"During Our Stay In Jarvis's Bay We Were By No Means Idle, Which You Will
Be Convinced Of, I Hope, When We Arrive.
The weather I have had these 5
days convinces me that the Bee would have been a very great
Retard to
us...for the sea here, when it blows hard (owing, I presume, to the
current setting strong against the wind) makes it run confused and break
much...Mr. Barrallier has got nearly well of his seasickness and we have
had the azimuth compass to work, which he now understands thoroughly.
Murray is well, and all my people are comfortable and happy. - I am etc.
JAS. GRANT."
On their parting, the Britannia steered to Sydney, while the Lady Nelson
stood to the southward, meeting with a southerly wind and being so
retarded that it was 8 A.M. on the 21st before Wilson's Promontory was
sighted. When close to the rock which he had named Rodondo, Grant
observed the latitude to be south 39 degrees 4 minutes.* (* The latitude
of Wilson's Promontory is 39 degrees 7 minutes 55 seconds and the
longitude 146 degrees 25 minutes east. In the log, Lieutenant Grant gives
the former as 38 degrees 59 minutes and longitude 146 degrees 6 minutes
east.) From Wilson's Promontory, the land sloped to the north-north-west
as far as eye could reach, becoming low and level towards Cape Liptrap
and from Glennie's Islands. The Lady Nelson now followed the coast
towards Western Port. On the way her commander named a point Cape
Paterson in honour of Colonel Paterson of the New South Wales Corps.
He thus describes the manner of his coming to Western Port: "At 4 P.M. of
the 21st we had sight of the island which forms the south head of Western
Port having the likeness of a snapper's head or horseman's helmet. By
eight we were up with it. On opening the entrance of the port I found two
small islands situated about three quarters of a mile from the South Head
with apparently a good passage between them and the island forming the
harbour. From its likeness, as above mentioned, to a snapper's head, I
named it Snapper Island.* (* The Phillip Island of Bass which even at
that time was called Phillip Island, a name it is still known by. Its
eastern extremity resembled the head of a snapper and was known as
Snapper Head. Bass himself had, in discovering the Strait, noticed the
resemblance.) It falls in a high clay bluff down to the water's edge. The
small islands lying off it were covered with seals, numbers of which, on
our approach, precipitated themselves into the sea, covering the passage,
while others remained on the rocks making a very disagreeable noise,
something like the grunting of pigs. They were of a large size, many of
them being nearly equal to a bullock. I judged them to be of that species
of seal called by fishermen sea elephants, accordingly I named these
islands, Seal Islands. I sent a boat ahead to sound...and found between
the Seal Islands and the South Head, 12, 9, 6, 5 and 3 1/2 fathoms of
water which last was shoaled in mid channel. This passage will shorten
the distance when there is a leading wind but standing round to the
westward of Seal Islands there will be found sufficient room for any
number of vessels to beat in. Mr. Bass, when he visited this place in the
whale boat, entered the port by the eastern passage which is much the
smallest, and coasting the western shore, from whence he made his
remarks. It is probable that these islands, lying so close to the western
side of him, did not show themselves to be detached...It had rained
constantly and heavily all night and...we could not see any great
distance from the vessel therefore I kept the lead going as she worked up
the harbour."
At half-past five she was "brought to" opposite to a sandy point which he
named Lady Nelson's Point "as a memorial of the vessel as she was the
first decked one that ever entered this port...Mr. Barrallier went on
shore with the second mate. They saw black swans and redbills, an aquatic
bird so called whose back is black, breast white, beak red and feet not
fully webbed. On Sunday 22nd or, according to our sea account the 23rd at
noon, I went with two of our crew in the smallest boat to search for a
river or stream described by Mr. Bass."
In proceeding along the shore Grant passed a muddy flat, and fell in with
an island* (* The log says this island bore north-north-west, 2 miles.)
"separated from the main by a very narrow channel at low water."...On
this he landed. "The situation of it was so pleasant that this together
with the richness of the spot made me conceive the idea that it was
excellently adapted for a garden." The island was called Churchill's
Island after John Churchill, Esquire, of Dawlish, in the county of Devon,
who, when the Lady Nelson left England, had given her commander vegetable
seeds, the stones of peaches, and the pips of several sorts of apples,
telling him "to plant them for the future benefit of our fellow-men, be
they countrymen, Europeans or savages." Captain Schanck had also supplied
him with seeds. A very rare apple, having seldom more than one pip in
each fruit, was named by Grant "Lady Elizabeth Percy's Apple," because,
"it was owing to her Ladyship's care and attention in preparing the
pepins that I was enabled to introduce it."
On this day several good observations were obtained. Grant placed Western
Port in latitude 38 degrees 32 minutes south and (by chronometer) in 146
degrees 19 minutes east of Greenwich. He did not, however, discover the
stream for which he was looking. On the following morning the second mate
(Mr. Bowen) tried to find the stream but was also unsuccessful.
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