CHAPTER 2.
Examination of Rowley's Shoals, and Passage to the North Coast.
Survey of Goulburn Islands, Mountnorris and Raffles Bays.
Meet a Malay Fleet, and communicate with one of the Proas.
Explore Port Essington.
Attacked by Natives in Knocker's Bay.
Anchor in Popham Bay.
Visit from the Malays.
Examination of Van Diemen's Gulf, including Sir George Hope's Islands and Alligator Rivers.
Survey of the Northern Shore of Melville Island, and Apsley Strait.
Interview with the Natives of Luxmore Head.
Procure wood at Port Hurd.
Natives.
Clarence Strait.
Leave the Coast, and arrival at Timor.
1818. March 6.
The south-east wind, which set in on the morning that we left our anchorage off Depuch Island, continued to blow with thick misty weather, and made us conjecture that the westerly monsoon was nearly expended; we, therefore, steered off the coast with the intention of proceeding to the eastward towards Cape Arnhem, after ascertaining the position of a shoal that was seen by Captain Rowley, in H.M.S. Imperieuse, in 1800, and of two others that are described by Captain Horsburgh to be in its vicinity. They are situated according to the above authorities as follows, namely: Imperieuse Shoal (south end): latitude 17 degrees 35 minutes, longitude 118 degrees 37 minutes.
Shoal seen by the ship Good Hope (north end): latitude 17 degrees 47 1/2 minutes, longitude 119 degrees 18 minutes.
Shoal seen by Captain Clerke (north part): latitude 17 degrees 28 minutes, longitude 119 degrees 2 minutes.
The last is described by its discoverer, to be 230 miles North 49 1/2 degrees East (Magnetic) from the north part of Rosemary Island, which would assign to that island a situation in 20 degrees 6 minutes latitude, and 116 degrees 6 minutes longitude; but on this parallel there is no land to the westward of 118 degrees 40 minutes. The shoal, according to Captain Horsburgh's account, is 264 miles North, 49 degrees East (true) from Trimouille Island, the north-easternmost of the Montebello Group, which must be the one taken by Captain Clerke for Rosemary Island.
March 6 to 12.
After leaving the land, the weather was very dull and damp for six days, during which the wind being light and baffling prevented any progress. Fortunately we were free from sickness, otherwise the heavy rains that fell would have caused a considerable inconvenience to the crew, by confining them to the same small cabin with the sick. Happily, however, I heard of no complaints.
March 13.