3§s C A P T A I N C A R T E R E T ’ S V O Y A G E
■ 1
September.
been fome time with us, a breeze fprung up, and they returned
to the fhore.
Saturday 12
Cape Byron,
The peak upon Sandwich Ifland lies in latitude 2° 53' S.,
longitude 1490 17' E. After the Indians had left us, we
fleered nearly weft, and foon after faw a point o f land,
which proved to be the fouth weft extremity of New Ireland
to which I gave the name o f Cape Byron : it lies in latitude
2“ 30' S., longitude 1490 2' E. Over-againft the coaft o f
New Ireland, to the weflward o f Cape Byron, lies a fine
New Hanover.
large ifland, to which I gave the name of N ew Hanover.
Between this ifland and New Ireland, there is a ftreight or
paffage, which turns away to the N. E. In this paffage lie
feveral fmall iilands, upon one o f which there is a remarkByron’s
Ifland.
able peak: this ifland I called Byron’s Island, and rhe
paffage, or ftreight, I called Byron’s Streight. The land?
of New Hanover is h ig h ; it is finely covered with trees,
among which are many plantations, and the whole has a
malt beautiful appearance. The fouth weft point o f it
which is a high bluff point, I called Queen Charlotte’s
Foreland, in honour o f her Majefty. This foreland, and
the land about it, is remarkable for a great number o f little:
hummocks or hills, but night coming on, with thick weather,
hard fqualls, and much rain, we could not fee more of
it diftirtdlly enough to defcribe its appearance:
Sunday 13. We fleered weflward all night, and in the morning, the
weather being Hill thick, our view of New Hanover was
very imperfeft; but we faw, about eight leagues to the-
weflward o f it, fix or feven fmall iflands, which 1 called the-
Duke of
Portland’s
Iilands.
Duke of Portland’s Islands, two o f which are pretty
large. I now perceived by the fwell of the fea that we were
clear of all the land, and I found Saint George’s Channel tof
be
be a much better and fhorter paffage, whether from the eaft- 1-67.
ward or the weftjyard, than round all the land and i(lands to ,Seplember:'
the northward; the diftrefs therefore which pufhed me upon Su“day ‘3r
this difcovery, may probably be, in its confequences, of
great advantage to future navigators, efpecially as there can
be no doubt but that refrefhments of every kind may eafily
be procured from the natives who inhabit either of the coafts-
o f the channel, or the iflands that lie near them, for beads,,
ribands, looking-glaffes, and efpecially iron tools and cutlery
ware, of which they are immoderately fond, and with
which, to our great misfortune, we were not furniihed.
Queen Charlotte’s Foreland,, the fouth weft part o f New
Hanover, lies.in latitude 2° 29'S., longitude 148° 27' E.; and
the middle of Portland’s Iflands in latitude 20 27' S., longitude
148“ 3 'E. The length o f this ftreight or channel, from
Cape Saint George to Cape Byron, the fouth weft extremity
o f New Ireland, is above eighty leagues ; the diftance from
Cape Byron to Qtieen Charlotte’s Foreland is about twelve
leagues, and from the Foreland to Portland’s-Iflands about
eight leagues; fo that the whole length of Saint George’s.
Channel is about one hundred leagues, or three hundred:
miles.
Though we cleared the Streight in the morning o f Sunday
the 13th of September, we had no obfervation o£ the
fun till the 15th, which I could not but greatly regret, as it
prevented my being fo exafl in my latitude and longitude as-
might be expected. The defcription alfo o f the country, its.
productions and people, would have been much more full
and circumftantial, i f I had not been fo much infeebled and:
difpirited by ficknefs, as almoft to link under the duty that:
for want o f officers devolved upon me,, being obliged,, when.
1 was fcarcely able to crawl, to keep watch and watch, and.
1. fharfi: