C H A P . X V I .
THE NORFOLK PASSES TH E S T R A IT .— OBSERVATIONS THER EON.----PROCEEDS
TO TH E SOUTHWARD.----PASSES TH E S. W. C A P E ; AND S.
C A P E .— R EM A R K S ON TH E L A T T E R .— DE W IT T ’ S ISLES-— STO RM-BAY -
P A S S A G E— T a s m a n ’ s h e a d — f l u t e d c a p e— F r e d e r i c k h e n r y b a y .
— E N T E R THE D ERWEN T R IV E R , F IR ST SEEN IN THE SHIP- D U K E ,
OF B EN G A L .'— OBSERVATIONS ON TH E DERWENT .— SOME N A T IV E S SEEN
— P A R T IC U LA R S OF ONE.----VENOMOUS SN A K E .— ONE DESTROYS IT S
E L F .—-COMPARISON BETWEEN NEW SOUTH WALES AND V AN DIE-
MEN’ s L A N D .— A R R IV E A T POJiT JA C K SON .— AD VANTAGES OF THE
S T R A IT .
M r . Bafs and his fellow voyager, Lieutenant Flinders, did not
hefitate now to think that they had palled through the ftrait, and
from the Pacific had .entered the fouthern Indian ocean ; for what
within the extent of a vaft fea could give birth to the monftrous
fwell that was rolling in before their eyes ? and the coaft was evidently
trending towards the S. W. cape.
Mr. Bafs fays (with all the feeling and fpirit o f an explorer), that'
“ he already began to tafte the enjoyment refulting from the completion
of this difcovery, which had been commenced in the whaleboat,
under a complication, o f anxieties, hazard, and fatigue, known
only to thole who conduced her modeftly Iharing the praifes, to
which he alone was' entitled, with thofe who accompanied him.
It was worthy of remark (Mr. Bafs fays), that the northern Ihore.
o f the ftrait from Wilforis Promontory (feen in the whale-boat) to
Weftern Port refembled the bluff bold Ihore o f an open fea, with a
fwell
fwell rolling in, and a large furf breaking upon it ; while the
fouthern Ihore, or what is the coaft of Van Diemen’s land, appeared
like the inner Ihore o f a duller o f illands, whole outer parts break
off the great weight o f the fea. The caufe of this is immediately
obvious, on recollecting that the fwell o f the Indian ocean enters the
ftrait from the fouthward o f weft. The greater part of the fouthern
Ihore lies in a bight, whofe weftern extreme is Hunter’s Illes, and
the N. W. Cape o f Van Diemen’s land. Now as the fwell comes
from the fouthward, as well as the weftward, it mull, after Unking
upon the northweft part o f the fouthern Ihore, evidently run on in
a diredion fomewhat diagonal with the two fides of the ftrait, until
it expands itfelf upon the northern Ihore, where both fwell and
Airfare found. But to the fouthward o f this diagonal line the fwell
mull quickly take off, and totally difappear, long before it can reach
the Ihore to make a furf. Hence arifes the difference.
That the fwell of the Indian ocean comes, by far the greater part
o f the way, from the fouthward o f weft, can hardly be doubted,
Ance it is well known that the prevailing winds are from that
quarter.
Early in the afternoon (of the 1 ith) a piece o f land Hood out
from the line of the coaft like an ifland, but it was foon found to be
joined to the main by a fandy beach. The Ihore beyond it looked
rugged and craggy, and the land equalled the moll fterile and Honey
that had been feen. At night the veffel Hood off to the weftward
from abreaft o f a pyramidal rock lying clofe to the main. At
day-light the following morning, they came in again with the land
at the fame place, and ran along the Ihore with a frelh breeze at N.
W., the coaft trending in a waving line to the S. S. E.
Towards noon the coaft began to rife into chains of lofty mountains,
which ran along in nearly the fame line as the coaft. The
latitude was 43 . ° o 7'., the longitude I4J -0 4 2'- A large fmoke that
got up aftern o f the veffel was the firft fign o f inhabitants that had
vol. it. ' \ A A been