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.
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