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. During
his absence the Commander explored the banks of a creek "which opened
abreast of the vessel" and Barrallier and Murray surveyed the harbour
while Caley searched for new plants wandering as far as Snapper Island.
Barrallier and Grant also made collections but Governor King afterwards
wrote that "Caley received everything they found - and refused to give up
or part with a duplicate."
Wet weather set in until the 25th. The day following, search was again
made for fresh water, and Grant went up the creek which was found to
terminate in a salt marsh. The trees on the bank were not large but the
underwood was thick. He penetrated inland for some distance and saw spots
"as if cleared by manual labour...covered with good tender grass," a
delightful sight to him. The open land had the appearance of being
frequently overflowed and he thought it was well adapted for the purpose
of fattening cattle; numbers of black swans and other water-fowl were
seen in the creek, the length of which was about two miles and a half,
its waters, which were salt, ended in a small run some 12 feet in
breadth. It was Bowen, the second mate, who at length found the
fresh-water stream originally discovered by Bass, and on the same day he
captured a couple of cygnets one of which was presented to the Governor
at Sydney.
On 27th March, Murray accompanied by Barrallier and Caley set out to
explore the stream. They went up its windings as far as possible passing
no less than 42 short reaches. Its breadth at the entrance was about half
a cable's length and at the farthest part reached by the boat not more
than 18 or 20 feet, the passage being there impeded by trees lying across
it.
While his party were exploring, the commander with Euranabie made
excursions along the shore to the mouth of the harbour. "The beach was
covered with shells, many of them beautiful and some of them entirely new
to me. I observed another creek not so large as the former which I have
described but having its entrance quite filled up...so that the sea could
not enter it...the land in general was above the level of the sea and the
soil was in some places light and black, in others a red clay. We fell in
with a rocky point about which I observed playing in the water a number
of fishes called salmon in New Holland.
