1815.] A Voyage to Terra AuslraUs. 22o 



herself to fall upon the reef. The Bridgewater thus escaped her 

 by a few feet, and got safe out of the reach of the reef. Tiie night 

 was dark. It was uncertain how long the vessels would hold toge- 

 ther, and the only chance of safety seemed to be in iiolding out till 

 morning, when it was fully expected that the Biidgewatcr would 

 come and take the crews aboard. The cutter was suddenly let 

 down from the Porpoise ; but it was supposed to be broken by the 

 violence of the surf. Another boat was let down, and Captain 

 Flinders swam to it, in order to get on board the Bridgewater, and 

 inform Captain Palmer of the situation of the vessels ; but the 

 Bridgewater was sailing away, and Captain Flinders found that, 

 with the wind against him, and only two bad oars, it would be im- 

 possible to make his way to that vessel. He determined, therefore, 

 to remain near the Porpoise till morning. He found the cutter 

 safe and full of men, without any officers. He told them to re- 

 main near him till day-light. Fortunately the Porpoise had fallen 

 over towards the sand bank, so that the sea did not beat over her, 

 and she remained together without being stove in till morning. 

 The case was different with the Cato. She had fallen towards the 

 deep water. Her upper works were immediately beaten in and 

 destroyed, and every thing except the men washed overboard. 



Next morning a dry sand bank with birds' eggs upon it, indi- 

 cating that it was never covered by the tide, was perceived at no 

 great distance from the Porpoise. Here they agreed to land, and 

 to take on shore as many stores as possible from the Porpoise. The 

 Cato's crew made their way by swimming to the Porpoise, and only 

 three lads were drowned ; but most of them were in their shirts, 

 and they had to be su]iplicd with clothes by the officers and men of 

 the Porpoise. On this sund-bank they all landed. Captain Flin- 

 ders assumed the command as senior officer. Almost the whole of 

 the provisions and stores in the Porpoise were landed, and the 

 whole party brought under the same order and discipline as on 

 board his Majesty's ships. The Bridgev/ater sailed away, without 

 any attempt to relieve the shipwrecked vessels, or to ascertain 

 whether any of tiie crew were left alive or not : and Captain 

 Palmer, on his arrival in India, gave information that the two 

 vessels were wrecked, and that all on board had perished. The 

 Bridgewater was herself lo^^t on her homeward voyage to Britain, 

 and Captain Palmer never more heard of. This was, perhaps, 

 fortunate for himself; for his situation, after the true history of the 

 shipwreck w;ls known, would have been most uucomfortable, sup- 

 posing him possessed of any feeling. 



Wreck R(!cf, as the place of the shipwreck was called, lies in 

 latitude 22"' 11' 2;i", south; and in longitude 155° IS' .50-.V', 

 east. It is distant from Port Jackson about 7^0 miles. Finding 

 themselves abandoned \>y the Bridgewater, it was agreed in a con- 

 sultation of officers, tiiat one of them should endeavour to make 

 his way in one of the boats to Port JackiJon, in order to procure 

 the means necessary to convey them to a place of safety. Captain 

 Vol. V. N'^ 111. P 



