NEW SOUTH WALES. 291 



Neither Mr. Bass, nor his fellow voyager, 

 Lieut. Flinders, hesitated to think they had passed 

 through the strait, and from the Pacific, had 

 entered the southern Indian ocean; for what 

 within the extent of a vast sea could give birth 

 to the monstrous swell now rolling in before 

 their eyes ? and the coast was evidently trending 

 towards the S. W. cape. 



It was worthy of remark, that the Northern 

 shore of the strait from Wilson's Promontory 

 to Western Port resembled the blufY bold shore 

 of an open sea, with a swell rolling in, and a 

 large surf breaking upon it ; while the Southern 

 shore, or what is the coast of Van Diemen's 

 land, appeared like the inner shore of a cluster 

 of islands, whose outer parts break off the great 

 weight of the sea. 



On the 11th in the afternoon a piece of land 

 like an island was discovered standing out of 

 the line of the coast, but was found joined to 

 the main by a sandy beach. The shore behind 

 it was rugged and craggy, and the land was 

 both sterile and stoney. As night came on the 

 vessel stood off to the Westward, and at day- 

 light the next morning came in with the land 

 near the same spot, and ran along the shore at 

 N. W, 



About noon the coast rose into chains of high 

 mountains, in the same line as the coast, in 

 latitude 43° 07', the longitude 145° 42'. Some 

 smoke rising astern the vessel was the first 

 circumstance which afforded proof of inhabi- 

 tants being on this West coast 



