Lady Nelson and thoroughly survey it. King also made an eye-sketch of the land, for he saw that Grant's chart was imperfect. For that reason he sent Ensign Barrallier, of the New South Wales Corps, who was a competent surveyor, in the brig, and it is, chiefly, to Barrallier we are indebted for our earliest and most authentic charts of the places which the Lady Nelson visited in the second voyage.
Grant, however, had to contend with many difficulties in both voyages. First and foremost he had to face the risk and dangers of an entirely new coast, and this without a companion ship. King was aware of this for he wrote to Banks: "It is my intention to despatch the Lady Nelson to complete the orders she first sailed with. I also hope to spare a vessel to go with her which will make up for a very great defect which is the utter impossibility of her ever being able to beat off a lee shore." It is, therefore, well to remember that although Grant did not enter Port Phillip he was the first to see the indentation in the coast within which Port Phillip lay hidden.
Grant had been instructed by the Admiralty to join H.M.S. Supply at Sydney. On his arrival he found this ship laid up as a hulk and unfit for sea. He says that he felt completely adrift until Governor King invited him to continue in his position as commander of the Lady Nelson but, in the colonial service and on less pay. As there was no one in the colony then fitted for the post, and as he did not wish the service to suffer from delay, he accepted the offer. Matters being thus arranged he was re-appointed to the Lady Nelson, his new commission dating from January 1st, 1801.
On January 11th Captain Black, from the Cape, arrived in Sydney in the Harbinger, having followed the Lady Nelson through Bass Strait. On his way through the strait Black met with an island which he named King Island in honour of the Governor. Mr. Reid, of the Martha, however, had first discovered it in 1799.
The Margaret, Captain Buyers, from England, was the third vessel to sail through Bass Strait, arriving in Sydney on February 7th, 1801. Buyers fell in with the Australian coast about Cape Bridgewater eastward of where the Lady Nelson had made it and westward of the point reached by the Harbinger.