Latitude observed to the north, 10° 31'
Hammond's I., the north rock dist. 2 miles, N. 73 E.
Good's I., former station on the S. W. hill, S. 23 W.
Hawkesbury I., the highest part, N. 14 W.
Booby Isle was in sight from the mast head at one o'clock, bearing nearly W. S. W.; and soon after three we anchored one mile to leeward of it, in 7 fathoms, soft sand. A boat was sent on shore, which presently came back loaded with boobies; and fresh turtle tracks having been perceived, the crew returned to watch, and at midnight we received five turtle. These appeared to be of the species called hawkes-bill; the shells and skins, as also their fat, were of a red tinge, and they had longer necks than the turtle procured at Wellesley's Islands, to which they were much inferior, both in size and quality.
When entering the Gulph of Carpentaria in the Investigator, I had remarked what appeared to be a considerable error in the relative positions of Booby Isle and the flat-topped York Island, as they are laid down by captain Cook; and to obtain more certainty, the longitude of the flat top had been observed this morning from the time keeper, and I anchored here this afternoon to do the same by Booby Isle. The result showed the difference of longitude between them to be 43½', differing less than 1' from what had been deduced in the Investigator, whereas, by captain Cook, they are placed 63' asunder. The high respect to which the labours of that great man are entitled, had caused me to entertain some doubt of the reality of this error until the present verification. It is to be wholly ascribed to the circumstance of his not having had a time keeper in his first voyage; and a more eminent proof of the utility of this valuable instrument cannot be given, than that so able a navigator could not always avoid making errors so considerable as this, when deprived of its assistance.
A meridian altitude of the moon placed Booby Isle in latitude 10° 36' south; and the longitude from a medium of the Investigator's and Cumberland's time keepers, was 141° 56½' east. A morning's amplitude taken after quitting the isle when the schooner's head was W. by S., gave the uncorrected variation 5° 38' east.
TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER 1803
At daybreak next morning, having a fresh trade wind, we steered W. by S. by compass, the soundings increasing gradually from 7 fathoms to 13 at noon, when our latitude was 10° 38' and longitude 141° 17'. No reefs or other dangers had been seen to the west of Booby Isle; nor were any met with in steering across the Gulph of Carpentaria towards Cape Wilberforce (Atlas, Plate XIV), though many birds, principally boobies, were seen every day. We ran in the night, with the precaution of heaving to every four hours, to sound; the depth was from 30 to 36 fathoms on a muddy bottom, nearly all across the Gulph.
FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER 1803
(Atlas, Plate XV.)
On 28th at two in the morning, Cape Wilberforce being seen directly ahead, we hove to in 18 fathoms till daylight; the south-east extreme of the cape then bore S. 54° W, and the largest of Bromby's Isles was two miles distant to the northward. After making some short tacks, we passed through between the two outer isles, with soundings from 6 to 11 fathoms; and at ten o'clock, when clear of the passage, the bearings of the nearest lands were as under:
Bromby's I., the largest, cliffy S. E. end, S. 34° W.
Bromby's I., outermost, highest part, dist. 1¼ m., S. 50 E.
Truant Isle, centre, N. 37 E.
Two islets, dist. 5 miles, centres, N. 24° and 32 W.
Wigram's Island, extremes, N. 55 to S. 87 W.