At the bottom of York Sound is PRINCE FREDERIC'S HARBOUR, a fine spacious port, fourteen miles long, and from five to seven broad: it is terminated by two rivers, namely Hunter's and Roe's. It has several rocky islands on either shore; and, at the bottom, they are numerous. The tide here rises at the springs twenty-nine feet. The anchorage is not so good in the entrance of the port, but a good bottom may be found as soon as Hunter's River begins to open, and bears East 1/2 North, and when you are within a small island that is in the centre of the port; but an anchorage may very probably be obtained on the northern shore, or, indeed, any where out of the strength of the tides.
HUNTER'S RIVER runs up for about fourteen miles. It is about one mile and a half wide at the entrance, and preserves that width for more than four miles, when it suddenly contracts and becomes shoal, and very tortuous in its course, and winds through a narrow chasm in the rocks, which rise precipitously in some parts for at least two or three hundred feet. A vessel may anchor in seven fathoms near the end of the first reach; its course is to the East-North-East. There is a remarkable rock at the entrance, in latitude 15 degrees 1 minute 30 seconds, and longitude 125 degrees 24 minutes. ROE'S RIVER first trends for seventeen miles to the East by South, and then, taking a sudden turn to the south, runs up for thirteen miles more; after which it trends to the South-East, and was supposed to run up for at least ten miles farther. Its entrance for seven miles forms a very good harbour, being from two to six fathoms deep; but, in anchoring here, it must be recollected that the tide falls twenty-nine feet. This river, like Hunter's River, is bounded on either bank by precipitous hills, which, in many parts, are inaccessible.
Five miles to the westward of Cape Torrens is Point Hardy: off the latter is an islet; and three miles, North by East 1/2 East from it, is a reef, on which the sea breaks. This point is the east head of PORT NELSON, which extends to the southward from it for eight miles: its western side is formed by the Coronation Islands: its width is three miles, with good anchorage all over it. At the bottom is CAREENING BAY, where the Mermaid was repaired. The latitude of the beach in 15 degrees 6 minutes 18 seconds, and longitude 125 degrees 0 minutes 46 seconds.* Port Nelson communicates with the sea to the westward of the Coronation Islands, which may be considered a strait. At the south-west end of the southernmost island, where the strait is narrowest, and not more than one mile and a quarter wide, there is a patch of rocks in the centre, which always shows: the channel on the north side of these rocks is the best: the water is very deep, and the tide sets right through.
(*Footnote. The latitude of the observatory was taken every day during our stay, using the sea-horizon, but the effect of refraction was so great that the daily observations varied as much as 3 minutes 43 seconds.
The mean of 15 meridional altitudes with the sextant made the latitude 15 degrees 6 minutes 22.5 seconds, and of fourteen observations with the circle 15 degrees 6 minutes 13.8 seconds. Mean for the latitude of the observatory 15 degrees 6 minutes 18 seconds South.
The longitude was deduced by the mean of the observations of our two visits; namely, in October, 1820, and August, 1821: the latter were taken at Sight Point, in Prince Regent's River, the difference of the meridians of the two places, by chronometers and survey, being 8 minutes 52.8 seconds.
1820. September 28 and 29. By twenty sets of lunar distances with the sun, containing one hundred sights with the sextant, the sun being to the east of the moon, the longitude is 125 degrees 11 minutes 24.3 seconds.
1821. August 2nd and 3rd. By seventeen sets of lunar distances with the sun, containing eighty-five sights with the sextant, the sun being to the west of the moon, the longitude of Sight Point, in Prince Regent's River, was found to be 124 degrees 41 minutes 15.3 seconds, or of Careening Bay 124 degrees 50 minutes 8.1 seconds.
The mean is the longitude of the observatory 125 degrees 0 minutes 46 seconds East.)
The CORONATION ISLANDS separate York Sound from Brunswick Bay, and are situated in front of Port Nelson. The group consists of seventeen or eighteen islands, besides numerous rocky islets. On the largest island are two remarkable peaks; the easternmost is in 14 degrees 59 minutes, and longitude 124 degrees 56 minutes 5 seconds. The island is eight miles long, and from four to two wide; the others are from three to one mile in length; they are covered with vegetation, and the larger islands are well clothed with trees. The great rise of the tide would render this part of the coast of importance, was it not for the wretched state of the country, and the unproductiveness of its soil, which are great drawbacks upon the advantage of the tide's unusual rise. It is high water at full and change in Port Nelson at twelve o'clock, as it is also in Montagu Sound.
Beyond the Coronation Islands there is a string of small, rocky islands extending for sixteen miles: the westernmost is Freycinet's Group; the principal island of which Captain De Freycinet has described as resembling an inverted bowl; and, from this description, we had no difficulty in finding it out; it is in latitude 15 degrees 0 minutes 30 seconds, and longitude 124 degrees 32 minutes 40 seconds. Among the other islands we distinguished the islets Colbert, Keraudren, and Buffon. On the last there is a small, grassy, peaked hillock, in latitude 14 degrees 55 minutes 25 seconds, and longitude 124 degrees 43 minutes 20 seconds.
We passed out to sea between Freycinet's Group and Keraudren; and within one mile and a half of the latter had eighteen fathoms: it appeared, from the colour of the water, to have a reef projecting to the westward.
BRUNSWICK BAY is at the back of these islands, and extends from CAPE BREWSTER, in latitude 15 degrees 6 minutes 10 seconds, and longitude 124 degrees 55 minutes 5 seconds, which terminates Port Nelson, to Point Adieu. It is an extensive bay or sound, and is about twenty miles in extent, with good anchorage all over it. The coast is here very much indented by rivers and bays; among which may be particularized Prince Regent's River, Hanover Bay, and Port George the Fourth.
PRINCE REGENT'S RIVER is, without exception, the most remarkable feature of the North-West Coast. In general the inlets of this coast form extensive ports at their entrance; and, when they begin to assume the character of a river, their course becomes tortuous, and very irregular; of which there cannot be a better instance than the neighbouring river, Roe's River. Prince Regent's River trends into the interior in a South-East by East direction for fifty-four miles. With scarcely a point to intercept the view, after being thirteen miles within it. The entrance is formed by Cape Wellington on the east, and High Bluff on the west, a width of eight miles, but is so much contracted by islands, that, in hauling round Cape Wellington, the width is suddenly reduced to little more than a mile: at the branching off of Rothsay Water, it is little more than half a mile, and also the same width at the entrance of St. George's Basin. In this space, however, it is in some parts a little wider, but in no part between projecting points is it more than one mile and a quarter. For the first nine miles the stream is narrowed by islands; beyond this, its boundaries are formed by the natural banks of the river. On the eastern side, within Cape Wellington, is a deep bay, but of shoal and rocky appearance. At six miles farther on are two inlets, ROTHSAY and MUNSTER WATERS, near which the tide forms rapid eddies and whirlpools, that render its approach dangerous. In mid-channel is a group of isles; and, off the easternmost, a reef projects to the eastward for more than half a mile, round which a vessel must pass; here the channel is not more than half a mile wide. Munster Water, on the western side, communicates with Hanover Bay by a narrow strait, with very good anchorage in it in four and five fathoms mud; it is, however, an inconvenient place to go to, if a vessel is bound any farther up the river. Rothsay Water is a very considerable arm; and was conjectured to communicate with Prince Frederic's Harbour, and, if so, would insulate the land between Capes Torrens and Wellington. We did not enter Rothsay Water; and the tides and whirlpools were too rapid and dangerous to trust our small boats without running a very great risk. At the entrance of this arm, on the south shore, there appeared to be a shoal-bank. Halfway Bay offers very good anchorage out of the strength of the tides, with abundance of room to get underweigh from. The northernmost point of the bay, SIGHT POINT, has a small islet off it (LAMMAS ISLET) where the observations were taken to fix the longitude of Careening Bay. (See above.) The two bays on the opposite, or north-east shore, are shoal, and not fit for any vessel drawing more than six or seven feet; and the shores are so lined with mangroves, as in most parts to defy all attempts at landing. After passing them, the shores approach each other within three-quarters of a mile, but the south-west shore is fronted by a rocky shoal, which narrows it to less than half a mile; here the tide runs very strong, and forms whirlpools. On passing the point, the river opens into a large, spacious reach, which was called ST. GEORGE'S BASIN; and two conspicuous islands in it were called ST. ANDREW and ST. PATRICK'S ISLANDS. At the north-east corner are two remarkable hills, MOUNTS TRAFALGAR and WATERLOO: the situation of the summit of the former is in latitude 15 degrees 16 minutes 35 seconds, and longitude 125 degrees 4 minutes. The basin is from eight to nine miles in diameter, but affords no safe anchorage until a vessel is above St. Patrick's Island. The northern side of the basin is shoaler, and has two small inlets, which trend in on either side of the mounts, and run in for upwards of five miles, but they are salt. At the south side of the basin there are two or three inlets of considerable size, that trend in towards a low country. At ten miles South-East by East from the narrow entrance to the basin the river again resumes its narrow channel, and runs up so perfectly straight for fourteen miles in a South-East by East course, that the hills, which rise precipitously on either bank, were lost in distance, and the river assumed the most exact appearance of being a strait; it was from one to one mile and a quarter wide, and generally of from four to eight fathoms deep on a bottom of yellow sand: the river then took a slight bend, and continued to run up for twelve or thirteen miles further, with a few slight curves, and gradually to decrease in width until terminated by a bar of rocks; which, when the tide rose high enough to fall over, was very dangerous to pass: here a considerable gully joins the main stream, and, being fresh water, was supposed to have the same source as Roe's River. The river trended up for about three or four miles farther, when it is entirely stopped by a rapid formed of stones, beyond which we did not persevere in tracing it; the tide did not reach above this, and the stream was perceived to continue and form a very beautiful fresh-water river, about two or three hundred yards wide. As our means did not allow of our persevering any further, we gave up our examination. At seventeen miles above St. George's Basin, on the south shore, we found a cascade of fresh water falling in a considerable quantity from the height of one hundred and forty feet; and this, in the rainy season, must be a very large fall, for its breadth is at least fifty yards. At the time of our visit it was near the end of the dry season: and even then there was a very considerable quantity falling. Several small inlets trended in on either side of the river above the basin, particularly one upon the north side, which, from the height of the hills under which it trended, would probably produce a freshwater stream. In 1821 the Bathurst watered from the cascade, but the fatigue was too great, and the heat too powerful, for the boats' crew had to pull nearly forty miles every trip. High water took place in St. George's Basin at twenty minutes after twelve o'clock: the tide rose twenty-four feet.
HANOVER BAY is a very convenient port, about five miles deep, but exposed from the North-North-West; the anchorage is, however, so good, that no danger need be apprehended. At the bottom of the bay there is a deep chasm in the land, yielding a fresh-water stream; beyond this the bay terminates in a shoal basin. In the offing are several rocky islets, particularly one, a high rock, which is very remarkable. A little to the north-east of the river is a sandy beach, the situation of which is in latitude 15 degrees 18 minutes 21 seconds, and longitude 124 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds.