130 



AUSTRALASIA. 



Some young ones were taken, but all of them died 

 except one, which lived until the expedition reached 

 Timor, when it perished by accident. The French, 

 after anchoring in Dampier's bay, behind a peninsula, 

 which had hitherto been supposed an island, saw 

 King William's river. It issues from a sterile region ; 

 and, from its confined and dangerous entrance, they 

 concluded that it was of much less importance than 

 had been represented. Seven low, barren, sandy 

 islands were then discovered, which the French called 

 the Rivoli islands, to perpetuate one of their victories : 

 and the north-west Cape of New Holland, from 

 which projects an extensive reef, with a sea violent- 

 ly breaking on it, they named Cape Murat. At 

 Cape Murat, De Witt's land commences, and ex- 

 tends to the north cape of this immense continent, 

 thus comprehending a tract of 10 in latitude, and 15 

 in longitude. It is supposed to have been discovered 

 by a Dutch navigator in the year 1616, 1623, or 

 1628. The French now discovered a great archipe- 

 lago ; the islands composing which, in general, ap- 

 peared barren, and many of them encompassed by 

 rocks and shoals. Incredible dangers here assailed 

 them : the vessels were driven towards the breakers 

 white with foam ; while the calms which prevailed, 

 interrupting their manoeuvres, increased the difficul- 

 ties of an intricate navigation. In the course of it, 

 Dampier's observations concerning the fineness of the 

 weather, and the singular serenity of the heavens, were 

 verified. The air had never appeared so pure and so 

 free of vapours and humidity. Few of these islands 

 were of large size ; some were basaltic, and seemingly 

 of volcanic origin ; others, sandy, white, and sterile, 

 rose under a thousand different shapes, several of 

 them resembling immense antique tombs. Names 

 were bestowed on a great number, as Forbin, Com- 

 merson, Colbert, BufFon, Cassini, Bernouilli, La Place ; 

 and the whole were comprehended under the deno- 

 mination of Bonaparte' s Archipelago. Disease had 

 already begun to make ravages in the vessels, which 

 forced their commanders to leave the Australasian 

 regions to recruit their strength at Timor. After 

 residing some months at that island, they made D'En- 

 trecasteaux's straits in 62 days on their return. The 

 discovery of these straits they consider the most re- 

 markable and important of any connected with Van 

 Diemen's Land: whence they were judged deserving 

 of the greater notice. Thirty-six days were occu- 

 pied in observations, during which many acquisitions 

 were made to natural history ; and several geogra- 

 phical errors corrected. Tasman's isle proved only 

 to be a peninsula ; but they found D'Entrecasteaux's 

 geographical labours so perfect, that nothing could 

 exceed them. Departing thence, Maria's island, 

 discovered by Schouten in 1642, was surveyed. It 

 is situated in 42 42' of S. latitude ; consists chiefly 

 of two kinds of granite, and is covered in a great mea- 

 sure with marshes interspersed with rocks and sand. 

 Opposite to Cape Peron is a solitary rock of granite 

 150 or 200 feet high : and a large portion of the 

 island is surrounded by lofty walls of granite, of 300 

 or 400 feet in height, with vast caverns penetrating 

 into their bases. 1 he natives of the island colour their 

 hair from a mine of a kind of oxide of iron : and go 

 entirely naked, except in a kangaroo skin hanging 



1700-1810. 



over their shoulders. Among the terrestrial mam- Australa- 

 mifera:, only a single species of dasyura, the size of 

 a mouse, was seen. Numerous troops of dolphins, 

 cetacea, and phocae, lined the shores ; the last of which 

 are of infinite consequence in the consideration of 

 Maria's island. Other observations confirmed the 

 accuracy of Tasman and Captain Flinders, and point- 

 ed out a remarkable Dumber of isthmuses proceeding 

 from the land. Schouten's islands were all, except 

 one, found for the first time to be so many peninsu- 

 las connected by mountainous tracts to the main land. 

 Few appearances more singular than this island are 

 presented by the Australasian regions. It consists 

 solely of lofty black mountains, divided by deep val- 

 lies ; the eastern side is absolutely naked, without 

 the smallest traces of verdure ; and several parts of 

 the summit rise into granitic points, resembling so 

 many columns raised by the hands of men. The 

 French next traversing the east coast of Van Diemen's 

 Land, entered Bass's straits. There, after naming 

 many islets, and recognising Furneaux's islands, they 

 fixed the situation of Wilson's promontory at 39 a 

 10* 30" S. latitude. Captain Grant had made it 39 

 2', and Captain Flinders 38 57' ; but the observations 

 which carry it 17' farther west, are probably nearest 

 the truth. From Wilson's promontory on the south, 

 to Cape Lewin on the west, is an extent of 900 

 leagues : the only part of which that had been sur- 

 veyed previous to the arrival of the French, was from 

 Cape Lewin to St Francis and St Peter's islands, on 

 the eastern boundary of Nuytz' land. The English 

 not having continued their investigation beyond Port 

 Western, all the tract intervening between it and 

 Nuytz' land was unknown. The French, in sailing 

 944 miles along the coast, from Wilson's promontory, 

 found bays, reefs, shoals, and islands, before undis- 

 covered. A great gulf, penetrating above 100 miles 

 into the continent, was named Josephine's Guff, and 

 opposite to it an island 210 miles in circuit, Decres' 

 Island. A vast gulf next appeared, the opening of 

 which resembled the mouth of a large river. It pe- 

 netrated above 200 miles into the land, and contained 

 harbours and islands within its bounds. This was 

 called Bonaparte's Gulf. The French then traver- 

 sed a coast by them named Napoleon's land, and in 

 the course of their run discovered 160 islands, all 

 very low, and of a grey, yellow, whitish, or black 

 colour. Nearly the whole were of the most repulsive 

 aridity ; their surface was encrusted with dingy lich- 

 ens ; few exhibited a tree or shrub ; fresh water scarce- 

 ly existed in any of them ; and they were entire- 

 ly uninhabited. It was further ascertained, that the 

 expectations so long entertained of a river behind the 

 isles of St Francis and St Peter, dividing New Hol- 

 land to the gulf of Carpentaria, were delusive. Forty- 

 three days were occupied in surveying Napoleon's 

 land ; and the French affirm that, in the course of their 

 navigation from Wilson's promontory to Cape Fare- 

 well on the west, they saw above a thousand leagues 

 of coast, including bays and islands, But their re- 

 searches were baffled by a succession of tempests : rocks 

 and shoals threatened them on every side, and fre- 

 quently interrupted the progress of investigation. At 

 length the failure of provisions and sickness among 

 the crew, constrained them to think, of seeking 



