2S6
palfage over the meridian by-two'hours and a h a lf; and Mr.
Flinders did not think the higheft rife o f the tide was more than
fevern, or lefs than five, feet.
On Wednefday the 3 1ft, having a moderate breeze at S. by W.
■ with fine weather, they got under weigh with the weather tide,,
and beat out o f the river. Having paffed fifteen days in Glals-Houfc
Bay, Mr. Flinders was enabled to form his-judgment o f it. It was fo
full o f lhoals, that he could not attempt to point out any palfage
that would lead a Ihip into it without danger. The eaft fide o f
the Bay had not been founded; if any exifted, it would probably
be found on that fide.
Mr. Flinders named the land upon which Cape Moreton was
fituated Moreton IJland, fuppofing it to be that which Captain
Cook would have given it, had he known of its infulated form. It
appeared to be a ftrip o f land whofe greateft extent eaft and weft
was not more than four or five miles; but, according to the
obfervations for the latitude, its north and fouth extent was about
twenty-two miles. The ridge o f land which ran along the middle
o f the ifland was nearly o f the fame height with the Cape; and,
although it appeared to be compofed of great piles o f fand heaped
together upon a bafe moftly o f ftone, it was yet interfperfed with
fmall trees calculated to miflead a diftant obferver, who would
probably think that fome parts o f it were not among the moft
barren fpots in the univerfe.
In palling out o f the bay they faw a large turtle lying alleep
upon the water ; whence it became not improbable, that the capture
o f thefe animals might form a part o f the labours o f the inhabitants,
nnd of the intention with which their larger nets were made.
C H A P . X X I .
TH E NORFOLK PROCEEDS TO H E R V E Y ’ s B A Y .— SOME ACCOUNT OF IT .—
CUR LEW IS LAN D .— SHE R E T U RN S TO PORT JA C K SO N .— OBSERVATIONS
ON TH E C U R R EN T S AND T ID E S ALONG THE COAST.— A C R I M
INA L COURT ASSEM B LED .— ORDER R E SP EC T IN G THE ISSUING OF
GOVERNMENT NOTES.— PU BLIC WORKS.— SE P T EM B E R .— A SHIP A R R
IV E S FROM AM E R IC A .— TH E BUFFALO SA IL S FOR TH E C A PE. THE
GOVERNOR CROSSES TH E N E P E A N .— A C A LF K IL L E D .— OCTOBER.
CONVICTS FOUND ON BOARD THE HILLSBOROUGH AND H U N T E R .—
THE M ASTER OF THE H UN T ER T R IE D .— A YOUNG OX STOLEN.—
RA T ION REDUCED.— P R IC E OF G R A IN F IX ED .
In his palfage to Hervey’s Bay, the next place o f his deftination,
Mr. Flinders was not more than two days ; pafiing the Wide Bay
o f Captain Cook on the i l l and Sandy Cape on the 2d of Auguft,
The foutherly wind o f the day veering round in the evening to the
eaftward compelled him during the night to keep at a diftance from
the land ; but, returning to it in the morning, he found that Captain
Cook’ s defcription of the coaft applied exceedingly well, fo far as
the diftance o f the Hoop from the Ihore would enable him to
judge.
During this Ihort run he paffed one of thofe fpotted flat-tailed
fnakes which were firft noticed by Captain Cook in this latitude, and
which appeared to be o f the kind obferved by Captain Dampier on
the North Weft coaft of New Holland. Mr. Flinders had obferved
the fame fort o f fnake among the iflands between New Guinea and
New Holland, when on board His Majefty’s Ihip Providence ; it
was therefore probable, that it might be found upon moft parts o f
VOL. I tHS