It Was Upon
Seeing The British Flag Flying On This Island That Baudin Is Said To Have
Observed "That The English Were Worse Than The Pope, For Whereas He
Grasped Half The World The English Took The Whole Of It."
Commodore Baudin afterwards wrote to Governor King assuring him that the
rumour as to his intentions was without foundation, but,
He added,
"Perhaps he (Robbins) has come too late as for several days before he
hoisted the flag over our tents we had left in prominent parts of the
island (which I still name after you) proofs of the period at which we
visited it." This insinuation evidently raised King's ire, as he made a
note on the margin of the letter, "If Mr. Baudin insinuates any claim of
this visit the island was first discovered in 1798* (* King writes 1799
in the chart.) by Mr. Reid in the Martha and afterwards seen by Mr. Black
in the Harbinger and surveyed by Mr. Murray in February 1802." Baudin
seems to have totally ignored what could not have been a secret at Port
Jackson, namely, the fact that the Lady Nelson had surveyed King Island
from Cape Farewell to Seal Bay.
To return to the story of the logbooks. After another voyage to Norfolk
Island, whither the Lady Nelson conveyed troops to relieve the men there,
Murray was forced to resign his command, the Governor being informed, in
despatches from the Admiralty, that he had sent them an erroneous
statement of his services.
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