Here we deposited some seeds but did not find
the soil equally rich with that of Churchill's Island." Having lost some
of their drinking water, the Commander writes: "Luckily I heard the
bullfrog, which is common in New South Wales, and I made towards the
thicket from whence his croaking issued and there found a present supply.
This arm reminded me of the appearance of Porchester Lake when the tide
is out. Indeed the entire view of Western Port has no small resemblance
to Spithead and Portsmouth Harbour. On the 17th we got under weigh and at
night brought up in 12 fathoms water with rather a foul bottom. In the
morning we discovered a sand shoal whereon the waves were breaking very
heavily close to us...We shifted our berth and brought up in a small nook
or bay which I named Elizabeth Cove in honour of Miss Elizabeth King,
daughter of Governor King, then at Sydney." The greater part of Grant's
survey of Western Port was completed by April 22nd, but the Lady Nelson
was detained there by bad weather until the 29th, when, at break of day,
she weighed and stood out of the port, passing to the westward of Seal
Islands.
Grant then proceeded to make a survey of the coast from Western Port
eastward as far as Wilson's Promontory, which he says he carried out for
a distance of seventy miles, but winter being now advanced little more
could be done in the way of surveying, and as the wet weather was
prejudicial to the instruments, he resolved to make the best of his way
to Sydney; bad weather caused the ship to put into Botany Bay, but she
eventually arrived on May 14th, 1801.
On his return to Sydney Grant refers to the good health of those on
board: "I had not from the time of my departure a sick man among my
ship's company, one man only excepted, whose skull had been fractured."
He also tells us that while in Botany Bay he had the satisfaction of
receiving a letter from Governor King, in which he expressed himself well
pleased with what had been done.
We know that the Governor was keenly disappointed that Grant had failed
for the second time to explore Governor King's Bay and to fulfil other
duties which had been expected of him. The voyage, however, must have had
its compensations, as Barrallier was able not only to survey Jervis Bay
and Western Port (the map of the former is not at the Admiralty), but
also to obtain much of the information contained in the combined chart of
his "discoveries made in Bass Strait up to March 1802," reproduced above.
CHAPTER 3.
COLONEL PATERSON AND LIEUTENANT GRANT SURVEY HUNTER RIVER.
