122 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



Captains Bampton and Alt succeeded in their main object of 

 finding a new passage through the Coral Sea of Torres Strait. 

 They even succeeded in traversing, from east to west, the dreaded 

 " DROOGE BOGHT " of the early Dutch navigators. In 1623, the 

 " Pera " and " Aernem" coming from the west and keeping 

 slightly closer to the New Guinea coast, had been forced to return 

 from about the longitude of 141 50' E. 



