736 



DIE MEN'S ISLAND. 



l'urneaux, 

 1773. 



Cook, 

 1776. 



BliRh, 



1792. 



Entrecas- 



teaux, 



1793. 



meagre appearance, broad shoulders, and woolly hair, 

 struck the French ; but the Diemenese expressed no 

 signs of astonishment during the interview. Previous 

 to this, a quantity of dried wood had been collected by 

 the savages for a fire ; and one at length separated from 

 the rest to present a fire brand to M. Marion, and 

 others, that they might set it in flames. M. Marion, con- 

 sidering this procedure to be a token of pacification, did 

 not hesitate to apply the brand; but his error was 

 quickly demonstrated, for kindling the fire seemed to 

 prove a signal of defiance. No sooner had he done so, 

 than the natives precipitately retired, and, from an emi- 

 nence, saluted their visitors with a shower of stones, 

 whereby he and then officer were wounded. The French 

 immediately retaliated by a discharge of musketry, 

 and then sailed along the bay to a supposed place of se- 

 curity. The savages followed, however ; and having 

 sent the women and children into the woods, opposed 

 their landing by a flight of lances, one of which took 

 effect. A second discharge of musketry killed one and 

 wounded several of their number, whereupon, uttering 

 hideous yells, they fled into the interior. These un- 

 provoked aggressions established the real character of 

 the Diemenese, which has sometimes been so egregi- 

 ously mistaken ; and future navigators may safely con- 

 clude, that the spears of savages are less designed for 

 the destruction of wild animals, than for warfare with 

 their own species. 



A year afterwards, Captain Furneaux, in the course 

 of Captain Cook's second voyage of discovery, arrived 

 at Van Diemen's Land : and in 1776, Captain Cook an- 

 chored there himself. He remained a few days, and 

 had frequent interviews with the natives, by whom he 

 was well received, and who approached him with per- 

 fect confidence. Nothing was known to him of M. 

 Marion's adventure, which is not surprising, as no ac- 

 count of his voyage was then public, nor is it known 

 even at this day in Britain, except to a few individuals; 

 his anchorage besides was not in the same place. Cap- 

 tain Cook proposed to have set ashore a bull and cow, 

 together with some sheep and goats ; but apprehend- 

 ing they would be destroyed by the natives, he let 

 loose a pair of pigs only. 



Scarcely any part of this country was explored, except 

 the southern extremity and Adventure Bay, together 

 with some of the adjacent islands ; but it appears that 

 European vessels occasionally touched on the coast. 

 Captain Bligh, in completing the original purpose of 

 his voyage for bringing the bread fruit tree from the 

 Friendly Islands to the West Indies, anchored at Van 

 Diemen's Land. His botanists planted several fruit 

 trees and useful vegetables here in the year 1792, to 

 which the soil and climate seemed well adapted. 



Shortly after Captain Bligh's departure, two French 

 vessels, under the command of Admiral D'Entrecas- 

 teaux, who had been sent out in quest of M. de la Pe- 

 rouse, reached Van Diemen's Land : a considerable por- 

 tion of 1792 and 1793 was occupied in observations on 

 the country, its products, and the disposition of the 

 natives. But above all, an accurate hydrographical 

 survey was made of the coast and islands, the result of 

 which has lately appeared in a magnificent collection 

 of engravings, executed by the order and at the charge 

 of the present French government. Various learned 

 men had, with laudable attention, been associated with 

 the expedition ; and by their united labours, an inti- 

 mate acquaintance, compared with what was previous- 

 ly known of the Australasian regions, was obtained. 

 The errors of Captain Cook and preceding navigators 

 3 



were corrected ; and it was ascertained, that a consider- 

 able channel, which the French named D'Entrecasteaux's 

 Straits, separated the adjacent islands on the east from the 

 main land. They were received without reserve by the 

 inhabitants, who assisted and promoted their objects ; 

 and certainly, on this occasion, manifested no symptoms 

 of treachery, though they had their visitors completely 

 in their power. In addition to planting such vege- 

 tables as were likely to prove useful to later navigators, 

 the French set two goats at liberty, in hopes that their 

 offspring might supply their wants. 



Van Diemen's Land was still believed to be the south- Conjectu- 

 ern portion of New Holland ; nor had navigators sus- red . to b * 

 pected any existing channel by which they were sepa- ^ '! an ' 

 rated. " I need hardly say," Captain Cook observes, 

 " that it is the southern point of New Holland, which, 

 if it doth not deserve the name of a continent, is by far 

 the largest island in the world." But in the year 1797> 

 a vessel having been wrecked considerably to the south 

 of Port Jackson, on an island, since called Preservation 

 island, part of the crew were left there, while the rest 

 went in quest of assistance. During the interval, they 

 made some excursions in a small boat in different direc- 

 tions, and from their report, and other circumstances 

 combkied, the governor of the settlement conjectured, 

 that there might be passages or straits running west- 

 ward to the ocean, whereby Van Diemen's Land would 

 be separated from the south coast of New Holland. These 

 conjectures were further corroborated in the subsequent 

 year, by Mr Bass, surgeon of the Reliance ship of war, Discovered 

 who, during a voyage of twelve weeks in an open boat, . ,e , a ( ' 1 

 sailed as far as 40° of south latitude. He visited every Mr Bas J 

 opening in the way; and from all his observations, con- 1793. 

 eluded, that there was a channel between 39° and 40° 

 of south latitude, rendering Van Diemen's Land an 

 island ; and he thought he might have performed a com- 

 plete circumnavigation, had he been provided with a 

 better vessel. In the end of the same year, Mr Bass 

 had the satisfaction of ascertaining the truth. Accom- 

 panied by Lieutenant Flinders of the navy, he pene- 

 trated the supposed entrance into the channel, circum- 

 navigated Van Diemen's Land, and returned to Port 

 Jackson, from whence the voyage had been undertaken, 

 early in January 1799- The period of the excursion 

 had been limited by the governor to twelve weeks j but 

 in the course of that time, in addition to the more im- 

 portant discovery of the main object in view, the navi- 

 gators gained an acquaintance with many parts of the 

 island which had never been previously visited. They 

 opened a wide field of observation, and in the compari- 

 sons which were drawn between the territorial ad- 

 vantages enjoyed by the colony at Botany Bay, it be- 

 came a subject of contemplation, whether subordinate 

 settlements might not be profitably established on Van 

 Diemen's Land. Scarcely any thing, however, except 

 the margin of the island, had been visited : the natives 

 were seldom seen, and very little knowledge obtained 

 of their manners. 



Another expedition was planned by the French about 

 the same period, of which the ostensible purpose was the 

 promotion of scientific discovery : and certainly nothing 

 was spared which, in this respect, might promise suc- 

 cess. Twenty-three individuals embarked, whose sole 

 province was to explore the nature and peculiarities of 

 the regions they were to traverse; out of these, only 

 three returned to their native country. Nevertheless, 

 the object of their united labours was preserved, and 

 we are thence enabled to judge of the research as 

 bestowed on the island now under our considera- 



Flinders, 

 1799. 



