}n°: it came from the northward: to account for its courfe in all Augult,.
— v— j this variety of diredtions, we need only admit that the flood-
tide comes from the eaft or fouth eaft. It is well known,,
that where there are deep inlets, and large creeks into low
lands, running up from the fea, and not occafioned by rivers
qf frefh water, there will always be a great indraught of the
flood-tide, the direftion of which will be determined by the
pofition or direction of the coaft which forms the entrance of
fuch inlet, whatever be its courfe at fea; and where the
tides are weak, which upon this coaft is generally the cafe,,
a large inlet will, if I may be allowed the exprellion, attradfc
the flood-tide for many leagues,
A view o f the chart w ill at once illuftrate this pofition-. To:
the northward of Whitfunday’s Paflage there is no large inlet,
confequently the flood fets to the northward, or north
weftward, according to the direction of the coaft, and the
ebb to the fouth, or fouth eaftward, at leaft fuch is their
courfe at a little diftanee from the land, for very near it they
will be influenced by fmall inlets. I alfoobferved, that we
had only one high tide in twenty-four hours, which happened
in the night. The difference between the perpendicular
rife of the water in the day and the night, when
there is a fpring-tide, is no lefs than three feet, which,
where the tides are fo incoafiderable as they are here, Sis a
great proportion of the whole difference between high and
low water. This irregularity of the tides, which is worthy
of notice, we did not difcover till we were run aihore, and
perhaps farther to the northward it is ftill greater: after we
got within the reef the fecond time, we found the tides more
eonfiderable than we had ever done before, except in the Bay
of Inlets, and poflxbly this may be owing to the water being
more confined between the fhoals; here alfo the flood fets to
the
the north weft, and continues in the fame direction to the *77°.
extremity of New Wales, from whence its direction is weft <— »—
and fouth weft into- the Indian fea.
C H A P. VII..
"fhe Paffage from New South Wales to New Guinea, with-
an Account o f what happened upon landing there.
IN the afternoon o f Thurfday Auguft the-23d, after leaving Thurfday 23.
Booby Ifland, we- fleered W. N. W. with light airs from
the S. S. W. till five o’clock, when it fell Calm, and the tide
of ebb foon after fetting to the N. E. we came to an anchor in-
eight fathom- water, with a foft fandy bottom. Booby
Ifland bore S. 50 E. diftant five miles, and the Prince of
Wales’s Ifles extended from N. E. by-N. to S. 55 E .; between
thefe there appeared to be a clear open paflage, extending
from N. 46 E. to E. by N.
At half an hour after five, in the morning of the 24th, as Friday,24.
we were purchafing the anchor, the cable parted at about
eight or ten fathom from the ring: the Ihip then began to
drive, but I immediately dropped another anchor, which
brought her up before file got more than a cable’s length
from the buoy; the boats were then fent to- fweep for the
anchor, but could not fuceeed. At noon, our latitude, by
obfervation, was io° 30' S. As I was refolved not to leave
the anchor behind, while there remained a poflibility of
recovering it, I fent the boats again after dinner, with a.
fmall line, to difcover where it la y ; this being happily effected,
we fwept for it with a hawfer, and by the fame
hawfer hove the Ihip up to it : we proceeded to weigh it, but
juft.
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