'777* Marqji 1773. I hardly need fay, that it is the Southern
-JaT ‘y- ■' point of New Holland, which, if it doth not deferve the
name of a continent, is by far the largeft ifland in the
world.
The land is, for the moil part, of a good height, diverfified
with hills and-valleys, and every where of a greenifh hue.
It is well wooded; and, if one may judge from appearances,
and from what we met with in Adventure Bay, is
not ill fupplied with water. We found plenty of it in three
or four places in this bay. The beft, or what is moil convenient
for ihips that touch here, is a rivulet, which is one
of feveral that fall into a pond, that lies- behind the beach
at the head o f the bay. It there mixes with the Tea-water;
To that it muft be taken up above this pond, which may be
done without any great trouble. Eire-wood is to be got,
with great eafe, in feveral places.
The only wind to which this bay is expofed, is the North
Eaft. But as this wind blows from Maria’s iflands, it can
bring no very great fea along with i t ; and therefore, upon
the whole, this may be accounted a very fafe road. The
bottom is clean, good holding ground; and the depth of
water from twelve, to five and four fathoms. But the annexed
Chart will convey a better idea of every thing neceffary
to be known about Adventure Bay, than any defcriptisn.
Captain Furneaux’s Iketch of Van Diemen’s Land, pub-
lilhed with the Narrative of my laft Voyage*, appears to me
to be without any material error, except with regard to Maria’s
Iflands, which have a different fituation from what is
there represented. What my idea of them is, will he feen
* Vol. i. p. 115.
in
in the iketch of that coaft here inferted; and I infert it, not
as the refult of a more faithful, but merely o f a fecond
examination. The longitude was determined by a great
number of lunar obfervations, which we had before we
made the land, while we were in fight of it, and after we
had left i t ; and reduced to Adventure Bay, and the feveral
principal points, by the time-keeper. The following Table
will exhibit both the longitude and latitude at one view;
Latitude South. Longitude Eaft'.-
Adventure Bay, - - 43° 21' 20"— 1470 29' o"
Tafman’s Head, - ■ 43 3 3 c-----147 o
South Cape, - - 43 42 o----- 146 56 o
South Weft Cape, - 43 37 o-----146 7 o
Swilly Me, - - - 4-3 SS ° -----*47 6 o
, , _ (Variation of the compafs 5° ic'Eaft'.
Adventure B a y , . | j j j ^ Nced,e ^ ^
We had high-water on the 29th, being-two-days before
the laft quarter of the moon, at nine in the morning. The
perpendicular rife then was eighteen inches; and there
was no appearance of its having ever exceeded two feet and
a half. Thefe are all the memorials ufeful to navigation,
which my fhort ftay has enabled me to preferve, with re-
fpetft to Van Diemen’s Land.
Mr. Anderfon, my Surgeon, with his ufual diligence,
fpent the few days we remained in Adventure Bay, in examining
the country. His account of its natural productions,
with which he favoured me, will more than com-
penfate for my lilence about them: fome of his remarks on
the inhabitants will fupply what I may have omitted or re-
prefented imperfe&ly ; and his fpecimen of their language,
V o l . I. * P however