The Immense Gulf Of Carpentaria Was Unknown, Except A Very Small
Portion Of Its Eastern Side.
The lands called after Arnheim and Van Dieman
also required and deserved a minute investigation, especially the bays,
shoals, islands, and coasts of the former, and the northern part of the
latter.
The north-west coast had not been examined since the time of
Dampier, who was of opinion that the northern portion of New Holland was
separated from the lands to the northward by a strait. The existence of
such a strait, Captain Flinders completely disproved.
With respect to the south coast, at least 250 leagues were unexplored.
Captain Flinders had examined with considerable care and minuteness the
east coast and Van Dieman's Land; but there were still several openings
which required to be better explored.
Such were the principal objects which Captain Flinders had in view in his
voyage; and no person could have been found better qualified to accomplish
these objects. On the 18th of July, 1801, he sailed from England in the
Investigator, of 334 tons: there were on board, beside the proper and
adequate complement of men, an astronomer, a naturalist, a natural history
painter, a landscape painter, a gardener, and a miner. As soon as he
approached the south coast of New Holland, he immediately began his
examination of the coasts, islands, and inlets of that large portion of it,
called Nuyts' Land; he particularly examined all that part of the coast,
which lies between the limit of the discoveries of Nuyts and Vancouver, and
the eastern extremity of Bass' Straits, where he met a French ship,
employed on the same object.
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