APPENDIX. 265 



August 8th was completed up to the Murray Islands. On 

 August 14th we left Torres Strait, touched for a few days 

 at Port Essington, and at Coupang in the island of Timor 

 to procure water and refreshments, and on September 30th 

 anchored at Swan River, where we remained a month and 

 then returned to Hobarton. 



The Bramble remained a fortnight after us at Swan 

 River to complete her refitting, and endeavour to recover 

 some deserters ; and on sailing, her commander, Lieut. 

 Yule, undertook to carry round some specie for the Colonial 

 Government to King George's Sound. In entering this 

 port, and beating through the narrow entrance to the inner 

 harbour, she unfortunately grounded on a rock, where she 

 remained for four days. It blew hard during part of the 

 time, and after suffering considerable damage to her bottom, 

 she beat over it. She arrived safely, however, in Hobarton, 

 though very leaky, was hove down at Port Arthur and 

 partially repaired, but was obliged to be taken onto the 

 patent siip on her arrival at Sydney. 



On January 8th of the year 1844, we left Hobarton 

 again, and anchored at Sydney on the 13th. As Captain 

 Blackwood had determined on the erection of a beacon on 

 Raine's Islet io mark the entrance of a good passage through 

 the reefs, he, in obedience to his orders from the Admiralty, 

 applied to the Colonial Government for assistance. The 

 Colony, however, was in such a very depressed condition at 

 that period, that the only assistance that could be afforded 

 was the loan of twenty picked convicts, chiefly masons and 

 quarry men, and of a small revenue cutter, the Prince 

 George. The latter required much alteration, repair and 

 refitting, before she could be adapted to the service. This, 

 together with the repairing of the Bramble, the purchasing 

 and selecting and stowing away of the large quantity of 

 material, tools, implements, wooden houses, &c, and the 



