NOTES BY JAMES BACKHOUSE WALKER. 



273 



seen over the low sandy foreshore north of Macquarie 

 Harbour would fit Tasman's description of the very high 

 land in front of him. If the land near Point Hibbs had 

 been first sighted, Mount Heemskirk would have been 

 at least 50 miles distant, and not visible. It is therefore 

 probable that the first land seen by the Dutch navigator 

 was the mountainous country to the north of Macquarie 

 Harbour. Without further observations the point must 

 remain doubtful, but when we get (he much-needed and 

 long-expected Admiralty survey of the West Coast it 

 will doubtless be possible to fix precisely the spot of 

 Tasman's landfall. 



When the shades of evening fell over the strange shore 

 they had just discovered it was deemed prudent to run 

 out to sea during the night, and when morning broke 

 the land was far distant." The breeze had died away, 

 and it was noon before they had enough wind to run in 

 again towards the shore. By 5 in the evening they 

 were within 12 miles of the land, and they kept on their 

 course until within one Dutch mile (4 English miles) of 

 what was without doubt Point Hibbs. 



This was the opinion of Flinders, than whom there 

 could be no higher authority on such a question, and 

 Tasman's sketch, rough as it 'is, seems conclusive. Point 

 Hibbs is there laid down as an island, but its distinctive 

 form — unlike any point lying to the northward — is cor- 

 rectly shown.* 



The ships stood out to sea again and sailed south-east 

 in (hick, foggy weather, in which only glimpses of the 

 coast were obtained. Tasman took some of the high 

 headlands and mountains about Port Davey for islands, 

 calling them De Witt and Sweers Islands. Then he 

 rounded the South West Cape, and named the Maat- 

 suyker Islands, passing close to a small island about 12 

 miles from the mainland which looked like a lion, and 

 which was indentified afterwards by Flinders as the rock 

 named by Furneaux the Mewstone. Thence he passed 

 between the mainland and a rock which he named Pedra 

 Erancat (White Rock) from its resemblance to Pedra 



_ * The, onlydfiloulty in reconciling the positions of the two days (Not. 24 

 and 25) liri'ia :w fact that the difference of latitude given in the journal is 

 5 miu. only. The difference of latitude between Cape Sorell, where we 

 suppose him to have been on the lirst evening, and Point Tlibhs, where ho 

 certainly was on iW- second, is 21! miles. The discrepancy may, however, be 

 accounted for. On the second day they had southerly wind and lliick weather, 

 and probably got no observation. They had been standing nit and on for 24 

 hours, and currents unknown to them would probably lead to error m esti- 

 mating their position. The probability of error in Tasman's latitude. 11 

 increased by the fact that he makes lis., latitude 12 dcg. 30 nun. instead of 

 42 dog. SS miu., the error being too northerly instead of too southerly, as 

 usual, 

 t Known to our fishermen as "Peter's Bank." 



