102 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



" At 5 p.m.," continues Bligh, " steering to the NW., we passed a large and fair 

 inlet [ESCAPE RIVER, in 10 58'. R. L. J.], into which, I imagine, there is a safe and 

 commercial entrance. It lies in lat. 11 S. About three leagues [miles ? R. L. J.] 

 to the north of this, is an island, at which we arrived about sunset, and took shelter 

 for the night under a sandy point which was the only part we could land at. ... 

 The island was covered with wood, but in other respects it was a lump of rock. 



" Wednesday, ^rd June. We lay at grapnel till daylight. The main bore from 

 SE. by S. to NNW.^ W., 3 leagues ; and a mountainous island with a flat top [MOUNT 

 ADOLPHUS ISLAND. R. L. J.] N. by W., 4 or 5 leagues, between which and the mainland 

 were several other islands. The spot we were at, which I call TURTLE ISLAND [He 

 grappled to the island on Tuesday night, and therefore it would be his TUESDAY 

 ISLAND. R. L. J.], lies in latitude, by account, 10 52' S. [say, 10 55' S. R. L. J.]. 

 Abreast of it, the coast has the appearance of a sandy desert, but improves about 3 

 leagues further to the northward, where it terminates in a point, near to which are 

 many small islands. I sailed between these islands, where I found no bottom at 12 

 fathoms [He did not take the Albany Pass, in which the greatest depth is 1 1 fathoms. 

 R. L. J.], the high mountainous land with a flat top [MOUNT ADOLPHUS ISLAND. 

 R. L. J.] and four rocks to the SE. of it, that I call the BROTHERS, being on my starboard 

 hand. Soon after, an extensive opening appeared in the mainland [He evidently 

 considered Prince of Wales and other high islands to be part of the mainland. R. L. J.], 

 in which were a number of high islands. I called this the Bay of Islands. We 

 continued steering to the NW. Several islands [ENDEAVOUR STRAIT, across which 

 a chain of islands (including Cook's Possession Island), stretching westward from 

 Peak Point, Cape York, to Rattlesnake Point, Prince of Wales Island. R. L. J.] 

 and keys were in sight to the northward. The most northerly island was mountainous, 

 having on it a very high round hill ; and a smaller was remarkable for a single-peaked 

 hill. 



" The coast to the northward and westward of the Bay of Islands [HORN and 

 PRINCE OF WALES ISLANDS. R. L. J.] is high and woody, and has a broken appearance, 

 with many islands close to it, amongst which there are fine bays and convenient 

 places for shipping. The northernmost of these islands I call WEDNESDAY ISLAND 

 [Wednesday, 3rd June, 1789].* To the NW. of this, we fell in with a large reef 

 [NORTH-WEST REEF. R. L. J.], which, I believe, joins a number of keys that were in 

 sight from the NW. to the ENE. We therefore stood to the SW., half a league, 

 when it was noon, and I had a good observation of the latitude in 10 31' S. 

 Wednesday Island bore E. by S., 5 miles ; the westmost land in sight [HAMMOND 

 ISLAND. R. L. J.], SW., 2 or 3 leagues ; the islands to the northward from NW. 

 by W. to NE. ; and the reef from W. to NE., distant I mile. I was now tolerably 

 certain that we should be clear of New Holland in the afternoon. 



" I know not how far this reef extends. It may be a continuation or a detached 

 part of the range of shoals that surround the coast. I believe the mountainous 

 islands [PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND. R. L. J.] to be separate from the shoals, and 

 have no doubt that near them may be found good passages for ships. But I rather 

 recommend those who are to pass this strait from the eastward to take their direction 

 from the coast of New Guinea. Yet I likewise think that a ship coming from the 

 southward will find a fair strait in the latitude of 10 S. . . . 



" At 2 p.m., as we were steering towards the westernmost part of the land in 

 sight, we fell in with some large sandbanks that run off from the coast. I therefore 

 called this SHOAL CAPE. We were obliged to steer to the northward again till we 

 got round the shoals, when I directed my course to the west. 



" At 4 o'clock, the westernmost of the islands to the northward bore N., 4 leagues ; 



1 Bligh did not name Tuesday, Thursday or Friday Islands. He anchored on 

 Tuesday at Turtle Island. After leaving Wednesday Island on Wednesday, 3rd June, 

 he took the Prince of Wales Channel and reached Booby Island in the afternoon. The 

 earliest reference to Thursday Island which has come under my notice is contained in 

 Lieut. James Grant's Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery in the " Lady Nelson," 1801-2. 

 London, 180^. 



