456 



DAMPIER'S ISLAND. 



[1830. 



as respects richness of soil and beauty of appearance, it is every way 

 equal to its neighbour, on the eastern side of St. George's Channel. 

 Its vegetable and animal productions are the same ; but its shores are 

 much more abundantly supplied with the rich treasures of the deep. 

 Its coasts are surrounded with many small islands in the offing, and it 

 is encircled with coral reefs from two to ten miles off-shore, with nar- 

 row passages between them. This renders the navigation difficult 

 and dangerous, and demands every precaution from navigators who are 

 not familiar with these seas. 



As the coral reefs, when the weather is clear, show themselves best 

 at night, we made the most of our distance while the sun was below 

 the horizon ; lying-to in the daytime, and holding intercourse with the 

 natives. Otherwise I should have taken charts of these islands, and 

 their surrounding reefs and shoals ; which, if appended to this work, 

 would have rendered it more useful to the nautical reader. Should I 

 ever again be favoured with the command of a vessel to this part of 

 the world, I shall make it a point to execute charts of all these islands, 

 and present the same to the public on my return, for the benefit of 

 other navigators. In the mean time, I can recommend Arrowsmith's 

 charts of these seas, as the most correct ef any that have ever yet 

 been published. Had I kept a journal with a view to publication, a 

 thing I never contemplated until I returned from my last voyage, when 

 my friends urged me to the measure, I could perhaps have produced a 

 volume much more interesting and valuable than the present. As it 

 is, I hope this humble attempt will be taken as an earnest of my wish 

 to be useful to my country, and the cause of nautical science. 



We continued running alongshore to the west, keeping the main- 

 land close on board, and having a few little squabbles with the natives, 

 which no prudence or forbearance on our part could prevent. The 

 Antarctic set so low in the water, and made so small an appearance 

 on the surface, that most of the different tribes with whom we fell in, 

 ignorant of the effects of gunpowder, had an idea that they could take 

 our vessel with very little trouble. The only method we used to con- 

 vince them of their error was a little loud speaking from the mouths 

 of our cannon, without any arguments sufficiently heavy or sharp to 

 break the skin. Finding that the report, without the shot, produced 

 the desired effect, we were happy to save the latter, and avoid shedding 

 the blood of this poor ignorant race of men. 



November \lth. — On Thursday, the 11th, at eight, A. M., we were 

 close in with Cape Gloster, which is the north-west extremity of New- 

 Britain, and the eastern shore of Dampier's Strait, through which blew 

 a fine breeze from about south-east. We stood to the westward across 

 the strait, and at eleven, A. M., were close in under the northern shore 

 of an island of considerable size, that lies nearly in the centre of the 

 strait, and which I shall call Dampier's Island, in honour of its dis- 

 coverer ; although some navigators have already named it Rook's 

 Island. We were soon visited by several canoes filled with natives, 

 who approached the vessel with great caution : and it was not until 

 we had showed them some knives and beads that we could persuade 

 them to come alongside. 



