IMPERFECT CHARTS OF COAST. 381 



to-day, met with Timorese, whom his Malay atten- 

 dant could not understand, but they were very civil. 

 Mr. Sluyter, the Resident, also told Captain Black- 

 wood that the people generally were perfectly quiet. 

 Indeed, they cannot be a very warlike race, or the 

 slight force the Dutch keep here would not be suf- 

 ficient to guard their possessions. 



On my return to the town this morning, I found 

 the Bramble had come in. She separated from 

 us after leaving Port Essington, and had taken 

 a different route from ours, coming round the 

 north side of the island. She had had only light 

 winds all the way, and in coming down along the 

 coast, found the charts very defective, not only 

 in longitude, but also in latitude. Lieut. Yule in- 

 formed me that her true position at noon once 

 or twice placed the Bramble on the top of one of the 

 mountains of the interior, as laid down in the chart. 

 It appears, therefore, that the island is narrower 

 than it is made on our charts, as the south coast 

 does not seem to be so much in error, but even that 

 is uncertain. 



A Sydney whaler likewise came in. She had left 

 Coupang a fortnight ago, and now returned to land 

 one of her crew, a New Zealander, who was ill of 

 the small-pox. There is a small hospital in the 

 fort, where he would be received on payment of a 

 certain sum. She did not anchor, but two of her 

 men deserted from the boat, and got concealed 

 somewhere in the town. There is a fine of one him- 



