422 



L. HARGRAVE. 



When passing the Endeavour Biver in 1867, Karl Thorn- 

 gren, a reliable witness, told us there were careening ring- 

 bolts on the bank of that river. It is certain Oapt. Oook 

 did not place them there as the "Endeavour" ivas put on 

 the mud ivithoat delay because she was sinking, 1 Mr. H. 

 Graham Shaw, Acting Harbour Master at Oooktown, has 

 made enquiry for me from old residents who have no recol- 

 lection of ever seeing any ringbolts. Mr. Shaw thinks it 

 highly probable that the ringbolts have been covered over 

 when building railway and wharfage on the extreme bank 

 of the river. The weight this statement carries does not 

 depend on the reliability of Thorngren, which without doubt 

 was beyond question, but on my recognition of the Wool- 

 lahra Point ringbolts being for careening purposes recalling 

 Thorngren's statement accurately. The word careening is 

 an unusual word, and therefore I should confidently rely on 

 finding the relics near where Mr. Shaw thinks they would 

 be situated. 



June 4, 1909, Mr. J. S. Bruce of Murray Island, writes:— 

 "The small cannon was found on Ashmore Reef, at the north 

 end of it, when brought here it was very much encrusted, after 

 getting it cleaned I saw no particular marks on it, but no doubt 

 the Brisbane Museum authorities could give you particulars as to 

 its antiquity. . . . The copper that Dr. Lawes spoke to you 

 about was found on two patches of reef close to the island of 

 Makuiag (pronounced Mar-be-ack, Jervis Island) which lies to the 

 west of Murray. There were no remains of a wreck near the 

 copper find ; it was surmised that the ship had grounded on the 

 reef patches and the copper was thrown overboard to lighten her 

 and float her off the reef, as the ingots were found in heaps as if 

 thrown overboard ; they were very much incrusted with coral and 

 had to be broken out by crowbars. 



1 The " Endeavour " entered Charco Harbour (Endeavour River), 17th 

 June, 1770, and was put on the mud on the 22nd. On 6th July she 

 warped alongside the bank and got a stage made from the ship to the 

 shore (Lieut. Hicks' Journal in Hist. Eec. i (1) pp. 184, 186). In other 

 words, she remained at that spot for 12 days. Hooker's Banks' Journal, 

 p. 279, speaks of the stage being erected on the 18th June.— (Editors). 



