FIRST CAPE YORK SURVEYING VOYAGE 161 



shoulder by NATIVES from an ambush in a cliff. Having drawn out 

 the spear, he ran, with the natives in pursuit, to safety in the arms 

 of a party of sailors coming from the boat with instruments. By 

 1 2th December, he had recovered from the wound sufficiently to 

 bear the motion of the vessel, which accordingly left Point Pearce 

 for the Swan River settlement. Twelve days later, he was " just 

 able to crawl on the poop." At the SWAN RIVER, he was interested 

 in the shipping in Gage's Roads, which included some American 

 whalers, and in the infant city of PERTH. On 25th March, 1840, 

 he visited the penal establishment for aborigines on ROTTNEST 

 ISLAND. A surveying cruise to the north, along the western coast 

 of Australia, commenced on 4th April and ended at TIMOR on 

 23rd July, 1840. 



TIMOR was left behind about 9th August. The SWAN RIVER was 

 revisited. The town of ALBANY was visited on 2nd and ADELAIDE 

 on 27th November, and the " Beagle " returned to SYDNEY on 

 zyd December. 



2. SECOND CAPE YORK SURVEYING VOYAGE, 1841 



On yd June, 1841, the " Beagle " again left SYDNEY for Torres 

 Strait, this time in command of Captain Stokes, as Captain 

 Wickham had not recovered from dysentery contracted at the 

 Swan River. On anchoring on iqth June at RESTORATION ISLAND, 

 off Cape Weymouth (SEE MAP B), it was found that the island 

 was temporarily occupied by a large party of BLACKS from Torres 

 Strait, who had come in canoes. Some further surveying was done 

 between POSSESSION and WALLIS ISLANDS (SEE MAP A), and BOOBY 

 ISLAND was reached on 2yd June (SEE MAP H). 



On z^th June, the "Beagle" lay off BOLD POINT (17 S. ; 

 140 56' E.), on the Cape York Peninsula. Two miles north- 

 north-east of the point, an inlet was observed, and, following 

 Flinders, it was taken for Tasman's Van Diemen Inlet. It was 

 explored in whale-boats by Messrs. Forsyth, Fitzmaurice and 

 Tarrant up to fresh water, a distance of 27 miles by the windings, 

 but not more than 10 in a direct east-south-easterly line. NATIVES 

 were seen, but they displayed no hostility. This inlet is, in fact, 

 as later exploration has proved, the largest of the many MOUTHS 

 OF THE GILBERT RIVER. 



Leaving Bold Point on $th July, the " Beagle " reached 

 BOUNTIFUL ISLAND l (16 41' S. ; 139 55' E.), east of Mornington 

 Island, the following day. On 8th July, she dropped anchor in 

 INVESTIGATOR ROADS, between Sweers and Bentinck Islands. (SEE 

 MAP M.) On the latter were found the well sunk by Flinders and 

 a tree branded " Investigator." About a dozen NATIVES were 

 observed under MOUNT INSPECTION, but they displayed no hostility. 



1 So named by Flinders on account of the abundance of turtles. 

 I II 



