

PHILLIP PARKER KING IN THE MERMAID " 151 



day a party landed on the LIZARD ISLAND, where rough weather 

 detained the ship till the Sth. She touched on the i^tb at Bligh's 

 SUNDAY ISLAND, off Cape Grenville, and on the \\ih at CAIRNCROSS 

 ISLAND. (SEE MAP A.) On I$tb-l6tb June, King followed Cook's 

 track through ENDEAVOUR STRAIT to BOOBY ISLAND. He passed 

 CAPE WESSEL on iqtb August, and reached Botany Bay on 

 ^.tb December, 1820. (ADMIRALTY CHART, No. 447.) 



3. VOYAGE OF THE "BATHURST" 



A survey of the " Mermaid " in Sydney showed her to be unfit 

 for further sea service, and after consultation with Governor 

 Macquarie the purchase of a 170- ton brig was effected. The ship 

 was renamed the " Bathurst" Her complement was 33 men, 

 among whom were Allan Cunningham, Botanical Collector, Andrew 

 Montgomery, Surgeon, and an aboriginal named Bardwell. The 

 " Bathurst " left Sydney on 26th May, 1821, accompanied by the 

 merchant ship " Vtck," bound for Batavia. On ijth June, the 

 merchant brig " San Antonio," from Sydney for Singapore, was 

 overtaken at the largest of the FRANKLAND ISLANDS (17 15' S., 

 opposite the mouth of the Mulgrave River), and she followed the 

 " Bathurst " and " Dick." (SEE MAP K.) The same night they 

 anchored in TRINITY BAY, where they rode out a storm. (SEE 

 MAP G.) On 2Oth June, they were at LIZARD ISLAND, which, 

 according to King, is granite. (SEE MAP E.) On 2ist June, they 

 rounded CAPE MELVILLE and crossed Bathurst Bay, landing, 22nd 

 June (at BATHURST HEAD?). Here the landing party was surprised 

 and threatened by NATIVES, and one man was slightly wounded. 

 Presumably, the Bay, the Head and the Bathurst Range were named 

 on this occasion. This voyage showed that CAPE FLINDERS, till 

 then believed to be a point of the mainland, was really the northern 

 extremity of the chain of islands which prolongs Bathurst Head to 

 the north for about 10 miles, and, as King demonstrated the fact, 

 it may be assumed that it was he who gave the islands the name of 

 the FLINDERS GROUP which they still bear. Cook had no idea of 

 the contour of this portion of the coast, as he was too far to the 

 east to see it in fact, outside of the Barrier Reef. Flinders was 

 still further east, both in the " Investigator " and " Cumberland." 



On 23;*^ June, CUNNINGHAM observed aboriginal CAVE- 

 DRAWINGS on schistose rocks, underlying sandstone, on CLACK'S 

 ISLAND (144 15' E., 14 5' S.). They were executed in white on 

 a ground of red ochre, and represented sharks, porpoises, turtles, 

 lizards, tripang, starfish, clubs, canoes, water-gourds and quad- 

 rupeds. 



The ships were detained by bad weather from 2Jth June to 

 1st July, on which day they reached the opening between ALBANY 

 and MOUNT ADOLPHUS ISLANDS. (SEE MAP A.) Thence they 



