AprU ^lat wWch he calls cape Dlfappointment; and the opening to the fouth
— ,--- 1 of it, Deception bay. This Cape was found to be in latitude 46° ig',
longitude 236° 6'.
The fea had now changed from its natural, to river coloured water;
the probable confequence of fome ftreams falling into the bay, or into
the ocean to the north of it, through the low land. Not conlidering
this opening worthy o f more attention, I continued our purfuit to the
-N.w. being delirous to embrace the advantages of the now prevailing
breeze and pleafant weather, fo favorable to our examination of the
coafl, which now took, a direction n . 12 w . ; the latitude at this time was
46° 14'; longitude 236“ l 'i ; and the variation of the compafs 18° eaft-
wardly. In this fituation we had foundings at the depth of 33 fathoms,
black fandy bottom ; the northernmoft land feen from the deck bore by
-compals north; the promontory o f cape. Difappointment, from N. 14 e .
to N. 32 e . ; this, theneareft Ihore, was about 2 leagues diftant; and the
fouthernmoft land in fight bore s . e . by Si
The country now before us prefented a moft luxuriant landfcape,. and
was probably not a little heightened in beauty by the weather that prevailed..
The more interior parts were fomewhat elevated, and agreeably
diverfified with hills, from which it gradually defcended to the Ihore,
and terminated in a fandy beach. The whole had the appearance of a
continued foreft extending as far north as the eye could reach, which
made me very felicitous to find a port in the vicinity of a country prefent-
ing fo delightful a profpeft of fertility; our attention was therefore earnefl-
ly direfted to this objeft, but the fandy beach bounded by breakers extending
3 or 4 miles into the fea, feemed to be completely inacceflible
until about four in the afternoon, when the appearance of a tolerably
good bay prefented itfelf. For this we fleered, in the hope of finding a
divifion in the reef, through which, fhould admittance be gained, there
was great reafon to expeft a well flickered anchorage ; but on approaching
within 2 or 3 miles of the breakers, we found them produced by a
compaft reef, extending from a, low projefting point of land along the
fhores to the fouthward, until they joined the beach to the north of cape
Difappointment. This projecting point is fomewhat more elevated than
the reft of the coaft, and is fituatedin latitude 46° 40'; longitude 236°. ^ 9^
Not a little difappointed,- we refumed our route along the fhores of this <----,— ’
pleafant country. The projefting point, at fix, bore by compafs n. io e .;
the center of the bay, and the neared part of the reef in a line n . 69 e . ;
diftant from the former about 7, and from the latter, about 3 miles.
Immediately within the point, the interior country is more elevated than
to the north or fouth of i t ; rifing in gradual afcent to land of a moderate
height. In refpeft of latitude,, this point anfwered nearly to Mr. Mears’s
cape Shoal water; but, from his defcription of the adjacent country, it
fhould rather appear to be his Low Point; and the bay we endeavoured
to enter to the fouth of it, Shoalwater bay ; as in it there appeared two
openings, the one taking a northerly, and the other aneaftwardly direction.
Mr. Mears likewife ftates, ~ “ that, with their glafles, they traced
the line of the coaft to the fouth of cape Shoalwater, which prefented no
opening that promifedlike ah harbour;” thole to the fouth of both thefe
points flattered our expeftations, until the breakers, extending acrofs
each of them, gave us reafon to conflder them inacceflible, and unworthy
any infs: of time whilft accompanied by fo favorable a breeze. At
fun-fet we again fhortened fail, and as ufual, hauled our wind to preferve
our ftation until the morning. Our foundings were from 24 to 43 fathoms,
dark brown fandy bottom. It was calm for a-few hours during
the evening and night, with a heavy fall o f rain.
The next morning at four o’clock, with a light breeze at e . s. e . we Saturday,8.
again fleered in for the land, and found that we had been materially af-
feCled by a northern current. The land we had been abreaft of the preceding
evening, now bore by compafs; s. e . 6 or 7 leagues diftant; and
the coaft to the north of it ftill continuing to appear a ftrait and compaft
fhore I did not attempt gaining a nearer view, but pafled on to the
northward, keeping at about a league from the land which now took an
almoft north direftion, to a point that, after the Right Honorable Lord
Grenville, I named P oin t G r en v il l e , fituated in latitude,47°,22',
longitude 235“ 5 8 'i; whence the coaft tends n. n.w . Lying, off point
Grenville are three fmall rocky diets, one of which, like that at cape
Look-out, is perforated.