THE SUCCESSORS OF COOK 



505 



qualified by the admission of " the utter impossibility of 

 her ever being able to beat off a lee-shore." 



In October 1801 the Lady Nelson was sent, under com- Murray and 



mand of Lieutenant Murray, to make further exploration Bowen 



J discover 



in Bass's Straits, and especially to explore the big gap Port 



of one hundred miles which Grant had noticed between 

 Wilson's Promontory and Cape Otway. Sailing out 

 of Western Port on the 5th of January 1802, Murray saw 



crt open me Zand w 'ft* ** Z&rt? Grant 



PART OF MAP i 



in the afternoon x " an opening in the land that had the 

 appearance of a harbour," and, approaching nearer, he saw 

 across a reef " a fine sheet of smooth water of great extent." 

 The entrance, however, looked dangerous, the wind " blowed 

 as much as our vessel likes," so Murray sailed on, and 

 by the end of January returned to Western Port. Hence, 

 on the 1st of February, he sent the launch under Mr. Bowen 

 to seek a channel. " Mr. Bowen reported," writes 

 Murray, " that a good Channel was found into this new 

 harbour, . . . and according to his account it is a most 

 noble sheet of water, larger even than Western Port, 



